It’s been nearly two months since community advocate Dan Kroffat reached out to 28 local seniors to discuss in confidence their fears over the COVID-19 outbreak.

Much has changed since. In his followup this week, there was a growing confidence in how we are getting through this together in Cochrane.

“It took me a week to talk to them, and I’m happy to report that I’ve spoke to all the same seniors again and each and every one of them has been fine.”

“There’s a sense of optimism out there; there’s a sense of hope.”

Those initial discussions became the basis of what has become the most view installment of Mayor Jeff Genung’s series of videos during the pandemic, receiving over 8,300 views.

“Many of the seniors I talked to were very fearful. We all talked about our concerns because we knew we fall into the highest percentage of the most vulnerable to survive this virus.”

Turning 75 this June, Kroffat is among those with underlining health conditions that make him particularly susceptible.

So what do they say, two months later?

“We all feel that it’s time to express our gratitude. I want to say on behalf of the seniors I’ve spoken to and myself included, we are grateful for what the people of Cochrane have done to protect us,” says Kroffat.

“I think the future is optimistic for us, and we just need to go a little bit further and I think we’re all going to come out of this.”