Two weeks ago, I posted a blog asking for your help in finding a worthy home for my 2020 stimulus check. Click here for that blog. It turned out my goal to give away $500 wasn’t enough to meet all the needs. We gave away nearly $700.
Here are their stories from the people that we have supported.
We learned from Mary (married to my Arizona State roommate Rich) that friends of theirs had a niece born at under two pounds who lived just three months. When these friends themselves became pregnant, they too had a preemie who was at great risk. Their son survived; in gratitude, they support the Superhero Project, a non-profit that raises money to support NICU families and babies. Click here to learn more about the Superhero Project. Hannah and I are all in.
Our friend Nancy from our Arizona days writes of her student from Brazil who wants to pursue a medical master’s degree. The young man lives with his uncle’s family in the basement of another family’s house. He is an only child and his mother (no father) is in Brazil. He talks to her daily and worries about her health. Hannah and I appreciate our chance to support this young man.
My colleague at Nevitt Elementary School in Phoenix, Arizona, Diane, first suggests supporting a cat shelter in Scottsdale, then how great it would be to have breakfast with an elderly friend from Chicago. This all leads to what’s in her heart. She’d like to reconnect with a long lost friend over breakfast whose life has been filled with challenges. Hannah and I support Diane’s efforts.
Despite the Southwest connection of the first three entries, Hannah and I have made a few friends since our Arizona days. One of them is Rose, who worked with Hannah at the Visiting Nurses Association of Portsmouth, NH. Hannah was the Hospice volunteer coordinator and Rose a nurse. Rose writes of a wonderful, hardworking couple from Rwanda. The wife was taking English classes before Covid-19 hit, and her hubby worked at Bowdoin College in food service. They have a beautiful baby boy.
Our California amiga, Tree, says she will donate to her beloved, local radio station and non-profit, KGUA. KGUA stayed on the air 24/7 during the wildfires, public safety power shutdowns, and most recently, the COVID-19 health crisis. This year, due to the virus outbreak, their annual fundraiser event was cancelled so donations at this time would greatly help them to continue the outstanding work. We, too, will support KGUA.
Our local friend Mandy nominates her niece who raises three kids, two of whom have special needs. In addition, her niece works three jobs (nurse in the schools, at the local hospital, and a summer camp for special needs children). This summer camp is not opening due to Covid-19. She never complains or asks for support because she is too busy serving and caring for others. We’ll step up.
Our neighbor Laurie asks us to support the virtual walk she will do with her daughter to support the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Due to Covid-19, they cannot walk sixteen miles overnight in Boston as they did last year. Done.
Hannah’s friend from the College of Nursing at Arizona State, Patty, nominates a co-worker. (By the way, Hannah was a student in the ASU nursing program for a semester plus, having aced the prerequisite Organic Chemistry to get in!) Patty’s friend’s unemployment check hit a glitch, and glitches take a long time to fix due to the staggering #’s of people applying for unemployment. Even though she and Patty were furloughed in March, her friend has yet to receive a check. She has diabetes, with an expensive monitoring system. Glad we can help.
Andy’s New York Food Bank in Action
Our son Will’s college roommate at St. Michael’s College near Burlington, Vermont, Andy, offers us the opportunity to give to their local food bank, Schuylerville (New York) Area Food and Emergency Relief. The Food Bank collects large donations of food from the food industry and distributes it to charitable agencies serving 23 counties from Plattsburgh to Newburgh; they provide over 35 million pounds of food a year to 1,000 agencies. We’ll do more than just give them food for thought.
From our daughter Molly’s Family:
Max’s neighborhood ice cream smorgasbord
Max wants to have an ice cream smorgasbord with our neighbors – he is requesting $25 to buy ice cream from Sully’s and toppings.
Owen would like to buy groceries for the local food pantry and also donate some money – he is requesting $20 for us to buy some groceries and $20 for us to give to them directly.
Tip would like to support Black Lives Matter – Boston because we are committed to learning more, becoming anti-racist, and raising our children to understand white privilege. We are committed to learning, growing, speaking up, and acting for justice and equality.
Owen figuring which items to buy with his $20 (among pasta, cereal, and cans of corn)
Molly would like to support Bail Bonds because “There can be no equal justice where the kind of trial a man or woman gets depends on the amount of money they have.” I’m requesting $50 for the local Massachusetts fund. By the way, Molly’s family is going to match our gifts to the food pantry, Black Lives Matter, and Bail Bonds.
Thanks to these folks for coming through for Dan and Hannah. Their stories make me realize that in addition to giving some money away, my companion goal was to strengthen our connections and further build relationships with others. By others letting us know of the folks in need, Hannah and I become a little closer to the families in bold listed above who brought these stories to us.
