Coping With Holiday Stress
As much joy as the holiday season brings, I often find it accompanied with holiday stress. In past years it’s been marked with red-eye flights, cancelled flights, long road trips and sitting in traffic, last minute shopping and gift wrapping, crowded kitchens, heightened family dynamics…why are these memories making me feel nostalgic and a sense of loss?
Yesterday the CDC warned Americans not to travel for the holidays. While I had already cancelled plans to travel for my annual family holiday celebration, spending this season away from everyone while the country witnesses the greatest surge in COVID-19 thus far (on top of the typical New England winter) has reminded me to be extra kind to myself. I hope all of you prioritize self-care as much as possible through this last month of 2020.
Below are some great tips while coping with holiday stress:
Do what’s best for you and your household. This may mean declining a friend’s invitation for a potluck or choosing to have a small, low-key celebration. It also means getting enough sleep, eating well, and staying active. Don’t underestimate the impact that taking time for yourself can have. I find it helps to spend time walking outside before the sun sets or chilling with a book, removing myself from any stressful distractions.
Respond with kindness. The holidays can be really hard for those who are alone or who may have lost a loved one. 2020 has not been a picnic and a lot of people are carrying that exhaustion and frustration. If someone makes a snarky comment or cuts in line, stay compassionate and respond with kindness.
Rethink your New Year’s resolutions. While it can be helpful to some to set aspirational goals, remember to start small, breaking your goals into smaller ones throughout 2021. January will continue to be a trying time given the projected COVID rates, and it’s important to remember to be kind to yourself.
Happy Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving in 2020 has required a lot of adjustments, a lot of changes from what many of us had planned. Flights or travel cancelled, large meals pared down, chairs around the dining table reduced. We are further apart from loved ones on a holiday that’s marked by bringing family and friends together. Yet the spirit of Thanksgiving, of giving thanks and expressing gratitude, continues to be celebrated whether 6-feet apart or 3,000 miles away. On this holiday I want to express my gratitude to all of you.
It’s rare for an 18-year-old’s idea to be taken seriously, to have adults recognize the potential and pour energy into nurturing that idea. I’m aware how fortunate I am to witness the support and mobilization that I have with Masks4Missions, and everything this project has accomplished has been due to the passion and work of the team and the greater Masks4Missions family.
Thank you for believing in the cause, for being patient as we experienced growing pains in our first couple months of operations, for choosing to share your appreciation for our nonprofit partners through each mask purchase you make. We would not be where we are today, having successfully lobbied for a statewide Vermont Mask Day and having distributed over 25,000 masks, were it not for your support and guidance.
On this holiday, however you’re celebrating, please accept my deepest gratitude for your role in making Masks4Missions possible.
Stay safe, Vermont
I would be lying if I said I wasn’t concerned about the increase in COVID cases in Vermont just this past week. After three months without a single COVID death, November has seen the tragic deaths of four Vermonters. Our state has hit a new daily high of 148 COVID cases. This current wave is much more severe than it was back in March.
Vermont’s response continues to be quick and effective, and we can all help the most vulnerable in our community by keeping those masks on and continuing to follow social distancing guidelines. And as much as the thought pains me, we need to follow the new restrictions on not gathering with people outside of our household for Thanksgiving. Even in small social events with less than 10 people, there’s evidence that new infections still happen when people meet with those outside of their household.
Gov Scott’s message on Tuesday that “real patriots serve and sacrifice for all, whether they agree with them or not... when our nation's health and security is threatened,” really resonated with me and our Masks4Missions team, especially when we see all the photos on social media of our community members doing their part and wearing their masks.
Mask-Wearing for your Community AND Yourself
Earlier this week the CDC published a scientific brief stating that mask-wearing benefits others, as well as the mask-wearer. We at Masks4Missions are thrilled that the CDC has extended their statement to include how wearing masks helps you. By offering both personal protection and reducing community spread of COVID-19, masks are a powerful tool in our collective toolbox. So many of you have been essential in Vermont’s ability to keep spikes in cases at a minimum, and we take our hats off to you (while keeping our masks on)!
Please keep wearing those Masks4Missions masks to keep your community and yourself safe while supporting our hard-working nonprofit partners!
Doing Good in the Neighborhood
One month after the launch of Vermont Mask Day, I had the great opportunity to reflect on the work the team and I have been doing through a conversation with The Peak Radio for their Doing Good in the Neighborhood segment.
It seems like ages ago I was still considering a “lemonade stand” idea for a mask fundraiser, and I’m so grateful for all the support and energy from our nonprofit partners, our student social media ambassadors, and everyone else who saw the far-reaching potential of that idea and expanded it to Masks4Missions. We’ve distributed over 25,000 masks across the state and are producing over 50 custom mask designs that all support our local nonprofits and institutions.
