By Daria J. Willis / For The Herald

Everett Community College has been providing opportunities for students for nearly 80 years, through the good times and bad.

In times of crisis and economic uncertainty, the work we do to fulfill our mission becomes even more critical.

Over the past month, I have been encouraged every day that as we navigate this current crisis our employees and fellow students have risen to the occasion.

Here is what we have been doing to keep our virtual doors open:

Our Student Council approved the use of $175,000 to provide Chromebooks to their peers who need technology as we move to online delivery of instruction.

Our employees are making extra shopping trips to the grocery store to keep our food pantry stocked with essential food items, and also donating food via Amazon web services.

Faculty and staff in our nursing department have donated personal protective equipment (PPE) supplies to our partners at Providence Regional Medical Center as they contend with a shortage in equipment to keep them safe on the front lines of this epidemic.

In addition, our faculty and staff are doing everything possible to serve our students. They are implementing innovative ways to offer their classes in a remote modality using various technological platforms to offer virtual meetings to help students continue their studies.

This week we began to bring some students back to campus for limited in-person instruction in our Nursing and Emergency Services programs. Following the governor’s guidance, we are implementing proper social distancing, conducting health screening, and using personal protective equipment in order to keep students and staff as safe as possible. We plan to expand in-person instruction in aviation maintenance, information technology, and advanced manufacturing this month as well.

Our plan is consistent with the state’s phased-in approach to opening up operations in the state. We know these programs are necessary to ensure we have the workforce in high demand public safety areas, and we will continue to monitor the health and safety of everyone involved.

I am proud to lead this college as we are surrounded by good people willing to do whatever is best to make sure every student that comes to us is successful. We are also looking to the future by planning programs to meet community needs that will assist in the economic recovery efforts to come.

Before this pandemic, we knew about our students’ needs regarding housing, food insecurity, access to technology and childcare. But this situation has exacerbated these concerns, and it will literally take a village to support our students’ basic needs, including access to WiFi and computers. With the closing of retail shops, small businesses and restaurants, we need your help now more than ever.

Please consider supporting the Everett Community College Foundation during this critical time in our history because our students need your support. You can donate online at EverettCC.edu/Foundation today and invest in a better tomorrow.

Stay safe and take care of yourselves.

Dr. Daria J. Willis is president of Everett Community College.