Week 1 in the Books

With the first week of school behind me, I must admit, I feel equal parts energised and overwhelmed. Having spent my summer in the States (the Hamptons, to be more precise), where I worked as a surfing instructor at Main Beach Surf Camp, I returned to Harrow sun-kissed and socialised—yet eager, too, to resume life among my mates and the other members of the Harrow community. 

But while it has felt great to be back in on the Hill among those very mates and the beloved and beautiful landscape, little else is as it used to be—social-distancing practices and the wearing of masks in all public places have made the familiar feel suddenly foreign. More specifically, this has meant, for example, that all sports fixtures have been cancelled and that we are prohibited from visiting each other’s dorm rooms—aspects of life at Harrow that are as integral to the experience and lifestyle as are our courses of study.

However, each time I begin feeling sorry for myself amid this strange, new world and its circumstances, I remind myself that I have it very much easy compared to countless others in our local community who have suffered (and who continue to suffer) the negative health-related and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

A chance to re-gain my bearings, this past week was thus also an opportunity to re-ignite my personal outreach to the various local not-for-profits doing the noble work our Harrow community so desperately needs right now. To that end, I’ve established contact with several local organisations so that I might better serve the vital needs of our local community. I have called this personal yet community-minded project Harrow Helps Harrow.

In the coming weeks, I will be posting to this blog-forum in order to advocate for and report on these different organisations, illustrating how they have served our community in the age of COVID and how we might support, engage with, and celebrate them for the important and timely work they are doing.

Be on the lookout, then, for posts about such organisations as FirmFoundation, Harrow Carers, and Harrow East PCN, whose truly heroic efforts are a great reassurance in these challenging times and who make us proud to call ourselves members of this greater community.

We here at Harrow Helps Harrow appreciate your support and look forward to hearing from and fighting for the greater good of our community alongside you.