May 5, 2020 is Giving Tuesday, a day of global action for giving and unity in response to Covid-19. So, we asked JMP staff members what they are doing to make a difference during the pandemic. Here are a few of their stories.
Jeremy Ash is activated for good
Yue and I have been using websites like ActivateGood to identify areas where there is need for volunteers in our area. We found urgent requests for volunteers at local food banks, so we volunteered for the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina. Attached are pictures of us sorting potatoes. We found that our local food bank still had a good number of volunteers and large food supply, which was reassuring. We had a lot of fun and discovered a new way to volunteer.
I also gave blood at the American Red Cross. I read there was a shortage of donors in certain regions of the United States. But from talking with the people at our local Red Cross, there does not seem to be a shortage for donors in our area.
Next, I plan to apply to join the Center for Volunteer Caregiving, which is providing services for the elderly and disabled.
Ikju Shin sends safety masks from South Korea
This morning, I sent cotton masks to you to share with JMP employees who live near headquarters. They aren't produced commercially, but instead have been made domestically in South Korea. We hope they will be of some help to the JMP Family.
(Ikju was true to his word: He sent a box of lovely masks. I will put them in the fourth-floor breakroom of building A on SAS campus for employees to take. Come and get them, and know that they are a gift from our friends in South Korea.)
Bob Lamphier rides to fight diabetes
According to the American Diabetes Association, "People with diabetes do face a higher chance of experiencing serious complications from COVID-19. In general," it says, "people with diabetes are more likely to experience severe symptoms and complications when infected with a virus."
That's one reason why I am riding my bike for the charity JDRF. I will ride to raise funds for fellow SAS employee Dana Martz's team. If you'd like to participate in any manner of activity or giving, in your own way, please join me! If you feel moved to donate, I can take challenges or bets. Just let me know what you would like to do. I have a baseline of 25 miles, and a stretch goal well above that.
Jerry Fish prints medical face shield brackets
I recently connected with MatterHackers, which is organizing a 3D printing effort to build the head brackets for face shields for the medical community. I have a 3D printer and the appropriate material, so I made 30 brackets. These have been sent on to California, where they will be mated with shields and sent on to various medical facilities. I'm waiting to see if MatterHackers will ask for more...they've been making requests in waves. For now, it's nice to have a little fun while I'm keeping myself busy.
Amy Stuart sews masks
When I was 13, my mother signed me up for sewing lessons. I’m not sure why – I don’t remember asking for them and I was the only one of the four kids in my family to get them. For a year, I went to Mrs. Harrison’s un-air-conditioned house (which in Charlotte NC in the summer was a THING to be endured) and learned how to operate a sewing machine, how to read a pattern and how to make gauchos (my first project, which should give you some idea of how long ago this was. Hint: Disco was still alive). I was never a great seamstress, but because of those lessons, I was competent enough to make curtains and tablecloths and the occasional Halloween costume for my kids.
Fast-forward to 2020, when headlines scream that there is not enough protective gear for people to work or shop or go to the post office safely. And I find myself working from home but with still plenty of free time on my hands. So I pulled out my trusty Brother sewing machine, some cotton sheets for beds I no longer have, and all the lessons from Mrs. Harrison – and I started making masks.
My first project was for Rex Hospital in Raleigh. I made nine masks that could be worn over filters so that medical personnel had masks that were reusable and washable. Feeling proud of myself, I posted a photo of my nine masks on Facebook. In response, a friend of mine who is recovering from lung cancer asked if I could make a couple of masks for him. It occurred to me that other people I know might also like to have a homemade mask, so I checked in with my kids, my siblings, their kids. Yes, they all say. I cut up more sheets and wind up another bobbin.
I heard from more and more people who would like a mask or two or five for their families, so I kept sewing. As of May 4, I’ve made 105 masks and sent them to friends and family in New York City, London, Seattle, Oklahoma City, Baltimore, and Providence. I’ve made a bunch for Raleigh friends and JMP coworkers. My latest batch of 15 will go to the staff of a nonprofit in Wilmington that helps survivors of sex trafficking so they can get back to work as soon as the stay-at-home restrictions are lifted. My poor Brother sewing machine is on its last legs so I think 105 will be my final total.
Now if I could only figure out a way to put that one year of piano lessons to work…
Send in more stories
We'd love to share more about how you are making your worlds better. Put your volunteer and charity stories/photos in this One Drive folder: https://sasoffice365-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/diana_levey_jmp_com/EsTw5lxfhWpHnUVueqmhqxoBgLGy3YeR3G7FIOD42ctjIw?e=UNzxG7
Update regarding the masks sent to Cary from our friends in Seoul:
- Half of them are in the 4th floor break room of building A at SAS. Please grab as many as you need if you run by the office.
- The other half are at my house in the Boylan Heights neighborhood in downtown Raleigh. Please send email to me telling me when you'll be by, and I'll put masks on my porch for you.
What a wonderful gift from colleagues in South Korea!!!
--Diana Levey
