WELLINGTON, Fla. — During the pandemic, countless Palm Beach County nurses have suited up and cared for COVID-19 patients. Now an entire school is showing appreciation and it started with an idea in a classroom.
Mirla Peralta is a registered nurse at JFK Medical Center. She cared for the father of Azariah Collazo, who is a seventh-grade student at Renaissance Charter School at Wellington.
Callazo's father was hospitalized for two weeks last year at JFK Medical Center after contracting COVID-19.
Peralta was invited to the school to get a personalized "thank you."
When she entered Joe Camino's civics classroom, she was met with applause and Collazo's expression of gratitude.
"Thank you for saving my father's life from COVID-19," said Azariah. "You are a hero in my eyes."
Peralta isn't the only one receiving thanks.
Hundreds of letters and cards were made by the entire student body to deliver to nurses and patients at JFK Hospital, Wellington Regional Medical Center, Palms West Hospital, the VA Medical Center in West Palm Beach and area nursing homes.
"I hope that when we hand over all the letters, they would just jump with joy and just enjoy this with peace, to know that people really think about them," said Collazo.
After receiving her handwritten note and flowers, Peralta said, "Regardless of anything, we are here to do a job, and it feels amazing to know that everything we do is appreciated."
The "thank you" project at Renaissance Charter School at Wellington was originally Camino's idea.
The idea quickly grew from just his classroom to the entire school making handwritten thank you cards and letters.
"It just kind of exploded with this act of kindness and boy does the world need that right now," said Camino.