Operation Freefall

Hi Pamie,

I'm a reader and fan who is asking for help for my little sister. She is currently involved in a fundraiser known as Operation Freefall. The funds raised for this event will benefit SOAR (Speaking Out About Rape) and RAINN (Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network), as well as The Sexual Assault Center of Northwest Georgia, where my sister volunteers as a rape crisis counselor. She is a junior at Berry College in Rome, Georgia, and a psychology major. I am so proud of her and happy for her because she has found a subject that she is really, truly interested in because she is so committed to helping victims and is actually doing something about it--not just sitting back and wishing she could help. I know that I did not have this kind of dedication and certainty at her age.

But in addition to this being a source of sisterly pride for me, I think it's also an extremely worthy cause, and any little bit would help and be appreciated. More specific information about how the funds will be distributed is available here, where donations may also be made.

Thank you! Thanks for the good work you do with your website--by making this kind of information more widely available and by brightening my days (and others, I'm sure) with a good laugh.

Melissa

March of Dimes

Dear Pam,

My name is Jen, and I work for Publix Supermarkets in Orlando, FL. I'm trying to raise money for the March of Dimes, an organization that promotes health in premature babies. I want to walk for the charity on Saturday, April 30th [only 9 days away!], and my goal is to raise $100! I've already raised $11, so just $89 more and I will make it! I would be so appreciative if you could post this on your site so that many can have to opportunity to promote health in the tiniest babies. My PayPal address is champagneldream@aol.com! Thank you for your time!

Jen

National MS Society

Hi Pam -

First off, let me say Happy Birthday and congratulations on all your recent accomplishments! It is truly awesome what you've achieved lately.

Anyway, I was hoping you'd post something for me on the HELP section of pamie.com. I've solicited co-workers, friends, and family. Now I'm in the Completely Shameless phase of fundrasing, wherein I beg strangers on the Internet. My hope is that your readers, since giving Schuyler her Big Box O' Words, educating about mental illness, rescuing the libraries of the USA, and helping to fight breast cancer and ALS, might have a few pennies left in their pockets to give in the effort to eradicate Multiple Sclerosis and improve the lives of those living with it. Below is the email I recently sent out asking for donations. [I know it's really long; feel free to edit.]
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Dear Friends and Family -

On Sunday, April 17, 2005 I will be walking in the National Multiple Sclerosis Society's (www.nationalmssociety.org) annual MS Walk to help fight the devastating effects of multiple sclerosis. I see these effects every day, as one of my favorite people and coworkers has been living with MS for almost 8 years now. Her symptoms have been worsening over the last year (Deb's right leg: The Boss of Us Since 2004), but she remains determined to live as normal a life as possible, and will not give up the hope that someday soon better treatments and even a cure will be found. Every day I admire her strength in the face of the frustration and mystery of this horrible disease. I never thought I'd come to hate any disease as much as I hate cancer, but over the last 2 years MS has become my new enemy.

MS is a chronic, often disabling disease that attacks the nervous system. The progress, severity, and specific symptoms of the disease cannot be predicted. Symptoms may range from numbness to paralysis to blindness. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, but the unpredictable physical and emotional effects can last forever. The National MS Society is dedicated to ending the devastating effects of multiple sclerosis.

The National MS Society invests more money into MS research than any other voluntary health organization in the world. This investment is paying off in significant advances in treating MS, such as the new medications, which may reduce or delay future disability for people with MS. Researchers are also making advances in diagnosis, rehabilitation, and symptomatic therapies for people with all forms of MS, and are bringing us ever closer to a cure.

With your help, I hope to make a difference in the lives of those living with MS. My friend Deb has one son who will graduate from college in 2007, and twin boys who will finish high school the following year. My hope is that by then, she won't have to worry about whether the event facilities are handicapped-accessible. Please support me as I walk to find a cure.

Here is the link to my MS Walk page.

And here is the direct link to sponsor me.

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Thanks, Pam. You are an amazing woman who inspires the rest of us to do amazing things.

Maria

Dear Pamie,

You are an amazing person with an amazing gift. You write so well, that hundreds of people read your words regularly. And with this gift, you are able to bring attention to so many worthy causes. You have so much good karma on your side, you’ll probably never get a traffic ticket for the rest of your life.

Like so many other people recently, I’m writing to ask for your help. I just want to bring attention to a cause that I feel very strongly about.

I believe that the right of marriage belongs to everyone and I believe that it is guaranteed in the Constitution of the United States of America. You know the line; everyone knows the line. “…and the pursuit of happiness.”

Freedom of choice is what this country is founded on. Yet every day, people are denied their right of marriage, because their choice is different than the choice that the President would make. That’s not right. That goes against everything that we are supposed to stand for.

