A well-known Carroll resident, and 2017 Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year, CJ Niles, like so many, is personally impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. She has a relative in a New York City hospital, on a ventilator and battling the virus while his immediate family is quarantined in their home. Watching a once strong man who is only in his 40s be hit so hard by this disease makes them all feel helpless, but in her true giving fashion, she is also saying this is a time when we need each other the most. The irony is that physical distancing is the required norm right now, and people need to find creative ways to get that much needed social interaction and connection. That is exactly why she is organizing an idea for just such an event this Easter Sunday.
It is a simple premise where people can come as they are, whether they want to put on their Easter best or join the others in their comfortable sweats.
In this way, Niles says, people will still get the sense of community that comes with this spring holiday.
Residents are also encouraged to get in their cars and drive by to greet friends and family they may not have seen for a while, from those safe distances of course. Niles is hoping that this idea won’t be limited to just Carroll residents and it will be shared by many on social media as well.
Again, everyone is encouraged to go to their window, their porch or their yard or hop in their car for the Easter Porch Parade this Sunday at 2 p.m.
