Hometown Hero: Dylan Mirvis, Hewlett

The pandemic has been a life-changing experience for me. The normal was no longer normal, and a new normal had to be made. It made me realize how quickly everything can change and how our world turned upside down in less than a month. 

I wanted to help my community in any way possible. A lot of places needed  [personal protective equipment] such as gloves, masks and face shields, but they didn’t have the funds to receive it. I founded MID Donations with two classmates. It is a charity which donates PPE to those in need. 
 
We received donations and purchased the equipment from Assure Distribution, a supplier of this equipment. We donated with State Sen. Todd Kaminsky to fire stations across the Five Towns. We worked with the Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez to donate to the court systems in Brooklyn. We also donated to the 61st Precinct and 4th Precinct. I wanted to help as many places as possible that were in need. We hope to continue to donate to places that are in need. 
 
The coronavirus pandemic showed me how quickly everything can be taken away from you and to always help people in anyway that you can. Unfortunately, I lost my great-uncle due to the pandemic. He lived in Russia, and my family couldn’t even attend his funeral; it had to be done virtually. He always helped everyone he could and taught me to do the same. Every time I donate, I will think of him and know he is proud of me.