Hopkins School Community Raises Money for Masks

As Covid-19 continues to send shock-waves throughout the world, many have started initiatives to help with the demand for personal protective equipment (PPE). In New Haven, local residents have started a campaign called “PPE for CT” to contribute toward the cause.

Spearheaded by Hopkins School Modern Language Department Chair Ms. Lan Lin, fellow Hopkins parent Ms. Lois Pan, and other Hopkins teachers and alumni, this fund has raised over $20,000 toward acquiring surgical masks and N95 masks through both a GoFundMe page and the Community Foundation of Greater New Haven.

PPE for CT started in early March from a small effort within the Hopkins School. When Ms. Lin, a Wuhan native, spoke with her family members, friends, and colleagues stuck in her hometown, she became inspired to help take action. Ms. Lin reached out to the Hopkins Chinese-American WeChat group to raise money for Wuhan and parts of the U.S. This simple idea eventually turned into a multilateral operation to donate supplies to China and local hospitals.

Ms. Lin said, “I have my advisees’ parents, grandparents from Texas — everybody is donating.” This effort has grown beyond just the community of the Hopkins School and has expanded globally.

As of last week, PPE for CT has been able to order 10,000 surgical masks and 4,500 N95 masks to be shipped to hospitals in Wuhan. These masks are currently in-transit towards their destination; however, Chinese regulations have hampered the speed at which these masks are being delivered.

Additionally, 5,000 surgical masks are heading to Yale New Haven Hospital, and 15,000 more will be shipped to other local hospitals in Connecticut and New York. Ms. Pan reached out to a few of her friends in Hong Kong to place orders from manufacturers in the Shandong province of China. These producers have been able to ensure a stable supply of FDA-approved PPE.

Although much progress has been made, Ms. Lin and her team are still working hard to donate more PPE to hospitals around the world. Although they have set a target of $30,000 on their GoFundMe page, Ms. Lin and her fellow team members are considering the launch of a second campaign after that goal is reached.

“If we can make it to $30,000,” she said, “we are going to re-evaluate the demand for PPE and potentially organize a second campaign.”

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