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04/17/2020

Victoria Musser Oral History, 2020/04/17

2020-08-12

From Notebooks to Ipads and Chromebooks

Following the reopening of schools through the virtual world a number of students across the country were faced with a new problem. They lacked the technology needed to attend their online class. Schools who fell under the title 1 classification , which is where children from low-income families make up at least 40 percent of the enrollment, were disproportionately affected by this problem. These families which often consisted of more than one child simply couldn't afford multiple computers. As a result many kids were still unable to attend their classes or do any work at all. This lack of technology was a problem that not only younger kids faced. Students ranging from all ages had to adapt and make due with whatever technology they had or were forced to go out to buy another computer.So in order to help fix the problem for younger students schools began to hand out chromebooks and ipads. By providing them with the technology to access their new classroom setting they could begin attending school again. While there were still other problems such as the lack of internet, handing out chromebooks and ipads definitely had a positive impact by providing a number of students with these new school supplies.

2021-01

Wolfeboro Storm Damage

These are two screenshots of a post and comment from the official Camp Wolfeboro Facebook page talking about damage the camp sustained in January 2021 from storms. The post provides a donation link for people to donate money to fix the damage; the post notes the donation goal is $20,000. The post notes that 40 trees fell in camp and that the water heater shed was destroyed. A comment left by the camp account under the post says "At this time, about 40 trees down in camp and on the road. The water heater shed has also been destroyed. This information is as of Sunday, no news on the storms of the past 48 hours". The post was uploaded on January 27, 2021.

2020-04-10

Chinese American community supplies Arizona hospitals with 100,000 procedure masks

A press release from Banner Health announcing that more than 100,000 Level 1 procedure masks were delivered from China to Arizona-based hospitals this week, thanks to the ingenuity and passion of a dedicated group of Chinese American residents within the state.

2020-08-05

Cox Business provides generous donation of personal protective equipment to Banner Health

A press release from Banner Health about Cox Business' donation of PPE and

04/10/2020

Community group donates masks to hospitals

Members of Chinese American COVID-19 Relief AZ deliver thousands of masks to Banner Health medical centers, including this delivery to Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix.

08/05/2020

Cox Business donates medical supplies

Cox Business donate more than $200,000 worth of filtration and surgical masks. Community partners such as Cox Business continue to show their support for Banner Health's frontline health care workers.

This is a picture taken of a display containing several shelf of COVID-19 related accessories. One shelf has several mannequin heads with face masks on them with a bottle of disinfectant wipes between them. A black shirt on the second shelf reads "thank you for keeping your distance." Several signs posted are encouraging the reader to "fight" against the virus, and follow social distancing standards.

2020-09-30

"Staying Strong During COVID-19" New Acquisitions Exhibit

This exhibit was installed by the Medical Artifact Collection at Western University. It features several COVID-19 related artifacts that were recently donated to the collection in 2020. The exhibit was curated and installed by the collection's research assistant Kat Bezaire.

This is a picture of a collection of face masks that represent a rainbow of colors, laid out on a table.

2021-04-19

Faith Guided Man to Make 1200 Face Masks for Community

I remember vividly on March 12, 2020, when I told my students that school might be canceled next week because of Covid-19. At that moment, I was confident that we won’t be coming back to school the following week because of the events that were occurring around the world and the scenes that we have never seen before that were happening in our own backyard. The shortage of food and essential items were something that I have never imagined would occur in our local store. It was a horrible feeling of uncertainty and a feeling of being powerless about what to expect. My parents, brother, and I have underlying health issues thus living this year has taken a toll on the way we interact with other people from outside of our household. We feel like we are living on an island. In April, CDC had a constant voice in what we should do and recommended that we should wear face masks with two layers of fabric, wash our hands and be socially distant. At that particular moment, I was stressed out because how in the world will I get face masks when almost everything in the store is gone. I then told my mom about this and my mom said that there is a sewing machine under the stairs that I can use to make face masks. As a 6 foot latinx man, my parents didn’t have any issue with me using or learning how to use a sewing machine. In a Mexican household, only women can use the sewing machine, but in my household, my parents have embraced the new identity of America, and believe why would there be a problem in me doing things that are normally done by females? I used faith to guide me in understanding how to use the 1960’s sewing machine. I prayed and said that I have good intentions of helping my family and community to be safe from this virus so please help me financially and physically in making face masks. That same week, I received a check in the mail, and with that money, I purchased a lot of fabric and materials to make facemasks. I created a universal design that uses less material and in some way helps the environment and I created about 1200 face masks. I also found a way to create 50 face masks per hour and that helped me a lot. Even though many people feel reluctant to wear face masks, it breaks my heart that few don’t care about the people who have underlying health issues. They may be asymptomatic to covid, but wearing a face mask is a moral thing to do, and a thought that comes to my mind is, “Father, please forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” For a whole year, my family and I were protected from contracting Covid-19, and the first week of April of 2021, we got our vaccine. I truly believed that my prayer was answered because God knew my intentions and in some way protected my family and me for doing basic things to help us not to get this horrific virus.