So I was trying to figure out how I could help, what I could do to show my support. My time, as much as I would like to give it, was really unavailable, since I had just had a baby. And that’s when I had this idea. A way to show my support for the right of marriage, and help 2 very worthy organizations in their fight for that cause: the HRC and DontAmend.com.

And now it needs to be seen. I was hoping that you would find a space for it on Pamie.com and that way other people, who feel the same way I do, would have the opportunity to show their support.

Thank you for your time!

Kids Help Phone

Hi Y'all

So here's the deal. Kids Help Phone is a hotline for troubled youth (which I made more than my fair share of calls to when I was young). It covers everything from puberty to suicidal feelings. They're having a walk-a-thon on May 1, which I will be taking part in. I would appreciate any support you could give.

Remember, pledges are in Candian currency, so it's a bargain, and will help you sleep better at night, knowing you did a good deed.

Thanks.

Wendy

You have been invited to pledge Wendy Sullivan in the Bell Walk for Kids Help Phone on May 1, 2005.

Secure online donations can be made with VISA, MasterCard or American Express and an electronic tax receipt will be sent to you by email. You can make an online donation now.

By walking and raising pledges, Wendy is helping ensure Kids Help Phone can be there 24 hours a day, 365 days a year:

- $50 will help 1 child realize that suicide is not the answer
- $100 will help a counsellor answer 5 online questions from kids that need help
- $500 will help send awareness materials to 250 Canadian schools to ensure that young people know Kids Help Phone is there for them

For more information about the Bell Walk for Kids Help Phone, or to join us on May 1, 2005, please visit bellwalkforkidshelpphone.ca.

Thank you for your generous support.

New Jersey Help Needed

This week, I have a child coming in to New Jersey from Nigeria for life-saving heart surgery. It's a little girl named Gina and her mom will be with her.

I'm looking for a host to help me get them from the airport at Newark next Saturday night, take care of them for a day (she's medically stable, so no problem there) and then get them to Deborah Hospital in Browns Mill, New Jersey on Monday.

After the surgery and hospital recouperation (the mom will be staying at the hospital, too) - they will need a place to stay for about a week, possibly two. They will not need any special care at home - in fact, the kids usually rebound extraordinarily quickly.

This website tells how to get to the hospital from various places (New York, Philly, Central NJ, etc) so it probably can help someone familiar with NJ figure out where Browns Mill is!

Do you know anyone?? Will you spread the word??

Hosting these guys could really change someone's life. I'm sure it will be an experience to remember. Even if someone could pick them up and host them for the day before the surgery, but not commit to the longer hosting - that would buy me enough time to figure something out!

Let me know!

Love,

Cori

Update on Schuyler

"Honestly, have you ever seen something like this? Of all the wild things you've seen on the internet, does anything top this? Your generosity and fierce advocacy makes Save Karyn look like a trip through the couch cushions for Taco bell money. Why Oprah hasn't called yet is a mystery to me. You could all come be in the studio audience. Maybe she'd give everyone a Vespa."

Salinas Libraries To Stay Open!

Hi Pamie,

Just wanted to let you know about this.

Thanks for posting it on your website. Also, thanks for continuing to inspire all of us anxious, creative types, especially those who live in LA. Whenever I get bummed that it's not going to happen for me, here, I think about how you came here not connected or rich, or Ivy League, or taken care of in any way, and you have carved the life you want. You've proven that it is possible if you work hard and care.

Best,
Susan

Walk to D'Feet ALS

Dear Pamie,

I'm another reader asking for help with a cause, if you don't mind.

My mom was diagnosed with ALS, which is Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, in October of 2003.  ALS is commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease and is a 100% fatal condition with no known cure or treatment.

She went to the doctor for what she thought was regular ol' carpal tunnel syndrome and was given a death sentence instead.

ALS progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS eventually lead to their death.  Most people die within 2 to 5 years of being diagnosed. 

The worst part is that while your body whithers away around you and you become totally paralyzed, your mind stays sharp as a tack.

Fun stuff, eh?

My family is walking in the Walk to D'Feet ALS on June 25th in St. Louis, MO to raise funds to find a cure for this evil menace.

Would you ask your readers if they'll donate to the walk? 

While I realize that everyone has to die, I'm sure not ready to lose my mom and my daughter needs her mawmaw.

I've started a journal about our fight with ALS.  It's here, and my ALS donation page is here.

Thank you for all of your help and support,

Debby Jovanovic
 

Philadelphia Breast Cancer 3-Day

Pamie,

You don't know me, but I read your blog all the time. I'm sure you get these e-mails all the time, but your readers have come through for great causes so many times before that I'm hoping they'll come through this time as well.

I'm raising money for breast cancer research and outreach, for the Komen Foundation. Two of my grandmothers (I have four, which is odd, I know) have battled breast cancer, as have several aunts. A few years ago, I watched my best friend's cousin die from breast cancer. It is a cause I feel passionately about.

