MORGANTOWN — Now more than ever, the services provided by the United Way of Mon and Preston Counties are needed. And now more than ever, the organization needs the support of the community it serves.
“Now more than ever” is also the theme of the nonprofit’s 2021 fundraising campaign, which was revealed during the annual community leaders’ breakfast Thursday.
For the first time, the breakfast was held over Zoom — as many annual traditions are these days — because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
United Way and its partners have been on the front lines doing what can be done to mitigate the immediate impact of COVID-19, CEO Brandi Helms said. And going forward, the need will be greater.
Some of those efforts include providing masks, some purchased, some crafted locally by volunteers, helping place 30 homeless individuals into housing and providing free books to children.
Helms encouraged those on the call to lead their companies by example with a donation, by organizing donation drives and continuing their connections with United Way beyond the campaign.
David Goldberg, president and CEO of Mon Health System, said he was looking forward to continuing the long relationship between United Way and his organization.
Former West Virginia University President David Hardesty and his wife, Susan, are chairing the campaign.
Susan Hardesty said it was an honor for them to chair the campaign during this challenging time.
“We know the community needs United Way now more than ever,” she said.
David Hardesty said, “Some day, we’re all going to be telling our grandchildren about this event and all the things that happened. I want them to remember that we had a briefing by a top expert in the middle of the virus pandemic, about what was happening.”
Dr. Clay Marsh, vice president and executive dean for WVU Health Sciences and West Virginia’s COVID-19 czar, shared his thoughts with the roughly 70 participants, as the featured speaker.
There are several problems that make COVID-19 a difficult disease, including its quick rate of transmission and the fact that most spreading of it happens just prior to a person developing symptoms, Marsh said.
Marsh also explains why mask use, combined with social distancing is so effective at stopping the spread of the disease.
COVID-19 is transmitted through aerosol and droplets, basically what comes out of a body from talking, breathing and singing. A mask stops your particles from traveling as far. Social distancing, or just standing outside of the range of the carrier droplets, makes a mask even more effective.
Marsh cited Hong Kong and Japan, two countries with high mask usage and the significantly better outcomes than other countries have had, as evidence that masks are effective.
He also brought participants up to speed on the way the various vaccines in development for COVID-19 are attempting to fight the disease. If the vaccine is delivered in 2021 as hoped, it will be the fastest vaccine ever developed, Marsh said.
The polio vaccine took four years from the start of its development to distribution and is the fastest vaccine to ever be distributed.
