Verheyden, Cindy (Round Rock New Neighbors)

"Round Rock New Neighbors is excited to submit a slideshow review of the year 2020 at RRNN. Our social club of mostly retired ladies from Round Rock and surround communities is a vibrant organization that offers many activities including a monthly luncheon [September through May], large coffee gatherings and a number of interest groups offering games and other activities. The organization was established in 1978. While the year 2020 started out just like any year does, our club – like the rest of our world – had to adapt to a serious situation [COVID-19] that suddenly halted all our plans and activities beginning in March, after our regular luncheon. The slideshow submitted, Auld Lang Syne, shows how our organization and its sub-groups found ways to continue our social connections and maintain our distance. Smaller gatherings, outdoor activities and video meetings became the “new normal”. We had to wear masks rather than name tags. And we had to check on each other to make sure everyone was doing all right. Our weekly news digest became our lifeline, providing reports on members’ health, messages from our president, updates telling how we continued to provide support to our communities, and photos of our activities from 2019 – reminders of the fun we “used to have”. Auld Lang Syne was included in the last news digest as a review of 2020 and all the sacrifices the year demanded."