In May 2018, Melissa Hudak, a Whitehall-Coplay School District parent and Whitehall High School alum, was talking with other district parents who were looking for a way to unite the community with the school. This led to Hudak creating the Facebook group Zephyr Families Unite!, which is open to Whitehall and Coplay families, community members and businesses.

She could not have known the scope of need for such community bonding in light of today’s stay-at-home order, the closing of schools and the cancellations of so many area events.

“When we were students at Whitehall-Coplay School District, everybody knew one another. You knew your neighbors, your community members, your police officers, your business owners, etc.,” Hudak said. “We wanted to bring that old-school feeling back, and we’re hopeful that with the help of social media, we could attempt to make that happen.”

Zephyr Families Unite! is not affiliated with WCSD. The page encourages community members to interact, not only virtually, but in person, by participating in community and school events, patronizing local businesses and helping those in need. Since COVID-19, there have been many posts on the page providing ideas for children’s activities, educational resources, updates from local businesses, uplifting and funny messages and even a tutorial on making face masks.

“The coronavirus has many of us feeling anxious, sad, lonely and fearful of what our future holds. It is really difficult to find a silver lining during this unusual time in our country. Now is the time our community needs everybody’s support the most,” Hudak said.

Hudak and Michelle Khouri, WCSD registrar and WHS alum, first met weeks before the COVID-19 outbreak and agreed they wanted to use the page to lift up the community during the crisis.

After Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf announced school would be closing, Hudak made Khouri the page’s second administrator, and they began to brainstorm ways to help keep people in good spirits.

“We immediately turned the page into a place of information, comfort and security during this unprecedented time,” Khouri said. “We have added over 500 new members to the page since the start of COVID-19 in our area.”

Hudak and Khouri decided to hold a virtual Easter egg hunt once the traditional Easter activities families look forward to every year were canceled. The Whitehall-Coplay Social Distancing Egg Hunt 2020 runs through April 11, and community members and businesses can print out free egg templates, decorate them and hang them in their front windows.

The templates are available in the events section of the Facebook page.

“The idea for the Social Distancing Egg Hunt was a joint idea between Michelle and I after searching online for ways to bring the community together during social distancing. Michelle and I joke all the time that I am the left side of the brain, and she’s the right. One of us throws out an idea, and the other runs with it and comes up with more ideas and suggestions based on the original thought. We just make a good team and have the same interests at heart,” Hudak said.

Hudak and Khouri also encourage the community to use colored chalk to decorate their sidewalks and driveways. Then, while abiding by Wolf’s mandate, immediate household members can get exercise by walking around their neighborhoods “hunting” for Easter eggs and chalk decorations.

“We, as a community, are one of the smallest in the Valley - small but mighty. Whitehall and Coplay historically have been known as hardworking, resilient and community-driven folk. We still are those people, but with technology and the hustle and bustle lifestyle a majority of us live, the core of who we are has been clouded,” Khouri said. “If anything, the current situation with the virus has peeled away the layers of the last 20 years, only to find that we are the same Zephyr tough community members, carrying on all the values those before us have put in place.”

Khouri said it warms her heart to see people joining together to help one another, and she hopes after the threat passes, this kind of solidarity will continue.

“My wish is that we take this a step forward and not backward (and) that we continue on this path so that when we return to normal, we continue to move forward with the sense of community we are rebuilding now so that our children and grandchildren have a place to always fondly call home,” Khouri said.

Though there is so much uncertainty surrounding people during this time, Hudak remains hopeful there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

“The more positive and calm we can all remain, the stronger we will get through this. We are one community, one family. We stand together. We are Zephyr tough!” Hudak said.