Sara R and her sister and fellow Community Quilter Ann (winglion) are going to Netroots Nation this year, but they need our help to get there and back. They have a booth and first choice of their booth's location, they have registrations, and they have the best seats in the house at the Native American Netroots table, and these things came from donors or they wouldn't be happening.
I found out they're scraping the bottom of the barrel to get there and back, eat while there, get a sitter for all the Quilt Inspectors, and deal with some medical bills on top of it all. Here's where we - the community that has benefitted so much from having Sara and Ann in it - need to come in. Details below.
Let me state first off that this was not their idea. I went to them and asked their permission. This is my idea. I feel at least somewhat responsible, because I'm the one that bid on the booth at the NN auction last year and then dropped it on them without asking their permission, just as I bid on the front table again, won it (with every intention of using it ourselves, giving the rest of it to Native American Netroots except for our two seats), and have given that entirely to NAN, which was our backup plan in case we couldn't go. What a way to spend the small inheritance I got from my aunt. I think it was worth it. Anyway, that's why I asked them to please let me run a fundraiser for them.
These two women have given so much to so many, in the community and not. Their "lovecatcher" quilts bring love and healing energy that just doesn't seem to go away. When a recipient feels doubt, sorrow, grief, fear, or is just in need of being wrapped in love, she can wrap her quilt around her and receive it, long after the specific event that may have given rise to the gift of a quilt is over. Charles and I each have one, he because he is my caregiver and had to fight hard to keep me alive, often giving up sleep to do it, because that's what home dialysis was like chez nous, and me because I was the one dialyzing and waiting over three years for a kidney transplant. When I first got back to my hospital room post-transplant, the nurses didn't want to cover me over with my quilt, thinking that blood or other fluids might get on it, and I had to insist really hard that I get covered over with it. Charles had his on his cot against the wall. We still sleep under those quilts every night, regardless of the weather. I doubt we're alone in that.
Now Sara and Ann are scraping bottom and need our help to get to NN12. I spoke with Sara at length yestersay and here's the breakdown of what they need. Some of this is for Sara's medical bills. She is uninsured and receives charity care, but it doesn't cover 100%.
NN12
$600 - Ann's airfare
$100 - catsitter expenses for six days.
$600-$800 - meals for two for a six-day period in what is likely to be an expensive part of town.
$? - taxi or shuttle from and to the airport. Anyone have a good guess here?
$? - incidentals
medical
$343.34 - Sara's 20% of her colonoscopy
$200 - Pathology on the polyps removed during that procedure (all benign this time, hurrah!)
Going to PayPal.com and entering a payee address of hairbraider33.at.yahoo.com should take you to a PayPal screen where you can make a donation, as it says, "for the quilters". Or you can put Sara's address, rainwoman [at] mac :dot: com, into PayPal and send it without it being taxed. The first PayPal link above is the one they use for their business, and if you donate there, any extra funds will go towards lovecatcher quilts.
Speaking of business, they will have a whole bunch of Pootie Pads with them at Netroots Nation to help pay their way, and I can vouch for them; pooties love them, and so does at least one woozle. If I remember correctly, they'll have a few lap throws with them, too. If you've been thinking about a Pootie Pad for your special four-legged family member, or start dreaming at the thought of your very own Sara and Ann lap quilt, here's a great chance to see them in person and pick yours out. They're also bringing quilt patches to sign for this year's "names" quilt.
One last thing: if you don't like a fundraising diary going up for them for any reason, take it up with me, not them. This diary wasn't their idea.