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September 2003

Writers Emergency Assistance Fund: Helping writers get back on their feet.

By Lisa Collier Cool

Eleanor Schmidt* never thought she'd need the help of the Writers Emergency Assistance Fund (WEAF). After all, she and her husband, Brian*, also a freelancer, made a combined income of as much as $100,000 in their best years. Athough there were also lean years during 64-year-old Eleanor's long career, she has written two books and amassed a wide array of magazine credits, along with several journalism awards. She has been a member of ASJA for over 20 years.

In 1998 catastrophe stuck. Brian, who had been treated for cancer years earlier, learned that the malignancy was back. This time, there was no hope of recovery. Soon he was so sick that he could only breathe with the aid of an oxygen tank. And his care consumed so much of Eleanor's time that she could barely work at all. With next to no income, the couple's savings quickly evaporated, and they plunged into debt.

By November of 2000, the Schmidts were on the verge of losing their home. But there was something Eleanor feared even more: "My husband was about to die, and I didn't know if we could even afford his pain medicine. It was a nightmare." Not knowing what else to do, she applied for a WEAF grant. "It was hard for me to ask, but I was desperate. They replied very fast and were so compassionate that it was incredible."

Just before Thanksgiving, she received $3,500, WEAF's maximum grant. "It took at huge burden off me, at a horrendous time in my life," says Eleanor. "I made the house payment and was able to pay for the medicine my husband needed." A month later, Brian died. When his life insurance check arrived, she became the only person in WEAF's history ever to repay a grant. But Eleanor didn't stop there: She sent an extra $100 in the hope of helping someone else.

As she mourned her husband, she was hit with a new disaster: potentially catastrophic legal problems stemming from a business venture of Brian's. "One wrong decision would mean that I lost everything I had," she says. During the many months she struggled to escape this legal labyrinth, she only had time to write one story, and slipped back into debt.

Again at risk of losing her house, she turned to WEAF. Although the fund's bylaws place limits on second grants, these didn't apply in Eleanor's case; since she'd repaid the money she'd previously received, her application was viewed as a first grant. $3,200 was enough to stave off foreclosure on her home, and get Eleanor back on her feet. She is now writing her third book and has a goal that inspires her: to earn enough money to repay the second grant. "The fund is such a great thing, I'm sure it has saved others the way it saved me."

Eleanor's story illustrates the extraordinary power our fund has to touch and even transform the lives of those of us who are faced with unexpected adversity, illness or other emergencies. Through our generosity, the voices of gifted writers can continue to be heard. That's why I hope all of you will reach into your pockets and give a fellow freelancer the gift of a second chance. When you receive your dues statement, you'll see an option to round up your check—or online dues payment via our website (www.asja.org)—to $200, with the extra $5 going to WEAF. If every ASJA member did that, the fund would receive more than $5,000, allowing it to assist other needy writers.

And if you're able to do more, please include an extra donation with your dues payment, whether it's another $5 or $500. Mail your tax-deductible check to the Writers Emergency Assistance Fund, 1501 Broadway, Suite 403, NY, NY 10036. We're working on setting up a form to contribute to WEAF online, and will let members know when it's available.

Remember, says Eleanor, "The fund is like a security blanket: You hope you'll never need it, but if you do, it's wonderful to know that it's there for you."

Thank you for helping keep WEAF strong and compassionate.

*names changed to preserve privacy