By LORI RILEY HARTFORD COURANT | APR 22, 2020 Mitchell Wollen is a competitive swimmer and a sophomore at Xavier High School in Middletown. When swimming stopped and school shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, he found he had a big block of free time. “My friend and I were brainstorming,” said Wollen, 15, of Wallingford. “We thought we’d make these hearts for people on the front line who are sacrificing everything for us.” Wollen made a prototype of one: a wooden heart painted red with the words “Thank You” painted on the sign. People could put them on their front lawns to thank health care workers. His mom Julie posted it on her Facebook page on April 5. After that, Wollen didn’t have any more free time. He had 100 orders in the first week. He had to cut the signs with a jigsaw, sand them, paint them and deliver them.