Article by Gwen Jones, Department of Family Services
(Posted 2024 March)
Gail Ruf is full of boundless energy. After raising three children while enjoying a successful career in television, she retired from work but didn’t slow down. She has filled her retirement years with pursuits she is passionate about, devoting hours volunteering at Fairfax Public Access, using her experience and expertise to help others create TV shows from scratch. However, the bulk of her time is spent concepting, shopping for, assembling, and delivering customized bags full of arts and crafts supplies to children living in family shelters throughout the region. This project is purely her own, born out of a lifetime love of arts and crafts and the knowledge that creative expression can bring joy and relieve some of the stress experienced by children who are homeless.
Ruf was born in Washington, D.C. to Seymour and Mia Bernett. Her mother, Mia, worked as a chemist for the Naval Research Lab while her father, Seymour, was a supervisor at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Ruf recalls that her love of arts and crafts began when she was a toddler. Her first art medium was Play-Doh, which entertained her for hours. Staff noticed her love of crafting at the sleep-away camp she and her brother attended every summer, so at age 13, they hired her for the job of arts and crafts counselor. That same year, her family moved to Alexandria, VA, and Ruf’s crafting turned entrepreneurial. She made giant flowers out of tissue paper, selling them at the local strip mall and using her profits to buy more art supplies.
Ruf’s interest in video production originated with her father, who taught her how to process film and develop photos at home. He also invested in an 8mm film camera and let her use it to shoot her own movies, which included her own special effects. Ruf attended Syracuse University and planned to major in Biochemistry, but switched to a Bachelor of Science in Public Communications after working with the university’s television equipment. While in school, she started producing a TV show called “S.U. in View” and became comfortable hauling and handling the heavy portable equipment.
After graduating, Ruf’s first opportunity to join network news came from Willard Scott, who at that time was the local weatherman on WRC Channel 4. She wrote him a letter and he responded, inviting her to visit him at the station. After they met, he hired her to work as a page and she eventually moved up to the position of stage manager. During this time, she also attended technical classes to earn an FCC First Class Engineering License. Newly credentialed, she was hired by ABC News as a videotape editor and worked on Good Morning America and World News Tonight. ABC was eventually bought by Disney, where Ruf continued to work for 30 years.
While enjoying a successful career, Ruf was also a busy mom, raising three children, Laura, Katie, and Em, in Fairfax County. She shared her love of arts and crafts with her children, who she recalls enjoyed creating art nearly every day. The family also enjoyed baking and decorating cakes and cookies together to bring to special school events.
Ruf retired in 2014 after a long and rewarding career. Almost immediately, she began volunteering at Fairfax Public Access (FPA) because she loved working in television. “A lot of the shows I do are ideas that other people come up with and need help with the technical aspects,” she shares. For several years, she enjoyed working on a show called “From the Painter’s Palette,” a Bob Ross-type show where artist Judy Wengrovitz demonstrated how to paint using watercolor techniques. (Episodes of “From the Painter’s Palette" can be viewed on YouTube.) Ruf has also worked on a variety of talk, cooking, and fitness shows. Her volunteer work with FPA has led to work on local independent films, a fun new experience for her.
The decision to volunteer in her retirement was inspired in large part by her parents. After retiring, Mia Bernett volunteered as an usher at the Kennedy Center, starting when the center opened and continuing for 40 years. She also volunteered for the Smithsonian as a docent. Seymour Bernett put his vast knowledge of Washington D.C. to good use volunteering for Travelers Aid at Union Station, a service that provided directions and advice to visitors unfamiliar with the city.
Ruf first began teaching arts and crafts classes to children at Cornerstones’ Embry Rucker Community Shelter. While parents were engaged in workshops, Ruf brought art supplies and led the children in creating a fun art project. The children loved her classes, which thrilled both parents and shelter staff. Word spread and soon Ruf was teaching classes to children at other family shelters. She continued teaching for three years before the COVID pandemic hit and all in-person activities came to a halt.
Ruf’s idea of creating bags of arts and crafts supplies for children living in shelters was inspired by thinking about her own children. “There wasn’t a moment in the day that my kids weren’t reaching in some drawer and taking out craft stuff and doing something. Kids in the shelter can’t just reach in a drawer and get all these things,” she says. Ruf’s child, Katie, a Head Start teacher, had moved home during COVID and helped devise the first distribution of arts and crafts supplies. The pair repurposed large empty yogurt containers, filled them with art supplies, and delivered them to a shelter for staff to distribute to the children. The containers were a hit, so Ruf continued buying supplies and transitioned to putting the supplies in gift bags.
Over time, Ruf has refined the arts and crafts bags to make them more customized. The shelters she works with provide the ages of the children, so each bag is filled with art supplies that are appropriate for that child. She also includes a page of simple project suggestions (in both English and Spanish) and decorates the bag with uplifting messages or seasonal themes. Since the end of the COVID pandemic, some of the shelters have asked if she wants to return to teaching classes, but she feels like she is having a greater impact now, saying, “In some ways, this (the bags) is even better because it gets to more kids than who might have shown up one evening.”
Ruf prepares a supply of arts and crafts bags each month, rotating deliveries between six shelters. “If it’s something really fabulous like Halloween or Valentines Day, I will do two (shelters) at the same time which makes me crazy, but I know those bags are particularly exciting for the kids.” The number of bags requested by the shelters has increased over time, from 20-30 to 40 and more. To ensure that she has enough supplies to fulfill all the requests, she is a frequent shopper in every area Target and Dollar Tree and is on a first-name basis with many of the store managers. She knows that she can easily order all the supplies online but enjoys her shopping excursions. “Sometimes they (store managers) suggest certain things to me, which is above and beyond what I would have thought. They all think it’s wonderful what I’m doing for the kids,” she says.
If you’re wondering if Ruf has established a nonprofit to help cover the cost of the supplies, the answer is no. She purchases all the art supplies herself and is happy to do it. “I’m doing this because I can. It’s not like I’m a gazillionaire or money has been handed down to me. I’ve always felt comfortable saving, knowing I would use that money for something,” she says.
Despite the expense, hours of hard work, and her basement and garage being overtaken by arts and crafts supplies, Ruf absolutely loves what she is doing. Her reward is knowing that she is having a positive impact on the lives of hundreds of disadvantaged children by sharing something she loves – arts and crafts.
“I find it wonderfully amazing when one of the shelters writes back to me. They’re overwhelmed by everything they have to do to make the shelter work, so when someone emails a thank you to me it is above and beyond wonderful.” Some of the messages Ruf has received include:
“We are truly grateful for your dedication to our homeless families and to making the kids’ lives a little brighter.”
“I LOVE the Shine Bright and Dream Big signs on the bags. That is the message kids need.”
“Thank you so much for your generosity! The A&C bags have been a HIT!! Our kids were so excited and several of them said, ‘That’s for me!’ …it made them feel so special to know that someone was thinking about them.”
This article is part of the Golden Gazette monthly newsletter which covers a variety of topics and community news concerning older adults and caregivers in Fairfax County. Are you new to the Golden Gazette? Don’t miss out on future newsletters! Subscribe to get the electronic or free printed version mailed to you. Have a suggestion for a topic? Share it in an email or call 703-324-GOLD (4653).