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!
Beginnings
What an exciting first week on the job! As Phil, Trevor, Kelsey, and I (Cassandra) have been onboarded to the project, things have moved at a whirlwind pace.
Some headlines:
We’ve developed six supply chains to produce our branded masks, including some manufacturers in Vermont.
Phil has started building a website for Masks4Missions, loaded with signature Vermont tie-dye branding. We hope it’ll be live by next week, so stay tuned!
Doug has been pitching Masks4Missions and its mission to ever more partners. We’ve now got more than a dozen partners signed onto the project, with more joining by the day.
Most significantly, we’ve begun working with the Vermont State Legislature on our newest (and biggest) initiative yet: Vermont Mask Day.
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.
Our Founding
Over the last week, word has started getting around.
I’ve started getting quite a few inquiries from other nonprofits in Vermont asking whether I could replicate with them what I did for Shelburne Farms. The answer I’ve given has of course been an enthusiastic “yes!” But considering operating at a larger scale than just Shelburne Farms means I’ll need to take a different approach.
To learn what tack we might take, I’ve spent the last week setting up meetings with some of the nonprofits that Shelburne Farms could provide me an introduction to: Vermont Community Foundation, Burlington City Arts, the Governor’s Institutes of Vermont, Vermont Foodbank, and the Greater Burlington YMCA.
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.