A circle of Support for Carrie

My name is Rise, and I want to introduce you to my friend, Carrie Craig.

Trust me, you want to know this woman. And I hope you’ll be part of her circle of

support. (You'll hear from her friend Frankie Jordan in updates later; Frankie will be managing and dispersing funds on Carrie's behalf.)

I met Carrie more than thirty years ago--what?!--when we were students. We were preparing for ordination in the Episcopal Church, and those years made us friends for life, though we live on opposite coasts. When life gets hard, we get on the phone, cry a little or a lot, and pick one another up. Together.

Carrie has been disabled since birth.

She uses an electric wheelchair and needs an assistant for many activities of daily life. This means she knows a lot about obstacles, possibilities, independence, and interdependence. She teaches–by words and presence– what it means to be the Beloved Community, where there is a place in the circle for everyone.

Opening up that place in the circle–that’s one of Carrie’s gifts.

When she arrived at seminary, we discovered that the expectation of daily chapel attendance wasn’t so simple for all of us: there were stairs to all the entrances. The community looked around, rallied, and a ramp was installed. It wasn’t about Carrie’s dependence but our interdependence. We needed her, and she, us.

Later when she became a priest (remarkable, in itself, as not long before, that was also closed to her), she led communities to find that they were closed in ways they had not even noticed before she arrived. She helped them open those doors.

When she became a hospital chaplain, she gave hope to people facing new obstacles in their lives by showing them that an abundant and creative life was still available to them.

But here’s the thing:

She needs our help, because while Carrie is fiercely independent and has worked hard her whole life to create a way of living that allows her to serve other people, she has to pay personal care assistants who work with her to prepare for each day and then assist throughout the day. She had to hire, coordinate, communicate, and plan for her personal care needs. Oh, and figure out how to pay for it.

She had to retire from her professional work for medical reasons much earlier than planned. Suddenly, she was on a fixed income. For the first ten years, she could maintain the cost of her care needs. Which gave her the physical and mental ability to develop the work she still does: leading online prayer gatherings, writing, consulting with organizations and people on disability issues, and more. Then came Covid.

Over the last three years, her financial resources for personal care have been drained. Soon into the pandemic, she finally had to rely fully on private care agencies to be assured someone would help her. Now, on average, her care can cost up to $5000 a month! And that’s after moving to a place where care is more available.

Carrie lives in North Carolina, which is #46 among the states who provide financial assistance for in-home care. The programs she has applied for have long waiting lists--2 to 3 years.

Her care needs are not on hold while she waits.

That’s where we all come in. Paying for in-home care is fundamental to her physical, mental, and spiritual health and her ability to continue to share what she has to offer. And we need what she has to give!

This is an ongoing fundraiser to support Carrie while she continues to reach out for every possibility. Please give in whatever way you are able. Every act of love is deeply appreciated.

Examples of how to join the circle with Carrie:

...And then, keep on spreading the love to others! We build the community we long for, one small action at a time.

Thank you!