About

Origins

The initial idea for the site was proposed by Maciej Ceglowski. The idea resonated because — as is common in times of great tragedy — we are often bombarded with the names and images of those that have committed great atrocities. Meanwhile, the victims and the folks running into harms way to lend a helping hand are often footnotes at best.

Hopefully this project will make the names of these great people a little more well-known, and a little less likely to be forgotten.

The Helpers

In his now famous quote, Mr. Fred Rogers implored children — when frightened — to “look for the helpers.” As a sign that even in a troubled world, there are people out there that are willing to look danger square in the eyes and still work to help their fellow humans. Every person listed on this site is a “helper.” And for that, they deserve recognition.

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day, especially in times of ‘disaster,’ I remember my mother’s words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers—so many caring people in this world.”

— Mr. Rogers

Credits

Thank you to Maciej Ceglowski for creating and maintaining the Covid-19 Heroes Twitter account. Thank you to Jacques Fortier for creating an initial spreadsheet of the fallen heroes.