Helping people prepare for, find, and keep good jobs is what Goodwill is about.

COVID-19 is surging in West Michigan! 

Hi all,

I got a fierce wake-up call this week and I need to share it with you. But this isn’t simply about me:  I want this to be your story. Think of someone, someone close to you. Think of a dear friend, a daughter, a father, a grandparent. Got the person in mind? What’s their name? Say it. Then say it again. Got it? My friend’s (fake for the sake of anonymity) name is Lisa.  And this is Lisa’s story. 

Lisa is a healthy mother of four. The youngest is 6. Lisa is 42 years old, works out regularly, eats right, and is in good health. Her kids are involved in sports and she is active in their extra-curricular activities. Lisa is a teacher at a local school.

Two weeks ago, Lisa got a stuffy nose and a little cough. She also noticed a slight change in her sense of smell (“I couldn’t smell the coffee”). She hesitated going for COVID testing because she didn’t feel crummy and wondered if she was just being paranoid. TOTALLY YES, get tested girl. So she did. Positive. Later that day, she went for a three-mile walk outside and felt fine.

Six days in, she started feeling worse. Shortness of breath, chest pressure, high fever. She was admitted to the hospital and she is still there on oxygen. She cannot have any visitors. She cannot see her kids or hug them or make them Mickey Mouse pancakes Saturday morning. Total isolation. In a hospital. 

Who is your Lisa? You pick a name. Make it personal again. This is not about Trump or Biden. This is about you and your family and your dearest friends and keeping them safe. 

In West Michigan we are seeing positive COVID-19 numbers MORE THAN WE HAVE SINCE THIS STARTED. A whopping 21% of total cases have been seen in the past two weeks and that trend is not getting better. That COVID mess that was happening in Detroit earlier this summer? It’s here now. At Goodwill, we have had 350 hours of “COVID” leave time in October. Our previous highest month was July with 275 hours. 

If you are reading this, know that I DO NOT want you to be the next case I hear about. Every. Single. Day the HR team is talking to team members who are sick, exposed, awaiting test results, or receiving test results. Every time we have a positive case, we make more calls to find out who the person was around without a mask and closer than 6 feet. (Side note: The distance between driver and passenger seats is not 6 feet.) Please don’t let this be you! Don’t let it be your friends. Don’t let it be your friend, daughter, father, or grandparent. 

We cannot get complacent. I’m tired. I know you are tired. But this WILL END. And it will end in fewer deaths, fewer hospitalizations, and fewer positive cases if we mask up, wash our hands, and keep our distance.

Be well,
Kristin