The Untermyer Gardens Conservancy, a 43-acre public garden in Yonkers, New York, may be closed due to the pandemic, but its beautiful spring daffodil blooms are bringing joy beyond its gates. Spearheaded by chairman Stephen F. Byrns ’77, Daffodils for Heroes delivers the conservancy’s cheerful yellow flowers to nearby hospitals and nursing homes, where healthcare workers and patients fighting the effects of COVID-19 can enjoy a bit of springtime from their hospital beds and wards.
With permission from the City of Yonkers, the conservancy reached out to its most dedicated volunteers to see if they would be willing to help harvest the abundant crop of flowers. Small groups donned masks and gloves, kept socially distanced, and picked 30,000 blossoms in total, filling countless buckets and arranging them in biodegradable paper cups.
“We had to limit the group to eight volunteers at a time to keep things safe, but in no time we had our crew,” Byrns wrote in a public letter.
With support from the city’s Parks Department that helped set up flower arranging stations and lifted the heavy trays of flowers onto a large truck, the daffodils were delivered to nearby St. John’s and St. Joseph’s hospitals, the Richmond Children’s Center and Adira at Riverside Rehabilitation.
“The smiles and expressions of joy were heartwarming,” said Byrns.
View more about Daffodils for Heroes.
Learn more about the Untermyer Gardens Conservancy.
Alumni create online directory to support local businesses
Maggie Zhang ’16 and Daniel He ’16 recognize that small businesses are the heart of our communities — and the most susceptible to the economic effects of the pandemic. To help those businesses survive, they created Local for Later, an online directory to promote local businesses through gift cards. they wrote on their site, which has grown to include 11 U.S. cities.
Each city’s list is made up of businesses submitted by users, and includes restaurants, shops, and activities like theaters and tour companies.
See the lists and add your favorite here.
Princeton Faculty Members Send Greetings As Classes Go Virtual
No one has all the answers about what comes next, not even Princeton faculty. But as Princeton shifted to virtual learning during the COVID-19 outbreak, professors from across disciplines sent warm video reassurance that their mission remained the same, and that Princeton is wherever you are.
#TellUsTigers Q&A: Tanesha Brown, nurse manager, University Health Services
Tanesha Brown, the nurse manager at University Health Services, is a critical member of the University’s coronavirus preparedness team, working with a broad range of departments and colleagues across campus. She reflects on addressing the fear of the unknown, how she practices self-care and the most important things she wants people to know during the coronavirus crisis. Read more …