Elizabethtown College and the Masonic Village at Elizabethtown have long been friendly neighbors. The two organizations are located less than two miles from one another and have built a strong partnership as Masonic Village has become an annual internship site for students at Etown studying Biology and Occupational Therapy. When the coronavirus pandemic hit the area and it was announced that Etown would move to remote learning, faculty at the College including Chair of Biology Department and Associate Professor of Biology, Jodi Lancaster, began taking inventory of what supplies could be shared with the retirement community.

“The College’s motto of ‘Educate for Service’ came to mind,” Lancaster said. “Masonic Village has been a great partner to us and we didn’t hesitate to help a friend in need. We made President McCormick aware that we had extra supplies that could be donated and we quickly identified them as the as the perfect recipient.”

Upon learning of Masonic Village’s need for masks and gloves, Etown’s Biology and Chemistry Departments were able to pull together more than 8,500 pairs of medical gloves and 150 surgical masks to be donated. Etown’s Campus Security collected the supplies and connected with Masonic Village to deliver the materials on Monday, March 30.

Etown sophomore Biology major, Jaylyn Maulfair works as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) at Masonic Village.

“I felt so proud to be a Blue Jay when I heard about the College’s both generous and invaluable donation to strengthen our community,” said Maulfair. “It is so important to protect the precious lives at Masonic during these hard times.”