My treasured friend and domestic helper of 41 years, Bessie Ross, has fallen upon some hard times as have so many others during the Covid 19 pandemic.  I am hoping that by setting up a GoFundMe account that I can enlist your help in raising money to replace her now-defunct 21-year-old car and also cover some very basic living expenses.

Up until last month, Bessie had been sheltered inside of her home in Waukegan.  She was anxious to return to work as, at this point, she was completely out of money. Unfortunately, the car that she had been driving for 21 years died last week leaving Bessie stranded.  As the car is now considered not fixable and dangerous, she is now left without transportation and has no money for an alternative.  Not only can she not get to her cleaning jobs but she is also unable to get to her doctor’s appointments and Covid vaccine location.

Bessie has been my friend and helper for 41 years.  She is a hardworking, loyal and reliable person, but because of the ravages of the Covid era, her sources of income have dried up.  Furthermore, due to circumstances that defy logic, she cannot collect social security or unemployment. Sadly, she only has a small monthly disbursement from her VA Hospital pension to live on. She is an 85-year-old woman living alone and below the poverty level. After an honorable lifetime of domestic work, at a time when she most needs a roof over her head, food to eat, and a car to drive, she is penniless.

My goal is to raise enough money to buy Bessie a good, reliable used car as well as some money left over to pay for necessities until she can get back on her feet.

Please contribute to this GoFundMe, and help this remarkable woman get back in the driver's seat. Thank you so much!

 With Friendship and Appreciation,

Judy Samuelson