2020

Thrillest Serves

Because of the struggle the pandemic has put on small businesses and restaurants, Thrillest has created a webpage that lists a variety of businesses with links to merchandise, donation pages, and places to buy gift cards. By providing this support, Thrillest is trying to prevent any small businesses from closing due to the pandemic, and are spreading the word about small businesses that need support to encourage people to support them rather than large companies that aren't necessarily struggling during this time. They hope to serve the service industry, providing direct support for businesses in many major cities across the U.S.

This is a picture of a house decorated with several COVID-19 related objects. A yellow sign stuck in the lawn out front reads "Vaccine, Vaccine, Vaccine, Vacciiiine!" Two giant acoustic guitars also flank the entrance to the home.

2021-02-02

Coronaland

With Carnival parades cancelled, somebody had the bright idea to start the Krewe of House Floats to (a) make up for it and (b) to offer work to unemployed float artisans. The results have gone beyond everyone's wildest imagination with 5,000+ people signing up in New Orleans, surrounding parishes, and around the world. This installation on St. Charles Avenue honored “Saint Dolly” and her $1million donation for the COVID vaccine. Of all the House Floats, it was my favorite!

2020-09

Socially Separated Sandwiches

During the fall of 2020, a local homeless shelter was unable to offer beds to people in need during the COVID pandemic due to space and resource restrictions. It was hard to witness these organizations meant to help people also need extra love and help during the pandemic whether it be for medical, physical, or financial reasons. In response to the need, my church was able to step up to make sandwiches that the shelter could hand out to the people living on the streets that they were unable to serve at the time. We wore masks, took extra safety precautions, and socially distanced in an assembly style line outside in the church parking lot where we made packages of chips and sandwiches. While working together to make the sandwiches for the homeless shelter, I was reminded that we are still a community even when we cannot be together in the same ways we were before the pandemic. Finding pockets of community in the turbulent pandemic has been a blessing and chance for me to truly appreciate those around me and think of different ways that I can reach out to the community and be a part of it despite the circumstances. Distance did not have to mean silence and stillness. People were able to help in any way possible. If they were unable to help make the sandwiches, they prayed for the mission or donated money for the supplies. People shared what they could and came together when it mattered the most. This story highlights how even in times where we stayed apart to remain safe, we were still able to come together in another way to support each other. Communities didn't have to disappear during the pandemic, and this is just one example of their power to persevere in dark times.

Screenshot of Invisible Hands website. Text reads, "Artist Spotlight". Pictures of six artists below.

2021-02-03

Invisible Hands: addressing food scarcity and donating art in New York City

This organization is based in New York City, New York and pairs volunteers with people that need help getting groceries because they are unable to pick them up or cannot afford them as a result of the pandemic. There are featured artists associated with the organization that have contributed their talents to aid in spreading the message of the organization to those in need of this service, as well as volunteers, via posters, social media, and the website. This website highlights a unique combination of art, volunteering, community, and food access during the pandemic.

2020-08-03

Navigating A Pandemic And A Social Justice Movement In The Workplace

Contributor Manon DeFelice interviews Melanie Collins, Vice President and Global Head of People at Dropbox about diversity and inclusion in the workplace, companies making a stand and following through, employee mental health, and what it means to be an ally. The article looks at the Black Lives Matter movement and what a company like Dropbox is doing as an ally to change many social issues facing communities of color today.

Man in PPE standing outside next to a white car, holding a large cardboard box.

2020-03-27

Donating PPE

Université du Québec à Montréal donated PPE to hospitals at the beginning of the pandemic.

