EDITOR’S NOTE — For 19 years, Peninsula Daily News readers in Jefferson and Clallam counties have supported the “hand up, not a handout” Peninsula Home Fund.
Today we feature another in a series of articles on how the fund operates and who benefits from our readers’ generosity.
The next article will appear Wednesday.
PORT ANGELES — Tragedy struck the White family twice last year.
First, Michelle White, her husband, James, and three of their four children were involved in a car accident.
James’ injuries kept him home and unable to work at the KPly mill in Port Angeles for a month.
Then James was among the 132 employees who lost their jobs when KPly closed its doors in November 2007.
“Between the car accident and closing of KPly, James went without work for nine months,” says Michelle.
“That’s a long time to be without a paycheck, and we just got overwhelmed with bills.”
James recently was hired by Westport Shipyard at its yacht-making plant in Port Angeles.
But as yet, his paycheck doesn’t stretch far enough to help the family catch up with past-due bills.
When they were in danger of losing their home, the couple approached OlyCAP — Olympic Community Action Programs, the No. 1 emergency care agency on the North Olympic Peninsula.
In addition to OlyCAP’s wide array of services, it manages the Peninsula Daily News’ “hand up, not a handout” Peninsula Home Fund, screening applicants and dispersing the funds.
The agency arranged a Home Fund grant of $150 toward the White’s rent, plus guided them through the process of obtaining subsidized rent through a government program contracted with the Housing Authority of Clallam County.
Without any deductions for administration or other overhead, the PDN’s Peninsula Home Fund is a safety net for people in Jefferson and Clallam counties like the Whites when they suddenly face an emergency situation and can’t find help elsewhere.
Donations from the community are vital to the success of the fund — 100 percent of the dollars donated go directly to assist those in need on the North Olympic Peninsula.
So far in 2008, the donations have been felt in powerful, meaningful ways in the lives of more than 2,850 individuals and families like the Whites across the Peninsula.
The White family has also extended a helping hand to others.
When Michelle’s sister fell on hard times, the couple invited her and the sister’s daughter, Christine, 9, to live with them.
When the Whites’ oldest daughter, Amanda, asked to move back home with her baby, Cole, until she could better her own life’s situation, the couple didn’t hesitate.
“We have a small house, but lots of love, and we share what we have with everyone,” says Michelle.
“We’re trying to help them get a leg up just as we’ve gotten a leg up.”
“It’s kinda nice to have everyone here — to know they are safe and not living on the streets.”
Referring to Proverbs 15:17 in the Bible — “Better is a dish of vegetables where there is love than a manger-fed bull and hatred along with it” — she adds:
“It’s better to be poor and live in a house of love – we have lots of love to give.”
Bedroom in a camper
A wood stove provides the three-bedroom home with heat, but it’s the family togetherness that warms their hearts, says Michelle.
They recently wrapped an old camper in their backyard with insulation and converted it into a bedroom for Amanda and Cole.
“It’s warm, and I have privacy out there,” says Amanda.
Fresh from a shower, she combs her wet hair while her mother holds the baby.
When Michelle and Amanda couldn’t find a crib for Cole in any of the local thrift shops, an OlyCAP caseworker called around and found one at Twice Upon a Child, a consignment shop in Port Angeles.
The Home Fund was then tapped to help Amanda buy the crib for Cole.
“The Home Fund and OlyCAP have helped so much . . . it’s just so very wonderful,” says Michelle.
Michelle is now taking online classes through Peninsula College to get a degree in criminal justice.
“I want to get the degree so I can work with children whose parents have gone to jail or gotten in trouble,” she explains.
“Courts don’t listen to the kids. I want to be a voice for those kids.
“By attending school online, I can pursue my degree and yet still be home to help my own family.”
No money is deducted
From Thanksgiving through Dec. 31, the PDN’s Peninsula Home Fund is seeking contributions for its 2008 holiday season fundraising campaign.
From Port Townsend to Forks, from Quilcene and Brinnon to LaPush, the fund is a “hand up, not a handout” when there is nowhere else to turn.
Every penny, every dollar, donated goes — without any deductions for administration or overhead — to making life better for children, teens, families and the elderly in Jefferson and Clallam counties.
