Example Submission

“All Creatures Big and Small”

A few months before the Covid-19 lockdown, my friend who knows how much of an animal lover I am, gave me this stuffed elephant from the World Wildlife Fund as a Christmas gift. This little elephant would represent a generous contribution my friend made in my name to help conservation efforts of the African Elephant. Ellie, as I would come to call her, would not know how much she would help me during the first few months of this unpredictable and life-changing year. Every night, Ellie and I would doze off after what seemed like another day repeating itself. Almost like we were living in the movie Groundhog Day, and time had no meaning anymore. Every morning, I would wake up to what seemed like a plethora of bad news to which I developed an insurmountable fear of the unknown. As time passed and things started to look a bit brighter in the fall of 2020, Ellie still provided so much comfort and a reminder that with hope and unity, we could defeat this season of never-ending chaos. Flash-forward to a year later, Ellie is still my little bedtime companion as she is a reminder that our city and our world can overcome, come together, and defeat the virus.

Gaby Penaherrera

Marketing and Communications Coordinator,  Manny Cantor Center