This week's highlights:
As the novel coronavirus affects the globe, kindness and uplifting moments are coming to light as we prioritize the health and safety of ourselves and our families.
Here are up-to-date, inspiring stories amid the coronavirus pandemic.
A doctor at NYU Winthrop Hospital is inspiring many with his rendition of Andra Day’s "Rise Up."
As a tribute to his colleagues on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic, Dr. Collin Brathwaite performed a moving rendition of the inspirational song on the piano.
Watch his performance here.
Anna Harding, 34, has run 8 marathons in her life, but her latest is one for the books. She ran almost 2,000 back-and-forth laps in her mom's backyard just outside of London to raise money for the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.
Harding calculated that if she ran the out-and-back length of the backyard (which is 10.7 meters or 70.2 feet) that she’d be able to complete the marathon in just over 1,971 laps.
Harding said it was the hardest marathon to date because not only was the scenery boring, but also that she had to slow her pace dramatically each time she turned around, which was every ten steps.
It took her just over 6 hours to cross the finish line — which was aptly made from a strip of precious toilet paper — a much slower pace than her personal best which she completed in Amsterdam at just under 4 hours.
Harding said the best part about the marathon was finishing. What kept her going on this epic feat was thinking about all the front line workers who put their lives at risk. She hopes her marathon encourages others to stay home to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
"That message of ‘stay at home’ probably couldn’t be any clearer than stay at home and run in your backyard," Harding told "GMA."
A single mom in New Jersey using Instagram to raise funds and supplies for people in need.
Simone Gordon, known on Instagram as "Black Fairy Godmother," is a community organizer who helps people at their most vulnerable. She's helped people of color, domestic abuse victims, and members of the LGBTQ+ community when they're most vulnerable especially now while folks are stuck home and unemployed. She's received support from "Eat, Pray, Love" author Elizabeth Gilbert, among others.
Gordon, 33, opens up about her inspiring work, and two women tell ABC News how she changed their lives.
First responders and health care professionals were surprised with free groceries at the checkout at Winn-Dixie and other super markets in seven states.
Southeastern Grocers, which owns all BI-LO, Fresco y Mas, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie stores, surprised community heroes at the checkout to honor those working on the front lines.
"Your groceries are on Winn-Dixie tonight. Thanks for everything you do," the health care workers were told. "Thanks for being on the front line."
The company said it was inspired by the recent generosity of filmmaker Tyler Perry, who partnered with Winn-Dixie to purchase all the groceries for seniors and other high-risk customers at all 29 Louisiana locations on April 8.
"Southeastern Grocers is dedicated to being there for the community when they need us the most, and we believe there is no better time than now to show acts of kindness," Anthony Hucker, CEO of Southeastern Grocers, wrote in a statement. "[Tyler Perry] spoke out about the importance of positivity during this time and how even small acts of kindness can spread hope and unite communities."
For the past year, John Kline has visited his wife, Ann, every day at her nursing home, John Knox Manor, in Montgomery, Alabama.
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, however, the nursing home implemented a no-visitor's policy. That hasn't stopped John Kline from visiting his wife of 45 years and has serenaded her everyday through her window.
"Through a Pane -- not a Pain," he wrote on Facebook.
Ann Kline, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease 17 years ago, sings along when her husband visits her.
Despite being apart, John Kline stays positive and says he and his wife are blessed by the support of all the caregivers at the nursing home.
"All the caregivers are so compassionate and they’re taking precautions to protect residents from the virus," he said.
Hospitals across the country are going through tough times right now, but at Ellis Medicine Hospital in New York, health care workers are lifting the spirits of staff and patients with messages of hope.
Alicia Hottois, an employee at Ellis Medicine, started the hospital’s "Be Positive" campaign by encouraging coworkers to write positive messages on whiteboards for the staff and COVID-19 patients.
Some of the messages that are shared include "Focus on the step in front of you, not the whole staircase" and "Be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud."
In addition to writing positive messages, the hospital staff has sent patients get-well cards and packages.
"Even though loved ones can’t be at their bedside, we will be," Hottois told "Good Morning America."
As many hospital workers experience long hours and hard days amid the coronavirus pandemic, some are dancing to de-stress.
At Sentara Leigh Hospital in Norfolk, Virginia, employees came together and line-danced to the Cupid Shuffle.
When Albert Conner, a father of three, found out that he would not be able to attend his wife Kelly Conner's chemotherapy appointment because of hospital restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic, he showed his support in a different way.
Albert Conner, 44, held a sign outside MD Anderson Cancer Center in Sugar Land, Texas, that read, "I can't be with you but i'm here." It also said "love you" and included a thank you to staff working inside the hospital's walls.
"I didn’t feel right not being a part of it because I had promised her that I would be there every step of the way and I felt like I would be breaking my word," said Albert Conner, who had been to every doctor's appointment, every test and every chemotherapy appointment with his wife since she was diagnosed with breast cancer in January. "I just got a poster board and our kids and I colored it."
Kelly Conner, 40, thought her husband was at home in Missouri City, Texas, because she had just driven herself to the hospital after telling him she would be fine to go alone. Then, she received a text from him saying he was outside in the parking lot.
"As soon as he texted me, I just kind of lifted up in my chair a little bit to peer out the window and he was just right there," she said. "It immediately brought tears to my eyes and I felt a love for him right then in that moment, that he would do that for me."
"This [coronavirus pandemic] is inspiring people to come up with creative ways to continue to show their love and support for family," said Kelly Conner.
Cebu Doctors’ University Hospital celebrated as 69-year-old Dr. Estrella Huang was discharged after having spent two weeks as a patient at the Philippines hospital.
A group of teachers in Santa Clara, California, teamed up to bring a little joy to their students and their families.
The teachers formed a caravan and drove by their students' homes to say hello. Students waved and cheered as teachers honked from their cars in a sweet moment of solidarity.
Greg Dailey has been a newspaper delivery man in Mercer County, New Jersey, for the past 25 years, but since the novel coronavirus shutdowns began, he’s volunteered his time to deliver groceries, too.
The idea struck Dailey two weeks ago when he was delivering a newspaper to 88-year-old Phyllis Ross, who asked if he could drop off her newspaper closer to her garage to limit the amount of time she was outside.
