Community Reacts, Stays Home & Stays Safe

Community Reacts

Stays Home & Stays Safe

To fight the spread of the Covid-19, an emergency disaster declaration was issued, and citizens have been asked to Stay Home/Stay Safe. How has your family handled this difficult time? Sarah Pack Crawford “Our son, Carter Crawford, a sophomore, is on Bridgeland High School’s Varsity soccer team. They had an amazing undefeated season in District play and were 2 games away from clinching the distr ict championship. This would have been the first district championship for Bridgeland High School soccer . The team was really looking forward to a strong playoff run. Coach Gillespie has been very supportive and optimistic throughout this stay at home period. He has personally called each family and communicates through email and Zoom meetings with his team. He has also provided a daily workout for the boys t hat will help keep them in top shape. They, like all other athletes, are hopeful to resume the season!” Denise Kraft Knippers, a nurse, is “Sewing, sewing away” on masks that she has donated to local first responders and volunteers. Denise admits to “being exhausted.” I have been working 12 to 20 hour days, sewing and working virtually, or either screening from 9-2. I have donated to Conroe Regional Hosp ital,

North Cypress ER and ICU, Fairfield Family Medicine, UTMB Galveston, H PD, St. Luke’s Labor and Delivery, a private doctor’s office, Woodard Elementary, Pope Elementary, and have sent some to New York and Virginia. I’ve made about 280 masks that I’ve sent out already. I have stood in line for two hours at JoAnn’s Fabrics to get material to sew more. I am making 100 today, and 150 more after that.” Michael Meis sner A bba's House is a local non-profit that cares for refugee women and children as they transition to their new life in the U.S. “COVID-19 forced us to cancel several large volunteer groups who were going to help us put in our garden and orchard. Since then, though, We’ve had lots of families drop in one at a time to help us plant vegetables, put in trees, etc. We have so many kind and generous people in o ur community!” Jaime Connor Pierce “I was able to have both of my book clubs meet on Zoom, which was fun and nice to ‘see’ my friends. I’ve enjoyed reading and contributing to the “Positive News Corona” FB page, our preschools in Bridgeland have been walking around on hunts for animals and positive message we put in our windows. We had an outdoor concert on our street, with students playing their instrum ents outside while we stayed on our own driveways and sidewalks. We did it twice. It was so fun! Face-Timing with my daughter and her t win girls has helped me get through being separated from them.” Uyen Karie Ngo “We are having to hit the reset button and learn to find a work/life balance with working from home. We are cherishing this time with our kids, we will not have another opportunity where we are all a t home for an extended period. Lots of hugs throughout the day.”

Susan Baldwin Glass “This evening my husband and I participated in a ‘Surprise Birthday Party’ for my cousin in Nebraska. There was 39 of us on the Zoom call. We all wore funny hats and scarves. If we weren’t in our current situation, I’m not sure we would have done that. It was great to see everyone and I know I can speak for many, it was a healthy breath of fresh air.” “The pandemic has been extremely d ifficult for this teacher who is CRAZY about teaching and her students. My Google classrooms and Seesaw classrooms are a way to stay in touch with my classes. They are l etting me know what they are doing and how they are feeling. We have started using Zoom meeting and the children are enjoying seeing their teachers, their friends and themselves on the computer. We had a scavenger hunt on Zoom last week whi ch was fun. They had to fi nd something green, find a fruit, get a piece of cheese and race back to the computer. I love hearing what they want to share with our classmates. I got to meet their pets and little brothers and sisters. I have also enjoyed talking to them on the phone. Thank goodness for technology during this difficult time!” Helen Redmon, Pope Elementary School Science Teacher “This Stay Home/S tay Safe time is a great time to take a moment to reflect on what is our priority.

I t also is a challenge that we can use to be innovative and creative. Let us not be depressed during this time but let us arise to the challenge to create something new and look forward to the future with all our energy.” Brigitta Diaz “It’s an adventure! We should look at it like something new to explore, a different way to look at simple things. Also, we are seeing something that our parents never saw d uring their elementary school!” Neil Raju, 5th grade, Pope Elementary “The best part about being at home right now is being able to stay in touch with my friends even when they aren’t right next to me. We are using technology to keep in touch, hang out, and play video games together.” Karla Woods “Our baseball coach, Alex Lator, i s p roviding the boys with Zoom training. It is wonderful to see the boys working out and been able to see each other on video.”

On Friday, March 13, 2020, Metta Archilla-Ishida founded the Cypress Area Eats (CAE) Care Team, an initiative to aid seniors in the community. “They were getting lost in the crazy shopping shuffle, those who were COVID-19 suspect and/or confirmed, and the folks who are simply under home constraints due to weakened immune systems, with medical challenges, or families simply needing a boost of sustainment due to furloughs or lay-offs. The CAE Care Team partnered with Kimberly Barnett, Founder of the Cypress COVID-19 Assistance & Information Group, to further outreach in the Cypress and surrounding areas. The CAE Care Team utilizes a commercial kitchen in Cypress as a donation drop-off and collaboration center, where volunteers sort, package, and deliver life-sustaining groceries, pantry staples and househol d necessities to qualifying elders and/or families. The program is sponsored through the generosity of Cypress locals both monetary and in physical. The CAE Care Team provides healthy, life and mind sustaining nutrient dense foods to give rays of light in these days of gray. To date the CAE Care Team in partnership with the Cypress COVID-19 Assistance & Information Group, has provided assistance to over 3 00 individuals from

Cypress, Katy, Waller,Tomball, Magnolia, and the Woodlands. We have serviced two Senior homes, one retirement facility and the requests for aid filters in daily. Metta Archilla-Ishida, “What makes this niche seamlessly functional are the day-to-day ‘boots to the ground’ volunteers, the Cypress Community, and local business owners giving back, willing and able to step up and meet the dem and. While the effort feels endless, this is God-lead and every day the core team wakes with just enough resources and energy to fulfil all received requests, and that feels pretty darn good.” The CAE Care Team takes all necessary precautions in handling donations with hand washing, sanitizing, the wearing of gloves and an added layer of safety while in delivery by wearing masks, setting the food in front of the door, knock, step 6 to 8 feet back until the exchange is made. This is a no contact service and we have been working as efficiently and effectively as we can to service the growing demands of Cypress and the surrounding area. This is Community team work at it’s finest and the entire CAE Care Team is proud to be making a difference in our small corner of the world, where neighbors are selflessly helping ne ighbors one CAE Care Package at a time.