This summer college students are taking advantage of remote internships and contributing to a greater cause to spread positivity and encouragement to front line workers during COVID-19.

This summer as many college students like myself have returned home during this pandemic, it has been difficult to find any internships. Fortunately, Easy Event Planning gave me the opportunity to intern with them to promote their Honor and Thank initiative. HonorAndThank.com is a platform that allows anyone to post messages, photos, or videos thanking and encouraging front line healthcare workers in local or national facilities. It only takes 2 minutes to write, post, and select the facilities you choose to send your message to.

The initiative was founded by Easy Event Planning’s CEO Kathleen Kilmer. She was inspired to start the project because she saw the anxiety and emotional impact on her two sisters while they worked on the front lines. As healthcare workers continue caring for their patients, COVID-19 is causing nurses and doctors to risk the health of themselves and their families. Front line workers not only risk their physical health but also risk effects to their mental health. In New York City, some workers even took their own lives as a result. Most workers are not getting sufficient breaks after dealing with stress and death of patients, and they need our support more than ever to continue resiliently in their jobs. Healthcare workers facing this emotional stress are in great need of support and encouragement. That is where HonorAndThank.com comes in. It has been able to successfully reach out to facilities across the nation and spread words of positivity to the healthcare workers who are risking their lives.

However, we are not only facing a healthcare crisis, we are also suffering an economic crisis as well. Many small businesses and vendors are suffering from the loss of several months of business. Easy Event Planning’s main goal during this time is to raise support and provide resources for small businesses in need of help. The company has a Facebook group community that connects local small business owners with each other to share tips and announcements about grants for example. Interns in the Event Recovery team have been reaching out to struggling local businesses to connect them with the free services Easy Event Planning provides, to help as many businesses as possible.

As an intern, I have been able to work on both the Honor and Thank initiative as well as the Event Recovery team. With a wide range of contacts, I reached out to government officials, news and TV media, radio stations, hospitals, schools, influencers, and more. As the pandemic continues to control most of our lives, it is important to do our part to remain safe and help and encourage others to do the same.

Although the public relations process of researching and contacting each individual may be a bit tedious, it is also rewarding when you are successful in finding organizations that want to partner with you. As Easy Event Planning continues to look for more college student interns, they are working towards achieving more exposure to the media from influencers to contribute to the important cause.

In the past few months, we have seen news coverage of inspiring stories of individuals reaching out to front line heroes thanking them for their work, sending them meals, and thank you’s. Honor and Thank hopes to do the same, to show the same gratitude individuals have for doctors and nurses. As we strive to look for better uses of our time and hope for this pandemic to end, the best we can do is spread positivity to those who need it most and find ways to endure this struggle of being physically apart just a little longer.

While we all are wishing for a return to a sense of normalcy, the front line workers and small business owners are desperately hoping for a change in their favor. I’m extremely thankful to be part of an initiative that is working to support and encourage front line workers who risk their lives as well as the lives of their families for their patients. This positive experience has allowed me to make connections and reach out to local and national organizations to spread the news about Honor and Thank’s important cause.