Dailey wondered how Ross, along with other seniors, were going to get groceries, so he called to ask if she needed anything. "We were absolutely floored," Ross said. "At my age, I’m afraid to go into a store."
His efforts snowballed from there, and before long, he found himself delivering to homes outside his usual route.
"It’s one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done in my life," Dailey said. "You can just feel the energy from folks when they open the door." Dailey and his family plan to continue delivering groceries to their community as long as necessary.
Bernadette Harris, a healthcare provider at Virginia Hospital Center, found the best way to play with her grandkids during COVID-19 shutdown.
Harris stopped by to play a game of "Miss Mary Mack" through the glass door of their house.
Photos of nurses at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, joining together in open arms and bowed heads for a moment of prayer in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic is tugging at heartstrings.
Sarah Kremer, Angela Gleaves, Beth Tiesler, Tanya Dixon and McKenzie Gibson came together for a prayer session on the hospital’s roof -- asking for strength, protection and wisdom for everyone taking care of patients around the globe.
"I felt compelled to ask my friends to join me in prayer due to the fear and anxiety we’re all feeling every day at work," said Kremer, who explained she chose the roof for the gathering in an effort to "lay a cover of peace over the entire medical center."
The nurses had only 10 minutes to spare before rushing back to the battleground beneath them.
"We want everyone to be comforted in knowing God is always with us no matter what," Gleaves said. "Our motto right now is faith over fear."
A South Dakota teacher is getting praise for going above and beyond to help a student with her math homework.
When sixth-grade math teacher Chris Waba saw that his student, Rylee Anderson, was still struggling with a problem even after an email exchange, he grabbed a whiteboard and headed to her house.
"We had really tried to work through it digitally, but you can just tell when you need to do something else," Waba told "GMA."
Waba, who lives near Rylee, spent 15 minutes going through the problem with her through a glass door while she stood safely inside.
"[Rylee] was shocked when he came over," said her dad, Josh Anderson. "She was happy to get it done and over with because she was very frustrated."
Waba, who misses being in the classroom, shrugged off the praise after the moment went viral. "There are thousands and thousands of teachers going the extra mile for their kids," he said.
To thank hospital staff who are working around the clock in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, New York City chef Tracy Wilk is "baking it forward."
Wilk, who is a professional chef and instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education, was furloughed from her job and decided to help medical workers with the extra time she had on her hands.
"A lot of those health care workers have been working overtime. I’ve done those days before in the kitchen," Wilk said. "A cookie isn’t going to change it but it’s going to help workers on the front lines and those little bits of joy are what makes the day better."
She reached out in a Facebook group with several health care workers from NYU asking if they could accept cookies, and their immediate response was a resounding yes. After dropping off her first batch of baked goods, she was inspired to have others bake too for health care workers in their area. Wilk came up with the hashtag #BakeItForward to get others to participate. (Pro tip: Make sure to check if your hospital is accepting food donations before you bake!)
Read the full story and get her delicious recipes here.
Health care professionals from Spain to Canada are getting a standing ovation. Cities across the globe have been applauding hardworking health care workers. Listen and join in!
Kira Neely, 6, is used to seeing her grandfather, 80-year-old Marvin Neely, every single day.
The pair live across the street from each other in Nashville, Tennessee, and play together, take walks together and do activities together at Kira's school, according to her mom Sherrie Neely.
So when the two families began to stay at home earlier this month as a precaution against the novel coronavirus pandemic, they had to get creative to be able to spend time together.
Last week, Kira had the idea to do a dance-off with her grandfather, Marvin Neely, with each of them standing across the street from each other, safely 6 feet apart.
"My dad of course immediately embraced it," Sherrie Neely told "Good Morning America."
A 98-year-old met her 15th great-grandchild through a car window this month, during the novel coronavirus crisis.
Ross and Maggie Oberschlake, parents of 6-week-old Emma, brought their daughter to a parking lot in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, to greet grandma Janina for the first time.
Baby Emma's middle name is Jane, which is the English translation of Janina. Janina came to America from Poland in 1974. She has five children, eight grandchildren and her 16th great-grandchild is on the way.
Janina is currently self-isolating during the novel coronavirus, COVID-19 outbreak. Janina does go to dialysis 3-4 times per week, which are the only times she goes outside.
"[My grandmother] already loves Emma deeply and hasn't met her for more than that one minute," Maggie Oberschlake told "GMA."
The bittersweet meeting was shared by news outlets across the county.
"It has been amazing seeing all of this love everywhere from people," Oberschlake said.
When professional contractors Gina and Vincent Centauro of Rescuing Families Inc. -- a nonprofit charity that remodels homes for the disabled on Long Island, New York -- had to stop their business due to the coronavirus, they realized that they had a supply of N95 masks that many needed.
So Vincent, Gina and Gina’s brother Michael started posting a picture of the masks to Facebook to spread the word, and within hours they had more than 1,300 shares and thousands of requests, including one from the head of the emergency room in a Dallas hospital who was looking for masks for all of his staff.
After donating their supply of masks, they started reaching out to other contractors to help them donate their supplies.
Since they started mobilizing, they’ve been able to send supplies to nurses, doctors and police officers all across the country.
Despite the coronavirus lockdown, Robert Barber, 85, found a way to visit his wife, Lauren, 80, at a memory care center in Albany, New York.
Every single day since the memory care center started implementing visitor restrictions, Robert has visited Lauren, who has dementia, from her window at the facility.
Their granddaughter, Alicia, posted their sweet interaction in a TikTok video, which has since gone viral.
The couple is seen exchanging "I love yous," and Lauren sobs as Robert explains to her that they can’t be together because of the coronavirus.
They’ve been married for more than 60 years.
For the past few days on social media, New Yorkers have been sharing videos taken from their windows and rooftops of people all across the city celebrating essential workers as a way of saying thank you.
New Yorkers cheer their heroes: the nurses, doctors, hospital staff, et al. Thank you!!! pic.twitter.com/oWAD26I9fp
— Patrick Rizzo (@prizzotweet) March 27, 2020
At 7 p.m. each day, New York residents across the five boroughs fill the empty streets with the sound of applause and cheers to thank doctors, nurses, police, grocery and restaurant staffers, delivery people, and other essential workers fighting on the front lines of the coronavirus crisis.
