MICHELLE’S
EARTH FOUNDATION
Preston King Station PO BOX 5140
Arlington VA 22205
Office phone: 703-300-9569
Email: michellesearthfoundation@yahoo.
com
Web: www.michellesearthfound.org
“SMALL ACTIONS=BIG CHANGE”
November 22, 2006
Dear Friends:
First,
we would like to thank you for participating in our memorial planting
for Michelle Gardner-Quinn! Over 150 volunteers from around the world
and the United States
honored Michelle by this action and we at MEF feel that her spirit
truly transcended time and space that day! The memory planting
was
covered by local DC NBC, CBS, and ABC news channels as well as news
channels in Vermont.
We are pleased to announce that a preliminary version of www.michellesearthfound.org
is up and working! Right now, you can find basic information about our
organization and projects. Please check back soon, as more
content
will be added. We have received some photos from last Friday's event
and will be putting them up soon.
Please be patient with us as
only 3 people, with full-time jobs and school, are establishing the
MEF’s administration and dealing with all the logistics. As
you may
know, it takes considerable time and energy to do all the tasks
involved in creating a non-profit!
This Thanksgiving holiday, after you have stuffed yourself with all the
good food provided by the earth, MEF is asking all Arlington
volunteers to perform a small action on November 25th at 11:00
a.m.
There is a trail on Military Road that leads down to the Potomac that
used to be one of Michelle’s favorite places of discovery as a
child.
Unfortunately, this trail has become polluted with trash. To
ensure
that other children can enjoy this trail and the neighboring stream,
trash free, we ask MEF volunteers to do a clean-up for several hours.
Place:
Meet at sign that says Gulf Branch Nature Center on Military
Road. The
trail actually does not lead to Gulf Branch Nature Center but is on the
opposite side of the road and leads to the Potomac. Call me at 703 350 5022 for directions
Time: November 25th, 11:00 am—It
should not take more than 2-3 hours to finish the clean up.
Bring: Heavy Duty Black Trash Bags and
Transportation to take trash to city dump.
Please respond ASAP if you will
participate to restore the beauty of the woods of Arlington.
Of course, all MEF volunteers from all over the country and world are
encouraged to perform similar actions as they see fit!
As
a sad side note, for those of you that knew Michelle’s and her mother
Diane’s Chinese Pug, Fawn Su—Fawn Su died yesterday. She will be
buried in Diane's backyard. She was with Michelle and her
mother for
14 years. So be extra nice to your animals on Thanksgiving!!!
Sincerely,
MEF
Nov. 20, 2006 email from Georgeanne Usova, Secretary/ Treasurer of
Michelle's Earth Foundation:
Cecilia,
Thank you so
much for writing. We are doing our best to carry on Michelle's
memory in a way that is as positive as she was.
Our
organization, Michelle's Earth Foundation, is separate from the
UVM
scholarship fund established in Michelle's name. Our goal is to
facilitate youth involvement in community level efforts towards
creating a healthy, sustainable environment for humans and
nature.
So
rather than scholarship money, Michelle's Earth Foundation will be
engaging in direct action towards these ends. We are starting small,
asking volunteers to pay tribute to Michelle by planting trees and
spreading new life, and by organizing events in their communities.
Michelle
was my best friend and I know how happy she would be to have your
support. (You may have seen me in that WCAX report- my name is
Georgeanne). As I'm sure you know, Michelle cared deeply
about the
environment and was very committed to making the world a better
place.
I know she would have accomplished a great deal in furthering both of
these causes in her life had she been given the chance.
I'm
personally very excited that you are interested in helping us spread
the word about Michelle's Earth Foundation. We would love for
it to
grow and flourish across the nation, so we can certainly use your help.
We are in the process of making some informational flyers that you
could perhaps display in your community. If you are interested,
please send us your address so that we can mail you a stack of
materials as soon as they are available.
And of course, we cannot thank
you enough for any contribution you are able to make, as we are just
starting out.
Monetary donations can be sent
to:
Michelle's Earth Foundation
Preston King Station P.O. Box
5140
Arlington,
VA 22205
Please make all checks out to
Michelle's Earth Foundation.
PLEASE
NOTE: While we believe donations made to MEF should be tax-deductible
because MEF is a corporation organized and operated exclusively for
charitable and educational purposes, our status as a 501(3)(c) entity
is pending.
Please contact your tax
advisor for advice regarding your specific situation.
Of
course, If you have any time or talent to donate to our cause as a
volunteer, that is also highly appreciated. The best way to reach us is
through this email address, or at our office phone, (703)300-9569. Even though you are not in
the Washington,
DC
area, your gift of volunteering would be invaluable to us-- for
example, organizing small environmental projects (such as clean-ups,
etc) in Michelle's name in your community would really help us spread
the word about our foundation and further our cause. Just let us
know
how you would like to contribute.
Our
website is forthcoming and we will put you on our mailing list and
notify you by email once it is up and running. We will likely also set
up a channel for donating through PayPal on the website.
Thank you so much for your
support. It means a lot to us. Hope to hear back from you soon.
Sincerely,
Georgeanne Usova, Secretary/
Treasurer of Michelle's Earth Foundation