CHERAW, S.C. — “Red Bows for Prayer” started across the country, mostly on social media. It’s a way to urge people to pray for our nation during this time of crisis.
A simple red bow tied to a tree or mailbox is becoming a symbol of hope and unity. Now, a florist in Chesterfield is making them and selling them so people can show their support for those fighting the coronavirus.
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"It shows that our community comes together during hard times," said Lisa Gibson at the Grapevine Florist on Main Street.
A friend called her after seeing the prayer bows and asked if she could make them and put a picture of one on Facebook. Since then, Gibson has made more than 130 of them.
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Her shop is closed now, and she's not doing deliveries, but will occasionally allowing people to pick up orders for special occasions. It's a rough time for anyone trying to keep a business afloat.
"We'll be alright,” Gibson told Channel 9. “The Lord's gonna take care of us. He always has."
>> We’ll bring you LIVE updates on Channel 9 Eyewitness News. Get extended coverage on the free WSOC Now app on Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV.
More than a dozen prayer bows went to McLeod Hospital in Cheraw. Channel 9 saw pictures of emergency room doctors holding them while wearing masks, and smiling nurses posing with them.
There’s a national effort to promote unity in our country using a red bow as a symbol. A Chesterfield woman decided to bring the idea home, and the local hospital took notice. The encouragement it brought them, at 6pm on Channel 9. pic.twitter.com/ZhKMnoYivj
— Greg Suskin (@GSuskinWSOC9) April 8, 2020
They’ve also been tied up at main hallways and over the COVID-19 unit at the hospital, where some patients with the virus have been treated.
Kathryn McClain is an operating room nurse at McLeod Health. She said this is an extremely difficult time, but they've pulled together as a team.
"It's stressful, and we all have a lot of fears and concerns of course, because no one has ever truly dealt with a pandemic like this in our lifetime," she said. “We're really leaning on each other for strength and just to make it through."
Even a small gesture helps, like knowing that the community is grateful for the heroes that work at McLeod each day and in every hospital in our area.
Gibson said it doesn’t hurt to showcase a little town pride, either.
“People are just coming together,” she said. “Our town is strong for that, always has been.”
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