While New York has become the center of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States, Gov. Andrew Cuomo continued to remind New Yorkers of their strength on Sunday.
"We have made it through far greater things. We are going to be OK," he said. "We are strong. We have endurance, and we have stability. We know what we are doing."
For the past few nights, New Yorkers have been celebrating healthcare and essential workers that are keeping the city going, with a cheer at 7:00 pm. Tonight's edition on an overcast evening on the Upper East Side. pic.twitter.com/lJsziGlCxw
— Bradley Kane (@WinoBradNY) March 29, 2020
With many health care workers on the front lines of the coronavirus crisis, a medical center in New Jersey lifted the spirits of those helping patients with sweet messages of encouragement.
At Morristown Memorial Hospital, health care workers were surprised with several messages on the pavement in front of the medical center’s entrance doors.
For staff starting their shifts, one message read, "If you are just arriving, thank you for what you are about to do!"
And for staff leaving the hospital, another message read, "If you are leaving, thank you for what you did."
Senior citizens living in an Orlando high rise thanked medical staff caring for patients at Orlando Health by flashing their lights on and off in their apartments.
At 9 p.m. on Friday, lights flickered from residents’ apartments at Westminster Towers to show their appreciation for health care workers at Orlando Regional Medical Center who are on the front lines of the coronavirus crisis.
Since the south side of the building faces the medical facility, health care workers were able to see the light show, which was captured on video by workers at Orlando Health.
When San Ramon Valley High School in Danville, California, canceled its prom due to concerns over the coronavirus, student Natalie Reese, 17, didn’t want her prom dress to go to waste.
So, she got dolled up in her pink prom dress and surprised her family in their living room. Reese documented the moment of getting ready for "prom" in a video that went viral on #TikTok and included a snippet of her and her father sharing a dance.
@nataliereesie Prom March 28! Share this with ur friends and have let’s have a magical prom! ##fyp ##tiktokprom ##coronavirus
♬ waves dean lewis - mikaylabahry
But Reese didn’t want prom to end there -- she and wanted to keep prom alive in an even bigger way with a virtual prom that anybody could take part in, with the hashtag #TikTokProm.
The online party was held on March 28 -- the same date that her high school prom was supposed to happen -- and her entire family took part in the affair.
@nataliereesie What’s your prom walk? ##foryoupage ##tiktokprom ##fyp
♬ Don't Go Breaking My Heart - Party All Night
@nataliereesie My family at prom! ##tiktokprom ##foryoupage ##fyp
♬ Something New feat. Ty Dolla $ign - Wiz Khalifa
A little girl is uplifting the internet with calming words amid the novel coronavirus crisis.
Taytum Bauman recently recorded a video for her pretend YouTube channel, speaking to her young "followers" about how to handle the pandemic.
"I know you're very scared but it's OK," Taytum, 5, can be heard saying in the footage.
"Take deep breaths ... just stay away from your grandparents because if you give it to them, it's going to make them really sick. You have to be really calm, OK?" she said.
Mom Rachelle Ellis shared the video on Facebook, where it was viewed more than 18,000 times.
"I did not expect it, many people were sharing," Ellis of Beverly, Ohio, told "Good Morning America."
"She knows the situation is real and serious ... but [in the video], she still kind of makes you laugh too."
In Severna Park, Maryland, a mystery resident has left bagged lunches outside a busy roundabout for "anyone who needs it" every day at 11 a.m.
A sign left with the bagged meal reads: "For anyone who needs it: I will be leaving some healthy sack lunches on this table for you if you are hungry and need to eat. Made with love by a neighborhood mom in a clean and sanitized kitchen. I will leave this table up from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m."
Kimberly Gussow, a local parent, said she grabbed a bag for her 7-year-old son and found inside a ham sandwich, fruit snacks, an orange and an apple.
"This makes me embrace my community even more. I'm proud to live here," Gussow said. "It’s great to show our kids that there is good in our world. It’s not just about ourselves, it needs to be about others too."
A Maryland family didn't let social distancing get in the way of celebrating their daughter’s birthday over the weekend.
Scraping plans for a big birthday bash with friends and family, Piper Franklin's friends and teammates decorated their parents' cars with balloons, signs and streamers, and drove by her home singing happy birthday and waving and honking.
"It was really special," her mom Amand Hunt Franklin said. "She had no idea and was so happy when she saw our friends screaming and honking."
While schools are closed across the country, custodial staff are doing their part to help stop the spread of the novel coronavirus with deep cleanings lasting several days.
To show their gratitude, parents have been raising thousands to pay these janitors overtime.
Brooke Thomas, a mom of four from Williston, Vermont, said her kids' schools shut down after a staff member was potentially exposed to coronavirus.
"They're in a potentially contaminated area, making sure the school is safe for our kids," Thomas said.
For precautionary measures, janitors did a two-day, thorough cleaning of both Allen Brook School and Williston Central.
Thomas chimed in on her local Facebook group, commenting on the hard work these men and women show in the schools. She then launched a Facebook fundraiser hoping to raise $200.
After four days the amount reached $7,450, which was split among eight custodians.
Lyall Smith, head of facilities and management at Williston schools, told "GMA" his staff is extremely thankful.
"All my people were really thrilled that they took the time to thank us for what we're up to," Smith said, adding that he and his colleagues have been cleaning and sanitizing doorknobs, carpets, floors, lockers and cubbies.
Dan and Janice Kauffman’s 50th wedding anniversary dinner may have been postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak, but that didn’t stop their family from finding a way to celebrate.
The Ohio couple’s family showed up on their front lawn to send them their love. Watch the full moment above.
Their son-in-law Chuck Simpson told "GMA" that Janice and Dan are outstanding parents, and grandparents.
Happy anniversary to these two lovebirds!
With the coronavirus putting a pause on many school activities, school choirs all over the country are relying on technology to stay in sync.
In California, choir members from Chino Valley Unified School District sang a snippet of an acapella version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" on video, and the school district’s director of communications, Imee Perius, edited it all together.
