A group of medical students are mobilizing volunteers and gathering supplies in the face of novel coronavirus. The group is hosting musicians on Friday, via Zoom, to raise money for personal protective equipment for Roanoke Valley health care organizations.
The event, Virtual Open Mic, isn't an open mic, per se. Instead, the organizers of Southwest Virginia COVID-19 Response Force already has released a list of performers, including Indian Run String Band, Catherine The Great and JoJo Stockton to live-stream their music via the group conferencing app. You can donate while you watch and hear the performances, or any other time you like, via https://linktr.ee/swva.covidresponse. Access the Zoom show at 5 p.m. Friday, via https://virginiatech.zoom.us/j/9861406567 Meeting ID: 986 1406 0567; call in one-tap mobile +19294362866, 98614060567# ... if that seems complicated, remember that the hoops you're jumping prevent the "zoombombing" that the racist pukes seem to think is funny these days. (Not sure if I've mentioned: I hate racist pukes.)Â
People are also reading…
Organizer Ayesha Kar, like her cohorts in the respose force, is a third-year medical student at Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. She sent us this quick description of her group:
>Â We have been soliciting donations (personal protective equipment or PPE, supplies, as well as monetary) to distribute at local healthcare organizations. Thus far, we have been able to collect over $4,000 in donations, which is helping us purchase PPE directly from manufacturers. Additionally, we have been able to collect over 5,000 pairs of gloves and 700 masks to give to medical offices in the area. We are continuing to work towards purchasing and distributing supplies for our hard-working frontline healthcare providers as this pandemic continues.
> Founding Members: Ayesha Kar, Vaishnavi Sridhar, Dakota Buhrman, Manavi Bhagwat, and Grace Lee.
Check 'em on Instagram: @swva.covidresponse
Contact Tad Dickens at tad.dickens@roanoke.com or 777-6474. Follow him on Twitter: @cutnscratch. Â
Â