| | Published June 24th, 2020
| Lamorinda teens shield the vulnerable
| | | Submitted by Carly Hoskins |  | | Photo provided |
People during this pandemic have been in more need of medical attention and care than ever, and thousands of first-line medical workers risk their own health and safety to help others in need, relying only on facial protection to keep themselves safe from the deadly virus. It Takes a Village, a local nonprofit organization created to help solve the supply versus demand mask issue, took charge by gathering 30 teenagers from Lamorinda to assemble 4,300 face shields for these modern-day heroes within six days.
Materials were distributed to the teens, who assembled 100-200 shields each. Like any project with a time crunch and no time for planning, some issues arose, such as missing materials, logistical hiccups, and a need for over 80 large boxes. However, the motivated teens rose to the challenge, and just six days later all 4,300 shields were boxed and ready to be distributed. "At first it was challenging because we had to figure out how to correctly assemble the masks. After my family and I got the hang of it, the time passed by quickly, and it was super fun making them," Ellie Foster, a teen volunteer, said.
The face shields were delivered on May 15 to Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and San Leandro's Fairmont Hospital. In caravans of 14 cars stuffed with shields, teens and parents delivered the masks personally to the nurses and doctors. During the drop off, the volunteers were greeted with sincere gratitude and joy. "It was really cool to meet the doctors that would be using the shields, and I felt like all the hard work was worth it," expressed Miramonte student Lauren Cunningham.
It Takes a Village is just one example of everyday people doing what they can to help those who help us the most. |
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA