Mom, 2 daughters tie purple bows, raise cash for frontline workers

CHARLOTTE — You can’t help but notice the purple ribbons hugging the trees when you drive down Hempstead Place in Charlotte’s Myers Park neighborhood.

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When the coronavirus pandemic broke out, Emily Harry and her family wanted to help in some way. They stumbled upon the Novant Health Medical Foundation and its COVID-19 Disaster Relief Fund.

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A few Novant doctors live on Harry’s street, just miles away from the hospital, working on the frontlines -- so the cause became personal.

“Let’s get our whole street to rally around these two physicians to show them our support and our gratitude,” Harry told Channel 9.

Harry decided to join Novant’s “Paint the Town Purple” campaign, where people are asked to place a purple ribbon on their front door, mailbox, or tree as a show of support.

But Harry and her two daughters took it a step further and decided to raise money.

“We said, ‘If you make a small donation we will tie a purple bow around the tree in front of your house.’ And within minutes we had so many neighbors signing up," she said.

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Thanks to word of mouth and social media, Harry has raised more than $15,000 for the foundation. The relief fund helps provide medical supplies for health care workers and other necessities, like childcare or a hotel room if they need to stay away from family during the crisis.

“This neighborhood has rallied together. I am proud and I am honored to be part of the Charlotte community,” said Jennifer Clifford, with the Novant Health Foundation.

The surrounding streets have since joined in, and Harry has no intention of stopping.

“These workers need so much help and support right now,” she said.

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