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Teacher Lan Lin
Over the last two months a great effort has been made by a group of Hopkins community members to bring PPE into the United States from China, and distribute the equipment to healthcare workers in need. This effort has been humbly facilitated by Hopkins faculty member, Lan Lin, (Modern Language Department Chair and Chinese teacher) who is quick to mention that many Hopkins parents have helped to make this effort successful.
In January and February of 2020, Lin witnessed the spread and devastation of Covid-19 in Wuhan, China through daily contact with her own family who live there and doctor friends in Shanghai. In early March as the first wave in China began to subside and the coronavirus began to spread in the U.S., Lin was motivated to action by the memories of what she had already seen. She began reaching out to her network of friends and colleagues overseas to locate any PPE that could be sent here. Her network was incredibly generous, and soon Lin had boxes of donations arriving at her door. Lin called upon a group of Hopkins parents, all Chinese American families, who were already in close contact with each other. The group stepped up to help in identifying hospitals and facilities in need of PPE, and then making deliveries around Connecticut. Lin expressed great gratitude to the “37 Chinese American families from Hopkins who have donated 6,890 N95/KN95 masks, over 10,000 surgical masks, 530 protective gowns, 218 protective goggles, 127 face shields, and over $7,500 to local hospitals in Connecticut, New York, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts.”
After the first wave of donations was distributed, Lin and the parent group decided to launch a GoFundMe fundraiser in order to purchase qualified PPE from China. They have been overwhelmed with the generosity of the community, and thus far have raised over $20,000 which has purchased a great deal of equipment.
The generosity of our extended community overseas includes our sister school, Yali-Peicui School in Changsha, China, who sent over thousands of masks, as well as videos and messages of support. Another donation came from Lin’s doctor friends in Shanghai, which was made possible in part by a group of 300 elementary school students who donated their Red Envelope money from the Chinese New Year and their piggy banks. “There are so many touching stories,” said Lin.
“I would like to thank the Chinese American families who helped me in receiving donations, identifying hospitals in need, and helped deliver PPEs. Also the members of the Hopkins community who donated to and publicized the GoFundMe website supporting this effort. I’m so grateful to my team members who have worked hard on the GoFundMe Campaign: Henan Cheng (Charles ‘22), Lois Pan (Tyler ‘26), Carmen Partridge (Cora ‘23), and Hopkins Director of Technology D. J. Plante (Brady ‘25). And last but certainly not least, I want to thank my family and my children for their loving support. They have helped me sort the PPE, put them out for pick up, and keep records—and bear with me and my late-night communications with donors in Wuhan and Shanghai.”
Thank you, Lan, for your tireless efforts in organizing a global network of support for Connecticut healthcare workers on the front lines. #hopkinsschoolheroes
To learn more and to support their fundraising effort, click here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/45000-surgical-masks-coronavirus-support-fund
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