A Jacksonville Business owner is taking the Heart Hunters movement one step further, and challenging residents to cover the front of his building with hearts for charity.
According to multiple news sources, people all over the world are placing colorful hearts in their windows during stay at home and social distancing initiatives. The Heart Hunters Facebook page is one of several online sources dedicated to spreading the word on the movement.
Heart Hunters was started by a Galesburg Illinois resident with the intention of giving both children and adults a fun hunt while out taking walks during social distancing.
The page has been shared by many in the Jacksonville area, and hearts have been appearing on windows all over town.
Randy Springer, who owns the Goodtime Docs, and Fortunes complex on South Main Street got on board with the project, and issued a challenge to residents in the area in an effort to help the Jacksonville Food Bank.
Springer says that even with his business currently closed due to the governor’s order, he is still getting by and wanted to put his CARES Act stimulus check to good use by asking residents to pin hearts to the front of his building.
“As of right now, I am not hurting that bad so I wanted to help others with the stimulus check, and I could have just turned the check over to the food pantry, but that would have been done and forgotten the very next day, and no one would have seen that.
The reason I say that is because I think when you get more people involved, then that kind of sticks with them. So for example if I had 240 hearts on the front of my building, that means 240 people got involved, and then maybe when all of this is over, there are then 240 people out there that felt good about helping the community. So the next time something arises, hopefully there is then more people that are willing to help the community.”
Springer will donate $5.00 for every heart taped or stapled to the wood panel exterior of the Goodtime Docs building, up to the $1,200 amount of the CARES Act individual stimulus payment amount.
He is not new to promoting local charities through is businesses. Springer created and still organizes the annual Bar 2 Bar mini golf event each February in downtown Jacksonville, with the proceeds going to a different area charity each year.
Springer says that people can still have a spirit of being involved and of giving, even during social distancing.
“You feel good when you help people, and that’s why I am trying to get people involved. Because there really is no better feeling than helping someone else. If you can get people involved and they can feel that, then in my mind, I think it is a positive for the community.”
Springer says that someone from the Chicago area saw his Facebook post about the challenge, and has donated funds to go to the food bank, on top of the amount raised by the hearts.
To find out more information, and to see updated pictures of the heart collections, go to Goodtime Docs/Fortunes Facebook Page.