From Sandra Balzo
As
many of you know, Jeremiah Healy took his own life on August 14, 2014,
at the age of 66, following a long battle with depression. Our
fellow mystery authors, Brendan DuBois, Andi Shechter, SJ Rozan and her
sister Deborah have found a way of commemorating Jerry’s work and life
that I think he would have absolutely loved.
As
Brendan says: “Besides his work as an attorney and an author, Jerry was
a U.S. Army vet, and was also a lover of dogs. We have therefore
reached out to a service dog organization in Maryland that trains dogs
to assist wounded veterans, and they will be thrilled to receive
donations in Jerry's name.”
This
all started a few weeks back when Brendan asked me the deceptively
simple question, “What cause would Jerry want us to donate to?” My
first thoughts were things that were on my mind – depression, suicide prevention or maybe literacy. All worthy causes, but not . . . very Jerry.
So I asked myself Brendan’s question again: “What would Jerry want?”
If
you knew Jeremiah Healy for any length of time, you might have heard
him talk about the military and refer to somebody as “the real thing.”
“The Real Things” are men and women who served our country heroically
and selflessly, often at the expense of life, limb or emotional health.
In fact, the only time I saw Jerry cry was as he recounted an air
mission in which the pilots took off knowing that, once the mission was
achieved, they didn’t have the fuel to return.
As
for the canine component, I can’t tell you how many strolls were
doubled in duration because Jerry had to stop every passing dog-walker
with the question “Is he (or she) friendly?” and give ‘em a good
scratch. Even depressed, it was the one thing that seemed to help him,
so I can only imagine what it does for wounded vets.
So
Hero Dogs, it is! Below is the scoop (no pun intended, though I kind of
like it) from Brendan and company. We’d appreciate your sharing the
word.
With thanks for the happiness you gave Jerry,
Sandy
From Brendan Dubois
Besides
his work as an attorney and an author, Jeremiah Healy was a U.S. Army
vet, and was also a lover of dogs. We have therefore reached out to a
service dog organization in Maryland that trains dogs to assist wounded
veterans, and they will be thrilled to receive donations in Jerry's
name.
The
group is called Hero Dogs, and is based in Maryland. Their website is
listed below. They are an IRS approved 501(c)(3) organization and
operate entirely on donations. You can donate via their website, or by
sending a check to Hero Dogs, P.O. 64, Brookeville, MD 20833-0064. But
*please* ensure either by writing on the memo section of your check, or
using the form on their website, that you're making this donation in
Jerry's name.
That
way, Hero Dogs can track how many donations come in, so that they can
be used in some way to keep Jerry's memory alive in years to
come. Please donate what you can, and please share this link. Thanks to
all of you who were friends or fans of Jerry's.
No comments:
Post a Comment