Susan Barnard, Office Services Manager for the Administrative Office of the Courts and Probation, spent the month of April gathering hand-sewn face masks for Nebraska’s probation field staff. Barnard is a 4-H leader in Gage County and has kept her 4-H youth busy sewing masks since the Center For Disease Control recommended masks to ease the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

In addition to the 4-H group, Barnard has solicited masks from others in the community. According to Barnard, “Members of the community have been very generous in donating their time, talents, and supplies for the masks. In addition, probation staff across the state have also been instrumental in helping to sew masks for their districts.” Before the end of April, over 700 masks had been distributed through the probation system to drug techs, probation officers, and other staff who have direct contact with the public and are continuing to provide service to probation clientele.