Evan J. LancasterWith the help of Zoom conferences and more than 30 hours of volunteer support, Irvine’s volunteer clubs came together to create, organize and deliver lifesaving personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline workers in Irvine during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Thanks to the selfless acts of tri-city volunteers from the Irvine, Newport-Irvine and the South Coast Chinese Cultural Association, first responders, local businesses, health care workers in Irvine hospitals, and the city’s public safety personnel have received more than 50,000 facemasks and 15,000 FDA approved medical grade face shields.
Courtesy of Rotary Club of Irvine
The City Council of Irvine is set to recognize these noble acts with awards of commendation for the Irvine, Newport-Irvine Rotary Clubs and the South Coast Chinese Cultural Association at the upcoming City Council meeting May 12.
Through the generosity of the South Coast Chinese Cultural Association, Irvine and Newport-Irvine Rotary, along with other clubs in Rotary District 5320 clubs were able to assemble thousands of face shields.
More than 50 volunteers came together to handcraft approximately 2,500 face shields per day. In total, the volunteers were able to complete between 8,000 – 10,000 face shields in the span of two weekends, according to Irvine Rotary Club member Beth Fujishige.
On April 28, the members of the South Chinese Cultural Association, the Irvine and Newport-Irvine Rotary Club stood six-feet apart in front of Irvine City Hall touting a massive haul of 56,000 facemasks for health care workers. This equipment is to be donated to local hospitals, assisted living facilities, and public service organizations in Orange County. Approximately 10,000 are committed to St. Judes Foundation, which aided Rotary in sourcing the assembly kits.
These volunteer efforts didn’t go unnoticed, as health care workers, law enforcement and others working the frontlines showed their support through social media, thanking the efforts of the community volunteers for protecting workers who find themselves in vulnerable situations amid a global pandemic.
Courtesy of Rotary Club of Irvine
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