NANAIMO -- Natasha James of Nanaimo has created a Facebook group to get people to place hearts in their windows in a show of solidarity in this time of self-isolation and social distancing.

Since it was created on Friday, the Hearts in the Window group has blossomed from 30 people to a staggering 35,000 and counting.

“I think it’s unbelievable,” says James. “It’s just a really beautiful thing that we can come all together at a time of stress and find something in common.”

The Hearts in the Window movement has reached people around the world.

“I’m getting people from Europe, Australia, United States, Mexico,” says James. “We’ve got people from everywhere who are coming together.”

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One of her goals is to get seniors that are stuck in homes, as well as patients that are sick in hospitals, involved in the movement. 

“I can’t imagine how isolated they feel right now,” says James. “We want them to know, that we are thinking of them and they are thinking of us.”

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Another goal is to show support for health-care workers on the frontlines in fighting the novel coronavirus. “To show they all matter and they’re all out there and doing there jobs for us,” James adds.

She’s encouraging people not to just put paper hearts in their windows but also hang them on their trees, draw hearts on sidewalks and put hearts in car windows.

“We are the same, we are all going through this together and we all need help and we all need support.”

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