Non profit Good Fairy Marin is asking you to sponsor a one off 3 hour intensive Spring Clean for a senior who cannot clean their own home. Each clean costs $100. We need at least 100 of them. Recipients will be from towns throughout Marin.
Why?
Put yourself in this position. You are a low income senior in Marin. Through the natural process of aging or illness you are no longer able to clean and organize your home as you used to. You just don't have family or friends or who can or will do this for you. You don't qualify for home care support that will help . You need to hire a cleaner. What if you can't afford to?
Beyond the practical issues of health and safety, imagine the emotional consequences. How depressing. What a challenge to your self esteem. Might others mistake you for being lazy or dirty.? Could physically challenges in organizing be mistaken for a personal choice not to sort things out and throw things away, incorrectly confused with those suffering from hoarding disorder.
How isolating. You can't let anyone see the place.
CLEANING IS THE MOST REQUESTED THINGS THAT GOOD FAIRY IS ASKED FOR THAT WE DON'T DO.
One senior said: ' its hard to accept my standards are just above my budget'.
Another said ' I feel like putting up a picture of what my house used to look like. I was always very clean and tidy before, all my life'.
Several people of advanced years, especially those coping with life threatening conditions, express great sadness, frustration and even shame worrying they can't plan to pass away leaving a clean, tidy house.
One gentleman felt his wife would be ashamed of him letting her house get into this state.
WE JUST HAD TO DO SOMETHING
We can't be a complete, constant solution for everyone but we can make a difference.
Put yourself in THIS position. Imagine the joy of a neighbor gifting you a Spring Clean. Two gifts. The gift of cleaning and the gift of knowing there's a community out there that understands and cares.
$100 is a lot of money. Fund raise if you need to. Give smaller amounts to help towards a clean. But please help us ' do something' and create a few Spring smiles.
Employment for a low income team
The Good Fairy clean team is coordinated by Good Fairy Wilfredo and will provide much appreciated income to a group of Hispanic families from the East Bay. Contact [email redacted] to request his references from several Marin families and from the Marin Housing Authority.
As many cleaners do not speak English, each clean is planned with Wilfredo in person and we'll deploy google translate and bi-lingual fairy support to enable clear and friendly communication.
How groovy is Wilfredo's team?
Very. I (Good Fairy founder, Penny Macphail) continued to pay Wilfredo's team to clean my home throughout the pandemic when they were not allowed to work. Upon returning, they asked me to select a low income senior with disabilities in the Good Fairy community - and they cleaned her home for free.
Offer your own cleaner
You may also prefer to contribute by paying your own cleaning team to offer a one off Spring Clean ( 3 hours minimum). You can pay them to do so or donate time normally spent cleaning your home. Email: [email redacted] to find out more.
Request a specific recipient
If you would like your gift of a clean to go to a particular recipient let us know.
How do you pick the recipients?
Recipients will be people already in the Good Fairy Community and people suggested to us by our community partners which include the good fairies form The Marin Center for Independent Living, Parks and Rec, Age Friendly towns, Affordable Housing groups Good Fairy Marin etc
Value add
Good Fairy is liaising with a grocery store and other companies who may gift vouchers to recipients . Let us know if you can help.
NB: HOARDING
The Mental Health Association of San Francisco has support groups, resources, and has offered workshops for consumers, community members and professionals on this topic. This and the useful fact sheet from the International OCD Foundation below clarifies the difference between a senior or person with disabilities who needs support with cleaning and clutter control and someone who is currently facing the challenge of this mental health disorder - and needs appropriate professional care.
https://www.mentalhealthsf.org/collecting-behaviors-hoarding-disorder
https://www.mentalhealthsf.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/MHASF-Resource-List-Brochure-updated-12-15-15.pdf
https://www.mentalhealthsf.org/support-groups/
The International OCD Foundation - useful fact sheet
Good Fairy from The Marin Center For Independent Living recommends this book for those interesting in learning more. Buried in Treasures: Help for Compulsive Acquiring, Saving and Hoarding by David F. Tolin, Randy O. Frost and Fail Steketee.
