Carl McKinney is another one of the CanVaxx team members who found a way to leave his mark on our community. He is the oldest member on the team and struggles with mobility issues, but he hasn’t allowed that to keep him down when it comes to helping people in the community and contributing to the team. At the beginning of the project, he struggled to keep up with everyone else and find his place among the others of the CanVaxx team, something that affected him mentally as well. One of the leaders of the project, Dustin Hare, helped Carl figure out a way he could contribute. He suggested Carl use his drawing and artist capabilities along with his welcoming energy to get people’s attention and gain their feedback on COVID-19 and the information they’re receiving. This opportunity to help in some way gave Carl a renewed sense of purpose. He bought the necessary supplies and showed the team his passion and determination to help the people of WyCo.
Throughout the CanVaxx project, Carl has gone to different bus stops in our community, offering to draw people’s faces if they answer a questionnaire he created. He takes pictures of them with the drawing he makes and allows them to keep it if they want to. Though this may seem small and simple, Carl has helped make a great impact through doing this and speaking with people in our community.
A Unique Way to Connect
Carl used to be a pastor, and several years ago he did a volunteering project where he sat at a bus stop in the middle of Kansas City, MO and drew people’s faces while having a conversation with them. Fortunately, he was able to translate this to the work he does for the CanVaxx project. He goes to a variety of bus stops all over Wyandotte and sits under a tent with his supplies, waiting for people to pass by.
His setup has intrigued countless people, either waiting for their bus or getting off the bus, to stop by and ask what he is doing. From the start, it wasn’t long before people began talking about Carl to the people in their life and spreading the word on the work he has been doing for the community. After a while, people began to recognize him, and many people look for him at bus stops in hopes of getting their picture drawn and sharing what they have to say. People even drive by and mention that they’ve heard about him and what he’s doing. Carl has used their responses to the questionnaire and the things he observed during his encounters within his feedback reports, allowing the team to expand on and evaluate what the community thinks about the virus, the vaccines, and everything in between.
Building Trust with the Community
Carl quickly became a trusted face in the community as more and more people heard about him and interacted with him. People have been very open and honest with their responses to the questions, even sharing more than just their answers. They all have stories to share and they’re just looking for someone to listen, and that’s what Carl gives to them. There are many people that share personal stories and experiences with him, from spousal abuse to dealing with grief from lost loves and more. When he realized that people trusted him so much, Carl began writing down more than just their answers to the questions and his observations.
The entire experience has been very impactful, not just for the community and the people that he has interacted with but for Carl as well. He has been able to meet so many types of people, gain their feedback on the virus and vaccines, hear their personal stories, and draw them, something many of them have never had. When he draws people, he draws their spirit that he can see in their eyes. Some people don’t like their pictures because they don’t like seeing that spirit shown back to them. A few women cried once they received their drawing because they never had something like that done and it made them feel good.
Not only has Carl gained feedback from the community on their thoughts on COVID, he has also gained their trust as well as he has given people something to remember him and what he is doing. This has provided insight for CanVaxx and CHC to utilize and figure out how to share proper information and available resources better in WyCo. What Carl has done in our community is something that has encouraged people to get tested, get the vaccine, or just do more research just from their experience with someone they could trust and speak freely with.