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Stamford, Conn. – Jan. 15, 2021 – Actor, Director, Producer and Americares Board Member Tony Goldwyn will host an Americares virtual volunteer event on Monday, Jan. 18, to commemorate the Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service. #Heroes4Health Unite: Be an Americares COVID-19 Hero will take place at 1:00 p.m. EDT / 10:00 a.m. PT via Zoom.
Americares Chief Medical Officer Dr. Julie Varughese will join Goldwyn during the special 30-minute online event to energize and educate volunteers. Participants will learn the importance of sharing effective public health messages that can reduce the spread of COVID-19 and save lives. Goldwyn and Dr. Varughese will encourage volunteers to go out and virtually influence friends and family members to spread positive messaging around mask-wearing, physical distancing and handwashing. Participating volunteers will receive a digital toolkit with messages that can be shared via social media and messaging apps.
“We all have a part to play in ending this pandemic,” said Goldwyn, who has supported Americares for nearly 20 years. “Americares is offering a meaningful way to stop the virus from spreading and pay tribute to Dr. King while keeping ourselves, our families and our communities safe.”
Now in its 26th year, the Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service is observed on the third Monday in January and is one of the largest mass movements of volunteerism. This year, President-elect Joe Biden’s inaugural committee is encouraging the public to participate in virtual or socially-distanced volunteer projects hosted by local and national nonprofit organizations providing pandemic relief. The Americares virtual event is hosted in partnership with the Biden Inaugural Committee.
“While COVID-19 has changed the way many people will volunteer on the National Day of Service, I am excited to join Tony to bring volunteers together virtually who will help us share simple, yet effective health messages to slow the spread of COVID-19,” said Dr. Varughese “We must continue to be vigilant about mask wearing, hand hygiene and physical distancing and encourage others to do the same.”
Americares, a health-focused relief and development organization, is currently responding to the COVID-19 pandemic in 26 countries, providing critically needed protective gear, training and emotional support for frontline health workers to ensure they can continue their lifesaving work. To date, Americares has provided 315 tons of critically needed supplies including masks, gowns and disinfectants to combat the spread of the virus along with training thousands of health workers in infection prevention and control, disaster preparedness, and mental health and psychosocial support. Americares is also caring for patients at its primary care clinics in Colombia, Connecticut, El Salvador and India, and providing surge medical personnel in Peru to support health facilities overwhelmed by the pandemic.
Americares helps communities prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters; increase access to critical medicine and medical supplies; improve and expand clinical services; and prevent disease and promote good health. Since its founding more than 40 years ago, Americares has provided more than $19 billion in aid to 164 countries, including the United States.
For more information or to register for the virtual volunteer service event please visit Americares.org/TakeActionNow