Denise Ruszalea, Stefan Czaporowski, Elizabeth Cain, Hannah Cain and Eileen Jachym model the Boston Strong shirt created at Westfield Vocational Technical High School to raise funds for victims of the Boston Marathon bombing. (Photo by Hope E. Tremblay)
WESTFIELD – Following the Boston Marathon bombings, Elizabeth Cain wanted to do something to help.
The graphic arts instructor at Westfield Vocational Technical High School (WVTHS) took the events to heart because her daughter Hannah was almost there.
Hannah is a student at Emmanuel College who was on her way to downtown Boston when she received a call to stay away because of the bombings.
Cain was relieved her daughter was safe, but grieved for those families whose sons and daughters were caught in the attack.
When Mayor Daniel M. Knapik encouraged city employees to wear Boston shirts to support those effected, Cain took action and designed a shirt at WVTHS.
“For the front, I wanted to keep the design simple,” said Cain, choosing an outline of the Boston skyline with “Boston” spelled out underneath, also outlined, so that it would be empty inside.
“I wanted it hollow inside,” Cain said, reflecting her feelings about the bombing.
The word “strong” is underneath Boston. On the back is a number one, comprised of all the area codes of Massachusetts, starting with 413 and 617, and ending with the word “wicked,” which she said was a must for Massachusetts.
The sleeve offers a message of peace, all done in gray ink on various color shirts.
Director of 21st Century Learning Eileen Jachym said they started out with a few shirts for people in the building, and word quickly spread. Soon, staff in every school wanted one and Cain was busy filling orders. Jachym said she worried Cain couldn’t do it all.
“But she said it was a healing process,” said Jachym.
“We’ve raised over $7,000,” said Cain.
While creating all those shirts was a true labor of love, it really was a lot of work. Work Cain said was worth the late nights.
“It’s good because you could see people coming together – you could see their compassion,” she said.
