Remembering Mandy...        

Mandy Doolittle, 59, lost her life on Monday, June 22, 2009 in the tragic Metro crash in Washington, DC. Life partner of Carol Anne Douglas (35 year collective member of feminist newsletter off our backs), Mandy was an artist and nature lover.

Mandy was a proud Texan who was the joy of her office at the American Nurse's Association, said executive director Jeanne Floyd. "She was highly committed to nursing around the globe. She was not a nurse, but she was the face of this organization internationally," Floyd said. "She was a joyful, joyful individual and I can't underscore that enough." She worked at the association for 10 years, developing international outreach and helping with global accreditation for nurses. Doolittle had lived in Italy for some years.

Quoted friend Ann Miller. "Mandy had such a zest for life, and bubbled over with excitement. She always greeted everyone with a wide smile, a giggly "Hello!", and a hug or a double-clasped handshake that she'd keep firm hold of while she asked you how you'd been."

From Woman, Earth & Spirit:

Dear Friends,

Julia Penelope needs our help. Julia is a valued part of our aMaizing Web and is also a volunteer editor for the Lesbian Documentary Media Project [as well as a contributor to SW]. For those of you not familiar with her, Julia is a Dyke who has contributed so much to Lesbian culture and community since the 1970's. She has developed and taught Lesbian courses, written and edited many books which celebrate our Lesbian lives and which explore and develop Lesbian thinking and values. Julia has done all this and much more for Lesbians over the years. And now she needs our help.

Julia is living in her own house in Texas and needs immediate and ongoing help on several levels.

• Financial-- to cover the costs of healthcare and medicationsfor mutiple health issues, including Type 2 Diabetes and COPD which seriously affects breathing,
• Financial to help cover daily living expenses since her limited income does not cover her needs. Repair and maintenance for her truck and house, both of which have had a range of problems which Julia has neither the resources nor energy to get done.
• Help with ongoing tasks. Specific tasks that may be helpful to offer to her: Mow the lawn. Walk her dog. Arrange for or do truck maintenance and repairs as needed. Repair the wall in her house damaged by a water leak. General yard and house maintenance.
• Also, offering support and to brainstorm about options-- such as selling her house and finding a living situation that would best meet her needs.
• Of course help as needed to prepare/move, etc...related to whatever decisions she makes.

Please offer whatever you can. This is a wonderful opportunity for Lesbians to pull together, as we do so well, and give back to one who devoted her life to building the very Lesbian community we are so lucky to inhabit. Through Woman, Earth & Spirit we are exploring possibilities of volunteers to address some of the problems either at Julia's or from afar. We don't know at all yet what might be possible if enough of us volunteer time, energy, skills and the money to cover volunteer and project expenses.

What can you do? What do you need to do it? Send your contributions of any kind-- ideas as well as what you can offer physically, by phone or email, or financially.

Donations are tax deductible. We thank you for anything you are able to offer.

Jae Haggard & jody jewdyke
CHECKS TO:
Woman, Earth & Spirit, Inc
Julia Penelope Fund
PO Box 130
Serafina, NM 87569
505-421-2533
www.WomanEarthandSpirit.org