Two other groups followed suit, including students from the Berklee College of Music and Boston Conservatory, who formed a 74-member virtual orchestra to perform a remake of Burt Bacharach's 1960s classic song "What the World Needs Now is Love."
An acapella group from Vanderbilt University, the Melodores, shared footage of themselves harmonizing to Justin Timberlake’s "Pusher Love Girl." "We can still create and connect online," said Melodores member Jacob Friedman. "It’s remarkable and I’m forever grateful for it."
Tonka the Great Dane is spreading joy at the Cedar Pointe Health and Wellness Suites in Texas.
His owner, Courtney Leigh, stood outside the windows with the pooch waiting for the residents to see. Then, they’d walk over and say hello to through the windows, as the facility is under quarantine amid coronavirus.
"They were smiling from ear to ear. Some reached out to touch the window," Leigh told ABC News. "Of all the therapy visits, probably the most meaningful was this window visit. It seemed much more special with what's going on right now."
With many schools across the nation closed due to social distancing measures, kids are getting crafty with their time indoors.
The Facebook page "Rainbows over Nassau and Suffolk Counties and Beyond" has 27,000 members and counting, with families hoping to extend joy around several communities.
Katherine Schilling, Nicole Sapienza and Danielle Arcuri, all of whom are from Long Island, New York, launched the group after seeing people hanging rainbow art in Italy amid the pandemic.
The idea is to hang handmade rainbow art in a place where other children can point them out while getting fresh air.
"Some are saying it's the rainbow at the end of the storm," Sapienza, a mom of three, told "Good Morning America."
Schilling, mom to John, 16, and Sarah, 13, said the goal is to encourage more projects to keep children busy and hunting.
Ashley Hamer of Chicago shared how her neighborhood is supporting due to coronavirus, converting their local shared library for free swaps into a little free pantry.
Seen in my Chicago neighborhood.
— Ashley Hamer (@smashleyhamer) March 18, 2020
Sign says "To help our neighbors affected by the COVID-19 crisis, this Little Free Library is converted to a Little Free Pantry. Take what you need and if you can, please donate what you can spare!" pic.twitter.com/HtrUHNv9BG
From toilet paper to canned goods, neighbors are leaving basics for those in need.
"To help our neighbors affected by the COVID-19 crisis, this Little Free Library is converted to a Little Free Pantry," the sign reads. "Take what you need and if you can, please donate what you can spare!"
With art galleries closed in Dunwoody, Georgia, due to the coronavirus, residents are supporting their local artists with a simple message: "Everything Will Be OK."
The message, which was originally coined in a 2009 mural by local artist Jason Kofke, has been spread through signs on lawns and windows, each sold for $20 to support local artists out of a job.
Dunwoody resident Alan Mothner, who is also the CEO of the Spruill Center for the Arts, thought of the idea along with Heyward Wescott, who owns a local graphic design company.
"It’s kind of known as the unofficial motto of the city of Dunwoody," said Mothner.
Since Sunday, they’ve received more than 600 orders for signs and have raised at least $14,500 for local artists in just 24 hours, Mothner said.
Alfred Vecoli’s family usually celebrates his birthday with big family get-togethers, but this year, due to the coronavirus, they had to ditch his 92nd birthday party celebration and instead opted for a parade.
Vecoli’s family and friends decorated their cars with balloons and banners and drove them up and down Vecoli’s street Sunday, honking and waving.
Then everyone left their cars and sang "Happy Birthday" outside Vecoli’s home, from a safe distance.
"He’s the link to our family and we all do this for him," said Marianna Salois, Vecoli’s 13-year-old great-granddaughter.
When school temporarily closed due to concerns over the coronavirus, one kindergarten teacher wanted to make sure her students were coping from the sudden change away from the classroom.
Like many instructors, Jean Witt, a kindergarten teacher at Aspen Creek school in Broomfield, Colorado, worried about her young students. So, she gathered some supplies like books and crayons from her classrooms and delivered them to each of her students.
"I wanted to see my precious students and tell them how much I love them," she said.
While she said learning will continue online, Witt said she misses her classroom and the little voices that fill it.
"They need a classroom community and their daily school routine. Suddenly losing a teacher is a loss," Witt said.
Thanks to the Los Angeles Community College District, hundreds of students now have laptops they can use while they continue their studies remotely.
#CoronaKindness #LACCD giving first 300 laptops to students pre-registered ONLY 3/22 Trustees @mikeinla7 & @davidvela75 helping @LACityCollege @LATTC @LASCCampus @EastLACollege @PierceCollegeCA @CAgovernor @CalCommColleges @LAValleyCollege @andra_hoffman @gabriel_buelna pic.twitter.com/EqsQkTtycL
— LA Comm College Dist (@laccd) March 22, 2020
On Sunday, LACCD distributed 300 laptops to students who pre-registered for them online. Students were able to drive to the pickup location and stay in their vehicles while volunteers from the LACCD Board of Trustees delivered a laptop to their cars.
According to their website, LACCD hopes to make additional distributions soon in their efforts to help students learn at home.
With so many Americans social distancing at home, DJ D-Nice, who has nearly 700,000 Instagram followers, hosted a virtual party as he spun music from his home Friday and Saturday nights.
Dubbed "#ClubQuarantine," the virtual livestreams on Instagram live attracted more than 100,000 users who were all collectively listening to music and dancing in their homes.
Tons of celebrities tuned in too, including Oprah, Michelle Obama, Drake, America Ferrara, Janet Jackson, Justin Timberlake, Lenny Kravitz, Will Smith and Kim Kardashian.
Oprah tweeted, "Best party of 1 and 100k I ever been to! Thanks @djdnice #ClubQuarantine."
Best party of 1 and 100k I ever been to! Thanks @djdnice #ClubQuarantine
— Oprah Winfrey (@Oprah) March 22, 2020
Filmmaker Ava Duvernay added: "Thank you for tonight's party, truly epic, you brought so many together while save at home."
Incredible. Thank you for tonight’s party, @djdnice. Truly epic. You brought so many together while #SafeAtHome. Bravo! #ClubQuarantine pic.twitter.com/7a7i6Uq0U2
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) March 22, 2020
"Virtual tip jars" are popping up to provide financial support for service workers who have been economically devastated as bars and restaurant shutter.
