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18 months later, Woodford County woman rings bell each day for COVID-19

Woodford Co. Bell Ringer.JPG
Posted at 1:09 PM, Sep 14, 2021
and last updated 2021-09-15 13:26:41-04

WOODFORD COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — Far away from hospital walls where patients are fighting COVID-19, a bell tolls for them in the small Woodford County community of Troy on Peggy Carter Seal's porch.

"I am a good old Woodford Countian. Always lived on the southern end. I grew up in Nonesuch which is God's country, as is Troy," Peggy Carter Seal said.

She started last March, answering the call from Governor Andy Beshear to ring church bells each day at 10:00 a.m. Back then, she would drive down the road to her church.

"You would be surprised at the number of people that would call asking me to say a prayer while I ring the bell. Somehow it took on a significance that a prayer at home just couldn't," Carter Seal said.

When the weather got bad, she brought the bell ringing to her porch, and that's where it continues. Along with peace and prayer, the bell ringing has helped Peggy, too. She is a very social person and through this small act, she has felt less isolated.

Carter Seal said, "That's why the pandemic hit me very hard because I'm used to going all the time. I'm involved in a lot of volunteer work, a lot of social activities and to think I was going to be home at the cabin by myself most of the time."

Peggy Carter Seal is proud she has been able to do this service for herself and others, and she said she will continue it until cases seem to really wane. She urges others to get vaccinated and wear masks in hopes the bell ringing, like these unprecedented times, will soon come to an end.

"It's just a way for me to stay connected and feel like I'm doing a small part in this pandemic."