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ASCE is encouraging construction industry members to help in the fight against COVID-19 by donating your surplus PPE to local hospitals. You can find out where at this link. I would like to start a discussion about giving back during these difficult times. Please share in this thread what you are doing to help support your local community and please stay healthy and safe. Also, please share and follow #DonateYourPPE on Social Media.

Good evening ASCE community,

With spring break in progress at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, this year felt different than ever before with the recent outbreak of COVID-19. Coming to the realization that our freedom has been compromised by an invisible enemy, necessary isolation, social separation, and uncertainty can put the blinders on to focus on only our own individual needs. By staying informed on the spread of the virus, it has become apparent that PPE is in short supply and in high demand in hospitals throughout the United States and the rest of the world.

After speaking with a few nurses battling the virus on the front lines, we learned that due to the short supply of N95 masks, nurses have been sharing their N95 masks between one another with the intent to try and keep themselves safe.  At this moment, the situation became a reality and we understood in order to help reduce the rate of the corona virus spreading, medical staff who come in contact with multitudes of people need to be protected with the proper PPE.

Since UWM's concrete canoe team had a surplus PPE, were purchased last season, a significant amount of N95 masks were able to be donated to several local hospitals including Froedtert Medical College of Wisconsin, Aurora Medical Center in Milwaukee, and ProHealth in Waukesha.  A total of 230 N95 were donated at a time that few were available. By the time the last of the N95 donations were dropped off, we wished we had more N95 masks to donate to other hospitals throughout the region.  However, this was not the reality.

Even though making concrete canoes and slowing the spread of a virus appear to have little in common, being aware of the community's needs and knowing our inventory allowed us to help through donation. We encourage other chapters and organizations to please think of materials that may be useful for donation for hospitals and first responders.  These items include but are not limited to N95 masks, face shields, safety glasses, hand sanitizers, disinfecting wipes (60% or greater alcohol content), latex gloves, and tyvek coveralls.

Its important to note that in a chaotic time, we must remain strong as a community, embrace our civic duty as engineers, and continue putting ASCE's Code of Ethics Canon 1: "Engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public..." into action.

At this time, we would like to thank the first responders, nurses, doctors, and everyone contributing to battle in the fight against COVID-19.

If you have or know of any PPE available for donation in Wisconsin or the Greater Milwaukee Area, please feel free to reach out on how we can help arrange pickups or deliveries during this challenging time.

Respectfully,

UW-Milwaukee ASCE Student Chapter

Liam Brodie
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
American Society of Civil Engineers
<maskemail>lmbrodie@...</maskemail>
(262) 408-7104

Luke Royal
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
American Society of Civil Engineers
<maskemail>lroyal@...</maskemail>
(847) 529-1733

ASCE is encouraging construction industry members to help in the fight against COVID-19 by donating your surplus PPE to local hospitals. You can find out where at this link. I would like to start a discussion about giving back during these difficult times. Please share in this thread what you are doing to help support your local community and please stay healthy and safe. Also, please share and follow #DonateYourPPE on Social Media.