Downers Grove South gives back during COVID-19 pandemic
DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. (BVM) — The COVID-19 pandemic caused several nationwide issues this spring, and one of the biggest was a shortage of face protection for healthcare workers to wear around sick patients. Many people have done all they could to combat this problem, including those at Downers Grove South High School, spearheaded by head football coach Mark Molinari.
Molinari has been the head man on the gridiron for the past seven years at Downers Grove South, and has spent 20 years teaching architecture and engineering at the school. Combining some of his biggest passions, the coach and teacher loves being able to pass down his knowledge to others.
“I definitely love my job. I love being able to have the chance to influence kids and the decisions that they make,” Molinari said. “I love architecture, I love football, and I get to do that every single day.”
But with the difficulties COVID-19 has caused across the country, Molinari’s job, as well as that of many others at the school and in the community, have changed.
The virus has personally affected almost everyone in some way, including those at Downers Grove South. Spring sport athletes had their seasons canceled, which was heartbreaking for all of those involved. It is also tough for parents at the school such as Molinari, who was not able to watch his son play any baseball nor watch his daughter play any soccer this spring.
Molinari’s wife is also a healthcare worker who has been working on the frontlines during the pandemic, putting his family squarely into the effects this coronavirus has caused.
With the shortage of face protection for healthcare workers across Illinois and the country, Downers Grove South principal Ed Schwartz, and science teacher Scott Parker began talking with another high school who had been creating face shields. After an email was sent out about the possibility of creating them at their school, Molinari and others joined forces in April to get started.
To create the face shields, the school has used the 15 different 3-D printers that they currently have on site. The machines print out the materials necessary to assemble the shields, resulting in the potential of 50 being created at the school every four hours.
The team began printing out prototypes and finalized a design for the face shields they wanted to make, thanks to the advice from Molinari’s wife, a first-hand, front-line healthcare worker. By the end of the first day, they made 47 face shields, and the operation took off from there.
Four other teachers as well as eight other members of the community took up the task of creating materials at their homes which they would later bring to the school to be assembled. Many others joined in on the project as well.
Molinari headed the task as he lives just two blocks from the school, but he was joined by Parker, fellow engineering teacher Ryan Altenburg, and math teacher Mike McGinnis. Just weeks after starting, the team grew from four to over 40 people who have played a part in the process, with many families joining in to help the cause.
One of those families has indeed been Molinari’s, whose children have been involved with the logistics side of the operation, including communication and delivery. For Molinari, it has been a good opportunity for his family to give back, but has also allowed them to come together.
“Our family has never been closer. It is something that has bonded us together. It’s really awesome to work closely with my family, and it’s really been impactful on our lives,” the Mustangs’ football coach said.
With the full team in place, Downers Grove South produced about 350 face shields per day in April. There was never a goal put in place for how many to make, but entering summer, the school had donated over 7,000 face shields to local healthcare facilities. While production has slowed down to 30 to 40 shields per day, Molinari and his team continue to make them, and he insists they will keep producing them until the need is met.
“We never set a goal. We just said that we would keep making them until the need ends. We have plenty of funding and will continue to print until we don’t have any more orders to fill,” Molinari said.
Receiving the face shields has created positive moments for healthcare workers around the area in what has otherwise been a tough time for them. Molinari knows the team at Downers Grove South has had an incredible impact.
“To be able to head something up with around 30 to 40 people and to have this impact on literally over 7,000 people, it has just been so awesome to be a part of. I feel totally blessed that I live in a community that had these machines and that I had enough support to be able to make this impact,” Molinari said.
The coach and his team behind him creating the shields have often gotten to see the impact first hand at times as well.
“I can’t tell you honestly how many people who we tell that we’re sending the shields to start crying because they are so grateful. We got an email where there were two doctors performing a heart surgery who both had our shields; that was pretty cool,” Molinari said.
This has been a group effort at Downers Grove South, with most of the members of this operation volunteering on their own to step up and help with this cause. The school also received several donations to get more supplies to create the shields. But giving back is just what this school and community is about, according to Molinari.
“We have done a lot, this isn’t the first time. But this was just able to bring a lot of impact and attention. We always look to serve our community first at Downers Grove South,” he said.
Put together in just a matter of weeks, this has truly been an incredible operation which has made an unbelievable impact. The COVID-19 pandemic has been a difficult time in our country, but it’s the efforts of those like Molinari, and his incredible team at Downers Grove South, that give us hope and inspiration in tough moments like these.
