by Catherine Skivers
I first encountered Ellen Murphy while I was serving as CCB president, and she called the Council office to inquire about organizations of the blind that
she might be able to assist. She said she was not in good health and thought it was time to make plans for her estate. If life circumstances were difficult
for her, she speculated, they might be doubly so for blind women. I answered her questions about what services were available through various organizations
of and for the blind, and at her request, sent her a copy of the BC.
Shortly thereafter, I began receiving telephone calls from around the country, as apparently Ellen was at work contacting everybody. Looking through
the BC, she had found names of people in California and elsewhere, and talked with them. She called me back and said that she wanted to know more about
what the council did, and especially what I, as a woman president, had to do. She couldn't believe that I was a volunteer, and that all of our members
who provide so many services volunteered their time as well. The fact that the council didn't even pay my medical expenses really disturbed her. She said
that in talking to people throughout the country, they had said many nice things about me, and she thought that nobody would be saying good things about
her. What they might say, she thought, would not be fit for print.
When Ellen died, she established a trust fund, the sole purpose of which was to help blind and visually impaired women over the age of 50, with their special
needs. For the past ten years, fund trustees Abby Vincent, Christine [Christy] Crespin, and myself, have spent between 20 and 25 thousand dollars annually
to help blind women. Most applicants are seeking funds for housing. They are either trying to stay in their current homes or trying to find new places
to live. We have financed such items as first and last month's rent, deposits, and moving expenses. Assistance for purchasing food is also a high priority.
Apparently when SSI payments are stopped (for whatever reason) it takes time to re-establish the payments. We trustees have not been able to figure out
what people are supposed to do until the payments resume. On at least 2 occasions, we were happy to assist women who lost everything due to fires in their
residences. When I say everything, I mean everything: clothes, furniture, family heirlooms, personal documents, a place to live, everything!
Through the Ellen Murphy Fund, we've also helped women meet dental and other medical expenses. One unique case involved a woman with a rare eye disease
which required her to have her blood drawn twice a month, and sent to a pharmaceutical company which then mixed the blood with a special medication. This
mixture, now in the form of eye drops, was then returned to her by mail. Her doctors told her that if she did not use these eye drops daily, she would
lose the balance of her remaining vision. Generally the Ellen Murphy Fund assists an applicant only once, but we made an exception in this case, since
this woman's need was definitely ongoing. Sadly, this woman passed away in the fall of 2014.
If you or a woman you know is interested in applying to the Ellen Murphy Fund, please contact the CCB office for an application. Fill it out, return it,
and it will be passed along to the three trustees. All of your information will be kept confidential.
We have a member of CCB who is an anonymous donor to the Ellen Murphy Fun. We're so sorry that we can't say who this donor is, because her/his contributions
have been so needed, so appreciated. We know that people are constantly asked to contribute to many causes, and we all have our favorite projects such
as our council. Needless to say, any contributions made to the Ellen Murphy fund will be much appreciated, and we sure will know what to do with the money.
None of us knows what happens when we leave this earth; I just wish Ellen could hear the grateful thanks that she gets from all the ladies we help. Almost
all of them ask who she is and say that they wish they could thank her in person. They remember her in their prayers. For sure, I hope that she can know
that people do say wonderful things about her, and that they can be printed or spoken anywhere.
