In the early 1900’s, capes were worn by nurses to provide warmth on the job and served as a way to display nursing rank. The nursing cape symbolizes the goal of the nurse, which is to provide “service to those in need” and was handed out to graduating nurses until the 1980s.
The Buena Vista Regional Healthcare Foundation is sponsoring a Nursing Honor Guard, a program where volunteer nurses attend the funeral of nurses who have dedicated their life to the profession, is looking for anyone that has a wool blue nursing cape to donate to the Nursing Honor Guard.
The Nursing Honor Guard has volunteers attend the funerals of nurses wearing traditional white uniforms, nursing caps and blue capes. They offer to read the Nightingale Pledge, a statement of ethics and principles of the nursing profession.
If you or a loved one received a traditional blue wool nursing cape upon nursing school graduation and would like to donate the cape to the Nursing Honor Guard, please contact Katie Schwint, Executive Director of Community Development, at 712.213.8601.