“I’m an EverThrive IL outreach worker with diabetes and high blood pressure. I got the vaccine and booster shot to keep my family safe and protect my health. I also wanted to continue going out into the community and keep people around me safe. Thankfully, when I did get COVID-19, I only had a mild cough. When I’m doing outreach work, I share my experience about getting the vaccine with residents. As outreach workers, we are passionate about what we do in the community. You can find us in neighborhoods passing out COVID-19 vaccine information, key chains, sanitizers, and masks. People are happy to get these things to keep themselves safe. The good news is that people in these communities are slowly getting vaccinated more because they’re getting the information they need to make these decisions. Getting the vaccines benefits everyone in these communities. What makes EverThrive IL different from other organizations doing this work is that our outreach workers listen, answer questions, and build trust in these neighborhoods. When we do these things and provide good information, residents bring more people to connect with us. This allows us to create a stronger community network.” – Mary Gray, Community Outreach Worker