Several days ago, Peregrine Kate, llbear and JekyllnHyde began calling out to this community of caring hearts for help. Due to a life threatening health crises and the resulting financial fall out, our wonderful Quilt Sisters, Sara R and Winglion (Ann), were in danger of losing their much loved home. Their property tax bill of $4000 dollars was due and there was no money. Not only would Sara and Ann be left without a home, they would no longer have a place to create their beautiful quilts. 2thanks and I joined in the effort to help.
The call went out through diaries, kosmail, and email.
What happened next was, and is, the Daily Kos equivalent of the Miracle of the Five Loaves and Two Fish.
Again and again, people who were struggling themselves scraped together something to give, always wishing it was more. Orders for Pootie Pads were joyfully placed. People gave and then gave some more - and something extraordinary happened.
Together, this wonderful community blew by the original $4000 goal and kept on going. So many of us wanted Sara and Ann to have a little more, a cushion, a way to pay other bills that had hit and fix or replace an essential computer. The Team upped the goal to $5000 and all of you blew right through the goal again! Donations and orders are still coming in!
Together - all of you surpassed our wildest dreams.
Together - you raised over $5,600!
Together - you saved Sara's and Ann's home.
Together - you eased the stress affecting their health.
Together - you ensured that they can continue to make their quilts.
Together - you have made hope possible again.
There are not words enough to thank this wonderful community for what you have done for Sara and Ann, but Peregrine Kate, llbear, JekyllnHyde, 2thanks, and I are going to do our level best to articulate our heart felt gratitude.
From Peregrine Kate, the heart and soul of our Team, to all of you.
About a month ago, Sara told me about their looming tax bill. After many long months of bad news, including several unexpected cash outlays, it was obvious that they would not be able to cover it without help. I offered to post a fundraising diary on their behalf, having every confidence that we would be able to raise the funds they needed.
However, the peak of the campaign season was upon us, and we both figured that a fundraising drive would get lost in the hubbub of appeals from candidates. That meant we had only a very short time between the election on the 4th and the tax bill due date on the 17th. My own exhaustion following GOTV efforts, compounded by the disappointing and frustrating results, meant that I couldn’t get a post up for them until Sunday the 9th. By happy coincidence, the 9th was Sara's birthday. That seemed propitious as well as a good hook.
Fortunately, I did not have to conduct this fundraising drive alone. I was too preoccupied by election work here to give it any thought in advance, but certain reliable Kossacks came through right away with logistical support. First, llbear offered to post an alert diary to prime the pump, which was an excellent idea, particularly given his great good humor, kindness, and obvious affection for the sisters Reed. Then JekyllnHyde came forward, eager to be of help. He offered to format my diary and add some customized graphics, which he does so brilliantly, and also to write a follow-up diary the next weekend if necessary. My own diary prompted some lovely birthday wishes for Sara and many generous gifts, but we ended the posting cycle still short—with a deadline now even sooner than we first realized because of PayPal disbursement policies. At that point, Jek suggested asking Onomastic to write a diary, a recommendation I pursued with alacrity.
To our relief and delight, Ono gladly accepted, and you know the rest. Such a beautiful, luminous diary she wrote, full of love and compassion, just like Ono herself. Her spectacular diary lit up the phones, so to speak, and drew in the money we needed and more. She had some help in the process from 2thanks, who spontaneously sent Kosmails to all 320+ of Sara’s followers to alert them to the fundraising effort. Many who otherwise might have missed it showed up in the comment thread as a result of 2thanks’ time-consuming and thoughtful outreach.
The contributions themselves were a necessary goal, and it was immensely gratifying to see the Kos community respond so quickly and generously in that regard. But it was also very moving to see so many comments bearing love and appreciation to Sara and Ann for all the good work they do. Not to be clichéd, but that sort of acknowledgement is truly priceless. What a gift indeed, to allay their financial anxiety and also reassure them how much their work is prized.
This ad hoc team was a blessing to work with, an unexpected pleasure of the whole project. But we could not have reached our goal of keeping Sara and Ann safely in their home without YOU. Every rec, tip, share, tweet, and donation made a difference. I thank you, we all thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.
This is our
Thank You to the Dkos Community - a community of caring hearts, healers, and magic workers to which we are privileged to belong.
From the amazing JekyllnHyde to every one of you who has made this lovely day possible -
Thank You
To paraphrase Charles Dickens, the year 2014 has, so far, mostly represented the worst of times for Ann and Sara. As you know by now, Ann had a narrow escape where we almost lost her and Sara had to become her caregiver during those harrowing times. Loss of income, added stress, failing health, sleepless nights, and constant anxiety took a heavy toll on both of them. Due to numerous acts of kindness, encouragement, and generosity displayed by this community over the past week, better financial times are around the corner for the sisters.
I would like to thank llbear for getting the ball rolling this past weekend; peregrine kate for organizing this fundraiser; Onomastic for her marvelous diary; and 2thanks for spending a significant amount of time Kosmailing each and every one of Sara's 360+ followers on Daily Kos. I was more than happy to supplement their efforts.
None of this, however, would have happened without your support. How you responded, both in ways large and small, is the reason Sara and Ann can look forward to brighter days. For that - and much more - a huge thank you to the Daily Kos Community on behalf of the entire fundraising team.
If you didn't get the chance to contribute as yet, please consider doing so on Sara's PayPal page.
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This is the
Thank You Party that all of you have made possible! There's music and above all else, our abiding joy and thankfulness for all of you.
From the wonderful 2thanks to Sara, Ann, and all of you -
Simple, breath-deep, heart-full, and eyes-overbrimming
thanks
to all of you who joined our circle of support
for Sara and Ann, our healers, creators, magi,
and builders of community.
Thankful am I to have witnessed your generosities
and seen your energies (living, loving, and green)
flowing to our Sara and Ann.
-William 2thanks
This is a celebration of you and our wonderful Quilt Sisters. This is the celebration of you - the angels who answered the call.
Why yes, we are! How about you? :)
This party is on!
6:18 PM PT: From the one who made all this possible, our Peregrine Kate -
I forgot to mention something else important:
It's an honor to be of service like this to the sisters Reed and to the community at large. People benefit by being kind and generous, I firmly believe, and offering mutual support to each other in times of need creates and reinforces a positive ideal of how we can act in concert.
Thank you again, dear Ono, for your creativity and grace.
Thank you again, dear Jek, for your commitment and skill.
Thank you again, dear llbear, for your devotion and practicality.
Thank you again, dear 2thanks, for your perceptiveness and savvy.
Thank you again, dear Sara and Ann, for all the gifts you make manifest with and for this community.
And thank all of YOU for your kindness, solicitude, and generosity. It is a privilege to have been part of this project.
Support Small Business: Shop Kos Katalogue If you'd like to join the Motor City Kossacks, send me a Kosmail.
by peregrine kate on Fri Nov 14, 2014 at 08:55:37 PM EST
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