With a market value of $350,000, an order of a half-million face masks is a significant investment. When those masks are donated to a community for free, it’s more than just about the money. It’s about a mission to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
The Chicago-based Dr. Willie Wilson Foundation announced Sunday the donation of 500,000 disposable face masks to the City of Aurora as part of its mission to provide 20 million face masks to communities throughout Illinois this week.
“Medical science shows that wearing a face mask helps to stop the spread of COVID-19,”said Dr. Willie Wilson who joined Mayor Irvin for a community event on Sunday afternoon at the Sagecrest Apartments on Aurora’s west side. “I am honored to donate a half million masks to my good friend Mayor Richard Irvin and the people of Aurora.”
The donation comes shortly after Mayor Irvin launched the #MaskUpAurora campaign, an initiative to encourage all Aurorans to wear masks in the public, while also focusing on social distancing and regular hand-washing.
“This unprecedented donation will go a long way in providing masks to Aurorans as we work together to combat COVID-19,” said Mayor Irvin. “We will collaborate with our community partners to distribute masks to groups, including nursing homes, senior living centers, faith communities, public safety personnel, non-profits and for schools when they are prepared to return to in-person learning. We all in this together.”
During the community event, Sagecrest residents in attendance received masks for all immediate family members and 20,000 masks were given to the Fox Valley Ministerial Alliance for distribution to local churches.
Masks will be available for bulk distribution to approved organizations and entities in Aurora beginning next week. Interested groups must submit a request at www.aurora-il.org/MaskUpAurora.
As part of the #MaskUpAurora campaign, the City of Aurora began providing free masks to residents last month. Free masks are available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at the Aurora Customer Service Center, 3770 McCoy Drive. Senior citizens and residents with transportation concerns can call the Customer Service Center at 630-256-4636 to request masks to be mailed.
The City of Aurora, in collaboration with the Willie Wilson Foundation, hosted a drive-thru mask giveaway in May where more than 16,000 face masks were distributed to residents.
To learn more about the #MaskUpAurora’ campaign, visit www.aurora-il.org/MaskUpAurora.