As of Tuesday, March 17, all restaurants and bars in the city of Phoenix are closed to the public.
— Niles Parker Harris (@NilesHarris) March 20, 2020
In that spirit, we've started a fund for all the bartenders who are not getting tips right now.
Thanks @jwolf722, @royherreraphx @ClueHeywood for joininghttps://t.co/y7lOIRQjAk
Sam Schutte, an entrepreneur and the CEO of Unstoppable Software, created a virtual tip jar to pay the people whose restaurants and bars he frequented.
He said his virtual tip jar is a low-tech online spreadsheet, containing service workers' names and where they were employed along with their PayPal or Venmo information so you can directly pay them.
"It just breaks my heart to see all these hardworking people that we depend on to take care of us and provide quality service and now they're facing this apocalypse," Schutte told ABC News.
As of Tuesday, March 17, all restaurants and bars in the city of Phoenix are closed to the public.
— Niles Parker Harris (@NilesHarris) March 20, 2020
In that spirit, we've started a fund for all the bartenders who are not getting tips right now.
Thanks @jwolf722, @royherreraphx @ClueHeywood for joininghttps://t.co/y7lOIRQjAk
"If people want to still support them and thank them for the service they've provided it's a way to connect the dots – otherwise how can you find someone else's Venmo information? Venmo and PayPal are also pretty secure."
When a bride's big day was canceled because of coronavirus concerns, she and her florist teamed up to create a silver lining..
Keali Lay, 28, and her fiancé Jeff Scheider, 31, were set to marry March 21 in Bluffton, South Carolina.
The cake, flowers and DJ were ready to go, but after President Donald Trump encouraged no gatherings larger than 10 people, the venue cancelled the ceremony.
Lay called her vendors including her florist, Angela Mandigo, to inform her the wedding would be postponed.
Mandigo suggested that Lay donate the flowers to people in the community who may need cheering up.
The flowers were given to several different people including a woman who wanted to uplift the spirits of the people in her office who were working throughout the coronavirus concerns.
"It makes me feel a little better that this horrible thing has happened, [but] that something happy is coming out of it," Lay said.
Family friends Liam Elkind, 20, a junior at Yale University and Simone Policano, 25, an actor, producer and Yale graduate, have come together in their city of New York, braving pharmacies and grocery stores to the old and at-risk.
In just days, their new organization, Invisible Hands Deliver, has 2,700 volunteers.
"In this time where we are stuck in our homes, it's amazing to see young people wanting to help," Policano told "Good Morning America."
Elkind and Policano launched a website where people can request medicine, food and supplies that will be shopped for and dropped off for free.
Volunteers are asked to follow several safety guidelines including CDC-approved safety precautions.
Wyatt Hill, 18, a New York resident, has volunteered to deliver groceries, medication and flowers.
"I delivered to a woman yesterday, and it was her birthday. Just the smile on her face when I arrived made my day," Hill told "GMA."
With a severe shortage of masks, fashion designer Christian Siriano is offering his services to those on the front lines of the coronavirus outbreak.
"If we need masks my team can make them!" Siriano wrote on Instagram, adding that he tweeted New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo with the idea. "I have sewers and pattern makers ready to help working from home we just need all the information on how to help."
Cuomo tweeted Friday that he's in touch with Siriano about the handmade masks.
"Appreciate his help so much," Cuomo wrote. "Who's next? Let's do this together, NY!"
The federal government has said up to a billion protective masks might be needed over the next six months.
Like Siriano, volunteers are offering a solution to the staff at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany, Georgia, by sewing handmade, washable masks which help protect healthcare workers from contracting infectious diseases.
Staff at a Houston restaurant received a massive $9,400 tip from a pair of customers hoping to do their part amid the coronavirus crisis.
The couple, who wish to remain anonymous, stopped by Irma’s Southwest restaurant March 16 after hearing all dine-in service across the county would be closed until further notice.
After their meal, the generous tipsters signed their check with a note to "hold tip to pay your guys over the next few weeks."
"Our staff was truly amazed and in awe of the gesture," said Louis Galvin, owner of Irma’s Southwest. "It was so unexpected and I know it will be a big help for our employees."
The costumers left $1,900 in cash and an additional $7,500 on a credit card. The bill for their meal was $90.12.
Galvin said the $9,400 hull will be split evenly among his 30 employees which amounts to a roughly $300 pay day for each person.
A middle school teacher found a way to let her students know that even though she won’t be seeing them every day in class, she is thinking about them.
Victoria Bay, 29, teaches sixth grade Social Studies at Andover Central Middle School in Andover, Kansas. This week, the school district made the call to close for the remainder of the school year due to coronavirus concerns.
When Bay realized she wouldn’t be giving her students proper goodbyes, she wanted to do something special.
She typed a generic letter for all 100 students and added a handwritten, personalized note to each. She sent them two days after news broke that the school year was over.
"I wanted them to know that I instantly thought of them in that moment that [school] was canceled and I’m so thankful for the memories that we created together," Bay said.
A little boy named Isaac got a cute surprise in California on Thursday as he and his family stood outside to watch a parade of residents and even staff from the elementary school drive by to share a happy "hello" with cooped-up neighbors during the pandemic.
Families and the principal at Valencia Valley Elementary School -- calling themselves "the Quarantined Cruisers" -- had organized the car parade to spread some joy in the community.
When they drove by Isaac's home, however, some of them -- and their children -- yelled out "happy birthday" to Isaac. According to Isaac's mother, Tammy, some of the families knew that this coming Sunday would be his fifth birthday and that his party had been canceled.
"What's happening? They're having a parade!" she can be heard saying to her children, including Isaac. "Look! Isn't that so cool?"
In cars decorated with signs and balloons, the cars all drove by Isaac's home, honking and cheering loudly, as he stood and waved.
"Happy birthday Isaac!" one girl could be heard yelling out as her family's car drove by.
A 95-year-old received a surprise birthday visit from family during the global coronavirus crisis.
On March 18, Kathleen "Katie" Byrne of Syracuse, New York, was greeted at a safe distance by loved ones singing "Happy Birthday."
