Dozens of Lake Como residents have hung up banners of encouragement outside of their homes to brighten their neighborhood during the coronavirus pandemic.

Lake Como resident and Sea Girt Elementary School teacher Stephanie O’Donnell came up with the effort. She says that within two hours, banners were hung up all over the neighborhood.

“Through virtual learning and Google Classroom, we tried to come up with some great ideas. We decided to come up with some great ideas about what we can do within our own community and we came up with the idea to hang banners from our porches,” she says.

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O’Donnell says that Belmar Elementary School is also trying to encourage families in that town to take part in the effort. She says that a good friend in Brick Township is also starting a similar cause.

“Most of us on this block have children and I think now this is a very troubling time for our kids to understand what’s going on. Sending out some positive messages and having our children involved in doing positive things is a big plus all the way around,” she says.

Schools across New Jersey have been closed for over a week due to the virus. All New Jersey residents are also being urged to stay in their homes and to avoid gathering with friends and neighbors.