Wendy Davis
Anchor, 69 News
As a co-anchor of WFMZ-TV’s evening news, Wendy Davis had to convey a lot of painful news over the course of the pandemic. But even after a family health emergency resulted in her potential exposure to the virus, Davis continued to give her viewers the information they needed, broadcasting from her home through the duration of her quarantine. “I truly am thankful to our photographers and reporters who are out there working out of their cars and trucks and sometimes putting their own health at risk to do their jobs,” Davis says. Throughout the pandemic, Davis and her team have also used their platform to chronicle the small joys to come out of the COVID-19 crisis. From health care workers persevering at the front lines to survivors who overcame the virus, Davis has managed to tell stories that give her viewers hope during trying times.
Christina Marangolo
Travel Department Manager, AAA of Northampton County
“I had just returned from a family cruise vacation on March 15, which turned out to be the very last sailing since this crisis began,” says Christina Marangolo, manager of the travel department at AAA of Northampton County. “Nothing could have prepared me for what I was coming home to.” Over the next few weeks, Marangolo found herself scrambling to help clients cancel, reschedule and rebook travel plans the COVID-19 pandemic put on hold. She endured long wait times and back-and-forths with several vendors to secure refunds for her clients. Although Marangolo found it difficult to postpone her clients’ honeymoons, family vacations and destination weddings, she has already helped most of them reschedule their trips for next year.
Angela Faidley
Owner, Out of Our Minds Art Studio
When Angela Faidley’s small business closed its doors on March 12, she needed to find a way to stay positive and give back to her community. “What I know is art,” Faidley says. “So art became my gift.” Heartbroken by the prospect of telling children she had to cancel their art lessons, Faidley launched “Art with Angela,” free virtual art lessons, held daily. The classes feature Faidley, dressed as that day’s character, providing free drawing lessons to children. After the internet caught wind of the project, Faidley’s local audience quickly spread around the world, and she began reaching students as far away as Korea, Italy and France. Faidley continued to offer daily classes through June 22—her hundredth lesson—after which she continued them on a once-a-week basis. “These art lessons have been a light in an otherwise very dark world, for not only the children but for me,” she says.
Karla Erdman
English Teacher, Bethlehem Area School District
Like most teachers, Karla Erdman saw her profession change dramatically when the COVID-19 pandemic struck. Instead of spending the school day at the front of a classroom, she spent it in front of a laptop screen, recording lessons, interacting virtually with her students and adjusting her assignments to fit the new format. While the pandemic put distance between Erdman and her students, she still did her best to check in on them virtually. “When we see students in the class, their body language tells us a lot,” Erdman says. “Since we can’t see them every day, we are missing a huge component of teaching.” Even when she was away from her (virtual) classroom, Erdman found new ways to contribute to the fight against COVID-19. She devoted a part of her free time to making masks for her friends, colleagues and health care workers at LVHN Muhlenberg.
Clare Papay
Founder, Palmerton Area Helping Hands
Even before the state put social distancing guidelines into place, Clare Papay knew the COVID-19 crisis would impact her hometown of Palmerton. She quickly set up an online form for families in need of food assistance to request support, and she gathered a group of volunteers— Palmerton Area Helping Hands (PAHH), she calls it—to meet their needs. The group began delivering food and other essential products to Palmerton-area residents in need. “Palmerton is a town that knows how to pull together to support members of our community,” Papay says. But her work didn’t end there. Working with PAHH, Papay brought together community members and local businesses to generate $5,580 in donations for area food banks. She also rallied the town to hold socialdistancing-friendly birthday parades for kids unable to celebrate during the shutdown. On any given evening in Palmerton during the shutdown, residents could join a caravan of cars rolling past a child’s home and blaring their horns in support—all courtesy of Papay.
Alyssa Gribben
Store Employee, Wegmans Allentown
Even in the worst of times, Alyssa Gribben loves her job. She finds satisfaction in helping customers and does so with a smile on her face. “Customers want to see positive people,” she says. “If the customers are happy, I’m happy.” Like most essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, Gribben has faced risk in her day-to-day responsibilities, cleaning carts, greeting customers and working in Wegmans’ café area. But she manages her tasks with a positive attitude, calmly conveying information to customers as they navigate an unfamiliar shopping environment. Above all, Gribben feels blessed to still have a job, she says.
