b'andthevirusitself,been to connect with them from over but also the economica thousand miles away. I download-and financial collapseed all the delivery apps for food, and forsomanyofourIstartedjustsendingthemstuff,as families.Iveactuallymuch as humanly possible, she says. loanedsomepeopleAndjustkeepingthatopenlineof money,ofthelittlecommunicationwiththemhasbeen thatIhave,becausereally important for me.everybody has some- However, Collums greatest concern thingtheycansharewas making sure her parents were taking withotherswhoarethe pandemic seriously. As much as my in a worse situation. parents love me, they have their own lo-Calling the lovedcal government and they have their own Collum and McGehee benefited from collaborating withonesornextofkingovernor[RonDeSantis]inthestate one another. For instance, Collum shared this design forofourcommunityof Florida. It was important for me to face coverings signage that could be used in both towns. members who passedcommunicate to them that I thought awaywasdifficult,that their governor was a tool and that adds McGehee. What do you say to someone who just lost their mom or theirpeople would die under his leadership dad? Theyre grieving so much and they need to feel your comfort. After thoseand begging them to stay at home and phone calls, I had to take some time for myself. Theres one week where we hadnot leave, she says. [Gov. DeSantis] seven or eight residents pass away. And that was hard.just hard to make twowas saying absurd things such as kids calls in a day. Their reaction and emotions are transferable to me. I absorbedcant contract this and its not that bad, their pain and it hurt a lot. this is a hoax, etc. And so its very toughphase of the pandemic? Both continue And of course, both leaders have been challenged to manage their own fami- because they watch the news and theytoprioritizeprovidingtransparency lies while focusing on others. I want to thank both my wife Marie, and mysee their leaders sending a very differentto the community and policies based daughter, Madisonand my dog Sunshine, too. Theyve been very understand- message than what their daughter whoson data. And they believe the best ap-ing, says McGehee. I never let them absorb things that I absorbed. Ive keptup in New Jersey is trying to communi- proach is harnessing each others par-it on a need-to-know basis and I think that was helpful so that we can still havecate to them about the virus. ticular strengths.a somewhat normal household. SowhatcollectivevisiondoCol- I think its great to collaborate with Because Collums parents live in Port St. Lucie, Florida, her challenge haslum and McGehee share for the nextSheena. Its having a conversation with Explore Pingry.anywhere.Experience Pingry from wherever you are with a virtual visit, and discover the possibilities.visitpingry.orgShort Hills Campus | Lower School K-5Basking Ridge Campus | Middle & Upper Schools 6-1224/ matters magazine / school 2020'