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Date: 5/7/2020
ENFIELD, CT – Enfield residents may never look at road signs in Enfield in the same way again. That’s because they are the backdrop for a series of clever Public Service Announcements (PSAs) reminding people to practice the safety guidelines established by the CDC for the duration of the COVID-19 crisis. This road sign campaign features pictures of community leaders from different disciplines posing near a road sign with a tagline conforming to CDC guidelines superimposed on the picture.
In the campaign, Enfield Rotary Club member Milt Rosenberg is shown wearing a bandana over his face, pointing to a STOP sign, with the tagline reading “Never STOP being safe!” Enfield Mayor Michael Ludwick is shown posing next to an “Enfield Welcomes You” sign with a tagline reading “Enfield welcomes you, but not the virus.”
Also in the campaign, Town Council representative Lori Unghire is shown next to a “Do Not Pass” sign, with an accompanying tagline of “Protect yourself and others. Do not pass COVID -19 to the community.” Mask wearing members of Enfield EMS Erin Rigott and Jonathon Morisset are shown next to a Goose Crossing sign with a tagline reading “Stop goosing around! Don’t flock together!”
Other community members featured in the campaign include Police Chief Alaric Fox, Fire Chief Charles Macsata, Lion’s Club President Bill Vayda, Kathleen Souvigney from the Enfield Food Shelf, Patrice Sulik from the North Central District Health Department and members of the Board of Education and various faith groups.
The group that spearheaded this campaign are members of the Enfield Together Coalition, which falls under the auspices of Enfield Youth and Family Services. The coalition, whose mission is to prevent substance abuse among the town’s youth, is open to anyone who would like to join.
The group consists of members from many different “communities” within Enfield, such as educators, health professionals, the police department, local government officials, businesses, civic groups, faith groups, youth members, parents and grandparents.
The specific group of volunteers who worked on the Public Service Announcements originally created an award winning PSA entitled “Don’t Share if you Care.” It won first place in a state-wide contest and warned about sharing prescription medications with others as part of their substance abuse initiative. The group continued their weekly meetings via ZOOM, and decided to produce the road sign campaign, as well as a thank-you slideshow for the “hometown heroes” who are working to keep residents safe and the town running.
According to Andrea Mashiak, program coordinator of Enfield Family and Youth Services, “Our community leaders’ support has been wonderful…it has been such a great experience working with this group and seeing their end product. It puts a smile on my face every time.”
After the various photos were submitted to the PSA committee, they were turned over to Youth Council member Wen Bing Shi, to create the thank-you slideshow. “She did a wonderful job,” said Mashiak.
Wen Bing Shi said, “I really enjoyed helping out with the PSAs. The essential workers are helping us and this is a good way for us to thank them…a visual thank-you.”
Also chiming in on her participation on this project was Kelly Fisher, founder of Alex’s Army, who said, “I loved it! It was humbling to work on a project that honored all the essential workers,” referring to the slideshow.
Finally, Town Council representative Lori Unghire stated, “Working with Youth Services on this project has been an enjoyable experience. A small way to say ‘thank you’ to our civic leaders and hometown heroes. This bright spotlight on our community during a time of uncertainty has lifted the spirits of residents and the committee itself.”
The PSAs are posted on the Facebook pages of the Enfield Together Coalition and Enfield Youth Services.
The Hometown Heroes slideshow can be found at www.facebook.com/EnfieldYouthServices/videos/2573189456120316.