Local skiers, snowboarders supporting Goggles For Docs at hospitals across America
More than 10,000 pairs of goggles have been donated to Goggles For Docs
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Jon Schaefer, general manager at Berkshire East and Catamount Ski Areas in Massachusetts, started Goggles For Docs to help fill the void for frontline medical workers at hospitals across the country running out of personal protective equipment.
An early promotion from Mikaela Shiffrin helped spread the goal of Goggles For Docs. Within hours of her post, 1,600 goggles were shipped to seven states. As of April 4, less than a week into its existence, more than 10,000 goggles have been shipped to front-line workers at hospitals through Goggles For Docs, fulfilling nearly 90% of hospital requests.
The grassroots effort is providing health care workers with ski and snowboard goggles as they treat COVID-10 patients and struggle to find traditional eye protection. The website, http://www.gogglesfordocs.com, is updated daily with hospitals across the country requesting goggles, information about how to send them and lists for drop-off sites run by community members.
A national call heard locally
Locals have joined in the Goggles For Docs effort, knowing Eagle County has goggles sitting around homes across the valley collecting dust.
Kaia and Misha Moritz and their family have sent out multiple shipments of goggles to hospitals. The Moritz’s first shipment of goggles went to a hospital in Oklahoma. They also sent one to Centennial, Colorado, as well as Puerto Rico — about 150 pairs of goggles total, 50 of which came straight from the family.
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“As you know in ski racing, these kids go through goggles like you wouldn’t believe,” Kaia said. “So it was just a perfect opportunity to put them to good use.”
Kjersti, Liv and Solveig Moritz race for Ski & Snowboard Club Vail and are enjoying helping Goggles For Docs.
“I think in our community we’re so used to getting the latest and greatest,” Kaia said. “So they’re just sitting on a shelf collecting dust. This has been a great way to upcycle them in the best way possible.”
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The Moritz family is on the Goggles For Docs website as a drop-off location.
“There’s so many people that ski here,” Kaia said. “I think we could collect 1,000 or more goggles for doctors if we got the word out there.”
The Moritz children are learning about social media promotion and the process of disinfecting something.
“I think they’re just amazed that people keep driving by and dropping off,” Kaia said. “It’s pretty cool.”
‘The community can really make a difference’
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Allie Resnick, a senior at Vail Mountain School and a ski racer for Ski & Snowboard Club Vail, is also helping gather goggles, and donating her own.
“We have so many goggles in the valley and people who want to help that we can help support other states and other counties,” she said.
Along with her sister, Emma, a sophomore at VMS, they have donated about 10-15 pairs of goggles of their own while collecting about 75 from the community. They send shipments of goggles every three days to hospitals in need.
“It feels good to help out and I know the community can really make a difference because we have the resources,” Allie said.
Tips for cleaning goggles
To donate
To donate goggles to Goggles For Docs, it is recommended to send directly through the website. However, the website has a list of locals collecting goggles for those unable or unwilling to go mailing offices. Visit http://www.gogglesfordocs.com for more information.
Assistant Editor Ross Leonhart can be reached at 970-748-2984 and rleonhart@vaildaily.com. Follow him on Instagram at colorado_livin_on_the_hill.