“It takes a village” is a cliché but it’s true. As much as I’ve been delighted to be at the helm of this initiative, this metaphorical plane would’ve never taken off without the dedication and countless hours of all of our committee partners. Doing good in the neighborhood is and continues to be a personal goal of mine. Through Masks4Missions and the past few months, it’s clear that when it expands to a community project, the positive impact is exponential.
COVID Resources
The United States is reeling from a third wave of COVID-19. During this difficult time we want to share and highlight the COVID resources on our website. When you visit our COVID resources webpage, you’ll notice a snapshot of COVID-19 stats in Vermont. This is pulled directly from the VT Department of Health (DOH) website, which offers a real-time glimpse into total cases, deaths, and people who are tested and monitored. We are comforted by the fact that Vermont still has a relatively low number of cases, although we remain vigilant about public safety protocols including mask-wearing.
Our webpage also houses helpful articles from the UVM Health Network/Medical Center, VT DOH, and the CDC. You can browse tips on how to select, wear, and clean your mask and kids’ masks. There’s also curated guidance on COVID-19 for families, teachers, administrators, and nurses.
Please stay safe and keep wearing those masks!
Our Fearless Leader
COVID-19 cases nationally are on the rise, and it looks like the fall resurgence that has long been feared is fast approaching. After going through so much as a state and as a nation, it’s hard to face the reality of what’s to come.
In times like these, leadership matters. Among the most humbling and inspiring aspects of launching this project has been working with social and political leaders from all across the great state of Vermont. The passion with which they pursue their organizations’ missions and the courage with which they fight for what is good and what is right are essential contributors to Vermont’s community, and I have been so grateful to have the chance to learn from their experience and wisdom.
One leader in particular has been in my mind as national politics around the issue of mask compliance continues to devolve, and that is Gov. Phil Scott. From Masks4Missions earliest weeks as a fledgling project to its current status as a burgeoning grassroots movement, the Governor and his office have been encouraging, supportive, and dedicated to our work. To encourage mask usage these days is unfortunately to walk into a political firestorm, and if the regular negativity we are exposed to in our daily operations is any indication, I can only imagine what blowback the Governor’s Office has received as a result of their endorsement of masks, mask compliance, and Masks4Missions itself.
Governor Scott has been brave and patriotic in his protection of his constituents, and for that, I want to say, simply: “Thank you, Governor Scott. Your leadership matters.”
Grace Potter Live!
Tonight we’re inviting our partners and extended Masks4Missions family to join us at a special Grace Potter concert at Higher Ground Drive-In. As a native Vermonter and GIV alum, Grace Potter has graciously partnered with us to celebrate mask use, with a percentage of the proceeds going to the Governor’s Institute of Vermont (GIV), a core partner of Masks4Missions. Tonight’s preshow will feature Governor Phil Scott’s PSA on masks, founder Doug Altshuler, and a video reel of the outstanding work our partners have been doing across Vermont. If you haven’t yet purchased your ticket, please do so and join us in our culminating Vermont Mask Week event!
Show us your masks!
Our social media platforms are buzzing with activity from you and Vermonters across the state. Masks4Missions is hosting a social media contest with prizes for the best mask design and for the best post promoting mask use in Vermont. We are impressed by the quality and creativity of the posts and touched by all the masked faces of our community represented in these images! A Gold, Silver, and Bronze winner for each of the two contests will be announced at the pre-show of tomorrow’s Grace Potter concert. Keep showing us your masks and sending us posts on Instagram and Facebook. We love the energy!
Shoutout to the educators and the students
There’s been a huge outpour of support for Vermont Mask Week, and we are so thankful to all of you for your participation and enthusiasm around this new initiative! I wanted to write a special post to shout out all the educators and students who have taken it upon themselves to host and promote their own Mask Week events. In addition to Middlebury College, we had exciting mask-making events at Champlain College (with their beloved mascot Chauncey the Beaver¬), UVM, NVU-Lyndon, NVU-Johnson, and Vermont Law School. A few campuses even added special mask-themed twists to existing events! NVU-Lyndon hosted a mask-themed Trivia Night with questions about masks and the coronavirus, and will have a DIY-mask design table at their Friday Paint Night event. High schools all over the state have also hosted DIY-mask making events with the help of our fantastic team of student Social Media Ambassadors and dedicated high school nurses. Thank you for helping keep our schools safe and open this fall!
Happy Vermont Mask Day!
