A swimmer in The Villages has donated 200 pairs of goggles to help protect hospital workers from COVID-19.
Julia Hayes, who has lived for six years in the Village of Pinellas, had a dream three weeks ago that she “couldn’t shake.”
The dream proved to be a wakeup call and helped her realize that swimmers’ goggles could double as protective eyewear for healthcare workers.
“Due to many thousands of swimmers who protect our eyes with secure fitting eye goggles, I reached out, and long story short, was able to obtain 200 in packaging, goggles from the United States Masters Swimming association. I then gave them to our Villages Hospital,” said Hayes, who began training at age 3 with a U.S. Olympic team coach and is a member of The Villages Aquatic Swim Team.
Lou Emmert, volunteer coordinator for the UF Health The Villages Hospital Auxiliary Foundation, was grateful for the gift.
“Our staff is working tirelessly to ensure that patients are safe and cared for while simultaneously anticipating and preparing for what’s next,” Emmert said.