Her granddaughter, Sara Byrne shared video of the moment on Instagram where it was viewed by thousands.
"We were just giving her well wishes, letting her know we were thinking about her," Sara told "GMA."
Katie Byrne has seven sons, 22 grandchildren and 29 great-grandchildren. Her 95th birthday party was canceled due to the COVID-19 crisis and has been keeping a safe distance from others.
Health officials and several states have recommended older adults stay home as the outbreak continues.
While the coronavirus has shut down the entire city of San Francisco, one sanitation worker said there’s no reason to be down in the dumps.
Aaron Meier, who starts his route early every morning, took to Twitter last week to share his message of hope to everyone and how important his job is to provide basic services to help fight the spread of the disease.
"I am feeling an extra sense of pride and purpose as I do my work," he wrote. "It’s gonna be ok … we’ll get through this."
Right now though, right now I am feeling an extra sense of pride and purpose as I do my work. I see the people, my people, of my city, peeking out their windows at me. They’re scared, we’re scared. Scared but resilient.
— Jester D (@JustMeTurtle) March 14, 2020
2/3
Us garbagemen are gonna keep collecting the garbage, doctors and nurses are gonna keep doctoring and nurse-ering. It’s gonna be ok, we’re gonna make it be ok. I love my city. I love my country. I love my planet Earth. Be good to each other and we’ll get through this. 💕
— Jester D (@JustMeTurtle) March 14, 2020
Because of social distancing, it means he has to start work earlier in the morning and keep more space between him and other people. His message of hope was liked by more than half a million people.
"Sometimes it’s hard to keep my legs movin’ and I just wanna stop," Meier told "GMA." "But I have a route to do, and if I quit somebody else is gonna have to come do it. … It started feeling more important to me, like I needed to help the people of my city."
With a severe shortage of masks, volunteers are offering a solution to health care workers on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic.
The staff at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany, Georgia, has about three-and-a-half days of masks left. More than 3,000 a day are being used and discarded.
The answer: a handmade, washable prototype mask which health care workers could place over disposable, N95 masks.
"It's something I enjoy doing and it's something I felt like I could do for the community," said Belinda Wright, a volunteer who helps sew the reusable masks.
Scott Steiner, CEO of Phoebe Putney, told ABC News the lack of N95 masks are a concern as they help protect doctors and nurses from contracting infectious diseases.
"We've got more than 50 people making these right now," Steiner said. "We think we can make 200,000 of them."
As many universities closed last week due to the coronavirus, many seniors across the country scrambled to make graduation ceremonies happen.
From the University of Maine to the University of Michigan, seniors celebrated their accomplishments with an impromptu affair and shared photos of it all on social media with the hashtag "Coronamencement."
At Wellesley College, where senior events are a tradition, students spent the entire Saturday coming together and doing it all in one day.
"We crammed an entire senior week into those few hours and doing as much as we could to appreciate the time that we had together," said Claudia Lamprecht, a senior at Wellesley.
Lamprecht said that their "senior week" was complete with all of the Wellesley traditions, red decorations to signify their 2020 class and a commencement ceremony, which was put together by four students.
"College is only four years, but the friendships that you make are going to be lifelong," said Lamprecht. "What we’re experiencing right now, I know for a fact that these will be friends for life."
Young Investment Company, based in Jonesboro, Arkansas, won’t collect rent from its restaurant tenants amid coronavirus, instead, asking them to "pay your employees and take care of your family."
"Stay strong. We will get through this together!" according to a message from the company's Facebook page posted Tuesday.
Young Investment Company owns property that houses Eleanor’s Pizzeria, Roots, City Wok, Main Street Coffee and The Parsonage.
"Mr. Young doing that for us this month ... that money goes straight to the employees," John Myers, co-owner and chef at The Parsonage, told ABC Jonesboro affiliate KAIT.
Three Virginia Beach-based Girl Scouts have found a touching way to put a smile on the faces of medical workers who are helping those in need during the novel coronavirus pandemic.
With 600 boxes of cookies left and in-person sale suspended, sisters Sylvie, 14, Julia, 9, and Piper, 6, came up with an idea to launch an online Girl Scout cookie booth with the cookies sold going to medical first responders.
Their mother, Kacey Farrell, said teenage daughter Sylvie, shot and directed a video of her younger sisters introducing their online Girl Scout cookie booth, which has been shared on social media. Support has come in from family, friends and all over the world.
"With everything going on right now, it seems like our doctors and nurses are going to be hit so hard," Farrell said. "Girl Scout cookies are a small way to say thank you, but it felt like an easy opportunity to let our frontline responders know how grateful and supportive we are."
At Miss Ada, a New York City restaurant, staff there are working hard to feed the community amid the coronavirus pandemic.
When too many ingredients were bought for the week before restaurants were told to close, staff there didn’t want them to go to waste and collectively decided to pay it forward by feeding people in the community.
"It’s been good," said sous-chef, Ben Sanderson. "Tons of people that we know from the neighborhood and people we don’t have been coming in and we’ve been able to talk to them and give them good food."
While they haven’t been charging people for meals, Sanderson says that all donations received as well as money spent toward gift cards through the end of March will be given to staff. So far, they’ve raised $4,000.
"A lot of people’s lives are up in the air, but I think this has been good because it gives people a chance to come in and do something fun and positive," Sanderson said.
Grocery stores across the country have adjusted operating hours amid the coronavirus outbreak in an effort to mitigate risks for elderly or immunocompromised customers.
Companies including Target, Whole Foods, Stop and Shop, have all announced designated times, usually first thing in the morning, to ensure that shoppers susceptible to COVID-19 can get what they need. Read the full story here.
A group of siblings are turning their downtime into an opportunity to show kindness by sending handmade cards to seniors who are quarantined in assisted living facilities amid the coronavirus crisis.
While schools are closed, Madilyn, 10, Olivia, 9, Cameron, 7 and Jack France, 4, have been busy at work drawing pictures and writing well wishes to people in nursing homes around Massachusetts.
Their cousins Annabelle, 10 and Danika, 8 are also helping with the cause.
"I explained to them, 'These people in nursing homes are nervous to get this virus themselves.' Being able to draw those pictures and write those letters, it's the least we can do and it makes us feel good too," mom Vanessa France told "Good Morning America."
