By Kim Smith Dedam
Press-Republican
DANNEMORA — Steve Coolbaugh missed his son’s graduation and a family wedding.
The Elmira Correctional Facility officer got called to Dannemora for the manhunt in the midst of his vacation, his wife, Michele, wrote in a Facebook post.
“And we just miss him terribly,” she shared.
On Tuesday, she and several other spouses of correction officers involved in the search for David Sweat and Richard Matt drove from Horseheads in the Southern Tier to Dannemora to surprise them.
“We’re making this trip to see our husbands, and that’s one part,” Mrs. Coolbaugh said via cellphone.
“The other part is that, even though the local communities don’t know our husbands, they are going so far out of their way to help. If we could just somehow thank these people ...”
GRASSROOTS MISSION
Search conditions have been alternately hot and humid, mucky, murky and filled with brazen blackflies.
With more than 800 law-enforcement officers in an all-out manhunt, a little dose of kindness goes a long way.
A completely grassroots mission began about four days ago: “Grab-n-Go’s for COs” networks erupted via social media, using Facebook and text messages, the brainchild of Diana Colwell of Plattsburgh and Nancy McLean of Saranac, with help from a few friends.
The revolving cast gathers donated supplies — socks and boots and bug spray, energy bars, gum and apples, home-baked food and soup, then delivers them to set checkpoints in a circuit.
Hot chili is planned for Wednesday dinner, and vegetable stew with biscuits is on the menu for Friday.
“I mean, our town isn’t like this; it’s just so incredible,” Mrs. Coolbaugh said.
“There are little kids walking around handing out dry socks.
“My husband says the officers are just brought to tears.”
‘EVEN SIMPLE THINGS’
She and the other spouses wanted to help bolster the grassroots effort already underway and had their van full of food and supplies.
Mary Pat Cantando wasn’t able to make the trip to see her husband, Steve, who deployed to the North Country last week, but she helped ready the goods to go.
She said the van carried dozens of flashlights, anything quick to eat and go, socks, underwear, shaving supplies, 20 bags of Combos — her husband loves that snack.
“Even simple things like Blow Pops,” she said.
Mrs. Cantando spoke to her husband on Tuesday morning.
“I could tell he was tired,” she said.
‘GONNA CRY’
Mrs. Coolbaugh was pretty sure how their husbands were going to react upon seeing the Elmira support contingent arrive.
“Oh my gosh, they’re gonna cry,” she said.
Their husbands are among a 44 Corrections Emergency Response Team (CERT) officers from the Elmira facility housed at the former Dannemora High School, which was opened up by Steve and Jen Coulon to help relieve a housing crunch for searchers.
Gratitude works both ways.
“My husband told me that, when there wasn’t enough hot water to get showers for everyone, he put in new hot water heaters,” Mrs. Coolbaugh said.
LOW MORALE RAISED
Morale was low in the early days of the search, Mrs. Coolbaugh said.
There wasn’t enough housing for the hundreds of personnel; some were sleeping in their cars, according to Facebook posts.
The weather, long hours and, of course, no luck finding the fugitives wore on the searchers.
“Just when they thought the lack of sleep and the conditions couldn’t get any worse, the community rallied together and has turned around the whole morale,” Mrs. Coolbaugh said in a social-media message that has been shared a few thousand times.
“The chief of the fire department went around and handed out individual spaghetti dinners, an apple granola bar, forks and hand wipes,” she said.
“He told them if there is ANYTHING they need, to let him know.
“One man came out of his home and asked my husband if he would like coffee and brought out a whole pot in a thermos and handed it to him.
“From all of us wives in Elmira, NY... We want to say thank you to the community of Dannemora! From the bottom of our hearts! And may God bless you.”
PEACE OF MIND
“As the wife of one of the CERT team members from NYSDOC who is involved in the manhunt in Dannemora, I wanted to personally thank the community for supporting our guys/girls,” Mrs. Cantando’s wrote in an online message.
“You’ve made it easier for them to do their jobs, and you give their families peace of mind knowing that they are being cared for. Thank you all so much.”
BLANKETS AND BANANAS
Literally dozens of mostly women are pitching in to help collect goods and food at a central location, collaborate then deliver. The goal is to reduce traffic through checkpoints to a minimum.
On Monday, logistics figured out, on the fly, how to get 10 cases of bananas from Hannaford in Plattsburgh to Dannemora.
“Another successful drop off tonight ... We got donations from several families today along with a bunch of blankets and flip-flops from Old Navy and donations from the staff at Cumberland Head Elementary School,” Sara Peryer-Laundry wrote in the group event on Facebook.
“Someone mowed the lawn of a CO for the family. Maybe there are landscapers or families with trucks that could help out the families that are living without their family members?” Cyd Deming King replied.
“Just an idea but when we asked the officer stationed outside of our home if he needed anything else, the only thing he asked was if he could charge his phone, so we set up an area in front of our porch with a cord for him,” Sue Belrose offered.
DELIVERY TEAMS
“Both my father and brother are Correctional Officers in Woodbourne NY, and although they aren’t directly involved in searching for the escapees, they are very glad to hear that their friends are being taken care of up there. So from our CO family to yours, thank you!” posted Danielle Woodley of Albany.
Colwell has organized delivery teams to match up with search units, coordinating stock from the Saranac Volunteer Fire Department station.
She said backup for law-enforcement teams will continue as long as the search goes on.
Mrs. Cantando was thrilled to receive photos via text of the reunion of the Elmira wives and their husbands on Tuesday evening.
It was pretty plain, she said, that the surprise “gave them that second wind.”