6 May 2024
Hello dear folks,
This update is about money. So many of you have given, with so much generosity. We’ve been stewarding your gifts as best we can, and still have over 80% of your donations in reserve. But now Hanna’s needs have progressed in ways that require us to start spending. So we’re writing to let you know about the financial needs for Hanna’s care.
We are hiring paid caregivers
We aim to hire two people to cover 95 of the 168 hours in a week. Including fees and payroll tax, that comes to $9,700 per month. (Know someone who might be qualified and interested? Please send them our job description.)
We are arranging for a wheelchair-accessible van
Access to transportation is so important for Hanna. We’ve had intermittent access to a wheelchair-accessible van, which was so wonderfully helpful. We need one that she can use any time, and have found a place that offers three-month rentals. The cost for three months is $9500. We’ll start with that, then assess the value of extending another three.
How you can help
• One-time donation: use either of the buttons below to make a donation of any size (we’ve learned from your past generosity how small amounts add up to great help)
• Monthly donations are especially helpful, because knowing what’s coming helps us manage these monthly costs. Click “Monthly” at the top of the donation form to set a regular monthly amount.
For these two goals—consistent good care at the level Hanna requires, and reliable access to transportation—we are looking at $14,700 a month. For starters we’ve set a goal to raise three months funding at that level, or $45,000.
It’s not a crisis (yet)
Between the funds we started with and your donations over the last year, we can proceed with all of these plans right away. We don’t have to wait. The money we now request will allow us to keep going beyond what we’ve saved, hopefully without ever having a crisis that forces difficult and unwanted decisions.
We’ve set up a new fundraising campaign on GiveButter—chosen because it’s easy for you, easy for us, and we’ll spend little on transaction fees. Note the “one-time” and “monthly” options at the top of the donation form.
Quick donation shortcut
A quick pop-up form, if that’s all you need.
Big Picture
Great for seeing our progress and for sharing with others who might want to help.
A little more back story on care
Since December 1 of last year (when I started doing stats), 24 people have provided direct care to Hanna in her home. That doesn’t count many more who have helped organize, clean, feed, launder, entertain, manage, and more. These are people who have helped Hanna with her growing challenges of movement, rest, medication, pain management, nutrition, personal care, communication, travel,…. Every day and night, all day and night. One person has spent the equivalent of ten weeks “on the job.” Many have consistently shown up week after week. More still fill in gaps and come to assist as they are able, however they are able.
It’s an amazing effort. Hanna is SO GRATEFUL for this amazing community, as is everyone around her. What a community of caring, attending, doing whatever is needed through all these changing needs.
But the needs are exceeding our ability to care. Increasingly there are gaps in the schedule we must quickly fill. Hanna’s care is becoming more complicated and more medical. Many of us are doing respectable but amateur duty in physical therapy, medication, nutrition management, etc,. and because there are so many people helping it is difficult (impossible?) to have consistent knowledge and technique across everyone involved.
Hanna needs skilled, dedicated, loving care. Then we can all be there to support, help, and continue the flow of life with Hanna. That’s what this fundraising campaign is for.
Thank you all, as always, for your love and support. More updates soon on Hanna’s life, writing and publication, recent public events, and more.
Marc