The Review Magazine May / June 2021

“ Over the past year, Zeeland has consistently introduced morale-boosting activities and programs for the community. ”

Creating Resources to Bring Citizens Together In the early days of the COVID-19 shutdowns, when without warning, everyone—even schoolkids—had to rely on Zoom meetings and social media as a way to connect, the city created tools to help Zeelanders feel like they were able to visit some of their favorite places. Custom web meeting backgrounds that can be uploaded to Zoom, or other platforms, and used during virtual meetings were created. The variety of backgrounds included individual pictures of all Zeeland school buildings; city parks—including the splash pad; library; and a downtown streetscape. The city also created a HEAL THE ZEEL heart-shaped frame for Facebook profile pictures as well as HEAL THE ZEEL and downtown inspired downloadable coloring pages. All of these digital tools are available at www.cityofzeeland.com/lovelocal. By last summer, as Executive Orders changed in response to new information about the pandemic, and some categories of businesses began to reopen,

BE SAFE: DO YOUR PART TO WASH, SANITIZE, AND MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCING, AS RECOMMENDED. BE KIND: CARE FOR FRIENDS, NEIGHBORS, AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS. BE PATIENT: RESPECT THAT OTHERS MAY HAVE DIFFERENT LEVELS OF COMFORT FOR RE-ENTRY.

Brand Comfort Increases Local Commitment One year later and the City of Zeeland is still actively using the HEAL THE ZEEL brand. Community members and businesses have found comfort in participating in the campaign and increasing local commitment. Originally, the city’s intent for the new tagline was to encourage Zeelanders to support and care for one

Zeeland created resources to help keep the community safe. HEAL THE ZEEL face masks and buffs were designed and sold at city hall and online at www.cityofzeeland. com/zeelgear. Signs were provided

another while in the thick of the Stay at Home Order, but what

was learned is that it’s equally as important to support and care for one another, and local

to local businesses, stating the requirement for customers to wear a mask upon entry and travel sized, branded hand sanitizer was passed out to customers. Be Generous, Safe, Kind, and Patient As foot traffic began to increase on Main Street, the city installed a temporary public art initiative to

businesses, as routines begin to return to normal. The City of Zeeland continues to build upon its community spirit and is hopeful that when Zeelanders reflect back on this time, although there may be hard memories around loss, that there will be good memories as well; warm thoughts about how it felt to be part of the Zeeland

broaden the HEAL THE ZEEL movement. This interactive exhibit, located on a major downtown corner, took the shape of a wall made up of red and white campaign-style buttons. Half of the buttons promoted the message HEAL THE ZEEL and the other half proudly displayed a red heart with the city’s signature Z! in the center. The button board exhibit invited the public to wear a button to show support for the Zeeland community and work together to rebuild during this pandemic. To do that, HEAL THE ZEEL button supporters were asked to: Be Generous: shop, dine, and do business locally—now, more than ever!

community during this season.

Abby deRoo is the marketing director for the City of Zeeland. You may contact her at 616.748.5906 or aderoo@cityofzeeland.com.

22 THE REVIEW

MAY / JUNE 2021