Putting rainbows in windows is not the only way that people are taking it upon themselves to spread messages of hope. On Sunday, Sherbrooke resident Ian Verheyden put out a call on Facebook for people to pour a little of their anxious, cooped-up energy into making messages to encourage local healthcare professionals. “So, true story: My neighbour is the lead doctor on the CHUS’s team of 160 people currently working 100 hour weeks, trying to contain the current situation,” he wrote. “Her husband came to see me because somebody left a note on her windshield saying “Way to go Genviève, laches pas!”. Pretty simple. Her husband told me that she broke down crying, it meant so much to her. She told him that it was really what she and her team needs at this moment.” Verheyden told The Record that the story inspired him to want to do more.
“If you’ve got kids at home like me and are looking for some way to help out in all this, maybe put a little of your energy into a little art project, something to encourage all the healthcare workers at the CHUS, and drop it off at my place,” he said, noting that he plans to leave all of the messages received in isolation in his shed for a couple of days to help make sure that there is no contamination. “Then I’ll give them to my hero of a neighbour to bring to her team.” Verheyden said that anyone looking to participate is welcome to drop their messages off at 635 Rue de Quebec in Sherbrooke. In light of the fact that some people have been reluctant to deliver physical messages, he said that he is also considering a digital version of the project although how that comes together remains to be seen. Published in the Tuesday, March 24 edition of The Record.
