Dear Main Street Members,

It is hard to fully express the many emotions of the last week. The coronavirus is on all of our minds and unsettling to say the least. I am praying that all of you and your families are healthy. Please follow all recommended protocols to ensure your continued health as that is of the upmost importance.

Secondly, the Main Street Apartment call line was a challenge for many. As to be expected, the lines were saturated. In the first two hours over 9,000 calls were placed. We thank you for your diligence and patience and we are sorry many of you felt frustrated as you experienced long wait times. Hercules Living worked tirelessly and patiently to answer your calls and provide you with needed information. Please note the lines will be open for several weeks.

Lastly, I want to share a few thoughts and suggestions to help us stay positive and connected during these unprecedented times. Monday, March 16, was a difficult day for everyone with shut downs, school and business closures and emotions running high. I experienced several calls, texts and emails from so many of you who were anxious and frustrated. It was painstakingly difficult for me and I found myself in tears several times throughout the day (which doesn’t happen often).

I started Main Street to provide affordable, inclusive living. However, after reflecting all week, it became even more evident to me that Main Street is much more than an apartment building. We truly are a place to belong. We are a beautiful community of hope – a community of respect, love, choice and independence. This week was a challenge for all of us for many reasons. Many felt and continue to feel disappointment or frustration, fear and uncertainty. Please know we will continue to build, strengthen and support this community and please know this is just the beginning and there is much more to come! So don’t give up hope and do continue to be a part of Main Street both physically and virtually. We need you, we support you and we hope you will join us as we launch our new membership in September! Hopefully, at that point, we will be able to gather, reflect AND socialize within 6 feet of each other! I CAN’T WAIT!

While we all remain isolated in our homes, here are a few ways for us to stay positive, connected and inspired:

1.  Focus on our virtues. Please see Dara Feldman’s Facebook live video to share her virtues pick of the day with Dave, her husband. You can also pick your own virtues card daily by downloading The Virtues Cards App on your phone. This is a great way to start the day, a great activity to do with your family and Dara and Dave are a source of positive energy and kindness.

2.  March 30th Tommy McFLY Professional Event will now be a virtual session and open to all members. Information about specifics and how to access this session will be sent in the next week.

3.  April 2nd Champion meeting will either be changed to a conference call or a virtual conference. Stay tuned for specifics.

4.  Our Main Street Moms’ Mindful Morning and True Respite Sunday Funday that were scheduled in April will physically be cancelled, but we have some creative ways to connect during those times so please stay posted as we share future virtual membership opportunities.

5.  Need some movement while at home? Matt Ney’s Fitbound program has short exercise videos accessible to all. Sign up for free and move throughout the day. https://fitbound.com

6.  We’re ALL IN Campaign!!!! During trying times like these, we can often find inspiration and hope from one another. Please connect with us and each other in two virtual ways.

  • We’re ALL IN on Facebook! Please join us each day on our Facebook page to share thoughts, stories, reflections of gratitude and community kindness. Let’s share why We’re ALL IN! Starting Saturday morning (9:30 am and continuing through the month each morning), we will have a new post with prompts, quotes and questions. We hope you will participate and contribute and ensure that we stay connected, inspired and share our community of care and kindness. https://www.facebook.com/MainStreetConnect
  • Listserv. Our listserv is still available for members who want to connect. Let’s all join the listserv where we can connect, ask and answer questions and continue to be a support for each other. We’re ALL IN this together and we hope everyone will support each other. To subscribe, send an e-mail to mainstreetmemberconnect-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. You will receive an e-mail from Yahoo asking you to confirm that you want to subscribe. Follow the instructions in the e-mail to confirm your request. Main Street will then approve requests from members and, once approved, you may contact those on the list by sending an e-mail to MainStreetMemberConnect@yahoogroups.com.

Lastly, I would like to share a video that I found incredibly moving and made me feel as if We’re ALL IN this together! Enjoy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLPmMHX6eEU

Thank you for joining Scott, my family and the Main Street team in building this incredible and inclusive community with us. I wish all of you good health, peace and much love.

Jillian