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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><img width="191" height="61" style="width:1.9861in;height:.6388in" id="Picture_x0020_2" src="cid:image001.jpg@01D61D59.A3A961D0"></span><span class="normaltextrun"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">
</span></span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><img width="211" height="61" style="width:2.2013in;height:.6388in" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image002.jpg@01D61D59.A3A961D0"></span><span class="normaltextrun"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
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<span class="normaltextrun"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p>
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<span class="normaltextrun"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p>
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<span class="normaltextrun"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Monday, April 27</span></span><span class="normaltextrun"><sup><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">th</span></sup></span><span class="normaltextrun"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">,
2020</span></span><span class="eop"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;vertical-align:baseline">
<span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<span class="normaltextrun"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Nanaimo Museum & Nanaimo Archives</span></span><span class="eop"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span class="eop"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> </span></span><span class="normaltextrun"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p>
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<span class="normaltextrun"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Joint project to collect Nanaimo’s COVID-19 Stories Launched</span></b></span><span class="eop"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> </span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span class="eop"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span class="normaltextrun"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Nanaimo – The Nanaimo Museum and Nanaimo Community Archives are partnering on a large-scale project to collect Nanaimo’s COVID-19 history. The project will unfold
in phases to collect stories from our community through an online questionnaire, photos, artifacts, and interviews.</span></span><span class="eop"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> </span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
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<span class="normaltextrun"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">During this unprecedented time, both organizations felt a responsibility to document local history for the future. “There is considerable urgency to record
and preserve what's going on in Nanaimo right now. This is our chance to capture how Nanaimoites are responding and adapting to a global crisis as it is unfolding,” says Christine </span></span><span class="spellingerror"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Muetzner</span></span><span class="normaltextrun"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">,
Manager of the Nanaimo Community Archives. “We are proud to partner with the Nanaimo Museum on what may be the most important material we, as organizations, ever collect.”</span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;vertical-align:baseline">
<span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<span class="normaltextrun"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">The project is an open invitation for citizens of Nanaimo and the surrounding area to contribute their thoughts and reflections while history is being made. Although
both organizations are closed to the public at this time, staff are working behind the scenes and encourage people to send stories, photos and even ideas for potential artifacts thought the web portal system. The stories and objects collected will be kept
as archival records & artifacts, which could potentially be used in future exhibitions and as primary research material for future generations. </span></span><span class="eop"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;vertical-align:baseline">
<span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;vertical-align:baseline">
<span class="normaltextrun"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Collection is expected to continue even after the immediate crisis is over as people process the impact of this global event in their own lives. “Everyone’s
lives have been impacted in some way due to COVID-19 or the public health restrictions. The COVID-19 health situation is a significant historical event and it is important to document Nanaimo’s response during these challenging times,” notes Aimee Greenaway,
Curator at the Nanaimo Museum, “especially the way community members reacted, adapted and the ways we supported each other.”</span></span><span class="eop"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> </span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;vertical-align:baseline">
<span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;vertical-align:baseline">
<span class="normaltextrun"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">If you or anyone you know would like to add your voice to this story, you can contribute your stories, photos, thoughts and more through the collection portal
on the museum’s website at </span></span><a href="http://nanaimomuseum.ca/covid-19-project/"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">http://nanaimomuseum.ca/covid-19-project/</span></a><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;vertical-align:baseline">
<span class="normaltextrun"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;vertical-align:baseline">
<span class="normaltextrun"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">For more information about the Nanaimo Museum and Nanaimo Archives as well as updates about this project and our other activities, please follow us on social
media @NanaimoMuseum and @NanaimoArchives. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" align="center" style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:center;vertical-align:baseline">
<span class="normaltextrun"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" align="center" style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:center;vertical-align:baseline">
<span class="normaltextrun"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">-30-</span></span><span class="eop"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> </span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span class="eop"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;vertical-align:baseline">
<span class="normaltextrun"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Media Contacts:</span></span><span class="eop"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;vertical-align:baseline">
<span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;vertical-align:baseline">
<span class="normaltextrun"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Sophia Maher</span></span><span class="eop"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;vertical-align:baseline">
<span class="normaltextrun"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">General Manager, Nanaimo Museum</span></span><span class="eop"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;vertical-align:baseline">
<a href="mailto:manager@nanaimomuseum.ca"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">manager@nanaimomuseum.ca</span></a><span class="eop"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;vertical-align:baseline">
<span class="eop"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;vertical-align:baseline">
<span class="normaltextrun"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Christine </span></span><span class="spellingerror"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Meutzner</span></span><span class="eop"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;vertical-align:baseline">
<span class="normaltextrun"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Manager, Nanaimo Community Archives</span></span><span class="eop"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="mailto:nanaimoarchives@gmail.com">nanaimoarchives@gmail.com</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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