DESPITE THE CHALLENGES of Spring 2020 and COVID-19 there are still many exciting things happening for SGAA members.
Scholarships - obviously the Spring 2020 Scholarship season was derailed so we have some exciting new resources in the works for SGAA members, please keep an eye on your emails for specifics.
Zoom Coffee Chats! We have an exciting lineup of zoom calls in the works for all of our members, members receive an invitation and join code via email approximately one week before each zoom call. Please mark your calendars for Friday the 8th, 1PM EST. We will be joined by special guest Leanne Triggs of Youghiogheny Glass Company. She will share exciting news with us and members will have the opportunity to ask questions and share feedback. Great opportunity to connect directly with one of our glass manufacturers. Future zoom calls to be announced shortly.
Facemasks - Check out the news page - The crew at Mominee Studios have developed a template for a protective mask/mask carrier. It is something anyone with a sewing machine can easily make in less than an hour. It can be sanitized easily, too. It can be worn by itself, or has an internal pocket for the insertion of a soft respirator replacement filter, or (and this is a big one) it can be used as a shield/carrier for a standard N95 mask -- this means the fabric mask cradles the N95 in place on your face and you don’t need the elastic straps to seal the N95 to your face. The fabric mask has integral straps that go below your ears and fasten along the nape of your neck. It uses a Velcro-type tape (the double-sided kind used to bind office equipment cords out of the way) that can be adjusted to fit a large number of sizes, and it has a pull loop for one-finger release. If your mask gets dirty, you need never touch the front of it to get it off your head.
Spring 2020 SGQ is at the printers - keep an eye out for yours and especially check out the new SGAA member spotlights! Please consider submitting your own work to the SGQ - we love to feature you!
Please keep reaching out with feedback and ideas on new ways to connect, and news about what's going on in your own community.
It feels like the standard send-off these days to wish you all safe and healthy, but I know that several of our members are nurses who are dealing with this every day. Thank you. I also know that we have members who have contracted coronavirus and recovered and we have at least one member who we have lost to the coronavirus. Our hearts go out to all of you, no matter how this is affecting you. Even if you are safe and healthy there is not a single one of us who is not struggling enormously with the impact this is having on our lives financially, as parents, as entrepreneurs, as caretakers of parents and quite possibly as all of the above. So I wish you continued health and HOPE. And I wish you all strength and fortitude as we continue to pivot and create and BUILD through "2020 - a year ON PAUSE."
With gratitude,
Megan McElfresh @ SGAA HQ
