Hello! We are Masks4Arizona, a nonprofit organization made up of high school students from Tucson. Our mission is to raise funds to donate masks to our community, including hospitals, assisted living homes, dental offices, grocery workers, and the homeless population in order to help our community fight against COVID-19. In our first campaign, we raised $2745 which enabled us to purchase 2200 masks for hospitals and retirement communities in the Tucson area such as:
- Banner - University Medical Center
- Tucson Medical Center
- Via Elegante Assisted Living
- Tucson ER & Hospital
- Villa Maria Care Center
The coronavirus is a widespread pandemic that has been affecting the lives of everyone globally. The United States has become the global leader in COVID-19 cases, surpassing the total number of cases in China and Italy, with over 330,000 total cases. The coronavirus has affected all 50 states, including Arizona. The Arizona community was deemed a widespread area for the disease by the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention ) with 2,726 cases and 80 deaths. As of March 11, 2020, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey declared a Public Health State of Emergency relating to the COVID-19 epidemic. As testing in Arizona increases and the number of cases rise, hospitals are finding themselves in a short supply of needed equipment and space.
Pima County finds itself to be the second most affected county in Arizona with over 400 cases reported. As a result, hospitals in our local Tucson area are in need of masks, and other protective wear, in order to safely work to protect our community from the spread and worsening of the current climate. As a team from a local high school, we hope to raise $500 to acquire a mix of KN95 masks and surgical masks for hospitals in the Tucson area.
For Maricopa County, we hope to provide KN95 masks to hospitals and regular face masks to donate to the homeless population. Maricopa County is the region that has been affected the most by COVID-19 and we hope to help relieve some stress and worry by providing masks to doctors and nurses working on the front lines. We appreciate all the hard work and long hours that healthcare professionals have dedicated themselves to and, and we want to demonstrate our gratitude and support.
In the future, we hope to raise more money for other PPEs, such as face masks for civil use, face shields, safety goggles, gloves, and gowns and donate them to other hospitals and nursing homes in Arizona. We want to help protect our families, friends, and our greater community from the risk that the coronavirus poses to many individuals in our lives. We want to allow doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals to know that we support them and thank them for their large efforts in keeping us all safe while they put themselves at risk. We want to show our support and help them through these stressful and difficult times by hopefully providing them with more resources that will help them feel more at ease and overall safer in their work environment. We thank them for all that they are doing to ensure that our community is safe.
Please donate and help us reach our goal so we can continue to help provide needed equipment for hospitals in our community!
GoFundMe Links:
Fundraiser for Tina Ge by Natalie Ajmer - GoFundMe
Fundraiser for Lori-Ann Bernard - GoFundMe
FAQ:
How do I know what you’ll do with the money?
100% of the funds will go directly to the purchase and delivery of masks for the healthcare workers in the hospitals in Arizona. We will also post updates on our Instagram account, so you can keep track of our mask donations. (Instagram: @masks4arizona)
How much are you paying for the masks?
The exact cost is determined by the quantity of the order. All the money you donate will be used for the purchase of the masks and the shipping fee.
How will the masks get to the hospitals?
We will try to ship them directly to the hospitals and check with the hospitals to make sure they arrive. We will also personally deliver the masks to the hospitals if the first option doesn't work. We will also be shipping or delivering (depending on the safest option) to retirement communities in Tucson.
Aside from donations, how can we help? If you have some extra masks at home, you can drop them off directly at the hospitals. Most hospitals are accepting N95s and surgical masks. For a list of hospitals that need personal protective equipment, check https://findthemasks.com. Or you can call hospitals near you directly to check with them. We also encourage you to hand-make masks for your own use or donate them to nursing homes. You can find tutorials on how to make masks on youtube and Instagram!
Spread the word to your family and friends! Let's help our healthcare workers together!
Our Instagram: @masks4arizona
Our Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/masks4arizona/
