As part of our research into COVID-19 and how it affects people here in Addison County, our Middlebury College biochemistry class sought interviews with local people on the topic.
Joelle Logan is a resident of Addison County who works for Project Independence, a program at Elderly Services Inc. that supports and builds community for elderly individuals in this area. In her interview, Logan talks about how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected her family and her work at Project Independence.
Both Logan and her husband have jobs that require community outreach. With her husband teaching cooking classes in Burlington at the Chittenden County Food Shelf, and herself working for Project Independence in Middlebury, both of their work lives have been significantly altered due to the pandemic.
However, Joelle and her husband have been able to adapt and continue to help their community in any way they can.
Project Independence’s role is to help elderly individuals “go out and do something!” The organization believes that these social interactions and experiences are a crucial part of the older generations’ day, as they can provide independence, freedom, and purpose.
However, particularly in light of the high COVID-19 risks for this age group, adapting to the pandemic has been critical. Despite many challenges, Project Independence is maintaining four events each day in a safe, healthy way. How so, you may ask? Zoom!
In her interview, Logan talks about how Project Independence has worked to reach out to its members, get them online, keep them safe, and monitor their wellbeing to the best of their ability given the circumstances.
Although this pandemic has altered a lot about how Project Independence functions in the community, workers at Project have figured out how to make it work. Addison County’s older residents are that much safer and connected because of people like Joelle Logan and the work they have done throughout the pandemic.

Watch the full Joelle Logan video by clicking here.