Grand Island Community Leaders Activate Communications Strategies

GRAND ISLAND - A group of community leaders in Grand Island is leading a campaign to help the Central District Health Department share safety tips and guidelines with the public.

It is no secret Hall County is the hot spot for COVID-19 in Nebraska, so the group is hoping a its campaign can help residents understand the magnitude of COVID-19, and take proper precautions to slow or even stop the spread.

Full media release:

GRAND ISLAND, NEBR.— Community leaders are joining forces to lead a concerted communication effort to assist the Central District Health Department promote messages of safety during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jack Sheard, Marketing and Communication Coordinator at Grand Island Public Schools, volunteered to lead a committee of community leaders and marketing experts to develop more robust, coordinated communications strategies to combat COVID-19.

“My favorite quote is, ‘the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is today.’ Yes, we should have and maybe could have done more two months ago. We cannot go back, so let’s start getting messages out now,” said Sheard, in response to launching the committee to combat Grand Island’s high rate of infection and community spread. “Let’s save lives.”

The communication committee stemmed from Heartland United Way’s (HUW) weekly, “COVID-19 Community Meetings”, which began in March. “It’s wonderful to see the community's response to the needs discussed at these weekly meetings. We also have sub-groups working on food securities, childcare and behavioral health,” said Karen Rathke, President and CPO of Heartland United Way. “The Grand Island area is fortunate to have dedicated people responding to the call to help and working hard to do what they can. Sadly, the number of positive cases and deaths continue to rise at alarmingly high rates. At the last meeting, everyone felt something more needed to be done to keep people safe. An incredible group of think tank people and creative talent joined forces with our media partners to develop a public call to action campaign for people to understand that #thisisrealgi and ask everyone to #doyourpartgi.”

The committee’s focus is on safety messages including the importance of wearing a mask in public, shopping once weekly, shopping without friends and family members, keeping six feet of distance in public, and staying home if at all possible. Secondary efforts include information sharing about community resources, mental health, and creating social pressure to comply with safety guidelines.

The committee launched the #DoYourPartGI #HazTuParteGI #ThisIsRealGI #EstoEsRealGI campaign via social media to encourage people to show images highlighting the importance of wearing masks in public. Business partners providing in-kind design services include Copycat Printing, IdeaBank Marketing, and Tally Creative.

Multicultural Coalition Executive Director Audrey Lutz highlights the importance of extending these messages to all community members. “The novel coronavirus does not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, or country of origin. We advocate for multilingual messages to get information out to the entire community, not because it is spread more prevalently or any differently by people of color,” said Lutz.

The community will see increased messaging via social media, billboards, and posters at local businesses.

The committee wants to thank Lamar and Legacy for providing in-kind billboard space for the campaign, and also all local news outlets for sharing its messages.