France, a hospice care worker, said her kids have mailed letters to dozens of homes locally.
"As long as we have more paper, we'll keep doing them," she said.
As the global COVID-19 pandemic continues to escalate, people are finding a creative way to stay positive: digging out their Christmas lights.
It might seem strange to see social media callouts for yuletide decorations halfway through March, but Twitter users are urging others to put lights up outside their homes as a sign of hope in this particularly dark time for so many.
My mom thinks people should start putting up Christmas lights in their windows to remind each other that there is still life & light while we #StayTheFHome.
— Michael 🎧 (@quickbear) March 16, 2020
I think she’s on to something.#DoingMyPartCO #CoronavirusUSA #LightsForLife pic.twitter.com/XHxDyORAcS
A friend just shared that an elderly neighbor came to her house and asked her husband to turn on the Christmas lights because there's so much darkness and scariness now. So, there are bright dancing Christmas lights now on in their neighborhood. #coronakindness
— Lisa St. Regis (@LisaStRegis) March 15, 2020
With school, work and virtually all public events canceled for an indefinite period, Mike Griffin and Lane Grindle thought putting lights up could be a safe social distancing activity to do with the kids.
My youngest son was bored today and said, "can we put Christmas lights on our tree outside to cheer us up?" Great idea buddy. Lights are on tonight as a sign of hope and the sweet mind of my 10 year old. #Rhodeisland #hope #lovemysons #Christmas #Cumberland pic.twitter.com/qhVjeuLc02
— Mike Griffin (@rhodyknowsbest) March 16, 2020
What if we all put our Christmas lights back up? Then we could get in the car and drive around and look at them. That seems like a fair social distancing activity.
— Lane Grindle (@lanegrindle) March 15, 2020
The hashtag "lightsforlife" has since gained traction online- with more and more users sharing pictures and videos of their decorations going up.
There are dark times ahead, but I can still put love & light out into the world.
— Sarah Bang (@DrBang_Wx) March 18, 2020
Some folks have mentioned putting up Christmas lights to cheer up people in quarantine, in isolation, or just to remind the world there’s still light & hope. Here’s my contribution💛#LightsForLife pic.twitter.com/S8Mx8bQ28I
#LightsForLife My living room fairy light wall ✨ pic.twitter.com/QdoBxteWwR
— Rudi the Reader Ⓥ 🧠 (@penru_tondi) March 17, 2020
Right when they’re needed most, volunteers and organizations are doing their part to help limit the elderly’s potential exposure to COVID-19.
Southern Grace Hospice, located just outside Atlanta, has seen a surge in community members offering up their time to get seniors the supplies they need.
"We want to make sure all our seniors are food secure for at least two weeks," said Yasna Grainger, community liaison for Southern Grace Hospice.
That help is coming in the form of parents, teachers and teens stopping by to drop off food, water and disinfecting supplies.
"Our patients really appreciate the community stepping up," Grainger said. "Please keep the donations coming."
As parents juggle working from home and helping kids with schoolwork now that schools are closed, #BetterTogether is uniting parents and educators on social media and helping many get through this time.
As an educator I must say that I'm really enjoying this partnership between teachers and parents! So many parents asking for homework and teaching strategies to make sure learning continues. Let's keep it going! 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 #BetterTogether #COVID19
— April Young 🇵🇦 (@MsYoung_Teaches) March 18, 2020
Reading + classical music = continuing their education; it just looks a bit different! #BetterTogether ❤️🇺🇸💙 pic.twitter.com/GADBZF7u8C
— Lyn (@Lyn_Mizanin) March 16, 2020
My kitchen island has become my classroom space for the next couple weeks. Let’s do this! 💪🏽 #bettertogether pic.twitter.com/u6TPMjHrbS
— Jaime Giordano (@jaime_giordano) March 16, 2020
Since the hashtag started online, many parents have shared photos and videos of working remotely with their kids and educators have also shared advice and tips for parents about how to navigate through online work.
When a nursing home in Stafford Springs, Connecticut, prevented people from visiting due to the coronavirus, Bob Shellard, 90, knew he had to do something special for his wife, Nancy, 88, who was a patient there, on their wedding anniversary.
So, Shellard spent three days making a sign for his wife out of red felt and glitter to make a heart, and wrote in the middle, "I've loved you 67 years and I still do. Happy Anniversary."
On the big day, Shellard stood outside the nursing home with his daughter, Laura, to surprise his wife, and when she saw, she smiled from ear to ear, blew kisses and told the staff she "felt like a queen."
"I tell my dad that she may not remember that we've been there, but it's the feeling we leave her with," Laura said. "It stays with her for the day."
A Virginia chef is stepping up as COVID-19 school closures and work reductions find many kids and their families missing out on free hot meals.
During the pandemic, David Gaus of Arlington, is reducing operations at Bayou Bakery. But with his extra time, Gaus is feeding community members in need.
"The one thing I know how to do right now is cook so it's like, 'What can I do?' If I can make a big pot of beans and feed some people, that's kind of at its core of what this is."
Gaus kicked off his initiative March 17. So far he's served 70 lunches with beans, rice and fresh fruit.
"The main reason for getting this started was literally to take care of my team and their kids," Gaus said. "They're part of this effected issue with the schools closing."
Gaus partnered with local community organizations like Real Food for Kids to plan and raise funds to fuel his operation.
"We need all the positive energy that we can [get] right now, so it's been amazing," Gaus told "GMA."
"When there's a crisis, people drop what they're doing and they just want to help," he said.
An elementary art teacher is bringing creative fun/a> to young students who are out of school during the coronavirus outbreak.
"I want to engage kids while they're sitting at home," Cassie Stephens, a teacher at Johnson Elementary School in Franklin, Tennessee, told "Good Morning America." "I want them to experience art for normalcy. We are all scared, and confused."
Over 30,000 tuned in Monday as Stephens demonstrated a robot art project for children via Instagram and Facebook Live.
Stephens has been teaching art for 21 years. When she learned Franklin Special School District would be closed until April 6, she found a way to make art classes accessible virtually.
