Springs’ resident makes free protective masks for Colorado, and the country

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Genesis Ward is a cosmetologist but is out of work because of COVID-19. Like the rest of us, she waits for life to return to normal, but until then, she's found a way to pass the time by making free protective masks for anyone who needs them.

Ward converted her living room into a mask studio. She got help from her family and some friends, and then it was go-time.

"The morning that the governor and the president announced that they were going to require everyone or suggest that they wear masks, I posted things that I was making and fabrics that were coming on various different social media sites," says Ward. "As the speech was happening, my phone just started going absolutely crazy."

If you reach out to her on Facebook, she will make masks for you and your family. She's adhering to the social distancing guidelines so she has an arrangement for people to pick them up. If someone can't pick them up, she makes arrangements to have the masks delivered.

"I kept on having this voice in my head that said that I needed to fulfill a purpose and start making the masks," Ward says.

Making the masks is an all-day task.

"18 hours," Ward says, "That's between making the masks, getting the orders together, things like that. There's been a couple days where I've crashed and I've slept longer. It's hard to sleep when you know that so many people could possibly need this."

Ward is not just helping Coloradans. She has sent masks to people across the country. She's sent them to California, Texas, Connecticut, Chicago, Las Vegas, and more.

Ward says Nana's Quilt Cottage has been huge in helping her keep this going. By the end of the week, Ward says she will have made about 2 thousand masks.

"I hope that for every person that's wearing a bandanna or just a T-shirt, if they can't afford to do anything more, that they will reach out and know that they can have something that's going to be more protective for them."

You can message Ward here: https://www.facebook.com/NailPassion365