The fund is used for hot meals for seniors, warm winter coats for kids, home repairs for the low income, needed eyeglasses and prescription drugs, dental work, safe, drug-free temporary housing . . . the list goes on and on.
The Peninsula Home Fund is unique and nonprofit:
• No money, not one penny, is deducted for administration or other overhead. Peninsula Daily News and OlyCAP absorb all costs.
• All contributions are fully IRS tax-deductible.
• Your personal information is kept confidential.
Peninsula Daily News does not rent, sell, give or otherwise share your address or other information with anyone, or make any other use of it.
• All instances of help are designed to get an individual or family through the crisis — and back on the path to self-sufficiency.
That’s the “hand up, not a handout” focus of the fund.
• Whenever possible, Peninsula Home Fund case managers work with individuals or families to develop a plan to become financially stable — and avoid a recurrence of the emergency that prompted aid from the fund.
Once-a-year assistance
• Begun in 1989, the Peninsula Home Fund is supported entirely by Jefferson and Clallam residents.
Individuals, couples, businesses, churches, service organizations and school groups set a new record for contributions in 2007 — $193,312.
Now down to pocket change, all the money will have been spent by Dec. 31.
• Money is usually distributed in small amounts, usually up to $150.
• Assistance is limited to one time in a 12-month period.
• Peninsula Home Fund contributions are often used in conjunction with money from other agencies, often enabling OlyCAP to stretch the value of a donation.
To apply for a grant from the fund, phone OlyCAP at 360-452-4726 (Clallam County) or 360-385-2571 (Jefferson County).
If you have any questions about the fund, contact John Brewer, Peninsula Daily News editor and publisher, at 360-417-3500.
Or e-mail him at john.brewer@peninsuladaily news.com.
Peninsula Daily News publishes stories every Sunday and Wednesday during the fundraising campaign, reporting on how the Home Fund works and, in the Sunday stories, also listing contributors.
Contributions so far
While most of the money is raised between Thanksgiving and Dec. 31, the Peninsula Home Fund itself never closes.
Donations of any amount are always welcome.
Here is a list of donors whose contributions were processed between Dec. 19 and Dec. 24 — thank you very much for making a difference in the lives — and futures — of your neighbors like Michelle and James White and their family:
• Mara and Paul Mowery, Port Angeles ¬– $250. May this help to make someone’s life a bit brighter! Thank you to the Home Fund folks for your hard work!
• Tom and Carol Sinton, Port Angeles — $500. In memory of Mary Sinton.
• Steve Moore, Port Townsend — $150. In honor of Jane Stearns.
• Rudolph Meyer, Port Angeles ¬– $100.
• Renee Linnabary, Port Hadlock — $200.
• John and Kim McBride, Sequim — $300 In memory of Jack Reynolds, Joan Koontz and Jean Bianchi.
• Wayne and Charlotte Duchow, Port Angeles — $100.
• Dick and Gayle Larson, Sequim — $50.
• Tom Coville, Port Angeles — $25.
• Discount Cabinets of Washington Inc., Sequim — $200.
• Sequim Village Glass, Sequim — $100. In honor of our crew.
• Jean Tyson, Port Angeles — $200.
• Pat, Tina and Trisha O’Hara, Port Angeles — $100. In honor of Daniel Holmquist.
• Mark D. McCormick and Bob Fletcher, Sequim — $100. In honor of all our friends and patients who are dealing with cancer this holiday season.
• Olympic National Park Employees’ Association, Port Angeles — $200. In honor of all past and present employees.
• Clallam County Road Department Employees, Port Angeles — $300. Thank you for all the hard work you do for this community!
• Irwin Dental Center Staff, Port Angeles — $505. In honor of Dr. Irwin, Dr. Riggs, Dr. Temres, Dr. Johnson and Dr. Mowery of Irwin Dental Center. In the spirit of the season, a donation has been made in recognition of the generosity our doctors have shown to us and our community. We look forward to another wonderful year. Your Irwin Dental Center Staff.
Many thanks also to these donors (who requested that the amount of their donation be kept private):
• Marie Botnen, Sequim. In memory of Nadene Botnen.
