BLOOMINGTON — When COVID-19 cases were increasing in December, four friends from University High School didn’t just shrug their shoulders; they went to work to help their community.
Together, Shrikar Lekkala, Zach Mohammed, Henry Chen and Matthew Kolb, all juniors from Bloomington, raised $5,730, which they contributed to the OSF HealthCare Frontline Caregiver Fund and the Carle BroMenn COVID-19 Support Fund.
“COVID was really ramping up in Illinois in December,” said Lekkala. “I tried to find a way to help the community and help the hospitals that were filling up.”
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Lekkala said, “It was a learning experience for all of us” as the four friends split up duties, such as developing informational flyers and handling money.
They had no particular goal in mind when they started the project, but collected more than they expected, he said. They spent over two months collecting donations, partnering with a non-profit, The Noble Cause Foundation.
“A lot of people were hesitant to donate” initially, he said, but people donated once the students gave them details on where the money would go. “It was great to see people come together for the community.”
Henry said, “It feels good because all we really wanted to do was just to be able to help people who are in need like these frontline workers.”
Dozens of the confirmed cases of COVID-19 in McLean County in recent weeks have been affiliated with workers at the Rivian manufacturing site in Normal, the company confirmed Friday.
Shelleigh Birlingmair, vice president of development for Carle BroMenn Medical Center and Carle Eureka Hospital, said, “We were filled with gratitude when contacted by students from University High School wanting to raise funds in support of Carle BroMenn’s COVID-19 Support Fund.”
The fund is used to meet challenges from equipment to supporting frontline caregivers to patient safety, said Lisa Slater, a communications partner with Carle BroMenn.
The $2,813 donated to Carle BroMenn through the students’ efforts was used to purchase iPads for patients to connect virtually with loved ones during the pandemic.”
“It’s truly inspiring to see young people come together and not only recognize the importance of philanthropy in our community, but also rise to the occasion and have an impact,” said Birlingmair. “We continue to be humbled by the outreach our community has provided not only our patients but also our staff.”
Lynn Fulton, president, OSF HealthCare St. Joseph Medical Center, said, “It is so inspiring to see our young people come together for a common cause, especially one as worthy as our frontline care givers, who have bravely served with the greatest care and love over the last year of the pandemic."
She added, "The caring spirit and generosity of these students gives us encouragement for a bright future, and instills hope that our community will remain in caring hands for years to come.”
And the students aren’t done yet.
For their next project, “We’re going to be going to Metcalf (Laboratory School) and start a math tutoring program in summer to help them with math and prep them for high school,” said Mohammed.