"My email is flooded with thanks yous and kids holding up their art, and that means the world to me," Stephens said.
Over 200 people have signed up on Instagram to help run errands for those who can't leave their home due to coronavirus.
Emmalyn Sullivan, 26, from New York City, started the Instagram page called "Covid19_messengers" to enlist volunteers who are willing to run simple errands to help out those who can't leave their homes. Since she started the account four days ago, hundreds have signed up.
"I'm the kind of person that can't not help," Sullivan told "GMA." "I can't see a problem and not fix it, but this is such a hopeless, helpless situation. How are you supposed to attack an invisible thing that is affecting everyone?"
She added, "We've been live for three days and the amount that has been accomplished, the amount of help we've been able to provide -- I'm in awe."
The Metropolitan Opera's free nightly opera streams began on Monday evening with "Carmen" and became overloaded with "unprecedented demand." It was so popular that the traffic prevented some from participating online.
2/ We are doing everything we can to increase capacity and will provide specific instruction later today for how best to access upcoming streams. Please bear with us and stay healthy and safe.
— Metropolitan Opera (@MetOpera) March 17, 2020
The online stream of Bizet's "Carmen," which was conducted by Yannick Nezet-Seguin in 2010, is just the first of many "Nightly Met Opera Streams" during the Met Opera's coronavirus closure, where they'll be streaming a different opera for free through their Met Opera on Demand service, which is reachable through their homepage.
"We'd like to provide some grand opera solace to opera lovers in these extraordinarily difficult times," said Met General Manager Peter Gelb.
Other musical halls across globe like the Berlin State Opera and the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, home of the Philadelphia Orchestra, began streaming their performances too. Meanwhile, Met orchestra musicians are streaming their own performances at home.
#MusicConnectsUS 🎶 Raise your hand if you're ready for The @metopera #LIVEinHD broadcast of Carmen? Can't wait? Here's a little preview of some melodies you might hear. Yoon Kwon Costello performs selections from Sarasate's Carmen Fantasy. (Full performance on our website) pic.twitter.com/TCIliExOux
— METOrchMusicians (@METOrchestra) March 16, 2020
Up next tonight, the Met will be streaming "La Boheme," "Il Trovatore" comes Wednesday night, and on Thursday, "La Traviata."
A Massachusetts family sang "Happy Birthday" to their 100-year-old loved one outside a nursing home window Sunday.
Millie Erickson, a resident of Sterling Village in Sterling, Massachusetts, was greeted by a crowd of familiar faces to celebrate her becoming a centenarian while she's in quarantine.
The CDC says older adults are at higher risk for COVID-19, and health officials in several states have recommended the elderly stay home as the crisis continues.
"It was really nice that they let us do that," Gary Erickson told ABC affiliate WCVB-TV in Boston. "She doesn't usually cry, but she did."
Read the full story here.
Hundreds of local water companies and telephone and internet providers are promising to maintain service to customers who may not be able to pay all their bills during the COVID-19 pandemic response.
One hundred and thirteen local water systems and utilities serving 75 million Americans will not shut off water service to customers who can't pay their bills during the coronavirus crisis, according to data collected by the advocacy group Food and Water Watch.
The Federal Communications Commission also says 185 broadband and telephone providers have pledged to keep service available to customers who may not be able to pay bills during the COVID-19 pandemic response. Those providers, many of which are in rural areas, have also promised to make Wi-Fi hotspots available to anyone who needs them.
Three teachers at Yorktown High School in Arlington, Virginia decided they wanted to help the thousands of students who rely on free and reduced meals at school amid possible school closures over the coronivarus pandemic.
Laurie Vena, a chemistry teacher at Yorktown High, brainstormed with physics teachers Aaron Schuetz and Deborah Waldron.
Together the trio launched a GoFundMe account with the goal of raising enough money to give $100 grocery gift cards to each of the approximately 8,300 Arlington Public Schools students who receive free or reduced lunches.
Just two days after launching effort, the teachers have raised just over $37,000 of their $830,000 goal.
"This is what we want our community to be so we need to show our kids that this is who we are," Vena told "Good Morning America."
Arlington Public Schools, which has more than 28,000 students in total, announced school closures March 16.
During the nationwide quarantine, "Frozen" actor Josh Gad has been reading to fans on Twitter -- be they young or old -- each night since March 13.
"Since we're all stuck at home right now I figured we would have a little fun together," Gad said.
Gad, also known as the voice of the beloved character "Olaf," has read "Olivia Goes to Venice" by Ian Falconer, "The Day the Crayons Quit" by Drew Daywalt and "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein.
"I'll try to provide at least 10 minutes of day care to you and your families a night while we're going through this unprecedented global event," said Gad, a father of two.
"I love you all. I'm hoping you're all healthy and safe, wherever you are, and hopefully I will see you all very soon. Take care."
A Chick-Fil-A in Vancouver brightened the day of hospital workers at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center when they recently treated them to a free meal.
On March 14, Sable Phillippi was working a busy nursing shift and taking care of patients when around lunchtime, an announcement was made over the hospital's PA system that Chick-Fil-A would be providing free meals to show their appreciation.
Phillippi, 33, was shocked when she saw Chick-Fil-A staff bring in bags and boxes of hot food.
"There was just bag after bag and box after box," she told "GMA." "It's still helping me through the rest of my week."
Phillippi took to Instagram to thank the fast food restaurant for its act of kindness.
"I think as caregivers, we love helping people and we love taking care of people especially in critical times of need," Philippi said. "And we kind of forget to sometimes take care of ourselves, so this is something that I'll remember when I look back at this time."
Mom Tina, who shared Phillippi's post on Twitter, said she's grateful to Chick-Fil-A for taking care of her daughter.
She told "GMA," "It meant so much to everyone there and I just started crying. It's been such a stressful and emotional time."
Disneyland closed its doors starting March 14 as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths rose in the United States.
That same day, Disneyland Resort announced it'll donate all excess food to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County during the closure.
In a blog post Disney Parks wrote, "[W]hile closely following food safety guidelines, excess inventory of dairy, fruit, vegetables, packaged goods and banquet meals is being donated."
The Walt Disney Company is the parent company of ABC News and "Good Morning America."6
