Extend a Paw of Love for Virginia Marsick

UPDATES:

03/10/2020

Virginia has all her babies back with her! :) Again, THANK YOU River Valley Animal Rescue for caring for the wee ones while Virginia got back on her feet.

Virginia has been able to locate a great, used car! Thank you for your continued donations to help make this possible!

02/29/2020

Virginia has come a long way since her wreck in December.
She has finally come out of the neck brace, the point of amputation is closed and has healed, and she is no longer in the boot for her leg break. As of 2/26 Nacho, her chihuahua, is back home. She plans to have the remainder of her furry family home with her on Monday, February 29, 2020. A big shout out of thanks to River Valley Animal Rescue for taking care of her babies. She has a new normal she is returning to with everyone. She is seeking an inexpensive automobile, as hers was totaled in the wreck. If you are aware of one that is available for no more than $2,000 and is in good, working order, please contact her directly.

12/13/2019 Virginia was in a horrific car wreck. She needs us now more than ever.
Virginia was air lifted to a hospital in Chicago where she had to have emergency surgery to amputate her left hand (updated from previous information that it was her arm). She also has a broken neck. Her dogs have been taken to a local animal rescue where they wait to be reunited with their beloved mom. Virginia has a long road ahead of her as she heals from her injuries, and she continues to struggle with the unmet needs she has from when I first opened this fundraiser. She received a sump pump. The list of needs below are still current. She will need a safe and operational home to come to. Please, any amount helps this wonderful woman. All funds continue to go straight to Virginia. Please share and spread the word. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you. --Jeannie

12/16/2019  Virginia has hit another bump in the road, as it was confirmed yesterday that she has a broken leg. She had been experiencing pain in the leg below the knee and x-rays discovered the break. Thankfully this explains some of the issues she was having with the pain and function of the leg, but sadly, this is yet another challenge she will be facing with healing, mobility, and therapy. She will be in a leg boot, but it has yet to placed on her. Keep those good thoughts going her way!

12/25/2019 Merry Christmas! Virginia is at Riverside in Kankakee for her therapy.
Riverside Medical Center Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit







She's always been there for you and the homeless animals in need, now Virginia needs a helping hand.

Whether you have had the pleasure of knowing Virginia, or have simply benefited from the good she has done for the community, now is the time to show your thanks by helping her in her time of need.

Virginia never hesitates to help anyone in need-- neighbor, friend, dog, bird, cat, or stranger. She has given when she hasn’t had anything to give; her last dollars handed out while she worries about how to pay her bills. 

March 6, 2004 Virginia lost the love of her life to lung cancer. Lost, she threw herself into the world of animal rescue and found herself anchored in the purpose she felt in helping homeless animals in need of a forever home.

For fifteen years, Virginia has struggled with the loss of her best friend, and as the years have passed, Virginia found herself facing issues that she was never meant to face alone. Placed out of the workforce, she has had to make do with employment that keeps her at the poverty level.

Virginia is the woman you have called when you spotted an injured dog in your neighborhood and she would come out and rescue the dog, sometimes spending hours in the rain and the snow capturing the animal so she could then tend to the animal’s medical needs and help him/her find a forever home. 

Virginia is the woman who drove out to poverty-stricken areas of the community and handed out pet food to owners who were struggling to feed their pets. She also took their pets to the vet for necessary medical needs, especially spay and neuter. Many times, Virginia has used her own money to help those animals who may have needed surgery or transport. 

Virginia is the woman who held you and cried with you when you broke down about the loss of your fur baby. She knew that pain and felt it with you. She was the one who checked in on you when the rest of the world thought you were doing fine and didn’t need anything. She remembered that you were hurting and still needed a hug. 


You may never have met Virginia, but you probably have benefited from her heart, her compassion, and her good deeds. As a member of the Kankakee County Animal Foundation, she volunteered her time and energy not only to rescue dogs and find homes but was also part of the Ad Hoc committee that worked to create animal legislation for the county and fight against pet limits. If you are a multi-pet household, Virginia fought for you and your furry kids to stay together, and with her help, the board refused to accept a pet limit law.  Later as a founding member of Sunrise Center Animal Rescue, she continued her work with rescuing dogs, cats and horses finding homes for hundreds of pets while working to increase access to low cost spay/neuter resources for the community.  You may have called her to get a voucher for your cat or dog.


She has done so very much for her community, and in doing so, she sacrificed her time, money, and energy that she could have spent on herself and her home. She did so without ever expecting anything in return except the happiness of homeless animals find their forever humans. 



This is the ceiling in her dining room. She has made attempts to stop the leak, but they have failed, and the interior of the home is being destroyed by the water.  Every time it rains, the damage piles on and the repair bill increases.


Virginia's Needs:

-- a new roof - the 20+ year old roof is now leaking, causing damage to her ceiling inside her home.
-- a sump pump - if you have an extra one, please, feel free to donate to her! ---- she received a sump pump
-- her basement is accumulating water, damaging household appliances and causing mold
-- AC has been broken for over a year, it cannot be repaired; the lack of air is not only unbearable for her and her dogs,       but it is contributing to mold growth
-- her clothes dryer is in need of repair
-- broken windows need replacement
-- her car was destroyed in the wreck, she will need transportation

Virginia applied for a state senior assistance program that would take care of her needed repairs. A representative from the program came out and assessed her situation and it was determined that she could receive help through the program, but after waiting for a year and a half for the work to start, she was told that she no longer qualified because she had temporarily picked up extra hours at work. This small window eliminated her opportunity to receive assistance that she desperately needs. As a senior on an impossibly tight budget, she cannot afford the repairs that are needed for her home. 

Virginia will be 69 years old this summer.  She isn’t in the best of health, and she is physically unable to do the work herself. You can imagine the emotional toll this situation has had on her, a proud woman who has watched her life unravel around her without the means to fix it.

Water in her basement is accumulating, causing damage to appliances and providing a grow zone for mold.



Virginia is your mom, Aunt, grandparent, sister, friend, or perhaps your future self who may be walking this earth without their beloved by their side, attempting to get by on the path that is left for them, doing the best good they can do and falling short of keeping their head above water. She needs help. It is a simple sentence with so much force behind it, like a tiny leak that causes thousands in damage. She needs help.

She would never ask anything of you. She hates that I am asking this for her, but I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t try to help her as she has helped thousands of others.

Thank you. Every donation, no matter the amount, is appreciated and welcomed.



More ceiling damage in her home. Her roof is no longer sustainable.




Please, help my friend. She would never ask for herself, but she is in dire need of assistance and support from anyone who can help her.
Denying yourself that coffee or quick indulgence can mean all the difference in one woman’s life.
That is a powerful choice that has the ability to magnify throughout the world.
Helping Virginia means she will be able to hire workers who are in need of work. The positive effect of your donation keeps traveling and including those you'll never know.

Other ways to help:

In lieu of a straight donation, you can shop in my online store, and 50% of the purchase price is being donated to Virginia. Fill your online cart with my handmade items and shop early for those holidays and birthdays on the horizon! Your purchases will be logged here, as well. Shop Bushnell Unscripted on Etsy 

Some of the wonderful lives Virgina has touched:

Scooby and his Lil sis Zoe - Thank you, Sandy Russell





“What do we live for if not to make the world less difficult for each other.”

– George Eliot