RVs 4 MDs Created by Collin County Residents

When ER physician Jason Phillips became concerned that he might bring the coronavirus to his Celina home at the end of each workday, his wife immediately began seeking a solution. Emily Phillips took to Facebook on March 22 to ask if any friends or family knew of a potential housing solution for her husband. From there, she was connected to Prosper resident Holly Haggard through mutual friends, and by 5 p.m. that day, the Haggards had loaned an RV to the Phillips.

A couple days later, Emily and Holly created the RVs 4 MDs to Fight the Coronavirus Facebook group, thinking others might need the same service. Within days, people from all over the country began to comment, share and help connect first responders and healthcare professionals to owners of mobile homes they could temporarily shelter in to prevent possibly spreading the novel coronavirus to their families and homes.

The Facebook group now has over 29,000 members and continues to grow. Run entirely by volunteers, this effort is a “matching service,” meaning the housing solutions will be provided for no cost. RVs 4 MDs now matches donors and recipients of RVs throughout the United States, Canada, Australia and the United Arab Emirates.

“It doesn’t matter how you vote, or what your race, religion, or social status is – this is all about love and kindness. Complete strangers coming together, offering help to someone they’ve never met, and changing lives forever. I didn’t give it a second thought. We had my mom’s camper in the shop, so I checked with her first to make sure it was okay, and then contacted Emily to tell her she could use it for as long as she liked,” shared co-founder Holly Haggard, whose husband is a member of one of Plano’s founding families.

RVs 4 MDs will be continually connecting RV owners willing to donate their mobile accommodations to front-line medical workers and first responders who want to protect their families from the virus.

If you’d like to donate an RV or are a worker who would like to self-isolate by receiving one, join the Facebook group and complete this Google form. After your form is submitted, it will be reviewed by team members and the matching process will begin.

If you’d like to volunteer, contact Amber at amberb.rvsformds@gmail.com. If your company would like to form a partnership with RVs for MDs, contact LaRayne at rvs4mdspartnership@gmail.com.