How Humans Are Uplifting Each Other Around The World During Coronavirus

The coronavirus has affected human life across the globe.

While constant news about the virus can be disheartening, the human spirit is adapting in fantastic and wonderful ways.

This article, updated regularly, will hope to share the wonderful ways people around the world are coping with coronavirus. If you have an uplifting, quirky, funny or fantastic story please feel free to share it with us at [email protected] or on our Twitter.

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Some Coronavirus Good News Quicken Loans Community Fund and Gilbert Family Foundation Announce $1.2 Million Donation to Address Detroit Coronavirus Impact

The Quicken Loans Community Fund and Gilbert Family Foundation today announced a combined $1.2 million donation to address the ongoing impact of coronavirus in Detroit.

The investment includes:

• $250,000 donations by both the Quicken Loans Community Fund and Gilbert Family Foundation into the United Way for Southeastern Michigan COVID-19 Community Response Fund that will support vulnerable populations and the nonprofits serving those in need amid the coronavirus pandemic ($500,000 total).
• A $250,000 investment by the Gilbert Family Foundation to the United Community Housing Coalition to address housing instability, including mortgage, rental and utility assistance, as well as additional issues exacerbated by the effects of coronavirus on the community.
• $450,000 to be provided as flexible investments by the Quicken Loans Community Fund for small businesses and existing grant partners to ensure they can maintain operations in the weeks ahead.

TechTown launches emergency fund for Detroit small businesses

DETROIT, Mich. — TechTown is launching the Detroit Small Business Stabilization Fund to support the needs of small businesses impacted by COVID-19. In an effort to accelerate access to capital for Detroit’s most vulnerable businesses, TechTown — in partnership with the City of Detroit, the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC), and Invest Detroit — will administer working capital grants in amounts of up to $5,000 to qualifying small businesses.

There’s an unlikely beneficiary of coronavirus: The planet

Factories were shuttered and streets were cleared across China’s Hubei province as authorities ordered residents to stay home to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

It seems the lockdown had an unintended benefit — blue skies.

The average number of “good quality air days” increased 21.5% in February, compared to the same period last year, according to China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment.

And Hubei wasn’t alone.

Corona Is Slowing Down, Humanity Will Survive, Says Biophysicist Michael Levitt

Nobel laureate and Stanford professor Michael Levitt unexpectedly became a reassuring figure in China at the peak of the coronavirus pandemic. Now he assures Israelis: statistics show the virus is on a downturn

Government official: Coronavirus vaccine trial starts Monday

The first participant in a clinical trial for a vaccine to protect against the new coronavirus will receive an experimental dose on Monday, according to a government official.

Coronavirus sparks an epidemic of people helping people in Seattle

In my last column I wrote that the novel coronavirus outbreak showed us the gaps in our social safety net and the systems that we urgently need to fix.

But what this crisis has also exposed in the past week is the way in which people, guided by their hearts, are stepping up to support each other in extraordinary ways.

Dollar General stores, others set specific hours for older shoppers for their protection

Stores around the U.S. and the globe are taking extra steps to help protect the elderly population, which is considered the most vulnerable to the novel coronavirus.

Their efforts come as President Donald Trump urged all older Americans to stay home during a set of sweeping guidelines on Monday.

Dollar General stores throughout the states announced plans to dedicate the first hour of each shopping day to senior shoppers, starting on Tuesday.

Athletes, Teams Pledging to Pay Arena Employees During Coronavirus Shutdown

Athletes and teams are helping out-of-work arena employees continue to get paid as the coronavirus spread disrupts the sports calendar. 

Shortly after the NBA suspended play last Wednesday, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban helped start the initiative when he said he would set up a payment plan for his arena’s hourly workers. Many others have followed Cuban’s lead and shown that even during hard times the sports community sticks together.

How utility, phone and internet companies are giving consumers a break during coronavirus pandemic

Many utilities, telecommunications companies and automakers are easing shutoffs and waiving late fees to accommodate consumers who might be struggling during the coronavirus pandemic.

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