During the ongoing quarantine, it can be easy to focus on all the things we can’t do because of business closures and social distancing measures. Unless you’re an essential worker or have medical training that you can coffer, some of us might be feeling like we can’t contribute much to society right now but that’s not entirely true.
From the safety of home, there’s many ways we can be good citizens during this trying time in our nation’s history.
Here are a few options to consider:
•Submit your information for the 2020 Census. Depending on the size of your household, it may only take a matter of minutes to complete the online questionnaire.
•Apply to serve on the state’s Redistricting Commission.
•Consider you could help your local historical society during this time. As Jim Wade outlined in a recent column, the Almont Historical Society is in need of help with creating a website, completing research and is looking for story contributions toward their 2020 Community Homecoming book.
•Volunteer to help senior citizens by delivering food or checking in on them over the phone. Learn more about these options at michigan.gov/coronavirus.
•Contribute to the Michigan History Center’s collecting initiative to document Michigander’s experience during the COVID-19 pandemic. Get the details at Michigan.gov/MHCStories.
•Search social media sites for ways to help too. There are groups like “RVs 4 MDs” on Facebook that allow people with campers and motorhomes to loan them to doctors, nurses and medical personnel needing to self-isolate from their families while on the “front lines.”
•Considering we’re all considering ways to become more safe, now’s the perfect time to earn a boating, snowmobile or ORV safety certificate through the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’s self-paced online course. Find it at Michigan.gov/RecreationalSafety.
Other permitted options, outside of home, include:
•Donating blood at a Red Cross facility or local drive. The need for blood is critically high right now. The Red Cross has put additional precautions in place to keep donors safe.
•Picking up trash along your country road or in your neighborhood during a walk. Considering that many spring roadside campaigns have been canceled due to the pandemic, there’s likely more than usual trash floating on the wind and we can boost our spirits with a cleaner environment to enjoy.