Happy Inaugural Mask Day, Vermont! Governor Phil Scott gave a powerful speech today on the impact of masks in keeping Vermont COVID-19 transmission rates and cases low, and it energized our team throughout today. We heard and saw amazing celebrations happening through photos shared on our Instagram and Facebook and personal messages from partners pumped by the turnout at their Mask Day events! Middlebury President Laurie Patton took a masked selfie at Middlebury’s huge campus event, where students posed with their Vermont Mask Day masks or with their newly-designed DIY masks. Other Addison County events included mask distributions at the Addison Central Teen Center and the Addison County Parent Child Center. Many more campuses had fun creative Mask Day events, and I’ll share more tomorrow. It’s been a tiring yet awe-inspiring day.
And we’re off!
Today I gave my first press conference on behalf of Masks4Missions. It was exciting and super positive, and I think the nerves I felt were only natural in representing a greater movement across the nation for masks and public safety! There was a huge amount of support from the press on the ground to our followers on our social media platforms to our amazing partners across the Vermont. Thank you all for empowering me and empowering Masks4Missions to move ahead with this ambitious goal of getting more masks out to the community as a way to foster connection and to raise awareness and support for our local nonprofits. Check out some of the articles that stemmed from today’s press conference on our Vermont Mask Day page.
An Exclusive: Vermont Mask Week previewed
This week we’ve got an exclusive for our readers – a preview of the Vermont Mask Week celebration! Next Monday we will launch with a special press conference, with invitations sent to all our local news stations. The momentum will carry into Tuesday, the official state-designed Vermont Mask Day, where Governor Phil Scott will be speaking at his press conference while celebrations are held simultaneously across high school and college campuses. Our stellar high school Social Media Ambassadors and college partners will be spreading the message of mask-wearing while also distributing Vermont Mask Day masks and hosting DIY mask “make and take” activity tables. On Wednesday we’ll be hosting a free public medical webinar with Dr. Tim Leahy to cover all, or most, of your questions about COVID-19 and masks. Throughout the week we’ll be asking partners and you (yes, you!) to promote masks and community to #KeepVtSafe in a social media contest, and winners will be announced at the preshow before Friday’s Grace Potter concert. Stay tuned for more details!
Paging Dr. Leahy and all interested parties!
As part of Vermont Mask Week, UVMC’s Dr. Tim Leahy will be speaking at multiple medical webinars hosted by Masks4Missions. Dr. Leahy has graciously offered his time to answer questions about COVID-19, masks, and how we can maintain connection with our friends and family as the season gets colder and we move indoors. These webinars are a result of the UVMC partnership work with the VT Department of Health and their extended partnership with Masks4Missions. More details will be shared soon on how to join the public medical webinar. In the meantime, it never hurts to do a refresher on mask safety! Here’s a link to the CDC’s mask guidelines.
Open for Business!
The Masks4Mission team has been hard at work designing masks in creative partnership with our nonprofit partners, and I (Phil) am proud to announce that our online store is now live and open for business! It feels great to display the fantastic designs that our partners have created and in doing so, displaying the incredible work that our partners do each day. Please visit our shop and show your support for your local nonprofits by purchasing a custom mask or by making a donation! And while you’re on our site, feel free to share your thoughts and your experience navigating the store. We’re a grassroots organization fueled by and focused on our community, so your input will continue to help us improve our services!
Latest Updates
Two major updates for this week:
(1) We are thrilled to announce the formation of a medical advisory board, led by Tim Lahey, M.D. and Erik K. Alexander.
(2) Our new website is live! Please visit www.masks4missions.org to learn about what we do, who we are, and whom we’re partnering with. We’ve also included some COVID resources you might find useful and will be creating a store where you can purchase masks soon, so check back in a week or two to submit your order. All profits go to our nonprofit partners in support of their tireless work supporting Vermont communities.
Team, Advisory Board… Assemble!
The Masks4Missions family is growing in two dimensions!
First, I’m pleased to welcome Cassandra Ling, Phil Cooke, Trevor Nuckols, and Kelsey Parenteau to the core team of Masks4Missions. You’ll hear more from each of them in future blog posts, so keep an eye out!
At the same time, Masks4Missions has launched an advisory board made up of seasoned leaders from Vermont nonprofits of every stripe.
Hello, World!
If you ask someone about their experience living through the coronavirus pandemic, you are likely to hear about the isolation they felt from their communities, the worries they had about their health, the uncertainty they were thrown into when it all started.
But chances are, at least in my experience, you’ll also hear more uplifting sentiments, too. People will tell you how they came together, quarantining with family they hadn’t spent real time with in years. They’ll reveal the choices they made to keep others safe, like staying home from a small wedding when they got a sore throat. And they’ll show you how they responded to these unexpected times, making something meaningful out of their days while everything around them was falling apart.
For me, the story is the same. I’ve felt lonely, scared, and uncertain about the future. But those feelings have been crowded out by others. The belief that although we are apart we can be together. The hope that my family, friends, and neighbors will be safe and healthy. The inspiration that helps us navigate change.