Necessity is the mother of invention.

That's how a team of more than 20 college students from across the United States arrived at the idea for Corona Connects, a free online platform connecting volunteers with opportunities in the community.

“This is certainly a tough time,” said Sherry Lynn, a Butler County resident and businesswoman. “(Corona Connects) has done really well.”

Lynn's daughter, Megan Kyne, is partly responsible for the launch of coronaconnects.org.

When Kyne and her peers were forced into a virtual education this spring because of the pandemic, they found themselves with spare time and a desire to volunteer.

The problem was finding ways to do it.

“When I started looking for opportunities to do so, I was lost,” said Kyne, who graduated this year from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. “I felt like I couldn't easily find a way to meaningfully volunteer.”

A Butler native, Kyne became involved with launching Corona Connects after seeing a post by University of Pennsylvania classmate Hadassah Raskas.

Raskas co-founded Corona Connects with University of Maryland student Elana Sichel. Kyne said at the time she encountered their project, it was a spreadsheet circulating on social media.

“I knew that I had to get involved,” Kyne said. “I saw an incredible opportunity to be a part of building something that could genuinely help others.”

Kyne joined technical guru and recent University of Pennsylvania graduate Steve Hamel to build a Corona Connects website and web scale.

The team grew from four people on the eastern seaboard to 25 people around the country over the course of weeks.

The website launched at the end of April. The open database quickly caught the attention of national and international media, including The Associated Press and Yahoo! News.

Kyne said to date, more than 8,100 people have visited Corona Connects and connected with more than 6,000 volunteer jobs. The site now has 270 volunteer opportunities from 20 states, a number that changes daily.

“Unfortunately, we don't have any volunteer opportunities in Butler County — yet,” Kyne said.

She hopes any local nonprofits and COVID-19 relief organizations come to see Corona Connects as a resource for volunteer recruitment.

The process for submitting a volunteer opportunity is simple. A button on the site's main page leads to a form that organizations fill out and submit. Entries are added to a rolling list made available to potential volunteers.

One of the things that impresses Lynn about Corona Connects is how it's staying relevant.

“It's interesting how they've shifted a bit,” Lynn said.

When the website was first launched, it featured a number of volunteer opportunities related to health and wellness.

“The pandemic gave rise to an unprecedented level of need, but it was unclear how to help,” Kyne said. “We made it our mission to connect through kindness and help people seamlessly find volunteer opportunities.”

In the wake of recent civil unrest, Kyne said Corona Connects found a new direction to take its mission.

A category labeled “anti-racism” provides opportunities for people to volunteer to help rebuild Minneapolis, report for Black Lives Matter, assist in public initiatives with ERASE Racism, and connect with politicians, among other things.

It's all aligned with the platform's original purpose, according to Kyne.

“Corona Connects removes barriers to volunteering,” Kyne said. “The Black Lives Matter movement presented another pressing need coupled with a widespread public desire to help.”

As a recent graduate, Kyne is reviewing her potential career paths.

Lynn has faith her daughter, who has always been a self-starter, will find the right project.

“I'm proud of her,” Lynn said.

Kyne said she expects to stay involved with Corona Connects. Positive feedback from both volunteers and organizations has shown her that the platform “fills a gap.”

“We are not sure yet what the future holds for Corona Connects,” Kyne said. “But we are certainly thinking about how we can best adapt moving forward to maximize our impact.”