Signs of our times

The Port City Photography delivery team will be happy to install a sign on your lawn to show support during the quarantine. Pictured are Shelbylyn and Robert Subia’s daughter, niece and nephew – the “marketing team” that has been helping the Subias deliver signs. Courtesy Shelbylyn Subia

To say that 2020 has been an unusual year would be an understatement. Sadly, high school seniors will not be attending the senior prom or graduating together as a class in the traditional manner. Healthcare workers and those in essential jobs are putting their health at risk on a daily basis. People are tired of being confined and miss socializing with their families and friends and many are anxious about what the economy will be like when this horrible virus is behind us.

But not everything these days is doom and gloom, and some rays of sunshine are popping up all over Windham. Shelbylyn and Robert Subia of Port City Photography have been producing lawn signs that show support for area students and others who are having a difficult time with the current quarantine or who are going above and beyond in the fight against the coronavirus.

It all came about when Shelbylyn was photographing Windham High School seniors for their yearbook and athlete photos. Some of the young athletes thought having lawn signs made would be a good way to recognize members of this year’s graduating class since typical activities were being canceled due to the virus. That led to the organizers of Project Graduation picking up on the idea and now they are purchasing lawn signs for every senior in the class of 2020. The Subias are providing these signs to Project Graduation at cost.

But the idea has not stopped here. Other people in the community have heard about the senior signs and now the Subias’ lawn signs are being seen all over town. Windham residents are buying signs in support of first responders, healthcare professionals and frontline workers. Others are buying signs to celebrate birthdays, eighth grade graduates, teachers and organizations – anyone who might benefit from a little positivity in these trying times.

If you would like to recognize someone and spread a little joy of your own, Shelbylyn will be happy to work with you in designing a sign that shares a positive sentiment with your neighbors, family and friends. There are both generic and custom signs available. You can either pick them up at Port City Photography at 23 Inland Farm Road or they can be delivered and installed on your lawn. The Subias’ daughter, Alejandra, and their niece and nephew, Emma and Logan, who are unable to be in school right now, are their delivery crew and marketing department and make delivery a lot of fun and very inspiring, Shelbylyn said. For more information, you can email Port City Photography at info@portcity-photography.com or call 317-1494.

Mask crusader

Windham resident and Windham Historical Society Secretary Karen Lougee has been busy at work making masks that she has been donating to her friends, family members, local hospitals and a local nursing home. It is a small gesture that goes a big way as we continue to go through these unprecedented times, making Lougee another one of Windham’s many quiet heroes in the fight against COVID-19.

Teen text support

Maine’s chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness has introduced a Teen Text Support Line for Maine youth ages 14-20. This helpline provides young people who are having trouble coping with the quarantine and the uncertainty of these times with a safe way to talk about their feelings with another young person who can relate to their situations. For more information, visit namimaine.com.

Haley Pal can be contacted at haleypal.aol.com.