Help Carole get a place ASAP!

To know Carole Guffanti Notley is to adore her. If you are blessed enough to call this wonderful woman "friend," you know exactly what I mean. If you haven't made her acquaintance yet, you're missing out- this is one of the best people you could ever have the pleasure of knowing. She is a person of extreme integrity, strength, and heart- and she is ALWAYS there for others in their times of need. :)

When my last car completely died on the highway at 6:45am, Carole immediately volunteered to drive over 45 minutes through commute traffic to let me use her AAA card. She would not accept one penny from me. She has long been active in our local community, most recently as a member of the local chapters of the ACLU and the Italian-American Club. She is the kind to help cook for and feed the homeless in her spare time. She will also invite travelers and those without homes to share in a home-cooked meal and sleep on her couch when they need a warm place to stay for the night. When Carole was practicing law as a civil rights attorney, she often represented income-restricted clients who were victims of injustice pro bono (for free!)- because that's who she is. Carole's generosity, compassion, and sharp mind are just a few of her stellar qualities. I can always count on her in a time of crisis, or just when I need a friend to talk to. And right now, she could really use OUR help.

Carole is in a tough situation right now through no fault of her own. The law firm that she was working for downsized and she was laid off. She immediately began a voracious job hunt, but work in her field did not come quickly enough and she was was forced to move from the house that she then rented and start couch-hopping. Unfortunately, she could not afford to renew her law license shortly after this, and thus, could no longer get work as an attorney. Carole eventually found full-time work and she is still there as one of their most reliable employees, but the job is far less than ideal and the pay is abysmal. But for now, she stays there, because she needs *something* in the way of work. She's been staying with various family and friends during her period of houselessness and is saving to get out of the rut, so to speak. She has been fortunate to have a consistent place to stay with some friends for the past few months, but last week she found out that she needs to vacate that space as the owners now have need of it.

Carole has been saving and is close to having enough to rent her own room in a house, but she has to be out of her current place by 2/5- before she will be ready to put down first month's rent and security deposit somewhere else. Carole is VERY self-reliant and doesn't like asking anyone for help. I have been offering for months now to start a fundraiser for her and she has politely declined each time... until now, thankfully. With the situation being as it is, she needs a place that is warm, dry, and safe, as opposed to sleeping under an overpass (as she has before, and we friends only found out after the fact!) or in a shelter. My dear friend is growing exhausted of this instability and struggle and just wants to be back on her own two feet again. This is where we come in!!

If you can please make a donation, however small, Carole will use these monies exclusively for obtaining a new place to live that she can call "home". This fundraiser means a LOT to me- it is an opportunity for me, and for us as a community, to give back to someone who has always done SO much for others. I cannot think of a person more deserving of help in a crisis or one who will more quickly act to change her situation with a little help from friends and kindhearted folks. Any help you can give to this truly special woman will make a huge difference for Carole!! All donations will be greatly appreciated and put to immediate use in Carole's hunt for a room to rent.

Please consider a donation, or share this campaign with others if you're unable to spare anything right now. This site, unlike GoFundMe, does not automatically take a portion of the donations, so ALL donated funds will go to Carole.

THANK YOU so much for your show of generosity and love for the exceptional Carole Guffanti Notley! <3