• Dana Roberts and Carol Anne Modena, Port Townsend. Honoring our nephew, Tony Harvey of Seattle, who in his life and example inspired and helped so many when he touched their lives.
• Bobbie McMahon and Jerry Spieckerman, Port Townsend.
• Bev Hott, Port Angeles.
• Roger and Catherine Hawkins Hoffman, Port Angeles.
• Mary and Cullen Kelsoe, Port Angeles. In memory of Al Hill, loving husband of Sandy Hill and father of Eric and Jonathan.
• Jack and Janet Real, Sequim.
• David and Diane Horton, Port Angeles. In memory of June Swain, our dear friend Junebug.
• Kathe Smith, Port Angeles. In memory of Kris Fairbanks.
• Mr. and Mrs. Frank Adamich, Port Angeles.
• William and Pamela Dickin, Sequim. In honor of Anyone.
• Tommy and Cleone White, Port Angeles. In memory of family members passed.
• Dale and Judy Burke, Sequim.
• Candice Lohneis, Beaver. In honor of John Lohneis and Charlie and Shirley Fox.
• Barnell and McConaghy Family, Port Angeles.
• Michael and Patricia Moore, Sequim.
• Tom and Deb Cox, Sequim. In memory of Barry Sullock.
• Richard and Camille Headrick, Port Angeles. In memory of Harry Lydiard.
• Steven and Diane Ross, Sequim.
• Larry and Marilynn Elliott, Sequim.
• Paul and Bobbie Ryan, Sequim.
• Eleanor E. Geiger, Port Angeles.
• John and Darlene Mjoen, Port Ludlow.
• Paul Blake and Martha Ellul, Sekiu.
• Gunilla L. Watson, Quilcene. In memory of William B. Watson, World War II veteran.
• William and Bonny Goodale, Sequim.
• Erwin and Renate Ortmann, Sequim.
• Riley and Ann Bigler, Sequim.
• Rolland and Diane Kenitzer, Port Angeles.
• Richard and Wilma Williams, Sequim. In memory of Jill Allison Williams.
• Wayne and Marleen Bird, Carlsborg.
• Rosemary Thompson, Port Angeles.
• Lorna J. Wells, Port Angeles.
• Charles and Sandra Louch, Port Angeles.
• David and Loretta Bryant, Sequim. In honor of Elmer Steinmetz.
• Dale Robirts, Sequim.
• Kathi and Bob Pressley, Port Angeles. In memory of Jay Pressley.
• Sue Gilleland and Lee Bowen, Sequim. In memory of Jim and Sylvia Gilleland.
• Dorothy A. Hutt, Sequim.
• Roz Edmisten, Port Angeles. In memory of Duane Cockrill.
• Rudy and April Hiener, Port Angeles. In memory of Ken and Charlotte Bradford.
• Suzanne Hadley, Forks. In memory of Dr. B.J. Wilson.
• Sherry and Jeff Swan, Henderson, Nev.
• Janet and Michael Albrich, Sequim.
• Paul and Pam Cunningham, Port Angeles.
• Steve Torgesen and Connie Kinyon, Sequim.
• Linda Frazer, Port Angeles. In memory of Bill and Jean Frazer.
• Terry Gross, Sequim. In memory of Jack Gross.
• Barbara Eisele, Sequim.
• Bob and Shirley Widdicombe, Sequim.
• Wayne and Tracy Fitzwater, Port Angeles.
• Corky and Velma Johnson, Port Angeles.
• Bobbie Dahm, Sequim. In memory of Bill Dahm.
• Hazel Staudenraus, Port Angeles.
• Dottie Coker, Port Angeles. In memory of Coker and Harrison families.
• Lois and John Silver, Port Angeles.
• Richard and Barbara Jepson, Sequim.
• John A. Austin Jr., Port Ludlow.
• James Read, Port Angeles.
• Durkee and Mary Richards, Sequim.
• Viki Kocha, Sequim. In memory of Helen Kocha.
• Levi and Maryann McFarland, Port Angeles. In honor of our grandson Japheth, serving in Iraq.
