Be the Link: The Power of Community During COVID-19
RAFAELA LAITAMAKI, ‘19
RAFFI LAITAMAKI, A CURRENT JUNIOR AT NEW YORK UNIVERSITY, ENCOURAGES EACH OF US TO STAY CONNECTED WITH OUR COMMUNITIES EVEN AT A TIME WHEN CONNECTION SEEMS MORE DIFFICULT.
Last week, I received an email from a fellow Girls Who Invest Scholar who participated in the program two years before me.
The subject of the email read “Uplifting Exchange for Women: Email Collective,” and as I read it, I felt a deep sense of gratitude for the women in my life.
The email asked me to do two things:
Send a quote to the woman who originally sent my friend the email chain.
Pass on the email chain to twenty women who inspire me, and ask them to do the same.
I sent the chain to classmates from college, friends I grew up with, and mentors. The women I sent it to did not necessarily know each other, but now, through one simple email, we are all connected. In the following days, I received emails with beautiful, powerful quotes from women continuing the email chain. Some of the women I knew, but some I had never met before. As I read these inspiring quotes, I realized that my community is much larger and much more impactful than I had known. I was just one link away from all of these incredible women, and I didn’t know it.
Now, because of the COVID-19 situation and the creative ways people have stayed connected, we are no longer one link away. This email chain reminded me that our lives might be drastically different today than they were a month ago, but the communities we have always leaned on are still there. Your community may just be one Zoom link or one email chain away. So text that friend you haven't talked to in a while, host virtual meetings for a club you were involved with in college, or plan a Zoom happy hour with your co-workers. Be the link that brings your community back together.
As we connect our communities, it becomes easier to adapt to these unprecedented times. Many of us may still be feeling powerless during this global pandemic because we feel unable to help our world. However, we are not powerless, and we can help our world right now.
Connecting your community is one way to create some positivity during right now, and it does not have to stop there. For those of us who are lucky enough to be able to study or work from home, we have a responsibility to help those who cannot.
Below are some online volunteer sites where you can help with the COVID-19 pandemic:
With Purpose Love Letters: Send a love letter to your favorite restaurant to show your support.
One Fair Wage Emergency Fund: Volunteer to support workers in the service sector.
Meals on Wheels: If you are healthy, deliver groceries to people who cannot go themselves.
Become a Crisis Counselor: Help people through these crazy times.
General sites for virtual volunteer opportunities:
The power of our communities will get us through these times. You can be the link that brings your communities together and helps those who need it most right now.
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