During this crisis and social-distancing, it’s easy to feel isolated. It’s times like this that make communities, families, neighbors, friends and all of the networks that connect us to the rest of the world noticeably important.

My mother is 96 and a resident of Fountain View Village. Like all senior homes throughout the country, she is no longer allowed to leave the premises and nobody can go inside to see her. It is now a situation where our seniors are living in almost total isolation. Having a call from Eric Kurland’s “Be the Rainbow” program would definitely brighten my mother’s day.

Thank you, Eric, for initiating this wonderful idea and thinking about our seniors.

We need more things like Eric’s “Be the Rainbow” that help connect people throughout the community with others, often seniors who are at high risk and more often living alone. His campaign puts people together for things as simple as phone calls, because sometimes simply talking to someone is enough to remind us all we aren’t alone.

I love what Eric is doing for the community and his efforts show what real leadership looks like. I hope we get to see more of Eric in a leadership position in our state Legislature after November.