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Like most folks, at this season of joy, hope, and renewal we look back on the year that's ending and ahead to the one about to begin. It's a time of sharing, and we decided to ask a few Let's end COVID! team members to share their thoughts with you.
It wasn't COVID Scare.
It was COVID Care.
When Let's end COVID! formed three years ago, our goal was to help the community access COVID-19 vaccines and reliable information. Through an incredible team of volunteers and "trusted messengers," targeting specific hesitant populations in extensive public outreach, dispelling COVID myths, and identifying COVID-prevention strategies and resources, we helped our community heal itself.
Perhaps the best evidence of our accomplishments goes beyond the numbers; it is the testimonials and gratitude of people who were protected from COVID infection through our efforts.
– Chris Smith, retired injury prevention/highway safety specialist
Whenever possible I thank the scientific researchers, my medical team, and my friends and family for helping me survive invasive breast cancer 26 years ago.
I now thank the scientific researchers, medical teams, and ordinary people acting safely who have kept us alive and healthy through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Let's keep taking care of ourselves and each other.
– Barbara Hemmendinger, retired family medicine educator
Although most of us are blessed to be back to our "normal" life more this year, COVID is still here. We must have faith in science as it helps keep us in line. Vaccines work and they are very safe. When you are vaccinated, you are protected. So don't hesitate.
It has been a long fight with COVID. Let's end it!
– Chris Tsai, retired professional, compassionate volunteer and believer in positivity
During my time with Let's end COVID! I have worked alongside individuals of the community from all walks of life; regardless of our differences, the one thing that connects us is our desire to protect others. Being a part of this team has made me realize how much good can be done when people take initiative and work together toward a common goal.
– Eleanor Macdonald, LEC Youth Representative, currently enrolled in Williamsport Area High school
In late 2020, a retired physician I had known at work asked me to join a group to help our community defeat the virus. We hoped - we believed! - that we could end COVID. We didn't, of course, for many reasons. Science can kill a virus. It cannot destroy distrust or erase misinformation from people's minds. COVID is not completely defeated, but neither are we.
Medical science saved my life back in 1950. Now I'm repaying that debt, using my career skills to help all of us live more safely.
– Michael Heyd, retired medical librarian
My involvement with Let's end COVID! has been a blessing. Their care and concern for public health and safety in their communities is admirable and something others could learn from. They gave me a platform to write and speak openly about my experiences with COVID, all the while educating, teaching, and caring about my well-being as my recovery from contracting COVID continues.
– Rick Bressler, husband, father, U.S. Army veteran, and COVID survivor thanks to a double lung transplant
When I said yes to being part of this team to help our community get through COVID in the best ways possible, none of us imagined this effort would still be ongoing.
There is lots of good news! We are all able to be safe as individuals and as a community, and still enjoy the gift of each day. New medications and vaccines are available, and the basic precautions, which none of us like, do work. It's now much less likely to be hospitalized or die from COVID.
But a virus is crafty, so new vaccines are needed periodically.
The best gifts we can give each other is to stay current with vaccinations, mask as needed, and remember to quarantine and test when we don't feel well, may have been exposed to COVID, or are planning to be around someone at risk of serious illness from COVID.
– Gwen Bernstine, Williamsport pastor
Being involved with dedicated professionals who never hesitate to volunteer and work hard to make our community safer has made Let's end COVID! a very rewarding experience. Recognizing that you have made a difference in some way to keep friends, neighbors, and the community safe is great way to end the year. Anticipating what we can accomplish in the future is a wonderful way to start the New Year.
– Joe Smith, retired insurance agency owner and community volunteer
Let's end COVID! is a group of concerned people in Northcentral PA working to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic through education, outreach and mitigation.