Notes for Support
Sending anonymous letters to patients & health care workers
gina c
By a Hack Club high schooler.
Hack Club is a global nonprofit network of high school makers & student-led coding clubs where young people build the agency, the network, & the technical talent to think big & do big things in the world. Founded in 2014 by a 16-year-old, Hack Clubs are now in nearly 400 high schools.Please visit notesforsupport.org ! We've sent out 1,600+ notes already to 13 hospitals!
Inspiration
Two years before the Coronavirus pandemic, I was in quarantine for about a month due to a rare eye disease. I struggled both physically and mentally during this time, and so it meant the world to me whenever I received cards from friends and family. Through this experience, I was inspired to create Covid Support (now named Notes for Support).
What it does
Through this website, anyone can anonymously write an encouraging note to a healthcare worker or coronavirus patient. Once enough notes come in, they will be printed and shipped to hospitals through donor support. Then, each note will be distributed to one medical worker or patient.
Why does it work?
According to a fifty year study conducted by Harvard University, human connection is the single most important component of happiness. That's why the concept of sending physical, individual notes is so powerful.
Currently, one in two health care workers are struggling with depression amid Covid-19 and many patients have to die alone due to the infectious nature of the virus. Hence, for health care workers and patients, receiving an encouraging, personal message can mean the world.
And beyond this, having a widespread campaign where people write to encourage those who are most in need helps strengthen our sense of community and empowers us to tackle this pandemic together.
How I built it
I edited and designed all the graphics on Canva, arranged them on Microsoft PowerPoint, added animations & audio and exported the video directly from PowerPoint.
Challenges I ran into
Learning how to use the resources I have (PowerPoint and Canva) to create a prototype and video!
Accomplishments that I'm proud of
Simply being a part of this hackathon & submitting a project :)
What I learned
That I can fully plan & design a prototype in a few days!
What's next for Covid Support
Finding more hospitals to send out notes to & getting more people to write notes!