Anyone involved in Central Florida activism and politics knows the name Eleanor McDonough. I met Eleanor in 2019 while volunteering for Moms Demand Action in Osceola County. The first thing I noticed about Eleanor is that she was a hard worker and passionate about helping her community. She was also involved in the Osceola DEC, and you would often find her volunteering to register voters at any opportunity she could find. Eleanor is also one of the kindest souls you will ever meet, and she does whatever she can to help those she loves.

When you meet Eleanor's parents, you see where she gets her gentle spirit. Her mother is one of the kindest people, and her dad is so charming. Eleanor lived with her parents and her little sister in Celebration. They are tight-knit and depend on each other.

Like many of us, Eleanor had to find creative ways to keep the community engaged and aware of upcoming elections when the pandemic hit. She often hosted zoom Tea Time for phone banking and worked tirelessly at the FDP in any way she could to Get Out The Vote. While Biden may not have won Florida, Eleanor was impactful in keeping Osceola a blue county.

After the election, Eleanor went to work as a Legislative Aid for Rep. Kristen Arrington and became the first openly transgender person to work at the Florida Capital. Eleanor was instrumental in fighting off HB 1557, aka the "Don't Say LGBTQ" bill. She executed her job flawlessly while there, even while dealing with the emotional stress in the face of blatant transphobic bills.

During the 2022 election, Eleanor felt called to get back to work in the trenches to do what she could to help flip the state and went back to working at the FDP. I don't think I talked to Eleanor once when she was not working and doing whatever she could to help the Democratic Party elect good people.

During this time, Eleanor's dad began to develop an unusual cough and pain in his back. During a routine visit to the doctor, his white blood cell count returned very high, but the doctor assured them it was nothing to worry about and sent Eleanor's dad home.

A few weeks later, feeling worse, he went to the hospital, where it was discovered he had Stage IV Small Cell Lung Cancer. The news was a complete shock to Eleanor and her family. He returned to NH with Eleanor's mom and little sister to get the care he needed. Unfortunately, Eleanor had to break her lease and pay a pretty hefty sum, and at the same time this was happening, her car died, and the repair cost was too much.

Eleanor's father is currently in chemotherapy, with little chance of long-term survival. Even then, Eleanor's commitment to her friends is incredible that she still wants to help her friend through her first legislative session and stay on as her aide. But that is how Eleanor is; she's incredibly kind, a woman of her word, someone who cares for family and her friends, and is there anytime you need her.

Now she needs us. Please give what you can, and any amount is appreciated, please share.

Let's help Eleanor, because I know that if it were any of us, Eleanor would be the first to step up and assist.