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White Hearts For VJH shows support for frontline COVID-19 workers

Apr 3, 2020 | 1:05 PM

A new campaign has been launched to allow North Okanagan residents to show their appreciation for medical staff and frontline workers at the forefront of the COVID-19 crisis.

The White Hearts For VJH Project — initiated by the VJH Foundation — encourages people to send a message of thanks by visiting WhiteHeartsforVJH.ca

White Hearts For VJH campaign. (submitted photo)

“A white heart – commonly used as a symbol to convey hope, pure thought and steadfast intention – will unite our residents in sending and displaying messages of gratitude to our local healthcare heroes,” a news release from the foundation said.

“Our healthcare and frontline workers are very courageous and making tough personal decisions on a daily basis, all for the good of our community. We wanted to provide a vehicle that would let them know how much we’re thinking about them and show them our support,” Kate McBrearty, executive director, Vernon Jubilee Hospital Foundation, said. “We’ve created a web page to mobilize our individual and collective expressions of gratitude.”

Well-wishers can also show their support by posting a white heart in windows or on doors. Templates are easily accessed and available on the site, and people can also share photos and messages of appreciation by posting on social media using #WhiteHeartsforVJH

“We’re inviting our North Okanagan community to really get behind this. It’s a simple but inspiring way to show how much we care,” McBrearty said.

Messages received on the website will be shared on social media, in internal staff newsletters, and on signage around health facilities in the region.

To kick off the project, white hearts with heartfelt messages have been affixed to staff parking areas at the hospital.

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