#PalmCares Week 2: Donating Palms to Those in Need
As we kick off the second week of our social donation program, we continue to be moved by the stories of love, compassion, dedication and hope from all around the world. Although it’s hard to adequately articulate what a devastating impact COVID-19 continues to have on so many communities, businesses and people, the courage and the vulnerability shared in the stories and nominations we’ve received only make us more steadfast in ensuring the continuation of our program so we can help where it’s needed most.
We are committed to keeping you informed and updated on our donation program, to continue to highlight the real-life impact of this pandemic. We know that staying connected is one of the most important things that we can do right now, and Palm is honored to be able to do our part in giving back and facilitating that connection during this time.
We’re happy to announce that we’ve donated six Palm smartphones this past week, and here are some of their stories here.
In week 2 of our donation program, we donated Palms to:
- A disabled paramedic in Pennsylvania
- An Intensive Care Nurse in Florida
- A 7th Grade Math Teacher in New York
- A Construction worker in New Jersey
- A concerned son on behalf of his elderly mother in Illinois
- A NICU Nurse and single mother in Missouri
Here are some of their stories:
Rodolfo is a math teacher living in New York. Ever since the schools shut down and classrooms have gone virtual, Rodolfo has been busy trying to stay in touch with his students and continue to further their education as best he can. Here’s part of his story:
“I'm not going to lie, I miss my students, I miss walking into school everyday at 7am, I miss those "aha" moments that my students had whenever they figured out how to solve an equation for the first time.
Having said that, communication between my students and I during these times is crucial to maintaining their and my well being knowing that we are still forming relationships. I want students to be able to text me if they need anything, or if they're confused at a problem. Without a doubt, having a direct line for them to me would be AMAZING."
Elliott is a nursing student and patient care technician in the Intensive Care Unit at a hospital in Florida. They are also falling victim to supply shortages and what seems like a constant flow of new patients. With family scattered across the county, Elliott wanted a better and safer way to stay in touch. Here’s more from Elliott:
“As you can imagine we have seen a major influx of patients that are suffering with COVID-19. We too are dealing with material shortages and overwhelmed staff members. One of the most difficult things to deal with is the fact that patients who are admitted to our unit spend much of their time alone in rooms because area hospitals are not allowing visitors. This makes our role as caregivers especially difficult.
I was born in New Orleans, Louisiana and spent a good portion of my life in Houston, Texas before moving here to the Tampa Bay area. Many of my family members are scattered throughout the United States. Staying in contact with them through my cell phone is very important. Recently I put my cell phone in my pocket and sat down to talk with a patient. Later I would find out that I had cracked the screen on my phone. The shards from the screen make it very difficult to make calls and to send text messages. I often use speech to text to and Google Assistant to send text messages, emails, and to make calls.
Right now going to a store to replace my phone has been difficult because many of the businesses are closed and I've been working many overtime hours. I've been a fan of Palm products since as far back as I can remember. In the past, I've had a Palm Pilot and a Palm Treo. Having this phone would allow me to stay in touch with my colleagues, my school, and my family members who mean so much to me."
Luke wrote in on behalf of his mother, who recently just lost the use of her current smartphone and doesn’t have a landline. Here’s their story:
“I’d like to elect my elderly mom whose iPhone 5 just stopped working recently. Money is tight especially with the added stress of this pandemic and we have been having a hard time finding a phone that she can use. I just happened to stumble upon the device that you sell and think it’s amazing that you are offering this to people in need. She has small hands and suffers from arthritis so the large smartphones available today are difficult for her to use without pain. She also needs an unlocked phone to use with her current pay as you go plan and the unlocked phones we find are way out of our budget. She uses her phone to communicate with myself and my brother, and since she doesn’t own a landline anymore we have been communicating by email for the past week. We would be most appreciative for the phone and it would really help us through this difficult time.”
Dennis wrote in on behalf of his family. He and his wife are both dedicated and selfless servants of their community, he being a disabled paramedic and his wife being an ER Nurse, trying to care for their five children during this time has not been easy. Here’s a portion of their story:
“I am a disabled man who served my community as a Paramedic for 22 years. I have a genetic disease that attacks my mitochondria and essentially has rendered me wheelchair-bound. My wife who is an ER Nurse, has had to decrease her hours in order to care for me, but recently with Covid-19, she has increased her hours to help the community. Sharing [a smartphone] doesn’t work anymore and we can’t afford a landline at this time.
A phone would greatly help us because we are already financially strapped trying to care for our 5 children. If you could help it would be amazing!”
Matt lives in New Jersey and is close to his family that lives both here and abroad. With everything going on right now, finances are very tight and he’s found himself helping to pay the bills for both him and his parents. Matt explains in his submission:
“I could really use a new Palm smartphone because I do construction and my parents are out of work due to the state-wide shutdown. I'm currently paying all of their bills including their mortgage, in addition to all of my own. I can not afford a new phone right now, but the Palm would allow me to stay connected with my sister who is a nurse. I love the fact that you're trying to help families and frontline workers in these crazy times. Stay safe and thanks.”
Thank you to everyone who has submitted so far. We are continuing to read through them and are still accepting submissions for donations! If you or a loved one has a need for a Palm and 30 days of free service, email us your story today at Hello@palm.com.