During World War II, many women signed up as hospital volunteers. They served as
assistants to nurses who were serving state side. These young women wore white and blue
striped caps like the one seen in our collection. This striped pattern gave the women the
nickname, Candy Stripers. The program began as a civics class project in New Jersey for high
school students in 1944. The duties of these Candy Stripers normally consisted of janitorial jobs
such as making beds, basic cleaning, and sterilizing medical equipment for the nurses.
Volunteers in some locations even ran their own therapy programs in the hospitals such as art
or music therapy. Ultimately, the duties of the Candy Stripers varied depending on the location
they were volunteering at. Due to the short lifespan of the volunteer program, there are very
few uniforms remaining. Our Candy Striper nurse’s uniform belonged to Julie Ann Paisley and was kindly donated by her family.
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