Southborough Rises Above COVID-19

This COVID pandemic has negatively impacted everyone's lives - especially, in our schools, where students miss critical face-to-face classroom settings due to the lockdown. The Southborough club saw an opportunity to help stop the spread of the virus by providing personal protective equipment (PPE) to Southborough's schools.

The project started with plans to use the funds, to help set up a local COVID-19 vaccination site. However, the plans shifted week after week.

By late February, the club was informed that the Federal Emergency Management Agency had agreed to cover and provide all the equipment needed for a larger vaccination site. Because the team had to pivot, through various conversations with esteemed local colleagues, we were able to partner with the assistant superintendent of the Northborough-Southborough Regional School District, to coordinate and purchase much needed PPE for our schools to use.

This project's focus was timely as the schools prepared to go back to full-time, in-person learning in mid-to-late of April. The final delivery was made in mid-April, with representation from the club and schools.

The Southborough club used the funds to purchase and deliver:

• 270 canisters of alcohol wipes.
• Six caddies, to hold PPE equipment.
• A plexiglass barrier, to enable our school faculty, staff, and students to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

The Southborough Rises Above COVID-19 project upheld the tenets of Rotary's Four-Way Test. Our new club members who organized the event knew the truth that our local community needed support, to help stop the spread of this virus. In pivoting on our original plans for the project, we considered how fair this would be to all concerned and saw how positive the impact would be to our schools in the community. The timeliness of this project and the relentless coordination built goodwill and better friendship across Rotarians and all who were involved along this project's journey. Lastly, the purchase of the PPE was beneficial to all concerned as we continue to rise above the COVID-19 pandemic.   

Southborough Rises Above COVID-19 demonstrates grit and resilience. This project was able to navigate through ever-changing plans, which is a testament to the club's ability to be nimble and agile during challenging times. The new members who led this project look forward to designing and collaborating on impactful service projects, to attract new members and engage the local community. 

To watch a four-minute video on our event - images from it illustrate this story - click here.