MARYVILLE - So you have never heard of Healthcare Kindness Day? Well, that is because the Chamber made it up. Yes, the Troy/Maryville/St. Jacob/Marine Chamber of Commerce just made it up – and for a very good reason.
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“Our healthcare workers were working hard every single day but in March of 2020, they were asked to not only work harder but put themselves at risk of COVID,” said Dawn Mushill, Executive Director. “Every one of them has had a very trying ten months and they are still dealing with so much – so we created a holiday for them” said Mushill.
Healthcare Kindness Day came to fruition at one of the Chamber Board Meetings. Someone in the Board Meeting said “our healthcare workers have been working so hard since March, and in the spring and summer, they were flooded with food and praise, Lately, it seems like those thoughts may not be as prevalent and yet, the healthcare workers are working harder than ever”. And Healthcare Kindness Day was born.
The bags have been in progress for a couple of months and all 1,100 were delivered to Anderson Hospital on March 4, 2021. Each bag contained some gift certificates, some treats, a kindness jar (with over a dozen kindness sayings that they can take “as needed”), a handwritten thank you note, a scratch off ticket (that will get them a free item at a local restaurant), a flyer telling the story of HKD and more. “We hope the healthcare workers know how much we appreciate every single thing they do every single day”.
Surround yourself with great people and great things happen. This event could not have been possible without so many companies and individuals:
- We used the monetary donations from Busey Bank, Edward Jones/Linda Manley and Maryville CARSTAR to purchase headbands with buttons to hold masks and also purchased kindness jars that have a variety of sayings included.
- The bags will be filled with gift donations from 1st Mid-America Credit Union, Collinsville Building and Loan, Integrity Spine & Joint Center, Profile by Sanford, SIUE – Office of Online & Education Outreach, Dr. Midkiff Obstetrics & Gynecology and Just4You Insurance.
- The customized scratch off tickets have free items under the scratch off at those businesses that donated – Alfonzo’s Pizzeria, DQ/Troy, Dunkin/Troy and City Scoops/Troy & Edwardsville.
- And of course, our volunteers wrote 1,100 handwritten thank you notes, stuffed and delivered bags – Friedens Church, Triad School District, Triad TLS Transition Students/Staff, Chamber Board/Ambassadors – over 200 volunteers total.
For more information on this event and other Chamber activities, be sure to visit the Chamber’s website at www.troymaryvillecoc.com or give them a call at 618-667-8769. You can also follow them on Facebook, Linkedin and Instagram.
