Handling the Future | FL, USA
Have your community activities changed during the last several months?
Please summarize your efforts
We reached out to our local Property Owners Association and NextDoor social media. People came out of the woodwork with suggestions for contacts. My team of volunteer members came forward and we organized the pandemic response team.
We started our face screens by using 5mil heat laminated clear sheets and have switched to purchasing 2X4 ft sheets of Polycarbonate. We are now working on our second order of 100 of those sheets. The sheets come in covered on both sides with a removeable film. A local printer uses his commercial cutter to cut the batch of 100 sheets into 1400 face screens of two different sizes. In addition, he trims the corners on two side all as a public service.
To date we have 19 people on the team, about 10 people who can print and have donated over 1200 Face Shields and 500 Ear Savers. We are printing in PLA and some PETG. One of our members has printed the Montana TPU masks for each of our members and we use disposable pieces of Merv 13 filter material with them.
Our team has been in the local newspaper 3 times and on a Monday ABC Action News. They thought it great that Senior Citizens were doing such great work.
We now are updating our webpage & Facebook to represent our Covid-19 team as well and our routine e-NABLE limb work. The chapter continues on projects for prosthetics including fingers for a South African man who plays guitar and our own concept hand for Brachial Palsy. He hope to also update our chapter spotlight. The Handling The Future, Inc chapter of e-Nable is a registered Charity and Corporation in the Tampa Bay Region of Florida USA.
What are the current needs of your community?
What are the current needs for your chapter and activities?
We were not getting orders from upper level management. On the other hand, every person in the working environment wanted face shields and ear savers. Florida continues to have exponential growth with new cases as has been covered widely in national media.
Have you received promotional filament to support your efforts?
How have you used these materials?
The chapter was given a donation of 5 CraftBot Plus 3 D printers by a homeowner in our community who is now an active member of the team. We have been getting enough monetary donations to allow us to continue our services. Our treasury is down about $1000, even with the donations, but we still have enough material to make 1400 more Face Shields.
Have you partnered with any other chapters, groups, or organizations?
What advice can you offer for others working to contribute to their community needs?
Around the Middle of March 2020, I became aware of the shortage of PPE’s and reached out to a large medical corporation through their local hospital’s resource manager. Unfortunately, that was a negative experience because I got the answer, “that’s handled by corporate, they will get back to you”. I still have not heard back even though I followed up myself. You don’t need to wait for large corporations, business leaders, or medical institutions to make a difference and contribute!
Submitted By @Rich Brown