Stormont Vail Health will hold a special event with support from the Greater Topeka Partnership on Memorial Day that will convey the resiliency the Topeka & Shawnee County community has demonstrated over the last year, and usher in a renewed optimism for the future. Let Resilience Ring will take place at Evergy Plaza at noon on Memorial Day, May 31, 2021. The ceremony will include speaking segments from Dr. Robert Kenagy, president and CEO of Stormont Vail Health, Curtis Sneden, president of the Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce, Topeka Mayor Michelle De La Isla and other community leaders. A moment of silence will be held at 12:20 p.m. during which community institutions (churches, schools, etc.) will be asked to chime bells for the duration of two minutes in recognition of the event. The community is invited to participate by chiming a bell, sounding a horn, playing a ringtone at the moment of solidarity from around the city.
“Stormont Vail is thrilled to collaborate with the Greater Topeka Partnership to help promote community health and wellbeing,” said Dr. Kenagy. “As we work to mitigate the virus spread and provide healthcare and a healing environment for those infected, it’s also important for the health of our community to reflect on the strides we’ve made to limit COVID-19, acknowledge where we are today, and add to the positive momentum to move forward together.”
“2020 was a defining era in our community’s history. Our foundations were tested, and we persevered. I am grateful that Stormont-Vail Health has developed this moment of healing and reflection for our residents,” said Michelle De La Isla, Mayor of Topeka. “I look forward to sharing this experience with others on Memorial Day. We will remember what we went through together, we will reflect on what we have learned, and we will embrace the new day that is dawning for us all in Topeka and Shawnee County. It’s time to grab a bell, Topeka, and let your resilience ring.”
“The Small Business Council appreciates the effort Stormont-Vail has put into creating this event,” said Dr. Amber Beckley-Jensen, chair of the Small Business Council. “We believe ‘Let Resilience Ring’ will be an important moment for our community to reflect, and a beautiful signal that now is the time to move forward and embrace a new summer of prosperity for our small businesses in Topeka and Shawnee County.”
“In the last 15 months, we’ve witnessed our community prove its resiliency and grit time and time again. We have seen it in the public and private sector, the small business community, and – without a doubt – we have seen monumental achievements that health care leaders have made for the sake of the greater Topeka & Shawnee County area,” said Matt Pivarnik, CEO, Greater Topeka Partnership. “We hope that the community will join us this Memorial Day to reflect on what we’ve been through in a new light and leave with a hopeful outlook for the days ahead.”
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If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Bob Ross at Bob.Ross@TopekaPartnership.com.