Fairfield Fundraiser 'Uplifting In An Otherwise Very Dark Time'

FAIRFIELD, CT — A project started in Fairfield to show support for frontline workers during the coronavirus outbreak and raise money for area nonprofits at the same time has gained traction locally and even outside Connecticut, and caught the attention of a major corporation.

Fairfield resident Jennifer Leeper teamed up last month with local artist Tory Mileti to create a lawn sign as a way to show gratitude to people whose jobs require them to risk exposure to the virus.

The signs, which are being sold for $20 each, feature a postal worker, health care provider, police officer and grocery store employee above the text, "Thank you first responders, essential workers, & healthcare heroes!" Profits from the sales are being split between donations to Fairfield-based Operation Hope, which provides food and housing for those in need, and The Center for Family Justice, which is located in Bridgeport and offers services to prevent sexual and domestic abuse and violence.

The sign project recently received a matching grant from CaringCrowd, Johnson & Johnson’s public health crowdfunding platform, which has generated an additional $2,000 in donations. Including the grant, the project had raised about $5,000 as of early Tuesday toward its final goal of $8,000. Leeper said she had sold about 250 signs as of Friday to people in Fairfield, across Fairfield County, and as far as Ohio and Pennsylvania.

“It’s turned into such a heartwarming experience,” said Leeper, a member of the Fairfield school board and current candidate for state representative in Connecticut House District 132.

Leeper said her experience working on the sign project was, “uplifting in an otherwise very dark time.” The coronavirus outbreak is connected to more than 3,700 Connecticut deaths and has drastically affected the economy and daily life in the state, with schools and many businesses closed in an effort to lower the risk of transmission.

To buy a sign and for more information about the project, visit www.caringcrowd.org/support-women-children-emergency-shelter-during-covid or email jennifermleeper@gmail.com.