MAYORS COVID-19 APRIL UPDATE 

Bells Across PA

WE Made It! That’s right we actually made it.  This is what most of us will be shouting come May 1st as Governor Wolf begins to roll back restrictions.  Many of our life’s moments have been put on hold but Is this a good thing or not?  The idea of not knowing if one is a carrier is our greatest fear.

We must keep in mind that the stay at home order will still be in effect until May 8th if not longer.  Our recent isolation has showed us here in Allegheny County, in particular right here in Millvale that we are taking this pandemic seriously.  While May 1st will allow more outdoor activity and that being outdoors will help us manage stress and boost all of our mental health it is still imperative that we continue to wear mask and use physical distancing from one another.  We all wait for the day to socialize with our families, grandkids, neighbors and friends but in a way we can all still do that by using physical distancing and talk to one another from the door way, porch, sidewalk all while staying the suggested distance of 6 – 10 feet.  

We have a long history of rising up and meeting challenges head on and I am confident that Millvale will emerge as we always have during time of hardship.  My hope for the future is that all Millvale citizens will look back and take pride in their response to this new and most difficult challenge.  We have seen an abundance of love for our neighbors and we Thank everyone who has stepped up to volunteer at the food share table, those looking after their neighbors, our mask makers and families with teenagers in helping them understand that we need their love and support now more than we ever have before.  

While the trend shows we have more challenges to endure, Millvale’s future will only rise if we all continue to pitch in and do our part to help keep our Millvale family safe.  Your strength for maintaining patience, with your own families allows all of us to have hope that we will meet again and continue to live our lives to the fullest.

The Mayor’s Association of Pennsylvania is organizing Bells Across Pennsylvania Day, this Sunday May 3rd at 7pm.  We are asking that all individuals come out ring a bell, bang on a pan and I am asking the Millvale churches ring their bells for 3 minutes and support emergency medical personnel, Firefighters, police officers, employees of grocery stores, pharmacies, and other life-sustaining businesses who have braved the viral elements.   Most importantly we need to ring the church bells, bang on a pan to honor and recognize Millvale’s own volunteers working at the share table and school lunch program, Millvale Police, Millvale Firefighters, Millvale Public Work’s personnel and all those helping Millvale citizens find comfort in the unknown.

I would like to leave you with this quick story as I believe that it helps outsiders understand what we have as a family here in Millvale.

I took my dog for a walk today and coming home I was at a stop sign and a young teenager came by with two fishing poles, and I asked him how his day was going and how many fish he had caught.  He proceeded to tell me that he was only headed to the river to begin fishing.  He then turned to walk away, stopped, turned back and said “Hey stay safe”.  

#StaySafeMillvale

PEACE