2020-05-31

Holistic Heaux creates the Rebellion Aid Relief Fund in the wake of George Floyd’s murder

I submitted this image because when George Floyd was murdered in my hometown while I was away , I felt powerless, unsure of how to help. Through social media I was able to see the tireless action taken in order to build up and preserve the hurting community. Small business owners Zedé and Zora Harut, of Holistic Heaux, are a fantastic example of such support. Along with other community organizers, Holistic Heaux collected funds to disperse and buy supplies for Black and brown women in Minneapolis during the unrest in the city. The program has since continued in an attempt to lessen the toll the pandemic has taken on mothers and children who are a part of a population that is much more at risk of becoming infected with the virus. The tireless work of the many individuals, like Zedé and Zora Harut and their business, Holistic Heaux, to provide relief throughout the uncertainty created by the pandemic and protests should be preserved and remembered for the positive impacts they have had on their community.

2020-07-10

Summer Coin Shortage Still Going in November

On July 10, 2020 the local bank had a sign displayed that warned of the coin shortage that was caused by the pandemic. Due to the shortage, local businesses were limited in the amount of coins they could request from the National Bank in Blanchard, Oklahoma. On July 24, 2020 we decided to do our part and cashed in all of our coins. This gave us some extra cash and gave the bank some extra rolls of coins to distribute to the local businesses. Signs at local fast food restaurants still display their signs on the coin shortage and occasionally cannot make exact change. For certain restaurants like Taco Bell, they were encouraging over the summer to donate the remaining change to a charity they would then distribute the money to. This is example of how the pandemic has changed our lives in unpredictable ways.

A picture of several groups of people eating lunch at picnic tables outside.

2020-09-11

Wisconsin School Lunch

As a way to mitigate risks for students during lunchtime, the local agricultural society donated picnic tables to the students so they would be able to eat outside with friends mask free. This is important to the pandemic because it shows rural Wisconsin school life and how the community was able to come together to provide for the young students.

2020-07-02

Jewish Melbourne: Chevra Hatzolah 'Beyond the Crisis' fundraiser

Facebook post thanking people for their contribution to the Chevra Hatzolah 'Beyond the Crisis' fundraiser. The post says: "During the Pandemic, Hatzolah’s focus has been directed at continuing our emergency response, Responder and patient safety, and community education through online media. Working together with community groups such as the Covid-19 Taskforce, CSG and Ambulance Victoria, keeping our community safe was the primary objective. However we also incurred huge expenses and needed to replenish funds used to purchase large volumes of expensive PPE, and still have enough for us to emerge and grow Beyond the Crisis. All of us at Hatzolah Melbourne have been humbled by the outpouring of moral and financial support during the “Beyond the Crisis” campaign, and express our sincere thanks to the community. In spite of the financial strains being felt across the board, the community has shown us incredible support and we are extremely grateful. We wish everyone good health, and look forward to continuing to serve the community, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week."

2020-08-20

Jewish Melbourne: making masks as a fundraiser for Chevra Hatzolah

This is a facebook post by Chevra Hatzolah, including a photo and the words: "Frances Spanger (known to many of us as "Granny") began making masks at the beginning of COVID-19 for all her friends. She gets up at 5am every morning and works hard making masks for the community. In just one month, she has raised $500 which she decided to donate to Hatzolah. Thank you Frances for the incredible work that you are doing to keep our community safe. We are all very grateful."

2020-06-13T06:06:06

The Hungry During The Corona Pandemic

Workers from the food bank of lower Fairfield County in Connecticut took this picture This is a photo that I found on CNN of one of the shelves in a food bank. The amount of people that are relying on food banks has drastically changed since the begging of the pandemic to now. From the pandemic, Feeding America predicts that an estimated 1 in every 6 Americans may face hunger due to the conditions. This photo made me think how fortunate my family and I are and how lucky we are that we don’t have to be concerned with where our next meal is coming from. I think that this Is an important photo because it shows how many people are in need of food and are unable to support themselves. since more people are out of jobs because of not being able to come in contact with other people has affected the income of many and the amount they can spend on food.

2020-08-07

6 million masks in. 50,000 people out.

This Tweet from REFORM Alliance explains they have gotten six million masks into correctional facilities across the nation by using the 10 million dollar donation from Twitter's CEO, Jack Dorsey. And 50,000 people have been released. The accompanying video explains that if the nations 2.4 million incarcerated people become ill and go to outside hospitals there will be no hospital space for anyone else. If that isn't enough to make you care they pose the question, do any incarcerated people deserve a defacto death sentence?