Submitted anonymously
I checked my online bank account and was amazed to see a deposit from the US Government for $2400. This is the stimulus from the CARES Act to provide relief to the millions of citizens who are suffering from the effects of the Coronavirus stay-at-home orders and resulting unemployment and/or are sick or dying from the virus itself and the resulting medical costs.
We are retired and healthy. We have Medicare, shelter, food, water, and we live in paradise in Summit County. We count our blessings every day. We are not suffering nor do we deserve relief. I have thought of this quote since I read it in high school: “From those to whom much is given, much is expected.” Luke 12:48
After my spouse and I agreed we should donate this to people who really do need relief, I could not sleep from the excitement of all the possibilities! During this difficult time for everyone, we decided to look around us at the people we "see," but may not "know." We all know people in our community who are our neighbors, even if they do not live in our neighborhoods (your hairdresser, snow shoveler, landscaper, housekeepers, busboys, ski lift operators, etc.). Ask them how they are doing, and surprise them by paying some or all of your relief money forward. Even if you can't think of any individual, there are thousands of fantastic non-profits struggling to meet the tremendous needs of them all, including Lord of the Mountains Church. ?
We have chosen 5 individuals we know about and one local non-profit. Everyone of these individuals has underlying health issues and no health insurance:
- A 50+ year old, single, uneducated woman with diabetes and other health issues who has worked odd jobs all her life. She and her mother were a team cleaning houses, but her mother now has Alzheimers, and needs full time care. They live on the mother’s and daughter’s $700/month social security (total $1400/month).
- A 65 year old, single woman with bi-polar disease who for 20 years has been raising her daughter who also is bi-polar. She normally supplements her $850/month disability income with part time work as a substitute teacher, saving all she can during the school year to sustain her during the summer. Since schools closed, she is among the Corona unemployed. She recently had critical dental work done, which cost $4000. She doesn't know how she can pay this bill.
- A 63 year old, single woman who runs a service business from her home, who is unable to work during the stay-at-home period while her clients cannot hire her. She is making masks for the Summit County Bag Ladies during isolation.
- A 30+ woman with physical and mental disabilities caused by her own mother’s drug and alcohol addiction during pregnancy. The woman is married with two children, living in a trailer home, and her husband was laid off due to Corona unemployment. They have no other income.
- A 60 year old widow whose husband just died on April 15 after a long and painful illness. Two years ago they moved away from Colorado family and friends to Florida for her husband’s job. Her own disabilities, which cause her unrelenting pain, prevented her from leaving the house to find a job or even make friends. With no health insurance through his employer or Medicaid and no driver’s license, she was isolated as his full time caretaker for the last two years.
- Family and Intercultural Resource Center (FIRC) - bless them for all they are doing for the people struggling in our Summit County. If you don't know any individuals who need your help, believe me - they do! And they will use your money wisely to do the most good possible.
It is more blessed to give than to receive. So today we feel very, very blessed. Bless you, too.