The spirit of giving is strong in the Sage Hill community as the country and the world work together to combat the COVID-19 outbreak.
One of the many ways people and businesses can help is by donating important medical equipment desperately needed by many hospitals and care facilities.
Locally, Sage Hill donated our emergency supply of 525 N95 masks, 500 medical gloves and 15 pairs of protective eyewear to Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo.
Additionally, members of Sage Hill’s Chinese Parent Committee (CPC) have rallied and donated thousands of masks, PPE gowns and hand sanitizers to area hospitals, facilities and families in greatest need in Orange County.
Among these parents is Angel Zheng, mother of senior Jackie Ni. She has personally donated tens of thousands of masks to hospitals, senior centers and police and fire stations around Orange County. She has procured these masks from both overseas and through a local medical distributor channel. She said she expects to donate another 30,000 of each kind of masks in the coming week.
“We are just normal people as others, but because of this coronavirus, nurses and doctors, communities, they all need protection. I believe when we protect them, they will protect us,” Zheng said. “Everyday we received inquiries from doctors and communities, our eyes filled with tears. They are working so hard to protect us, and we have to do something to protect them.”
She encouraged anyone who has masks to donate them, marking N95 masks specifically for hospital use. Disposable/non-medical masks should go to members of the community in need.
“We just want to give out a hand like other people do. There are many other people like us doing a lot to help. We are one of them. We want to be positive examples for our kids and communities,” she said. “This is an emergency time for our community; we just want to help. We can and you can!
Zheng’s son, Jackie, along with students Timothy Guo, Weihong Cen, Jian Park, Tyler Chen, Alan Wang and Ryan He, have created
an app called TestFlow, which uses blockchain technology to track COVID-19 test kits, allowing patients, doctors, labs and the FDA to monitor the kit’s location, verify authenticity, and view results.
“Today, countless people in the U.S. and around the world, struggle to receive their COVID-19 tests in a timely manner, resulting in heightened anxiety and unnecessary spread. This is merely a symptom of a relatively disorganized system that lacks transparent tracking capabilities. As such, tests are being distributed incorrectly and sometimes even lost,” according to the app’s website. “As high school students, we wanted to take this opportunity to make a difference. We have friends, teachers, and family members whose livelihoods are all at stake due to this crisis. While we can’t go to a hospital and treat patients, we can create tools at home to combat the spread of COVID-19.”