So this year, I'll be walking 60 miles in days during the Philadelphia Breast Cancer 3-Day. The net proceeds will support breast cancer research, education, screening and treatment through the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and the National Philanthropic Trust Breast Cancer Fund.

According to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, approximately 200,000 American women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, and nearly 40,000 will die from the disease. That's a lot of women.

If your readers could find it in their hearts to donate to yet another cause, I'd be so grateful.

Donations can be made online here.

Thanks.

shannon

Salinas Public Library Crisis

NATIONAL |   April 4, 2005
In Steinbeck's Birthplace, a Fight to Keep the Libraries Open
By CAROLYN MARSHALL
Unless Salinas, Calif., can raise $500,000 by June 30, the John Steinbeck, Cesar Chavez and El Gabilan Libraries will be shuttered, victims of the city's budget shortfall.

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Have you heard that Salinas wants to close all of its public libraries for lack of funds?

The good people at CodePink had a read-in this past weekend.

They also have an online petition that they're going to present to Schwarzenegger.

Can you tell people about it?
Pamie-lovers love libraries!
thank you!

--
Hi Pam, You may have already heard about this, but just in case, I wanted to alert you to the impending library closings in Salinas, California. Salinas is the exact kind of community that desperately needs libraries--with a large population of migrant farmworkers and low-income families, kids in Salinas need the affirmative support for reading that comes with a library. I don't have a fundraising plan or a drive to suggest, but given your site's historic support for California libraries, I thought you might have ideas of ways to help. Happy birthday! Gretchen Hoff (faithful pamie.com reader)

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News on the Demonstration.

--

I'm so happy to see the national attention thrown at this closing library. They've been fighing for months now.

Here's the Friends of the Salinas Public Library website. They're collecting donations for their book sale at the end of the month. You could send them something Media Mail rate and have it reach them in time.

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Save Salinas Libraries

Art Face Off -- Portland, OR

Hello,

We are creating a co-op site that will make it easy to find new GREAT art and the best contemporary artists. Through the process of tallied voting by curators and the general public, artists are brought to the forefront in their genres. Curators are given a heavy hand at this site because of their background.

We believe that curators should be able to find good artists without having to wade through all the bad. We believe there are good artists that have been undiscovered because of the mass of art out there. Art Face Off is the answer.

Please help this become a reality. Right now we need sponsors and donations to make our public funded site a reality. Read more at our website, it has all the details of the project.

www.artfaceoff.com

This will be a publicly supported site and the most difficult part is the construction. Once again, please help.

Thank you for your support,

Art Face Off
2364 NW Overton St. Suite 7W
Portland, OR 97210

Schuyler Needs More Words

National Alliance for the Mentally Ill Walk

Hey Pamie!

I hope that the writing is going well! I have a favor to ask you. I belong to the University of Central Florida Tennis Club, and for our community service project this semester we’re going to be walking in the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill Walk on May 14th. I was wondering if you would send a shout out to your readers to see if anyone would be willing to donate.

Mental illness is something that also includes depression and anxiety, and I’m sure that everyone knows someone who suffers from it. People need to know that there’s someone out there advocating them, and NAMI offers a lot of programs that benefit the sufferers of mental illness as well as their friends and family (support groups, informational classes, etc.).

Here’s the link to my fundraising page. Thanks so much for reading this, and I’m so glad that you and stee got married and are doing well! I have wedding envy since my boyfriend and I have been discussing it lately haha. Have a great day!

Lindsay

Belton, MO Public Library In Need

Dear "pamie",

I have been searching the Internet for ways to aid the Cass County Public Library during this time of "materials freeze".

According to the Administration, there seems to be "a dark narrow path through an underground tunnel before any sight of light".

A book campaign has started to encourage the public to help keep collections fresh and new. The "Budget" no longer stretches as far as in times past.

While the campaign promotes the purchase or donating of materials in the English language, I serve the Spanish language population of the county. The children and adult collections are also accessed by English speakers who are learning the Spanish language or utilizing the English/Spanish dictionaries of various occupations.

Budget cuts deterred the opportunity for my trip to the 2004 International Book Fair held in Guadalajara. Many requests for reference as well as for entertainment can not be filled.

Can you make suggestions? Would sending you a "wish list" give you a better idea of the needs for the Spanish-speaking? I have patrons who enjoy translations from English--i.e. Nore Roberts, Deepak Chopra, Wayne Dyer, etc. as well from other Latin American authors and publshers.

I truly appreciate your attention to my request.

Sincerely,

Christine I. Peterson, Bilingual Librarian
Cass County Public Library, NRC
164 Cedar Tree Drive
Belton, Mo. 64012
816.331.8242