Chez DuBois

2005-09-27T09:36:00.000-07:00

The blessings are raining down on us, still. THIS is the kind of rain that the ladies from New Orleans need!

Today, yet another box landed on our doorstep. And again, it contained beautiful clothing that was either new or gently worn, and was top-quality. This time, however, there was no return address on the box. After a little sleuthing, though, I found that it had come from yet another attorney friend of mine. That makes three women attorneys who have donated designer clothing in the past week; another attorney had written a $300 check. Who says attorneys are all hard-bitten sharks with no heart???

Prior to today, clothing has also arrived from my mother's Sunday School class in Florida (3 boxes); from Salvation Army; from Gifts of Love; and from a woman who didn't even know what her connection was to us other than some personal friend of mine had contacted other mutual friends about donating clothing, and she showed up on our doorstep.

Now all we need are proper-fitting shoes and bras. Sizes 8 1/2 - 10, and 40D and 44 DDD, respectively. I guess we'll have to buy those when some money becomes available.

The ladies are enjoying a trip to the hair stylist today, having been taken under the wing of a woman of color from Simsbury. The ladies have had a difficult time finding anyone who could help them with their hair. Apparently, one needs a license to do "ethnic hair" around here, and in this 97% white community (Simsbury, CT; there are towns "over the mountain" such as Bloomfield and Hartford with much higher minority populations), this is a rare commodity. I'm not sure how far the ladies are having to travel today, but God bless Dee for taking them there. I think they will enjoy a change from the wigs that they have been wearing.

2005-09-26T18:52:00.000-07:00

This past weekend with the Golden Girls kept us going from pillar to post. (Where did that expression come from, anyway.)

And I began to feel like I was Jimmy Stewart in "It's a Wonderful Life."

To explain: One month ago, I had delivered my youngest to college (Franklin and Marshall) and officially had become an empty nester. I pondered about what I should do with the rest of my life. And, although I truly love the Farmington Valley area of Connecticut where I live, I thought perhaps my purpose here in this area was pretty much fulfilled. After all, the past ten years had largely been spent as "Andrew Russo's Mom", and now he was off to college.

In debt up to my eyeballs thanks to a series of illnesses over the past years (including three months of pneumonia last year), I figured perhaps it was time to sell everything and move on, most probably into mission work. I didn't think many would notice I'd gone. Somehow, though, I apparently did not realize that I've had some sort of impact here over the years--that my path had crossed many others, and that the variety of projects and jobs and volunteer opportunities would all come together someday to be of use.

Let me start with the Simsbury United Methodist Church. I've been a member there for 19 years, singing in the choir, teaching Sunday School, performing in the "Sour Note Cafe" talent show, leading and participating in Bible studies, and being a Stephen Minister as well as a spiritual director. So this was the first obvious connection that had come to mind when I posted my offer on the internet to host up to three women made homeless by Hurricane Katrina. I had said, "I don't have much to offer beyond a roof over your head, but I do have the support of my church and my community." Or something to that effect.

And, indeed, SUMC has come through in a major way. It will take me many days and many posts to describe all that church members have done for me and for the ladies.

More subtle ties with my community, however, have come to mind over the last three weeks of these ladies being a part of my life.

I have known and admired the town Social Services Director, Mickey LeCours-Beck, for nearly my entire time in Simsbury. We have worked together for years, usually concerning a client or two of mine. Mickey helped us gather important contact numbers, and provides help in the form of blankets and gift certificates for the ladies.

The Hartford Courant article that made the ladies famous, more or less, http://www.courant.com/features/lifestyle/hc-susan0915.artsep15,0,5565125.column, was written by an old friend, Susan Campbell. We had collaborated on a few articles before--she wrote them, I had given her a few ideas and good quotes--and I had learned to trust and admire her. A fellow native small-town Missourian, we could talk and laugh about the quirks of both our hometowns and our adopted Yankee surroundings. I turned down an interview with a television reporter in favor of an exclusive article with Susan about the ladies because I knew she would fully understand and respect her subjects. I could trust her, and the knew the ladies could, too.

Gifts of Love, the first charitable organization other than SUMC to help the ladies with food and clothing, was founded by a former neighbor of mine, and I had served on its board for a few years. I knew I could count on them to help.

My family has long had ties to Salvation Army. In the 1940's as a medical student, my father delivered babies at the Salvation Army home for unwed mothers in St. Louis, and the staff there were always kind to my parents as a result. My father always said that you can lean on the Salvation Army whenever you need help, and he was right. In the 1960's, our family hosted a granddaughter of the founder of Salvation Army in our home for a few months, and our ties over the years with the organization have continued with annual donations that we knew would be put to good use. The Katrina Golden Girls have been saying that along with the Coast Guard and Navy, it was Salvation Army workers that they saw all along the way in Louisiana--in areas where Red Cross wouldn't go, doing things that others would not do to help. And here in Hartford, Salvation Army helped these ladies again, by providing food and clothing.

When time permits, I will continue the long list of people I've had ties to over the years who are now chipping in to help these lovely ladies. The list includes fellow attorneys, neighbors, relatives, friends, friends of relatives and relatives of friends; The Hartford Symphony and other arts organizations, several churches and community groups, and on and on. The list is very long. Most of the help so far is in the form of offers of help, so we have yet to really tap into the resources. Our focus right now is helping the ladies to stabilize their health, learn their needs and goals, and provide the true essentials--shelter, food, clothing, medical. And these needs are far from being met. But we're getting there!

2005-09-21T09:10:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Chez DuBois! This is currently the home for all things related to the Katrina Golden Girls. And a few other things...

Today is a busy day for the ladies. And for me. Again. Melanie was up at 5:30 a.m. to prepare for her new job at Horizon Foods. She is selling gourmet frozen foods to businesses, and will be getting her own truck to drive 24/7 beginning on Friday. Provided, that is, that she is able to get her CT driver's license by then. We hope!

I took Melanie to work at about 7:30 a.m., then off to court I went. My actual legal work there did not take long, and the ladies were truly blessed when once again, someone unexpected came through in a big way. A female colleague of mine, whom I've long admired since she burst upon the legal scene quite successfully just a few years ago, stopped me to say she had heard about the ladies and asked what they needed most. I told her, "spending money. Everyone is coming through with canned goods and such, but discretionary funds are scarce at the moment." She promptly sat down and wrote a check for $300, and said "Well, here's $100 apiece. Now, what else do they need? Please let me know." I told her about the shortage of size 2x and 3x clothing. She will be making some calls...