This week, we met with senior undergrad, Ana Corral and second year MBA student, Lindsay Randall to talk about the HumanKind network, a platform that connects people who want to get involved with individuals or organizations that need help with the COVID-19 crisis.
Working with a coalition of full-time students and some administrators, everyone comes together with one purpose: assisting others in a time where many people feel helpless.
“I think things are particularly challenging right now for students, because we still have to do schoolwork. It is hard to have your heart in it when there's so much going on in the world. I know many of us just really love the time that we spend building HumanKind because we are doing something relevant. We're actually building something that will help people.” - Lindsay Randall
Brad Bernthal, professor at the Law School and director of the Entrepreneurship Initiative at Silicon Flatirons, reached out to Lindsay, with her background in business and marketing communications, and Ana, with her background in environmental design and user experience, for help.
For the past month, they have been working with students from across the university to make it easier for university-aged people that want to help but can't find the connection.
The HumanKind Network
This platform is designed to bridge the gap between the university community across Colorado, and those who need help during the COVID-19 crisis. Whether you are an organization looking for volunteers or want to volunteer yourself, the HumanKind network connects you in the easiest way possible.
The HumanKind network compiles all of the resources in one place to ease the arduous process of finding ways and places to help. From helping seniors experiencing isolation to connecting neighbors who need help with tasks, there are plenty of opportunities for people to help.
Building Out Platform
On their website, you fill out an online form, stating how you’d like to volunteer, then you receive an email asking a few more questions. Wanting to respect the stay at home order and have people feel comfortable with how they offer to help, they even offer opportunities for people to help from their computers, never having to leave the house.
Locally to the Bigger Picture
This concept is spreading much quicker than anticipated, which has allowed them to conceptualize the possible application for places outside of CU as well. So stay tuned!
“I think this could be something that can be impactful for everyone everywhere, even after COVID-19. It presents an opportunity to talk about accessibility and ableism and address the communities that have been marginalized. Gives us a good opportunity to reach out to those people that would otherwise be hopeless.” -Ana Corral
Want to help?
Visit https://www.humankindnetwork.co and get connected today.