Thursday, March 28, 2024

“Close as a community even at a distance” – A new video from Williamsburg Health Foundation [Free read]

Close as a community even at a distance. from WHF WHF on Vimeo.

“At Williamsburg Health Foundation, we have had the privilege of being inspired by the extraordinary work of so many organizations and individuals in the Greater Williamsburg community during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Carol L. Sale, RN, MSN, who is President and CEO of the Williamsburg Health Foundation. “We wanted to share that same powerful sense of community and encouragement with others.”

“Close as a Community Even at a Distance” is a new video highlighting the Williamsburg area’s efforts during COVID-19. “Our focus for this video was primarily the provision of food, healthcare, emergency services, and education. Of course, since this is Williamsburg, we knew we wanted to feature Jamestown, Yorktown, and Colonial Williamsburg,” said Sale.

When asked how the idea for the video came to be, Allison J. Brody, Director of Community Engagement for the foundation said, “Throughout the pandemic, leaders from all sectors have come together to collaborate on how to best deploy resources and overcome pandemic-related challenges in Greater Williamsburg.”

According to Brody, each organization worked to bring whatever assets they had to the overall community efforts. For example, The Arc of Greater Williamsburg, which serves adult with disabilities, repurposed its activity vans to deliver summer lunches to children.

“Between 20-40 people representing a wide variety of organizations would “zoom” meet weekly (and now monthly) to solve problems together and not duplicate efforts,” said Brody. When WHF decided to do a video, it was clear it needed to be collaborative too.

“We asked localities, nonprofits, and others to submit videos and still photos representing their efforts during the pandemic,” explained Sale. “We received so much wonderful material. I think we could have made a 20-hour documentary, not just a short video.”

According to Sale, the response to the video has been overwhelming since it launched at a Zoom meeting on Thursday, October 15.

“My email is overrun with positive comments on the video,” said Sale. “As a foundation which honors the legacy of the Williamsburg Community Hospital, we have a vision of individuals making healthy choices in a community with health opportunities for all. Right now, we all need an opportunity to celebrate,” said Sale. “It is healthy to celebrate success.”

“We know the COVID-19 pandemic is not over, but the people of this community have done great work to help each other through it,” said Sale.

“Close as a Community Even at a Distance” was produced by Williamsburg Health Foundation in partnership and with direction by Shari Gann of Share Ideas Creative, Inc. and video production by Isaac Davis of Identity Production Studios.

Since its inception, the Williamsburg Health Foundation has granted 89 million dollars to improve the health of those who live in the Williamsburg community. To learn more about the Williamsburg Health Foundation, including how to apply for a grant, visit www.williamsburghealthfoundation.org.


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