THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, June 20, 1996 TAG: 9606190103
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY SHIRLEY BRINKLEY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: 86 lines
WHEN JOAN TRADER became volunteer layette chairman of the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society in 1994, she tackled the job with enthusiasm. With restructuring, she enhanced the program.
``When I took over, it was such a mess,'' Trader said. ``Everybody's junk was in the chairman's office, and I wasn't afraid to throw things away. I had to sort through boxes, bring the files up to date, meet with the volunteers and keep track of volunteers' hours.''
Navy Relief provides layettes for an enlisted family if the expectant wife attends a class titled ``Budgeting for Baby.''
``I used to teach the class as a nurse,'' Trader said. ``It gives a dose of reality as to how much it's going to cost to have a baby.
``Nurses give health talks on breast feeding and reading thermometers. We also show them how to make toys. We try to keep them from going in debt for things they want but don't need, and teach them how to do very concrete budgeting.''
After the 1 1/2-hour class, each mother-to-be receives a certificate, baby book, and free formula, Trader said. They also may select their baby's first pink or blue gingham ``sea bag.''
Each layette contains $70 worth of newborn clothing, which includes diapers, pins, rubber pants, gowns, booties, receiving blankets, a large blanket, two crib sheets and a towel set.
``The `icing on the cake' is a handmade item - an afghan or a sweater set provided by the Retired Seniors Volunteer Program (RSVP) or the Suffolk Voluntary Action group,'' Trader said.
Due to her quiet determination and dedication, Trader recently was named ``Volunteer of the Year'' by the Hampton Roads Auxiliary Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society.
Rear Adm. Robert S. Cole, commander of the Norfolk Naval Base, presented her with a plaque, a bouquet of red roses and a plane ticket to any city in the United States.
``In 1995 alone, Joan Trader ensured that over 1,600 newborns in Hampton Roads received a special `Welcome to the World' gift,'' said Sandra Pennecke of the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society. ``Additionally, this program has given over 180 individuals the opportunity to serve the society from their homes with knitting needles, crochet hooks and sewing machines. That task was monumental and required astute coordination to ensure a continuous flow of handmade items to place in each layette.''
A native of New Castle, Ind., Trader, 39, grew up in Elkhart, Ind., with two older brothers.
On a Friday in 1982, Trader graduated from nursing school at Southwestern Michigan College in Dowagiac, Mich., began her drive to Hampton Roads on Saturday, and on the following Monday, went to work in the gynecology-oncology unit at DePaul Hospital. Then on Tuesday, she took her Virginia Board of Nursing exams.
After working the evening shift at DePaul for seven years, Trader decided to switch to full-time days. Based in the Naval Hospital in Portsmouth, she worked as a home health nurse for Navy Relief.
``My husband became my boss at Navy Relief,'' she said. ``He was widowed, I was divorced, and I asked him for our first date.''
Everett amd Joan Trader married in 1988 and moved to Suffolk five years ago with her daughter, 12-year-old Emily Stratton. Everett Trader, a retired Marine and executive director of Navy Relief, has two grown sons, Mike Trader of Green Acres, Wash., and Rick Trader of Richmond.
Today, Joan Trader works three days a week as the personal care supervisor for Portsmouth General Hospital Inc. and two days for Navy Relief.
``I work for pay and I volunteer for fun,'' she said, smiling.
Trader buys bolts of gingham material, interfacing, buttons, thread and cording for the little sea bags. She also delivers material and yarn kits to volunteers and often picks up the completed items.
``Most of the work is done by RSVP,'' she said. ``Without them, we'd be hurting. It costs just under $5 to make a baby's sea bag. The first baby born on the birthdays of the Navy and Marine Corps receives a layette, handmade quilt and a teddy bear dressed in either a Navy or Marine uniform.''
Navy Relief has a contract with Gerber's for layette clothing, which arrives in bundles and must be separated for the sea bags. Funds are donated by Navy and Marine personnel and fund-raisers include chili cook-outs, bake sales and drawings.
``All the ships get involved,'' Trader said. ``Canisters are set out and each ship has its quota.''
Trader is a member of the Community Baptist Church, where she helps in the nursery. She just completed a two-year session working as project adviser for the Suffolk Christian Woman's Club.
Trader and her daughter often perform by playing guitar and singing at gospel sings sponsored by various churches. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by JOHN H. SHEALLY II
Joan Trader, left, and her daughter Emily Stratton enjoy spending
time with their dog Tracy. by CNB