When Vicki Johnson saw a Facebook post encouraging community members to print “Thank you to the #helpers” signs to show support for those on the front lines of the COVID-19 battle, she knew she wanted to participate.
Just one glitch: she doesn’t have a printer to print the ready-made #helpers signs from the Tidelands Health website.
But the 64-year-old didn’t let that stop her. Using the same pattern as the ready-made signs, she made her own #helpers sign to proudly display in the yard of her Little River home. She poured her love into every little detail, right down to the oversized heart as the “o” in you. She even included the #helpers hashtag, just like the print-ready version.
And when she had just a bit of the white sturdy board left over, she made a bumper sticker-like sign for her vehicle’s tailgate that simply, but with so much meaning, says “#helpers.”
“I have a bunch of friends in health care, and police friends,” she said. “So it’s important they know people appreciate them.”
More signs
After successfully putting the first sign in her front yard, Johnson was inspired to make two more signs that she strategically placed near her home at medical facilities in Little River, including Tidelands Health Rehabilitation Hospital, an affiliate of Encompass Health.
“I love having a mission,” she said before she started working on the additional signs.
Tidelands Health launched the “Thank you to the helpers” effort so residents could easily show their support for all those putting others’ needs above their own in the COVID-19 coronavirus battle. The health system encourages residents to print the signs and display them in the windows of their homes and businesses. The signs support all the #helpers — from grocery store workers and truck drivers to first responders and health care workers.
The words “Thank you to the helpers” are inspired by a quote from beloved television personality Mister Rogers, who famously said, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’”
While her homemade signs say volumes, there’s more Johnson wants to say to all the helpers.
“Thank you for working so hard and sacrificing so much on the front lines,” she said. “May God bless you all.”
Display a “Thank you to the helpers” sign of your own. Click here to download and print the sign today.
