High school seniors across New Jersey saw spring sports canceled, but are finding ways to give to the community, including in Hunterdon County.

As reigning Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex County champions, the Hunterdon Central girls’ lacrosse team was gearing up for another great year, and to learn the season was suspended was heartbreaking for senior Bella Almedia.

 

“So, I spent the first few days of my social distancing feeling as though my lacrosse season and senior year was stolen from me in the blink of an eye, but I knew that thinking that the social distancing thing was a bad thing was pretty selfish,” says Almedia.

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She thought about the health care workers risking their lives every day in the fight against coronavirus.

“They're putting their lives at risk day in and day out to keep our community safe and also the amount of time and work they are putting in and their supplies are diminishing rapidly, and it really broke my heart to see that,” says Almedia.

 

In response, she sketched a design and partnered with Sneakers Plus of Flemington to produce T-shirts that show the teens in quarantine are contributing too. She put the idea on social media and sold 250 shirts in the first three days.

“During these times, we turn to our communities and even our neighboring communities and far away communities and we all band together, that's why we ultimately decided to go with the logo on the shirt - socially distant, united for life,” says Almedia.

One hundred percent of the proceeds are going to local hospitals in Hunterdon and Bergen counties, and Almeida says the response has been incredible.