It’s an ambitious goal: Aligning 10,000 volunteers to sew more than 5 million medical-grade masks for frontline health workers in the battle against the global coronavirus pandemic.
That’s exactly why Tony Finau is joining forces with ProjectProtect.
In conjunction with Intermountain Healthcare, University of Utah Health and Latter-day Saint Charities in Utah, ProjectProtect aims to assist those who need personal protective equipment to combat COVID-19.
Organizers says it’s shaping up to be the largest Utah-based volunteer effort since the 2002 Olympic Winter Games.
“It means everything to us,” Finau said. “We wanted to get involved in the most meaningful way possible in our community. Our attention turned to helping those on the frontlines as I felt like the utmost importance at this time and during this pandemic. This ProjectProtect was the perfect initiative to support and to help, so it means everything for me and our foundation to be involved in this capacity to know that we are doing our part as a community, and putting our best foot forward as a community is a big deal.”
ProjectProtect also aims to produce more than 50,000 face shields as well as reusable isolation gowns.
ProjectProtect says: “The Relief Society organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has tapped into its network of thousands of volunteers from around the world.”
“My eyes have truly been opened to this whole pandemic, but to who the true heroes are during this time,” Finau said. “Not only today, but every day. Those on the frontlines are saving lives every single day, and we owe it to them as a community to do our part now.”
