Earlier This Week, More than 50 Covid Survivors for Change Members Met with Senate Offices in Support of the American Rescue Plan
Nearly 500 Covid Survivors from 48 States Signed an Open Letter to Senate Leaders, Also in Support of the Bill
WASHINGTON – In response to news that the U.S. Senate passed President Biden’s Covid-19 relief package, the non-partisan grassroots survivor network, Covid Survivors for Change, released the following statements:
“I lost my father to COVID in April of last year, and while there’s nothing anyone can do to bring him back, this new relief bill will help make sure other families won’t face the same pain and loss that mine has,” said Erika McKibben, a Covid Survivors for Change member in McDonough, Georgia. “My father was a teacher, and a role model to so many members of our community. With the new funding for vaccine distribution, it means less people will fall victim to this disease, and brings us one step closer to having teachers and students safely back in classrooms.”
“It finally feels like relief may be coming,” said Pamela Addison, a teacher and member of Covid Survivors for Change in New Jersey who also met with senate leaders this week, and whose husband was killed by Covid in April, leaving behind two toddlers. “Like so many other women widowed by Covid and supporting children, we’re exhausted and doing our best to stay afloat for our kids as our lives and finances have changed dramatically. To see our elected leaders act to help us is a comfort in an otherwise unimaginable year.”
“This week, Senators heard directly from more than 50 Covid-19 survivors, who pleaded with Senate leaders to honor their painful experiences with action,” said Chris Kocher, executive director for Covid Survivors for Change. “Today’s vote is a victory for the Covid Survivors for Change members who met with their lawmakers this week, as well as the nearly 30 million Americans who’ve contracted Covid-19 in the last year, and the millions of Americans who know the pain of a loved one taken by the pandemic intimately. Families are living on the brink and every day we wait to get checks into their pockets adds to their burden. We applaud Senate leaders for taking swift action.”
About Covid Survivors for Change
Covid Survivors for Change is a national, non-partisan movement bringing together Americans who have lost a loved one to Covid-19, as well as those who have survived the virus and those whose lives have been dramatically altered by the pandemic. As part of Covid Survivors for Change, Americans are mobilizing to make sure that communities have the funding, resources and leadership in place to address future public health emergencies. Survivors will also find community and healing in meeting other people whose lives have been forever changed by the pandemic. For more information, please visit: covidsurvivorsforchange.org.
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