Ask any senior in Florida who has tried to get a COVID vaccine appointment, and they'll tell you it was difficult: between long lines, non-working phone numbers, and unanswered emails, it's been a hard process for them to navigate.
But a new grassroots effort on Facebook is bringing together volunteers and the seniors who need their help -- connecting them with vaccine appointments across South Florida.
The Facebook page is called South Florida COVID-19 Vaccination Info, and it is now approaching 10,000 members.
A couple in Broward County started the page at the beginning of the new year: nurse Katherine Quirk and her fiance, Russell Schwartz, who is a school principal.
"We want to help," Schwartz said.
"We are just compassionate," said Quirk.
The couple began sharing information about when various vaccination sites and phone numbers opened and gave advice for when seniors should call.
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Quirk said it's been beneficial to senior citizens and their family members because their page gathers information from vaccination sites all across South Florida, and puts it all in one centralized location so people don't need to scour the internet for information.
The group started to grow, and the couple got messages from people asking how they could help the effort.
Now, they have identified 30 volunteers that work with seniors directly to call on their behalf and navigate the system.
One of those volunteers is Stacy Holcroft of Palm Beach County -- a cancer survivor CBS12 News profiled as she recently got her COVID-19 vaccine. Now, she is paying it forward by helping others make appointments.
Some days she spends hours on the phone, dialing and redialing hotlines. A successful day is getting 14 senior citizens signed up for vaccines.
One of the seniors Holcroft recently helped is Barbara Parke, who is a snowbird living in Vero Beach.
Parke, 70, was having a hard time getting through to the local vaccination hotline -- and was close to giving up. Then she discovered this COVID vaccine Facebook group, connected with Holcroft, and not long after had a vaccine appointment in Miami.
"It's mind-boggling," Parke said, reflecting on the help she received from a stranger online. "Whoever this group is, they all deserve the medal of honor."