By Brandon J. Wallace
SteelerNation.com
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach, Mike Tomlin has always said, "the standard is the standard." Something Tomlin has said to "vividly capture the imagination" of the guys in the locker room so they "remember the message." Whether the message involved the expected level of play, or the demeanor in which a player wearing black and gold was expected to have, the idea stood true. Although this famous phrase has been linked to football, we can apply the message during times like the one we're all in right now. Through this pandemic, helping out in anyway we can should be expected of all of us. That's exactly what Tomlin's wife, Kiya Tomlin is doing right now.
As a fashion designer, Kiya has become very familiar with one thing -- sewing. Through her workshop in Pittsburgh, PA, Kiya has been sewing masks to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
"Something is better than nothing," Kiya said in an interview with NFL.com media reporter, Aditi Kinkhabwala. She also made sure to mention that she and her team are "practicing social distancing."
Although there has been a lot of time and energy spent on the creative design of the masks, a Steelers fan might think they would come in black and gold. "We're not taking custom orders," Kiya jokingly added.
Though these masks can't defend against every single shred of the disease, Kiya's hope is that the "hard-to-find" N95 masks (that do defend against every single shred of the disease), can be reserved for healthcare workers who are in current desperate need of them. Her goal right now is to simply get her masks to hospitals and staff to at least have some sort of protective equipment (if they don't already).
Kiya has so far delivered 300 masks to hospitals in Pittsburgh and will look to continue to support her community. She doesn't want monetary donations.
For more information on Kiya and her workshop, you can visit kiyatomlin.us.
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