Easter was different this year. Everything was different this year. Antelope Valley residents, including the staff at AVEK, went to sleep one night and woke up the next morning learning the world changed – drastically. City parks weren’t filled with children searching for Easter eggs for the first time in decades, possibly the first time ever.

Everyone learned about a virus and the stay-at-home orders that would quickly change life as we know it on this planet. Schools closed their doors as did churches and doctors’ offices. Many businesses shut down, in hopes of rebounding once the shelter-at-home mandates lifted. Toilet paper and food vanished from supermarket shelves. Most people worked remotely from home, if possible, trying to maintain the six feet of distance recommended.

Essential employees were allowed to continue in their workspaces. What’s more essential than water? Without that natural resource, life ceases to exist. As always, AVEK employees proved to be real troopers, despite all the hardships and obstacles they faced.

What guided them? They went beyond dedication, knowing the public counted on them and couldn’t function without water. As the saying states, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going.” You showed your resilience – your readiness to put the needs of others ahead of yourself. If that’s not team spirit, what is? You didn’t simply do your duty. You went above and beyond. Your continued dedication during this pandemic has been critical to the health, safety and well being of the countless communities AVEK serves.