There is no question of the complete exhaustion in our country and county attributed to the past 18 months. From polarizing political opinions, to social movements, to a globally devastating pandemic, we are all a little tattered at the edges — at the very least. Our organization has watched it happen alongside you: the disorganization, the isolation, the blind hate, and the death.

The facts are physical: Rutherford County has the highest death rate due to COVID-19 per capita in the state and the second-lowest vaccination record, according to the North Carolina State Department of Health. As of late, 10,160 Rutherford County residents have tested positive for COVID-19, and of those 279 have died, according to State Health Department data. That is at least one person from your workplace, school, church, family — we all know of someone who has been lost to this virus.