Bringing Hope During Coronavirus Pandemic: Sacramento-Area Neighbors Spread Joy
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - There's no denying it's been a tough week for much of the Sacramento area, but amid all of the fears and anxieties people are facing, many are still bringing hope.
No one knows how to spread joy like Owen Gouveia and his mom Kim. It's a time where many people feel nothing is certain.
"What will happen with the economy, jobs, their families," Kim Gouveia said. "They're a little bit worried."
Throughout this crisis, their family hopes to be the reason someone smiles. Whether it's at a neighborhood-hosted social-distance happy hour to celebrate a birthday or just by playing the ukulele in their front yard.
Roseville music teacher Nick Ikeda knows music soothes the soul.
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"If I was ever stressed or in a bad place, music was always there," said Ikeda.
That's why in this time of isolation he's helping out, by giving kids a chance to learn how to play music -- virtually and for free. He owns Spotlight Music Lessons. Every Tuesday at 2 p.m., he hosts a live stream on Spotlight's Facebook page so families to tune in and practice.
"Something positive coming out of all this — like yeah we had to be isolation for how many weeks or months," he said. "But that's when I learned to play guitar or play piano."
In these trying times, notes of positivity are crucial. Not just through music, though, but through writing words of encouragement.
Rachelle Ahmad and her family found their own way to be someone's light in their Natomas neighborhood. They created a poster board painted rainbow where people are asked to leave letters of hope.
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"Adults, kids, everywhere – we're all just so thrown off our game so a little bit of brightness can be helpful," said Ahmad. "Bring a little bit of hope to our neighborhood."
It doesn't take much, like Sara Reece's surprise. She found her Folsom home 'TP-ed' in not your typical way. This small act of kindness happened when a family she doesn't even know left a toilet paper roll on her doorstep.
"For someone to think about everyone in this neighborhood and give them something they can't afford or get right now," said Reece. "If that family is watching – they know how many people's lives they touched this week.
There are still so many reasons to smile even as we face some of our darkest days. To provide some heart and hope in isolation, it just takes creativity.
"Find different ways to connect and use their imagination," said Gouveia. "We'll get through this with love."
