Pictured: Dennis Russell, United’s Education Manager wearing a donated face shield
Like most of us, Chris Robley has a loved one working on the frontline during the coronavirus pandemic. Chris’ brother-in-law is a nurse at Central Maine Medical Center’s emergency department, and when the pandemic spread to the United States, he told him about the rationing of PPE in the healthcare industry.
Chris and his wife, who reside in Lewiston, started researching the availability of PPE and discovered the many unknown variables in securing such supplies from overseas. Around the same time, a company called Disc Makers in New Jersey decided to convert their facility from making compact discs and vinyl records to producing face shields for healthcare workers.
“I know the folks at Disc Makers because they’re partnered with the company I work for, CD Baby, and I knew they’d be reliable and trustworthy with PPE orders. I asked my brother-in-law if those items would be helpful for frontline medical workers and he said absolutely,” Chris explained. So he ordered several cases of face shields knowing they would be manufactured in the US and delivered in a reasonable time.
To raise money, Chris performed an 8-hour livestream marathon concert on Facebook called “Solopalooza”, which can be seen using this link: https://www.facebook.com/ChrisRobleyMusic/videos/224161818862568/
Chris went past the 8 hour threshold for Facebook’s livestreaming and the final 15 minutes can be seen here: https://www.facebook.com/ChrisRobleyMusic/videos/222517619181556/
With the help of a matching donation from Chris’ employer CD Baby, he was able to raise more than $9,000, which they used to purchase the personal protective equipment for first responders in the community.
Chris stated that shields have been supplies to many places including “…CMMC’s distribution center for their network of clinics and hospitals, St. Mary’s Emergency Department, the Lewiston Police Department, and United Ambulance.”
Lewiston’s United Ambulance Service was given a generous donation of four (4) cases of face shields, totaling 576.
He also shipped a box to a facility in Illinois at the request of Peter Mulvey, a singer-songwriter who helped him promote the livestream, and whose annual 12-hour fundraiser concert was the inspiration for “Solopolooza”.
To learn more about Chris and his music and poetry, please visit chrisrobley.com.
For more information on United Ambulance Service, visit unitedambulance.com.