Scott McFarland
During the April 26 vigil a candle was lit to honor the lives of each person in Illinois who has died after being infected with the new coronavirus.
It was a stark sight. Tiffany Mathis sat on the steps of the Abraham Lincoln statue, in front of the capitol building in Springfield. She was surrounded by 1,933 candles as she sang You’ve Got a Friend by James Taylor. Each candle represented a person in Illinois who died after being infected with the new coronavirus.
For Scott McFarland, the vigil was personal. His beloved former Boy Scout Troop Scoutmaster died after a test confirmed he was positive for COVID-19. McFarland wants the lives lost to be a reminder that “what we're doing matters right now, staying home, trying very hard to keep this thing at bay, so that number doesn’t increase.”
McFarland, who organized the vigil, also started the Springfield Families Helping Families Facebook group which has connected those in need with resources. The District 186 school board member and head of Serve Illinois started the group after it was announced in-person classes were canceled starting in mid-March.
Katharine Eastvold, a law student, has stepped in to help coordinate the web group. She regularly updates information, including where to find food at area micro-pantries. The pantries are small stand-alone enclosures where people can take and leave food and other staples anonymously.
“It's become very hands on to try to find resources to connect people with,” said Eastvold, who helps with pick-up and delivery of items. That included securing the nearly 2,000 candles for the Sunday evening vigil. “People just came forward in droves” to donate them, she said.
The vigil was kept to about five volunteers to ensure social distancing. The location and time were not publicized. Set up took about two hours. McFarland said he got the idea after a similar event in Madison, Wisconsin – where health care workers lit a candle to represent each infected person in the state who had been hospitalized. Organizers did so in an effort to urge people to stay home and stem the spread of the pandemic.
Though the vigil in Springfield was barely populated, it was streamed online and shared in the Springfield Families Helping Families Facebook group, which now exceeds 12,000 members. Many left comments honoring the lives lost and those in mourning. McFarland said during this difficult time, he draws regular inspiration from the group. “Just take a look at the ‘thank you’ section,” he said. “There's just so many different people who have been helped by it. It's very uplifting when you look at that.”
Rachel Otwell can be contacted at [email protected].
For Scott McFarland, the vigil was personal. His beloved former Boy Scout Troop Scoutmaster died after a test confirmed he was positive for COVID-19. McFarland wants the lives lost to be a reminder that “what we're doing matters right now, staying home, trying very hard to keep this thing at bay, so that number doesn’t increase.”
McFarland, who organized the vigil, also started the Springfield Families Helping Families Facebook group which has connected those in need with resources. The District 186 school board member and head of Serve Illinois started the group after it was announced in-person classes were canceled starting in mid-March.
Katharine Eastvold, a law student, has stepped in to help coordinate the web group. She regularly updates information, including where to find food at area micro-pantries. The pantries are small stand-alone enclosures where people can take and leave food and other staples anonymously.
“It's become very hands on to try to find resources to connect people with,” said Eastvold, who helps with pick-up and delivery of items. That included securing the nearly 2,000 candles for the Sunday evening vigil. “People just came forward in droves” to donate them, she said.
The vigil was kept to about five volunteers to ensure social distancing. The location and time were not publicized. Set up took about two hours. McFarland said he got the idea after a similar event in Madison, Wisconsin – where health care workers lit a candle to represent each infected person in the state who had been hospitalized. Organizers did so in an effort to urge people to stay home and stem the spread of the pandemic.
Though the vigil in Springfield was barely populated, it was streamed online and shared in the Springfield Families Helping Families Facebook group, which now exceeds 12,000 members. Many left comments honoring the lives lost and those in mourning. McFarland said during this difficult time, he draws regular inspiration from the group. “Just take a look at the ‘thank you’ section,” he said. “There's just so many different people who have been helped by it. It's very uplifting when you look at that.”
Rachel Otwell can be contacted at [email protected].
