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The COVID Diaries

At the end of March 2020, the City & County of Denver asked its residents to stay home to flatten the COVID-19 curve. Along with many other organizations, the Denver Office of Storytelling scrambled to continue our work with community. Since one of our key principles is to capture yesterday and today for tomorrow, we asked residents to help us record history as it was happening by launching The COVID Diaries.

For a period of six weeks, we worked with residents including a graduating senior, a new father, a restaurateur and an ICU nurse to capture how Denverites have survived these unprecedented times. We documented city employees taking on new roles to help their communities. And we've celebrated essential personnel who show up to work each day with a calling to serve.

All the videos we captured are a testament to that work and to our resilient city and its residents.

A Single Mother's Battle With COVID-19

Single mother Josette Vigil thought she had a seasonal cold. Then she started to wheeze. Within days she was on a ventilator, fighting for her life with COVID-19. Her hope? That her story will encourage all of us to take the virus seriously.

A Model Way to Stay on Track During the Pandemic

As a travel writer, the stay at home order brought Rich Grant’s work to a complete halt. To deal with the boredom, he dusted off an old model train set he’s had for decades and set it up in his backyard.

COVID Necessity Inspires City’s First 24/7 Shelter for Women

In response to COVID-19, the City & County of Denver and area partners immediately transitioned the Denver Coliseum into an auxiliary shelter for women experiencing homelessness. There, women and trans individuals found a safe place to stay. The results surprised guests and service providers alike. See what they said about a model that could change how services are provided in the future.