Braintree Teen Makes Hundreds Of Masks For Veterans, Children

BRAINTREE, MA — Since early in the coronavirus pandemic, LouAnna Kelly has wanted to make a difference and play a part in lessening the spread.

So she put the sewing skills she got from her grandmother to good use and started making masks for veterans, children, seniors and anyone else in need. Kelly grabbed her sewing needle and some fabric, and since the spring, she's made over 200 masks.

"My grandmother taught me to sew in June [2019], so the idea of homemade masks was out, and I thought it would be a great way to keep people safe," Kelly said.

The process was slow at first, but Kelly's mom Karen said her daughter has only gotten better and can now make a mask in five-to-seven minutes. She said her daughter still has some of the first masks she made, and when you compare them, to where they were at the start, there's a lot of improvement.

"She's improved her sewing skills, and she really wanted to help people and slow the spread," Karen Kelly said. "There's not a lot a 13-year-old can do during a deadly pandemic. You can only do what you got the power to do, and she said 'I can make masks.'"

When LouAnna Kelly started, making the masks, her goal was to help veterans.

She said veterans hold a special place in her heart, especially since both her great-grandparents, Louis and Anna, served in WWII. Their names were actually how LouAnna Kelly was named — a combination of her great-grandparents' first names.

Recently, LouAnna Kelly and her mom called Veterans Services in Braintree to talk about how to donate the masks to those who served. Mayor Charles Kokoros was made aware of the call and invited them to Town Hall to give LouAnna an achievement citation for making the masks.

"LouAnna is an exceptional young lady that we are very proud to have here in Braintree," Kokoros said. "She is way ahead of her time as of her ability to look at a situation and come up with a kind and caring solution to help our veterans."

Karen Kelly said another 50 child masks were donated to Cradles to Crayons to help children, and both her and her daughter want to find ways to help as many people as they can during the pandemic.

"I can serve my country by making masks, and I’m going to keep doing that," LouAnna Kelly said.