Why?
Put yourself in this position. You are a low income senior in Marin. Through the natural process of aging or illness you are no longer able to clean and organize your home as you used to. You just don't have family or friends or who can or will do this for you. You don't qualify for home care support that will help . You need to hire a cleaner. What if you can't afford to?
Beyond the practical issues of health and safety, imagine the emotional consequences. How depressing. What a challenge to your self esteem. Might others mistake you for being lazy or dirty.? Could physically challenges in organizing be mistaken for a personal choice not to sort things out and throw things away, incorrectly confused with those suffering from hoarding disorder.
How isolating. You can't let anyone see the place.
CLEANING IS THE MOST REQUESTED THINGS THAT GOOD FAIRY IS ASKED FOR THAT WE DON'T DO.
One senior said: ' its hard to accept my standards are just above my budget'.
Another said ' I feel like putting up a picture of what my house used to look like. I was always very clean and tidy before, all my life'.
Several people of advanced years, especially those coping with life threatening conditions, express great sadness, frustration and even shame worrying they can't plan to pass away leaving a clean, tidy house.
One gentleman felt his wife would be ashamed of him letting her house get into this state.
WE JUST HAD TO DO SOMETHING
We can't be a complete, constant solution for everyone but we can make a difference.
Put yourself in THIS position. Imagine the joy of a neighbor gifting you a Spring Clean. Two gifts. The gift of cleaning and the gift of knowing there's a community out there that understands and cares.
$100 is a lot of money. Fund raise if you need to. Give smaller amounts to help towards a clean. But please help us ' do something' and create a few Spring smiles.
Employment for a low income team
The Good Fairy clean team is coordinated by Good Fairy Wilfredo and will provide much appreciated income to a group of Hispanic families from the East Bay. Contact [email redacted] to request his references from several Marin families and from the Marin Housing Authority.
As many cleaners do not speak English, each clean is planned with Wilfredo in person and we'll deploy google translate and bi-lingual fairy support to enable clear and friendly communication.
How groovy is Wilfredo's team?
Very. I (Good Fairy founder, Penny Macphail) continued to pay Wilfredo's team to clean my home throughout the pandemic when they were not allowed to work. Upon returning, they asked me to select a low income senior with disabilities in the Good Fairy community - and they cleaned her home for free.
Offer your own cleaner
You may also prefer to contribute by paying your own cleaning team to offer a one off Spring Clean ( 3 hours minimum). You can pay them to do so or donate time normally spent cleaning your home. Email: [email redacted] to find out more.
Request a specific recipient
If you would like your gift of a clean to go to a particular recipient let us know.
How do you pick the recipients?
Recipients will be people already in the Good Fairy Community and people suggested to us by our community partners which include the good fairies form The Marin Center for Independent Living, Parks and Rec, Age Friendly towns, Affordable Housing groups Good Fairy Marin etc
Value add
Good Fairy is liaising with a grocery store and other companies who may gift vouchers to recipients . Let us know if you can help.
NB: HOARDING
The Mental Health Association of San Francisco has support groups, resources, and has offered workshops for consumers, community members and professionals on this topic. This and the useful fact sheet from the International OCD Foundation below clarifies the difference between a senior or person with disabilities who needs support with cleaning and clutter control and someone who is currently facing the challenge of this mental health disorder - and needs appropriate professional care.
https://www.mentalhealthsf.org/collecting-behaviors-hoarding-disorder
https://www.mentalhealthsf.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/MHASF-Resource-List-Brochure-updated-12-15-15.pdf
https://www.mentalhealthsf.org/support-groups/
The International OCD Foundation - useful fact sheet
Good Fairy from The Marin Center For Independent Living recommends this book for those interesting in learning more. Buried in Treasures: Help for Compulsive Acquiring, Saving and Hoarding by David F. Tolin, Randy O. Frost and Fail Steketee.
Organizer
