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University of Richmond officials have donated nearly 7,000 pairs of safety gloves to the Central Virginia All Hazards Incident Management Team for use by healthcare providers in need of supplies.
The school (like most others in the state) is closed to students, who are now taking classes remotely. Since science laboratories on campus are not being used, UR chemistry professor Mike Leopold hatched the idea to donate gloves that wouldn’t be needed this semester.
“I realized that in the transition to remote learning, we would have a number of boxes of gloves sitting around in our labs for months,” said Leopold. “I thought why not make great use of them now and help keep those on the front lines fighting this pandemic safe.”
Leopold initially took the supply from his own research lab to an emergency room nurse he knows because she had told him that they were running low. Leopold realized the broader opportunity, and after consulting with the administration at UR about donating more gloves, reached out to others.
The gesture spurred additional UR faculty to investigate their own supplies and has prompted healthcare workers to talk with other universities about this possible option.
“As I expected, the response from my colleagues was amazing and we are delighted to help assist in this small way. We hope it encourages others,” Leopold said.
