Story co-written with Autumn Pine
The center of campus that is usually loud with noise and excitement was silent in honor of over 500,000 people who died from the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.
The silent vigil was hosted by the Center for Community Engagement & Service Learning at 8 p.m. at the Catafount on Thursday, March 18. The area was covered with 500 bags with tealights inside to represent 1000 lives who were lost due to COVID-19.
Lane Perry, Executive Director of Center for Community Engagement & Service Learning created this event and hopes to make it an annual event for years to come. Perry believes that 2020 is the year to look back on due to all the hardships people have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Perry also pointed out that the year 2020 is like 20/20 vision, a year where we all opened our eyes.
“It is about stopping and looking in the metaphorical mirror, to stop and pause and think about the things in your life in the last year and beyond,” said Perry in an interview before the event.
The goal for Catamounts Care Day is for people to look back on the year 2020 and all the challenges that people had faced.
Many people who attended this event were just passing by on campus. The phrase, “What is this?” was said frequently while pointing at the silent vigil. Many stopped for a moment to watch and partake in the evening’s event.
Before this event, Catamounts Care Ambassadors have helped encourage students to follow CDC guidelines to keep the campus and community safe. Ambassadors hand out stickers to students who practice social distancing, wear their masks, or show the use of hand sanitizer. The stickers can then be turned in for prizes. The stickers act as a way to “positively reinforce that behavior,” said Lane.
