| Support pours in for injured teacher
Those who know Judy Powell hope to give her the lift she desperately needs.
The beloved 2008 Citrus County School District Teacher of the Year is now a quadriplegic. She was paralyzed from the shoulders down after an Aug. 15 single-car crash in Daytona.
Powell, 65, a veteran English teacher at Crystal River High School and former director of its Academy of Health Careers, planned to retire at the end of the 2007-08 school year.
The once high-energy, avid runner and surfer, whose plan was to enjoy an active post-teaching life in the sand and surf with her husband, Jim, cannot pick up a book to read, a fork to eat or a telephone to talk.
“Nobody should have to suffer like this,” Ashley Hill, former Academy of Health Careers student, said.
For Powell, navigating her two-story dream retirement home in Daytona is a nightmarish obstacle. Her husband has to carry her up and down the stairs, said Diane Holmes, registered nurse, Academy of Health Careers director and foremost, Powell’s friend.
Holmes and Hill said they do not want Powell forced out of her home due to her condition.
“She lost so many things about her life that she loved,” Holmes said, which is why Holmes and Michelle Casey, parent of a Crystal River High School sophomore, set up the Judy Powell Fund, a fundraising organization.
Friends of Powell are trying to raise $46,000 to pay for an elevator and have it installed in Powell’s home. They’re asking everyone in Citrus County to help.
Holmes said $4,700 was donated during the last weeks of school through collections at Crystal River High School and during events at the school, such as the end-of-the-year chorus concert and Powder Puff football game.
The Powell Fund is growing day by day, through donations by generous business and organization leaders and members of the community who care.
“I just spoke to Jim and then Judy,” Holmes wrote in a Powell e-mail update to friends Thursday. “She said she is overwhelmed by the support she is receiving. She said she had no idea people cared about her so much.”
There are two Powell information Web sites, one by former Powell student Dan Wilson, a nurse at Citrus Memorial Health System, and the other, by Hill.
Holmes and Casey are at the forefront of the upcoming fundraising events for Powell. Hill is assisting with the auction and finalizing plans for another fundraising event that’s in the works.
“She helped me so much; it’s the least I can do,” Hill, a Central Florida Community College student, said.
The women are continuously brainstorming ways to raise money for Powell, the longtime teacher, friend, loving wife and mother.
Many products of Powell’s dedication as a teacher, her former students, are now health care workers at countywide hospitals, long-term care facilities and doctor and dentist offices. Community members come into contact with them daily, Holmes said.
“She’s had such an impact on this community,” Holmes said. “Now that she needs some help I think the community needs to pull together to help her.”
PIG OUT FOR POWELL
WHAT: “Pig Out For Powell.”
WHEN: 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. June 25.
WHERE: Seven Rivers Regional Medical Center Cafeteria, Crystal River.
INFO: The breakfast is open to the general public. Plate fee is $3. All proceeds will go to the Judy Powell Fund.
DONATIONS NEEDED
Send checks made out to the Judy Powell Fund to Brannen Bank of Crystal River, 865 N.E. U.S. 19, Crystal River, FL 34429. Those who have items to donate for the auction or general questions should call Diane Holmes at 220-1955 or Michelle Casey at 302-5480. For more information, call Ashley Hill at 212-8792, e-mail penniesforjpowell@yahoo.com, or visit http://pennies4jpowell.wetpaint.com.
FOOD AND FUNDS
WHAT: Barbecue Dinner and Auction.
WHEN: 6 p.m. July 26.
WHERE: Crystal River High School.
INFO: Price for the Oyster’s-sponsored dinner is $10 per person. Tickets can be purchased Monday through Thursday at Crystal River High School’s main office. All proceeds will go to the Judy Powell Fund.
JUDY POWELL NIGHT
WHAT: Judy Powell Night.
WHEN: 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. July 14.
WHERE: Beef O’ Brady’s, Crystal River.
INFO: All community members are invited to dine at the restaurant; 25 percent of the proceeds will go to the Judy Powell Fund.
Judy Powell’s web site |