• Deborah Willis, Port Angeles. In memory of Mom, Dad and Derek.
• Eugene and Shari Spencer, Port Angeles. In memory of our parents.
• Jay and Marcia Johnson, Port Townsend.
• Mark and Diana Schildknecht, Sequim. In memory of Carla Compton, Ted Kroh and Cliff Pavlak.
• Russ and Margaret Carlson and family, Port Angeles. In memory of Jim and Lillian Register.
• Margo Donzé-Sanders, Sequim. In memory of Mom and Dad.
• Kateri and John Schmerler, Sequim.
• Dixie Romadka, Port Townsend.
• Barbara Sepersky, Port Townsend. In honor of the Sepersky family.
• Lois and Gene Brown, Sequim. In memory of Greg Brown.
• John and Dee McHenry, Port Angeles. In memory of Oma and Granny.
• Evelyn Boyd, Port Angeles. In memory of Susan Boyd.
• Betty J. Wonderly, Sekiu. In honor of the Clallam Bay High School Honor Society.
• Jean and Everett Tozier, Port Angeles.
• Lu Person, Port Townsend.
• Pat Blanton, Port Angeles.
• Kathyrn Fridley, Port Angeles. In honor of Harley.
• Robert Tracy, North Hills, Calif.
• Amy De Quoy, Sequim. In honor of Carol De Quoy.
• Sarah A. Petersen, Port Angeles.
• Ray Nason, Port Angeles.
• Craig Upton, Sequim.
• Rick Weaver, Port Angeles.
• Sue Deshazer, Sequim.
• Angelo and Brenda Spandrio, Sequim.
• Janet and Leo Dodge, Port Angeles.
• Ronald and Frances Scott, Port Angeles.
• G. and B. Armstrong, Sequim
Many thanks also to these donors (who requested anonymity):
• Port Townsend, $50. In memory of Marilyn, beloved friend of Ron and Melinda.
• Sequim, $20.
• Sequim, $50. In memory of Diane Demorest.
• Sequim, $100. In memory of Roy Robinson.
• Sequim, $50.
• Port Angeles, $50.
• Port Townsend, $25.
• Brinnon, $100.
• Port Angeles, $10. Greetings and good cheer for a happy holiday season.
• Sekiu, $25.
• Port Angeles, $200.
• Sequim, $50.
• Port Angeles, $50. In memory of Eric Rochester, Julie Pruss and Michael Brodhun.
• Port Townsend, $200.
• Port Angeles, $50.
• Sequim, $50.
• Port Angeles, $100. Thank you for your “hand up, not hand out” caring for people.
• Oakland, Calif., $200.
• Nordland, $200.
• Port Ludlow, $25.
• Sequim, $50.
• Sequim, $50.
• Sequim, $25.
• Sequim, $200.
• Sequim, $50.
• Sequim, $50.
• Port Angeles, $25.
• Port Angeles, $10.
• Port Townsend, $75.
• Sequim, $25.
• Port Angeles, $100. In honor of Dennis J. Willson.
• Port Angeles, $25.
• Sequim, $50.
• Port Angeles, $150.
• Port Townsend, $100.
• Sequim, $100.
• Sequim, $100.
• Port Angeles, $100. In honor of Mathilda Thompson.
• Sequim, $100.
• Port Townsend, $50.
• Sequim, $50.
• Sequim, $50.
• Port Angeles, $100.
• Port Angeles, $100.
• Sequim, $25.
• Sequim, $100.
• Port Angeles, $500.
• Port Angeles, $100.
• Port Angeles, $25.
• Sequim, $50. In honor of all caregivers.
• Port Angeles, $20. In memory of Michael Browning.
• Port Angeles, $50.
• Sequim, $25.
• Sequim, $100.
• Unknown, $100.
• Sequim, $75.
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EDITOR’S NOTE — We make every effort to ensure that all donors have been properly listed. We apologize for any omissions or inaccuracies.
Please report any errors in this list to John Brewer, 360-417-3500 (there’s voice mail if he’s away) — or e-mail him at john.brewer@peninsuladailynews.com.
We’ll rerun the listing correctly. Our sincerest appreciation again to our donors.
