Protect Our Teachers: PPE Relief Fund

Protect Our Teachers: PPE Relief Fund

As schools in NYC rush to reopen, public school teachers and staff have voiced their concerns about safety.  A recent survey showed that major concerns include :

- Contracting COVID in the classroom and/or transmitting it to medically vulnerable family members
- The availability of PPE for the close range contact needed in teaching
- Adequate ventilation in NYC’s public school buildings
- Safety during the commute to school - many have a 30+ minute commute on the train/subway
 
Our goal is to raise funds to provide PPE for teachers returning to school. Our initial $10,000 will go towards providing N95/KN95s to medically vulnerable teachers and those living with medically vulnerable family members to protect them during their commute and at work.

We have devised a KN/N95 reuse system based on research and data, which we hope to provide an additional layer of protection to our teachers and school staff until we have better information as to how schools can help stem, trace, and identify spread. 

Additional funding will go towards procuring hand sanitizers, cleaning supplies, & wipes. 

The current schools that we will be donating to are:

- M.S.297 - 75 Morton St
- P.S. 003 - The Charrette School
- School of the Future High School
- We are in touch with the United Federation of Teachers and are currently assessing needs across NYC

We will add to this list as requests are submitted

All funds raised will be tax deductible. These funds will be put towards the procurement, delivery and administration of PPE for NYC Teachers & Schools in need. 

Are you a teacher or school administrator? Please fill out the following form: https://cvd.cm/schoolsppe

“First day back in DOE school building: No PPE, No cleaning supplies, No tissue papers in classrooms and student bathrooms, soap only available in certain rooms,” - NYC Teacher

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About Us

The COVID Foundation is a fiscally sponsored 501(c)3, founded by social entrepreneur Ben Wei. Mr. Wei has built two COVID relief organizations, which collectively have raised nearly $1,000,000 for PPE relief and donated 250,000+ pieces of PPE to frontline healthcare workers at institutions like New York Presbyterian, NYU Langone and Elmhurst Hospital. With a team of 30+ volunteers, the Foundation is committed to helping provide care to underserved communities. The COVID Foundation operates through a fiscal sponsorship with The Giving Back Fund, Inc. (Federal Tax ID: 04-3367888), a Massachusetts nonprofit corporation recognized by IRS as a tax-exempt public charity under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.  Contributions to The COVID Foundation are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

Underground N95 x Drs. Cheryl Wu & Nancy King.

Drs Wu and King became concerned in March of 2020 when they witnessed many physician friends and colleagues without adequate PPE for work on the frontlines, when the COVID-19 pandemic exploded in their beloved city. They immediately realized that an urgent stop-gap measure was necessary: hospitals did not have enough PPE, yet patients with COVID-19 were coming in at massive numbers to the hospitals. Together, they devised an “Underground N95” direct doctor-to-HCW delivery network for N95, face shields, surgical masks, all tied together with an evidence-based method for the reuse of PPE, until the hospitals’ stock of PPE could be verified and shipped. Both Drs Wu and King also happen to be mothers, and with their children’s schools reopening in the fall of 2020 in NYC amidst low cases of covid - an eerie parallel began to emerge. They heard from friends and family that teachers are afraid to go to work, and they realized with the relationship they had built in the spring that it is time again to mobilize.
 

Our Goal

Our Primary Goal is to deliver PPE to protect NYC Teachers so that they may stay healthy as schools reopen. Our current target zone is NYC

FAQ

Why isn’t the Department of Education (DOE) providing adequate PPE?

While we believe that the DOE is trying its best to help schools reopen safely, it is a dire reality that budgets are constrained and that some schools just aren’t receiving the necessary funding and support. Our current goal is to provide PPE to teachers so that they can safely travel to/from school, with the assumption that the DOE is providing enough PPE during the school day. That being said, we have already begun hearing that teachers do not have PPE during the school day, and as requests come in, we will try our best to help wherever possible. 

Are donations tax-deductible? 

Yes, The COVID Foundation operates through a fiscal sponsorship with The Giving Back Fund, Inc. (Federal Tax ID: 04-3367888), a Massachusetts nonprofit corporation recognized by IRS as a tax-exempt public charity under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.  Contributions to The COVID Foundation are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

Aside from donations, how can we help? 

Share this message with your friends. You can follow us on Twitter & Instagram: @covidfoundation

If you are a healthcare worker or supply administrator you can fill out this form: https://cvd.cm/schoolsppe

 

Follow us: 

Twitter: @covidfoundation

Instagram: @covidfoundation #ProtectOurTeachers