Welland Museum wants to bring the Rose City together during the COVID-19 pandemic with uplifting, positive and feel-good stories through its All Welland Good Neighbour project.

"It's an outreach to the community to share positivity and give thanks to those around us who have helped through this difficult and weird time," said assistant curator Tami Nail.

Nail said the museum wants to promote how Welland comes together to help each other and re-enforce that the community is All Welland Good, which is its trademark motto.

"We wanted to emphasize the motto and remind our community that we live in a wonderful city. We know that this time is scary, isolating and confusing and wanted a positive outlet for the community."

Nail said the museum wants the project to be one to which people can turn for good stories, share their ways on how to stay positive, happy and healthy, and also a place they can recognize someone who has been a good neighbour or community member.

The project is also a way for the museum to collect and gather COVID-19 related items to preserve the significance of this time in history

"These stories, pictures, videos, etc. will become a part of the collection. It will be an interesting collection of present history, not something we usually focus on at the museum. It's a unique opportunity to consciously collect and preserve first-hand accounts, memories, and feelings as they happen, rather than searching for these things years down the line."

Nail said the plan is to one day create an exhibit to display all these items.

"However, I don't think it will be right away, as the community - and the rest of the world - will need time to settle back into a normal routine and to not be reminded of what we just went through while we all readjust and heal."

She said submissions will be shared on May 5 for Giving Tuesday Now, a global day of giving and unity to the unprecedented need caused by COVID-19.

Giving Tuesday Now emphasizes opportunities to give back to communities and causes in safe ways that allow for social connection and kindness even while practising physical distancing.

"Giving Tuesday Now, aligned exactly with what the Welland museum is trying to promote with the All Welland Good Neighbour campaign. We thought our project was an excellent way to promote this campaign and to make people aware of other ways to feel good and stay positive during this time."

Welland Museum board president Greg D'Amico said the All Welland Good Neighbour campaign is a way to keep the museum engaged with the community during the pandemic.

Community engagement is one of the key aspects of the museum's mandate. The museum operates as a separate entity from the City of Welland and as a not-for-profit charity.

D'Amico said the museum board made a conscious decision to keep the four full-time staff working and the campaign came as a result.

"We had to layoff two part-time staff and two who were here on grants. It's sad, but we had to do it."

He said the campaign is a way to archive what's happening in Welland during the pandemic.

Unsure whether he'd take part - he felt it might be slightly unfair as board president but was going to check with museum staff - D'Amico spoke of someone in his neighbourhood dropping off hand-sewn masks with instructions on how to use them.

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That's one example of stories the museum will be looking for from residents.

D'Amico said the museum has been building itself as a destination in the Rose City over the past decade and the decision to keep staff employed is a way to ensure the momentum is not lost when the pandemic is over.

Submissions to the project can come in any format that they can send via email - pictures, written stories, videos - to tami@wellandmuseum.ca.