Volunteers joined D.C. leaders Saturday and went door-to-door near the Rosedale Recreation Center in Northeast to help encourage residents to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
The Community Corps Day of Action Kickoff focused on spreading the word about the importance of getting the shot at a nearby vaccination center. Hundreds of volunteers from each ward showed up with a focus on helping each resident make a plan to get vaccinated.
Ward 6 Council member Charles Allen was among those educating residents. He reminded volunteers their mission was to build relationships and provide education.
Brenda Garnes, a neighborhood resident, was one of the first to meet with volunteers.
“This vaccination is going to save all of us. A lot of people don’t realize it, but the more the community pulls in, we’re all going to survive,” she said.
Deputy Mayor of Health and Human Services Wayne Turnage said while he feels good about how vaccination efforts have been going, there is still a lot of work to be done.
“If people decide to stop at 50% and others stop wearing their mask, then we could have a problem. Our job is to convince them that the best way, and the most effective way, to get back to normal is to get vaccinated,” he added.
Tomás Talamante, deputy chief of staff to Mayor Muriel Bowser, said the goal is also to provide residents with information about Stay DC, a program focused on helping those in need of financial assistance or help paying rent.
So far, he said, volunteers have knocked on more than 12,000 doors and are looking forward to continuing their efforts.
“We’re doing this throughout the summer. We still know that we have a lot of work to do to make sure our fellow residents get vaccinated,” he added.
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