Our Motto In Action: Princeton Students And Alumni "Connect For COVID-19"
8/18/2020
What happens when a group of Princeton alumni and students take the University’s mission statement and make it their own mission in a time of crisis?
Connect For COVID-19 happens.
When the United States first was hit with the COVID-19 virus in March, brothers Raj and Sunny Singh were inspired to find a way to help. As it turns out, inspiration was just an arm’s length away in the form of a Tigers-led initiative to bring smartphones and devices into hospitals to aid in improving the quality of life and care for patients diagnosed with COVID-19.
Raj, a member of the Class of 2016 who spent time with the sprint football team, and his younger brother Sunny, Class of 2020, rallied Princetonians across generations through #TigersHelpingNJ and quickly brought our University’s motto – In the Nation’s Service and the Service of Humanity – to life.
“I had been talking with classmates of mine who were in medical school and were on the front lines in fighting this pandemic,” said Raj. “Talking to them and watching the news, it became clear that what we were seeing was a human rights issue. People were suffering – and dying – alone. They weren’t surrounded and supported by loved ones, it forced us to explore ways we could make some sort of connection happen.”
With the cause in sight, Raj, who works for Deloitte as a consultant, and Sunny, who was self-isolating in Princeton during his final semester as an undergrad, set out on establishing connections of their own. The brothers not only activated their close network of classmates and teammates, they found that the power of Princeton extends across generations.
As a sprint football alum, Raj had access to his own alumni network. In addition, one of his first calls was to RJ Paige ‘17, a member of the football team who is now working for the NFL in New York.
“RJ was instrumental,” said Raj. “He was able to help widen our network, get Coach Surace on board and bring in some other well-known Princeton alumni to help spread our message. Now, it wasn’t just people we knew. There were some serious Princeton legends banding together.”
All of a sudden, this wasn’t a moment… It was a movement.
A few calls and text messages later, there were over 150 current Princeton student-athletes and alumni on calls organizing the initial steps in the Connect For COVID campaign.
“It came together organically, said Paige. “As we started touching base with people, everyone had someone to add to the group – people who specialized in an area we were trying to activate. You really saw the power of the Princeton network coming to life, and we were off and running.”
A push to really launch around Giving Tuesday in May was the lead charge of the group, and connections were made with members of the Princeton Varsity Club to raise awareness within that network led by Mason Darrow ’17.
“We were cognizant of that fact that so many of us were trying to find ways to help, but we weren’t medical experts and didn’t have PPE to donate,” said Sunny Singh. “Through conversations with our friends on the front lines, we centered on helping with those connections that weren’t happening and were impacting quality of life or quality of care in hospitals. Even if you didn’t have extra smart devices of your own, there was an understanding how impactful that technology could be to someone alone in a hospital room so it was easy to rally behind.”
The first donation came from Princeton’s Resource Recovery Center where surplus electronics are sent for save recycling. Following that important first donation, and spurned on by Giving Tuesday and #TigersHelpingNJ, Connect For COVID-19 has successfully supplied over 1,000 smart devices to hospitals in 12 states while raising over $100,000. Every Princeton team was represented in some capacity, with current captains helping lead the charge.
First #donation of #phones, #tablets, and #laptops from @Princeton picked up. Stay tuned for all the #hospitals it helps! Hand #sanitizer was used before and after the pick up and these photos were taken! #connectforcovid19 pic.twitter.com/h3Rbd5vd6z
— Connect for COVID-19 (@ConnectforCOVID) April 15, 2020
Once donated, the devices not only help provide mental and emotional support to patients, they can aid in doctor-patient communication. Not only are patients able to use the tablets and phones to connect outside hospital walls to friends and family for much-needed personal communication, often times language translation applications allow for easier one-on-one conversation between patients and their clinicians. It is not uncommon for volunteers with the group who also work in the medical field to enter a room and witness a patient using a device provided by Connect For COVID-19.
“Moments like that are rewarding,” said Sunny. “We strive for a close relationship with the hospitals we work with. Our volunteers get to see first-hand the difference they’re making by interacting with doctors, nurses and those who are using them. It fuels us to keep going.”
That fuel to support efforts to battle COVID-19 is still needed. For those leading the Connect For COVID-19 group, there is still work to be done.
“This disease and its repercussions are still prevalent,” said Raj. “Visitor restrictions are still in place and likely will be for a while. That front-line, first-level impact of our organization is still there and even when the day comes that COVID isn’t as front and center, our devices will still be used and impactful in hospitals.”
Lessons learned as Princeton students are the beacons used on the journey to affect change.
“When we were deciding where to attend college, we all wanted to go to a place that would allow us to grow into becoming the best version of ourselves,” said Paige. “Through my time at Princeton and the perspective gained since I graduated, I feel a strong urgency to be involved, and I think most of my classmates feel the same. One of the most powerful things I can say about Princeton is that it has leveraged my love of the people there. If someone calls, you answer.”
Talk to any member of the Connect For COVID-19 group, and its quickly evident why this idea and cause resonated. The most commonly used word by the group was family. Whether it’s blood family in the case of Raj and Sunny, the Princeton Athletics family for those who represented Princeton on the playing fields, or the widespread Tigers family that is energized by a unified call to service, an effort to help someone else be engaged with their family was universally galvanizing.
“It is proven time and time again that the power of the Princeton network is unmatched,” said Sunny. “We’re all so service minded and when we rally together, we can make a serious impact in the world. The message of connecting families in challenging moments really resonated with Princeton student-athletes. They understood the meaning of being down and needing support – especially from family. In times of need, our family – whether at home or in our sport community – is who we rely on. It was beautiful to see us all come together and use skills developed while at Princeton to try and make an impact.”
Thanks @ABC, @GMA, @arobach for this feature! Co-founders Raj and Sunny reflect on what inspired them to start @ConnectforCOVID and share the impact we’ve achieved so far! You can watch the feature on Hulu GMA 3: What You Need to Know (ep. 61) and https://t.co/iX7uHi5cZz. pic.twitter.com/pUtB3zv5AB
— Connect for COVID-19 (@ConnectforCOVID) July 8, 2020
It all goes back to connection. Princeton Tigers from all backgrounds connecting in the service of humanity by connecting those in need.
“At Princeton, we’re connected people,” said Sunny. “Our time on campus and as alumni is driven by interaction. It is always great to catch up with friends or see each other at Reunions. To use that connection in this way, in the aid of others, can be a defining moment for us. It is Princeton’s motto coming to life.”
