EDITOR’s NOTE: This is another in a series of articles on the Peninsula Home Fund. This is the final week of our annual holiday appeal. Please click on the Home Fund button at left to print out a coupon.
Four years ago, Beaver resident Dyan Ouldhouse woke up in the middle of the night unable to breathe.
In a panic, she reached the emergency room to be told that she had a severe, disabling respiratory condition.
“I was shocked when they told me that I had advanced asthma and early signs of emphysema,” Dyan said.
That day in October 1998 changed her life.
Over time, she has learned to cope with her illness and the necessary limitations that she must face.
But her personal finances — $339 per month income — are so tight and her health is so fragile that crises are inevitable.
Such was the case last summer when her shared housing arrangement broke down and she was left with a pile of bills.
“There was no way that I could pay those bills and keep my power on,” she recalls. “I have to have electricity so that my nebulizer will work.”
A nebulizer, she explains, is a machine that produces a fine mist containing medicine to help her breathe.
“Without it,” Dyan says, “I’m dead.”
Turned to OlyCAP
Ouldhouse visited the Forks office of Olympic Community Action Programs — OlyCAP — where she found the help that she needed.
The staff at OlyCAP helped her understand her options and eligibility for various programs. Most importantly, they provided her with enough assistance from the Peninsula Daily News’ Peninsula Home Fund to keep her electricity on.
“In Dyan’s case we just wanted to stabilize her and make sure she understood that there were a few more options out there,” said Cathy Ulin, OlyCAP client services specialist.
“Soon she will be receiving disability from the Social Security Administration, and her life will be less susceptible to emergencies like this one.”
“I live halfway across the state from most of my family and friends,” Dyan says.
“I don’t know what I’d have done without Community Action and the help I received from the Home Fund. Thank you.”
A safety net
Peninsula Home Fund is a safety net for residents in Jefferson and Clallam counties when they face emergency situations — and can’t find help elsewhere.
From Port Townsend to Forks, from Quilcene and Brinnon to LaPush, it’s a helping hand for children, teenagers, families and the elderly.
Every dollar goes — without any deductions for costs — for hot meals for seniors, warm winter coats for kids, home repairs for the low income, needed prescription drugs, dental work, safe, drug-free temporary housing, eyeglasses. The list goes on and on.
The nonprofit program’s emphasis is on making sure no one falls through the cracks during the most demanding time of the year — winter.
No deductions
Peninsula Home Fund continues to seek contributions for its annual holiday-season fund-raising campaign.
Now in its 14th year, the fund is managed for the Peninsula Daily News by OlyCAP, the No. 1 emergency care agency on the North Olympic Peninsula.
The 2002 holiday campaign begins its final week today. It ends Tuesday, Dec. 31.
* No money is diverted for administration or other overhead. All costs are absorbed by the Peninsula Daily News and OlyCAP.
* All contributions are fully IRS tax-deductible.
* Your personal information is kept confidential. The 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.
* Money is commonly distributed from the Peninsula Home Fund in small amounts, usually up to $100.
* Assistance is limited to one time in a 12-month period.
Individuals, couples, businesses and school groups set a new record for contributions in 2001 — $63,777.
More than 650 people had been helped as of mid-November.
All of the money collected last year is expected to be spent by Dec. 31.
Peninsula Home Fund contributions are often used in conjunction with money from churches, service clubs and other donors, enabling OlyCAP to stretch the value of the contributions.
To apply for a grant from the fund, phone OlyCAP at 360-452-4726 (Clallam County) or 360-385-2571 (Jefferson County). There are offices in Port Townsend, Port Angeles and Forks.
If you have any questions about the fund, contact Rex Wilson, Peninsula Daily News executive editor, at 360-417-3530, or e-mail rex.wilson@peninsuladailynews.com.
How to donate
A gift of any size is welcome.
Peninsula Home Fund has never been a campaign of heavy hitters.
Every gift makes a difference.
Please use the coupon accessible by clicking on the button at the upper left and print out a coupon that can be mailed in with your contribution.
Again, all contributions are fully IRS tax-deductible.
You will receive a written thank you and acknowledgment of your contribution; your address and all personal information are kept private.
The Peninsula Daily News publishes news stories every Wednesday and Sunday during this year’s campaign listing contributors and reporting on how the fund works.
New contributions
So far this holiday season, $45,832.87 has been contributed to the Peninsula Home Fund.
The following are contributions received between Dec. 20 and Dec. 23 — thank you very much for making a difference in the lives — and futures — of your neighbors:
* Bruce and Martha Oldfield, Sequim, $100.
* Arney’s Dam RV Park, Port Angeles, $100.
* JEPRRO, Port Angeles, $50.
* Senior Center Guiding Committee, Port Angeles, $50.
* Seven Cedars Casino, Blyn, $1,000.
Donors who requested anonymity:
* Port Angeles, $25.
* Port Angeles, $25.
* San Diego, $200 (from a future resident)
* Port Angeles, $200.
* Port Angeles, $100.
* Carlsborg/Sequim, $100.
* Sequim, $30.
* Sequim, $25.
* Port Angeles, $1,200.
* Port Angeles. $32.50.
* Sequim, $50.
* Sequim, $150, in honor of Katie, Susie and Julie.
* Port Angeles, $100.
* Sequim, $50.
* Forks, $25.
* Sequim, $100.
* *Olympic Electric, Port Angeles.
* *Bryant and Theodora Hall, Port Angeles, in memory of Juliette Hall Jr.
* *E.C.A., Port Townsend.
* *Edith Snelgrove, Port Angeles, in memory of son David A. Pitts.
* *Mary Lou Rhone Elwood, Chippewa Falls, Wis., in memory of Russel and Blanch Warren.
* *John and Diana Anderson, Sequim, $150.
* *Bob and Valerie A. Morgenstern, Port Angeles.
* *Freia Otterstetter, no city given.
* *Tom and Peggy Ryan, Sequim, in memory of Daniel D. Gallegos.
* *Carol and Glen Wilhelm, Port Angeles.
* *Joan Walker, Sequim, in memory of Leonard.
* *Al and Jane Bloomquist, Port Angeles, in memory of Sue Lea.
* *Steve and Lucy Nordwell, Port Angeles.
* *Ilda L. Britton, Port Angeles, with a Merry Christmas for Ed Hebert.
* *Yoga & Pilates by Sher of Port Angeles: “The enclosed checks represent a donation resulting from a special yoga class conducted for the PDN Home Fund. There were times in my life when I would have appreciated help from a ‘Peninsula Home Fund.’ Your support of this fund without administrative costs serves as an encouragement to all of us to participate.” Contributors: Maureen Pfaff, Deanetta Medley, Kathryn and Jim Andrew, Valerie Dutrow, Gail Ralston, Tanya Smith, Cathy Lear, Flo Caldwell, Janet Lovell, Laura O’Neal, Irene Greene and Judy Blue Ziese.
*=Denotes amount of donation is private