We will Prevail

Coronavirus. COVID19. “The rona.” We all know these names as well as we know our own anymore. This pandemic has seeped into nearly every part of our lives and has made normal things, like grocery shopping, social gatherings, and even bringing home a paycheck, a challenge. But the good news is that humankind has always risen above such challenges. This pandemic has been no different, and there are countless wonderful stories of Jacksonville business owners and residents banding together to help one another. 

In my own immediate experience, my employer, who I will simply state is a relatively known specialist physician group in northeast Florida, has made some huge sacrifices in order to prevent any layoffs during this tumultuous time. Our CEO, as well as a couple other top physicians will be working without pay for a little while. All other physicians in our practice, as well as those from the executive and administration teams, have also agreed to pay cuts. 

But my employer isn’t the only one in Jacksonville making huge sacrifices to keep their employees working. Another heartwarming story comes from a humble restaurant in Orange Park, FL. Grumpy’s is a small place that serves breakfast and lunch and is family owned. Instead of making cuts, the owner decided to give up his paycheck for a while to keep everyone employed. There was also another story I read where a regular of this small establishment asked how many employees total worked there, and then brought $100 bills for every person.

I’ve also witnessed small business helping out in other ways. Lola’s Burrito Joint in Riverside, FL, has been donating $1 from every takeout order to a local food pantry that feeds those in need within the community. Cool Moose, which sits right around the corner from Lola’s has been giving away free coffee and meals to the elderly. And then Cinotti’s Bakery at the beaches has also been providing free meals to the elderly as well as emergency professionals during this time. And of course there is also Nana Teresa’s Bake Shop in Fernandina that saw the need in grocery stores for bread, so they decided to offer 150 free loaves to families in the community.

But not all heroes wear a business cape. Several teens, Jayden Smith, Ryan Deangelis, and Walker Rabren, from Fletcher High School decided to do something for those at high risk during this pandemic. Working with Heartland Rehab, they compiled a list of approved items that were needed, and went shopping, creating 18 care packages for the residents including hygiene items, snacks, and crossword puzzles. Another teen, Gabriella White, had been raising money to attend the 2020 American Institute of Architects conference, in line with her future career plans. When the conference was cancelled due to the pandemic, she decided to use that money to purchase surgical masks for local hospitals. And then of course there was the story of a group of teachers who realized a group of their students were unable to make it to school to pick up their lunches, so they coordinated with a nonprofit called Blessing in a Backpack to bring meals to those students.

Everywhere we turn, these stories exist. I’m sure readers can think of countless other stories from the businesses they love and people they know. Maybe they have considered things that they can do to help out during this unprecedented world event. These things are happening all over the country, not just in our city of Jacksonville. What it tells me is that humankind is compassionate. And we are not willing to let others suffer or go in need if there is something we can do about it. This gives me great hope for our survival through this pandemic, and beyond. See you on the other side.