Our Balloon Juice community is amazing isn’t it? We met $60,000 goal for Betty in less than 24 hours!
Wedding photo, as promised. More than one person asked for it!
This morning, even before we hit $50k, Betty wrote to ask us to please not put up another GoFundMe (GFM) post on the front page. So we didn’t!
There were a lot of questions and concerns raised in John’s post last night. I’ll address the ones I remember, but if I haven’t answered your question, chime in with your question in the comments.
- Does GFM accept donations after the goal is met? Yes.
- Are we free to post the link to the GFM on other blogs and on social media? Yes.
- Are we shutting down the GoFundMe once we reach the goal? We normally do, but in this case, no.
- Will the GFM still be live when you get paid on the 1st of the month? Yes.
- Do we plan to do a second GFM for Betty at a later date? Not in the plans. But no one knows what the future might hold.
- Will we increase the goal amount? Unclear. GFM takes 3% off the top, but it appears that GoFundMe donations may not be taxable anymore. I am not a tax expert, but yay for that if it’s really the case!
- What about flowers? If you are interested in thinking about flowers, send email to WaterGirl.
Betty thinks we have done more than enough, and I think it’s fair to say that she is blown away by the response. Do we agree that we have done enough? I think donations will tell the tale.
Okay, new subject.
I hope we can take to heart what Betty said in her Monday post:
I hope y’all will understand that I don’t have any plans to provide much further detail on this. My illness necessarily consumes so much of my life already. I’d love to have one digital oasis, populated by friends (and frenemies), where it doesn’t dominate the conversation. This could be that place!
To that end, I’d like to point you to this in the sidebar.
Betty Cracker’s Corner
Astonished. Overwhelmed. Verklempt.
Trying to find words, which usually come easily but have deserted me this Wednesday morning. As I said in my personal news post, my focus now is to survive this and to minimize the effect my illness has on my family.
The first part is my job, and I am newly buoyed in that effort by your unexpected (by me) outpouring of love and support. The second part of that burden – and to me the heaviest — has also been lightened by my generous friends, and I will never find the words to adequately express my gratitude for that.
I want to sculpt and hand-deliver individual butter lambs for each and every one of you, but that seems impractical just now, so these words will have to do: Thank you. I love you.
That’s it for now.
*checking into the 20% withheld for taxes. It appears that may no longer be the case. We will attempt to confirm one way or another.