An idea a Northside mom picked up on social media is giving local nurses, doctors and healthcare workers a much-needed boost in their fight against COVID-19.
More than a dozen residents in Belhaven are participating in “Hearts for Healthcare Workers,” and have decked out their windows and doors with pink hearts, as a way to let medical workers know they’re appreciated.
Rachel Harbarger saw the idea in a national social media group she’s a part of. The mother of two shared it in a local group, and the idea caught fire.
“Lots of moms are posting that kind of stuff, looking for activities,” she said.
As of last week, pink, red and multicolored hearts donned the doors of at least 15 Belhaven homes.
“Maybe when healthcare workers drive to work, they can see these and know we’re thinking about them,” said Harbarger, who first shared the idea locally. “We can bond together even while we’re social distancing.”
She’s hoping more people will pick up on the idea, saying it’s not only a way to show appreciation, but also a great activity for children to do while school is out.
Due to the virus, public and private schools on the Northside are closed through early and mid-April.
“Kids are home from school, so they have a lot more time to kill,” she said. “It gives them something to do – something fun.”
Harbarger’s daughter Lois, a student at First Presbyterian Day School, made her heart out of construction paper. Others have used pipe cleaners, cardboard, cloth – anything they can find lying around, she said.
For families, the fun not only comes from making and hanging the hearts but going on walks to see how many hearts their kids can find.
“Because the kids are out of school, they can’t be with their friends. But we can go on a walk and count what we find,” Harbarger said. “I saw on Nextdoor that some people are doing ‘bear hunts.’ They’re putting teddy bears in windows, and if parents are out walking with their kids, they can count how many they’ve seen.”
Emmaline Smith’s children Preston and Lois also participated in the hearts project. “We cut up a cardboard box and hung a big heart on our front door,” Smith said. “My neighbors across the street and next door are healthcare workers, so we thought it was a nice way to say, ‘thank you.’”
Smith’s children are enrolled in four and five-year-old kindergarten at St. Augustine School. Unlike many parents, Smith homeschools three days a week, and was more prepared to handle the school closure.
However, she liked the idea because it helps neighbors stay connected. “We all have a desire to be connected now,” she said. “This is one way to communicate that we’re all in this together.”
Other neighborhoods have taken on similar projects. Last week, LOHO, along with Charlestowne in Madison and other Northside neighborhoods, were doing a “bear hunt,” for kids. With the bear hunts, neighbors place teddy bears in their windows, for kids to identify when they walk by. Prior to that, the Heatherwood neighborhood hung shamrocks in their doors and windows to commemorate St. Patrick’s Day.
