Coronavirus Impact: South Florida Girl Spreads Kindness, Comes Up With 'Sunny Shields' For First Responders
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - A South Florida girl with a big heart is once again using creativity to spread kindness and her passion and excitement for helping others may just brighten up your day.
"Kindness is a wave," says Ayel Morgenstern.
The 9-year-old girl is riding that wave to help those on the frontlines in the fight against coronavirus.
"I want to spread kindness just like everyone. I want to help people," Ayel said. "I want to help doctors because they're helping everyone else right now so I want to help them.
Like so many of us, Ayel saw photos of doctors and nurses with marks on their faces from the pressure of wearing their protective masks for hours on end.
So she had an idea.
She calls them "Keppy Bands." Keppy means head in Yiddish.
"There are two buttons, one on each side for all the doctors and nurses," she explains. "Instead of putting the mask on their ears, they're going to put it on the button, so it relieves pressure behind their ears so it doesn't hurt them."
But that's not her only "bright" idea.
"This is a sunny shield. It's a poncho. It's yellow for sunshine. It's protective gear because I want to spread everyone with love," Ayel explained.
Health care providers are using ponchos to protect themselves in the absence of traditional gowns.
Even Disney pledged to donate 150,000 of its ponchos to MedShare.
Ayel plans to donate the Sunny Shields and Keppy Bands to local hospitals.
"She makes me so proud to be her mommy. That's for sure. Her ideas are endless," said Lauren Morgenstern.
This isn't the first time Ayel's tried to spread sunshine in a crisis.
Two years ago, she painted 17 Sunny Seats-- one for each of the victims lost in the Parkland massacre.
"I feel like this is her way of expressing and coping with the changes and it's through art," Lauren Morgenstern said.
That artwork even spills outside her front door, where Ayel reminds her neighbors that "Everything will be all right."
"We are stronger together with love," she proclaims.
So far, Ayel has made about 50 Keppy Bands but wants to make 600 more. And she hopes to distribute them, along with roughly 200 Sunny Shields, to healthcare professionals in South Florida and New York.
RELATED:
Current Curfews In South Florida
Drive-Through Testing Locations
Washing Your Hands Is Best Defense Against Coronavirus, Not A Facemask
Track The Spread Of The Coronavirus In Real Time
