Why Community Matters
Local creativity is overflowing in communities as moms, dads, small business owners, nonprofit leaders and volunteers are finding new ways to communicate in this new world of social isolation. Their coping strategies and ingenuity are beyond inspiring!
We are proud to introduce you to these innovators in “Why CommunityMatters”, a series made possible by LIFEWTR.
Three questions with Larry and Jessica Brooks from Ridgefield Academy
With the new norm of practicing social distancing, how are you finding creative ways to connect with family and friends?
The toll COVID-19 is placing on our life, health and economy are devastating. My heart goes out to those impacted. My husband and I remind our children, Abigail (9) and Madison (6), that we are lucky our personal challenge is currently limited to being homebound. Social distancing makes it important, more now than ever, to meaningfully connect with family and friends. Dinner together, family hikes (we love Weir Farm, Woodcock Nature Center and Bennetts Pond trails!), bike rides, movie night and board games are just a few things we’ve done together. We’ve also focused on individual activities, which are also really important, such as running, biking, reading, yoga, and meditation. Like many other families, we’ve also connected with extended family and friends through video calls, especially with family members that live alone. To support our neighbors, our youngest daughter writes notes to leave in their mailboxes as a friendly hello. We also check on those neighbors living alone every couple of days to see if they need help with anything and also to remind them they are not alone!
Balancing work and time with our kids is a daily work in progress for my husband and me, as it is for so many families! We are connecting more often with our work colleagues which have been very important while we are both working from home. I am a middle school teacher at Ridgefield Academy (RA) and as we prepare to go into remote learning my colleagues and I make sure to find new ways to support each other and share ideas. We are all learning to use so many new resources and at the same time, we enjoy connecting virtually (multiple times a day) just to take a mental break and see friendly faces!
If you are a parent, have you found creative ways to engage kids at home?
Last weekend our family planned a really fun scavenger hunt so we could enjoy the outdoors! We found 10 small rocks in our backyard and painted them: a ladybug, the sun, love/heart and soccer ball to name a few. We picked a safe place in town and my husband and I split up with each of our children to hide the rocks. Each team would then hunt for the rocks while following hot/cold guidance and clues! It was a lot of fun! We were careful to maintain our distance from others during the game and it was good to see our children understanding the importance of social distancing. We’ve also enjoyed spending time in nature. We printed a list of 10 things our kids should look for on our walk through the woods. I guess we like scavenger hunts :) For us, walking and exploring the outdoors really makes a difference, especially on days when moods from being at home get challenging.
Considering we are homebound our girls are doing great. Like us, they have been finding fun new ways to connect with their friends. They love and miss seeing them! They all write notes to each other, have Facetime playdates, game challenges, even family dinner dates, and parties! It has helped them tremendously.
The kitchen at times has been our main source of entertainment! My husband now has time to bake bread and make homemade pasta with the girls, which is something he loves doing but it’s usually hard to find the time. We also have fun finding new recipes to try (sweet for the kids and savory for me!) and we even make up our own recipes (with varying success!).
Do you know of any local businesses or nonprofits innovating to serve communities during this difficult time? How?
This question is near and dear to my heart, partly because serving the community is a personal passion and partly because I am the Service Learning Coordinator at RA. There are many people and organizations that are negatively impacted by COVID-19. I feel for the elderly that live alone. I feel for the restaurant worker who can’t pay rent, or other necessities and is anxious and uncertain of their future. But most of all, I feel for low-income families that can not afford meals on the weekend and depend on the school system for nutritious food during the week. One of the organizations that Ridgefield Academy and my family support is Filling in the Blanks (FITB). During the school year, RA has been a supporter of FITB by helping local Connecticut families raise awareness of childhood hunger. Our students volunteer by making weekend meal bags for kids in need throughout Fairfield County. Like many organizations, FITB is working hard to help others while staying safe. We find ways to help the best way we can by continuing to support organizations like FITB with virtual food drives. RA is also donating to Ridgefield Social Services so they can continue to help local residents who, now more than ever, face financial insecurity. Our family is supporting local businesses by buying gift cards and ordering takeout. As an example, a local restaurant that is helping those in need is 850 Degrees Restaurant. They are providing free meals, no questions asked, to families who might be struggling to make ends meet during these difficult times. We do our part to support their business so they, in turn, can help others.
Community matters - now more than ever. We are thankful to LIFEWTR for helping us to connect and stay strong.