|
Welcome back to the weekly COVID-19 resources bulletin for staff, created by the Staff Council office.
Above, a spectacular view from Bristol Cliffs taken by Alan Shashok (Staff Council Office) last year.
And on the left, a picture sent in by Lee Diamond (Risk Management & Safety) who explained, "I practice and teach yoga on my deck online in Zoom to keep me sane."
|
|
|
And, as many of us are struggling right now to do everything and do it well, it might be helpful to re-think both the definition of "success" and the value of our failures:
"I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."
- Michael Jordan
|
|
If you have something uplifting or fun to share, send it our way. And as ever, for a full list of all the resources we've featured so far, check out this index (PDF) which we update every week.
UVM Staff Council Office
Contact us at: staff.council@uvm.edu
|
|
As ever, the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) maintains a valuable hub of information related to COVID-19. It includes all the relevant UVM communications and policies, and links to a number of excellent external sources of information.
Additionally, Human Resource Services hosts a variety of helpful resources, including:
They also invite you to contact Labor and Employee Relations directly with questions at uvmler@uvm.edu.
|
|
Check out the latest news on how the UVM community is responding to the pandemic. Stories cover how faculty, staff, students, and alumni are addressing the global crisis and helping to ease its impact.
|
|
|
The UVM Staff Council continues to invite you to anonymously share how you're doing during the pandemic through a simple questionnaire. All comments are read carefully and shared with leadership.
If you need support or help with a specific issue, you can contact your Staff Council Representative directly. A list of each unit's representatives is available on the Staff Council website.
|
|
|
Here is some more food-related information that you may find helpful (see more on the PDF index of all resources, which we update weekly):
- The Vermont Foodbank continues to provide meals to families with the help of the National Guard. Over the next week they'll be in Burlington, Brattleboro, Swanton, and Lyndonville, distributing Farmers To Families meal kits containing meat, produce, and dairy products, as well as non-perishable food from FEMA. Here is the schedule, but follow the links for locations and up-to-date details.
|
|
|
Pop-Up Testing Sites for Vermonters Without Symptoms
Anyone who lives or works in Vermont and does not have symptoms of COVID-19 can now be tested for the virus at pop-up testing sites around the state.
They especially encourage health care workers, first responders, child care providers, and people returning to Vermont – such as college students, people who winter out of state and second home owners – to consider being tested.
Find a clinic near you and register ahead of time.
The testing clinics are part of the State of Vermont's efforts to ramp up testing and prevent the spread of COVID-19. This nasal swab test will tell you if you have a current infection. It is not a serology/antibody test, which means it will not tell you if you were infected in the past.
NOTE: Some sites are currently full, but you can sign up for a waitlist to receive information in case of a future clinic in your area.
|
|
|
The Burlington Community Mask Initiative has been handing out free fabric masks to anyone in need. Although they are no longer moving from site to site to hand them out, the schedule for this week and for the foreseeable future is the following:
-
Tuesdays, 8am to 2pm at the Burlington Police Department, South Entrance
-
Wednesdays, 4 to 8pm at the Fletcher Free Library
-
Thursdays, 8am to 2pm at the Burlington Police Department, South Entrance
-
Saturdays, Noon to 4pm at the Fletcher Free Library
|
|
|
|
This past week, the Mayor of Burlington Miro Weinberger, Dr. Joshua Sharfstein of the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, and Dr. Stephen Leffler of the University of Vermont Medical Center discussed the current landscape of COVID-19 in Chittenden County, what restarting might look like, going from "flatten the curve" to "box it in," and more. They also responded to questions from Burlingtonians. Watch or listen to the recording of the conversation.
|
|
|
Vermont HealthConnect has extended their special enrollment period again - this time until June 15th. If you lost insurance recently or you lose insurance in the future you may get even more time to sign up.
Sign up for VT Health Connect by phone at 855-899-9600 or online.
|
|
|
Outside pickup service is now available at the Fletcher Free Library. Pickup times and full details of how to reserve books online and how to safely pick them up are posted on their website.
|
|
|
|
Burlingtonians can now apply to defer their June property tax and business personal property tax payments. If you are experiencing unexpected economic hardship as a result of the COVID-19 emergency, this deferment will give you two additional months of time, without any interest or penalties, until your payments are due on August 12. Learn more about eligibility and apply on the City website. Applications are due June 1.
|
|
|
- Looking to learn something new about the contemporary art world and art history? The Museum of Modern Art in New York City has paired with Coursera to offer free online classes on a variety of topics including contemporary art, fashion, photography, and painting.
- Lake Champlain Maritime Museum has a variety of exciting resources:
- A digital museum, including an online exhibit that will open on July 1st, celebrating "Women at the Helm."
- Kids in 2nd through 12th grade are welcome to register for a week-long, free, Virtual Lake Adventure Camp. Camp kits are mailed out in advance, and then campers meet online for four 90-minute sessions to explore history, learn new hands-on skills, craft hand-made items, meet and talk with experts, dive underwater, and more. Campers can also attend an optional meet-up day each week for a safely-distanced group activity, as permitted by federal and local guidelines.
- They also have a great online selection of virtual shipwreck tours, in which nautical archaeologists share the dramatic tale of a shipwreck and pair it with recent underwater footage of the wreck.
|
|
|
Each week we feature organizations seeking help or donations right now. You can check out the index of all the organizations we've featured to date in this PDF which we update weekly.
Here are a few more:
- Plant for the People: The City of Burlington is encouraging all Burlingtonians to consider donating surplus fruits and vegetables from your harvest this season -- or even consider expanding your gardens and planting more now so that you can help produce more fresh, local food. Their goal is ambitious: They want to try to collect 100,000 pounds of additional produce as a community this growing season, to help meet the increased need of the local food shelf Feeding Chittenden. Learn more about this new initiative.
- The University of Vermont Foundation is accepting gifts to help UVM's pandemic response through the Pandemic Response Fund. Your donation can go to support student emergency travel funds, remote education assistance, community online training sessions, and other campus responses at the direction of the President.
|
|
|
If you know of new or additional campus or community resources you'd like us to feature, please check our index of resources (PDF) to see if we've already featured it, and if not, send the information to us at staff.council@uvm.edu. And as ever, please reach out to us with any questions or concerns. We want to hear from you!
|
|
|
|
|
