Dozens Volunteer To Help Mercer Island Seniors During Coronavirus

MERCER ISLAND, WA — A grassroots effort to aid Mercer Island's most vulnerable residents is already dozens strong after volunteers rushed to answer the call for help amid the growing coronavirus outbreak in Washington.

Debby Wilson —a tech executive, and mother of two — lept into action as confirmed cases of COVID-19 grew exponentially in King County this month.

According to state health officials, people above the age of 60, and those with pre-existing health conditions, are at a significantly higher risk for developing serious complications related to the illness. Gov. Jay Inslee and public health experts have urged everyone, especially people in sensitive groups, to stay home as much as possible while efforts continue to stop the spread of the virus.

"I, of course, have been following the news of the coronavirus for several weeks, with a lot of concern and interest," Wilson said.

Wilson kept a particularly close eye on a case-tracker map developed by Avi Schiffmann, a Mercer Island teen who gained international acclaim based on his work to organize the latest information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization.

Wilson says she soon began to notice several posts on community forums offering assistance for local seniors, and people with underlying health concerns, and developed a process to match the availability of help with a pressing need in the community.

The effort started with an online sign-up sheet and a Google Doc, to gather a rolling list of volunteers and organize helpers based on geographical location and their preference for certain tasks, like dog-walking, grocery shopping or quick trips to the post office.

Within a matter of days, Wilson says, the response was overwhelming.

"I started with asking for 25 people, and that filled up immediately," Wilson said. "Then I expanded it to 35, and that filled up. Then I set it at 65, and that filled up immediately."

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To let seniors know help was available, Wilson's team circulated physical letters around the island to let them know volunteers were standing at the ready.

"It's been a little bit of a challenge to get the word out, and so I really rely — at the most micro, grassroots level — on getting neighbors to tell their most immediate neighbors, who they know are senior or possibly vulnerable, and get the word out in a hands-on way," Wilson said.

According to Wilson, at least 100 people have reached out to help, but right now she's working to streamline procedures among the dozens who have already answered the call, using guidance outlined by public health officials.

"It's really important that we're thoughtful about using safe practices and social distancing," Wilson said. "So, one of the reasons why I'm keeping the volunteer group small is so that I can make sure we're all following the same process when it comes to engaging with the person we're trying to help."

Those processes include using gloves and face masks and arranging no-contact drop-offs to minimize exposure risks for vulnerable residents.

Aside from being a community-wide effort, Wilson says it's also a family affair, and being a parent gave her all the necessary tools to take on the task.

"Well, I'm a mom first of all, so organizing comes with the job description," Wilson said.

Wilson says both of her daughters, one in high school and another in college, were placed in the rotation as soon as possible.

"I just extracted my college senior from California," Wilson said. "I drove 17-and-a-half hours yesterday to get her home. We will be putting everybody to work."

All seniors, or those in any at-risk health group, who need help with errands in the weeks ahead can drop a note to Debby at MercerIslandVolunteers@gmail.com. Wilson says she will reach out to anyone who contacts her to learn their specific needs, then connect them with a helper to accomplish the task.

Using a private Facebook group, to protect people's privacy, Wilson then flags the request and quickly finds a volunteer who can get it done.

"An unexpected benefit, to me, for having the opportunity to get involved, is that it has just been very uplifting," Wilson said. "It's a difficult time, but when you see the heart and the passion and the desire for people to support one another, and to be there for our community, it is a really heartwarming thing."