[Harp-L] NHC: a cry for help

[michael harp <diachrome@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Below is a letter sent to me by Paul Butterfield's son and fiancée to send
out to whomever can help them.  It is a pretty bad situation. The reference
they make to 6 days is now down to 4 days.

I have been in contact with them for several months regarding events they
have planned to honor Gabe's father. I finally had the chance to meet Gabe
Butterfield in Princeton NJ a few weeks ago. We attended the Musslewhite/Dr.
John concert. Salli is from Princeton. (They drove up from Florida to take
care of her own terminally ill mother for 2 month).

Earlier in the evening we sat and talked a little about their situation and
about Paul. Most of their expenses are either directly or indirectly related
to their health problems.  At the time they did not tell me things have come
down to the wire for them.  Salli is a very positive, upbeat person as well
as Gabe. They did a good job of keeping the evening from turning sour but I
could see that the cancer is slowly draining the life of a very beautiful
person, inside and out.

Attached to the letter below was correspondence between Salli and her
daughter that I snipped from here. It moved me to tears to read and know how
desperate things have come for them.

Part of the things they may loose in storage are Paul's instruments and
amps. I would hate to see Paul's legacy split up on an auction block by a
bunch of vultures on a carcass. It belongs with his son.

To date very few of Paul's friends have followed through in aiding them.
What has come in has only been enough to help them live day to day.

IF you can help please do so. I've made several phone calls today to Gabe
but no answer.  I'm hoping to find out if funds to help them can be donated
by credit card through the Fractured Atlas Group.

  I'm barely making it from payday to payday  but I think this is too
important to not help out even if it puts me deeper in debt.


The letter below was written by both Gabe and Salli.

on 11/5/04 2:18 PM, Salli Squitieri at
squitieri_butterfield_paintedblues@xxxxxxxxxxx wrote:

> Please we need everyone's help.
> Post this on your website, forward to your email, contacts and assorted
> mailing lists.
> Put yourselves in our place and think of your most treasured possessions,
> feel the comfort of your home and feel the pain of losing it all and that is
> where we are.
> We are critically ill and soon to be homeless and we need everyone's help
> now.
> 
> By now many of you may have read of the Fractured Atlas sponsored project
> titled Squitieri/Butterfield fund established by Dan aykroyd and his wife
> donna Dixon Aykroyd and dedicated to our emergency relief and medical needs.
> 
> Our situation has not improved but has however turned radically worse.
> We are to be homeless in six days if we do not receive immediate help.
> 
> As mentioned The Squitieri/Butterfield Fund has been set up with the
> assistance of Dan Aykroyd and his wife Donna Dixon Aykroyd enabling tax
> deductible assistance for our our emergency relief and medical needs. It has
> already led into the establishment of a separate entity assisting other
> struggling artists.
> 
> However, We have called out in total acts of desperation for help, each time
> humiliating ourselves.
> 
> WE NOW HAVE SIX  DAYS TO COME UP WITH FUNDS OR WILL LOSE EVERYTHING AND WITH
> NO CHANCE OF MEDICAL HELP EITHER. AND NO CHANCE OF RECOVERY.
> 
> We are dealing with the aftermath of preparation costs for three
> hurricanes and a mandatory evacuation. We were called and made an emergency
> trip to NJ to help my 86 year old mother (Mary) who had gone in for surgery
> and was not fairing well. We drove up from Florida and arrived to be put in
> an ambulance with Salli's mom and rushed to emergency. We found her house
> in shambles and spent our time chasing transports and ambulances. She went
> to four different medical facilities and then she was  brought home. We
> have spent the past two months trying to put her affairs back in
> order--helping with doctors visits, tests galore, special medical needs,
> aftermath of surgery, physical therapy, memory loss, and so on. To top
> matters off
> there was a death in the family--my Uncle and Mom's last remaining
> sibling.
> 
> Our already declining personal affairs and life were put to the wayside
> to stand by Mom's side. We have just departed, which was very difficult
> and tearful.
> 
> WE NOW HAVE LESS THAN SIX DAYS TO COME UP WITH FUNDS OR WE WILL LOSE
> OUR HOME, CAR, PROPERTY, LAST OF OUR POSSESSIONS, (INCLUDING MY FATHERS
> ITEMS, MY DRUMS, SALLI'S FATHER'S ITEMS, THE LAST OF THE LAST ETC), PHONE,
> MAIL SERVICES, EVERYTHING.
> 
> We are returning to a line of people who expect money upon our arrival
> and if we do not have funds we will be on the street homeless and ill. This
> is not a just reward to all our charitable acts and
> to all the good that we have done.
> 
> We asked a division of Warner for an advance on Gabe's royalties from his
> Dad,
> and they said NO, because the royalties were small they could not make an
> advance to us and therefore are sending us $ 700., (which are royalties
> that are mine and are not due to be sent out for some time, as they have not
> all come in yet. so they are merely realizing what has accumulated to date
> and releasing them early).
> 
> We are hoping that:
> 1) A fundraiser/benefit can be established for us.
> 2) A large name performer will step forward to headline for us
> 3) Urgently We need to come up with a minimum of $ 6,722. and more
> realistically
> $10,000 immediately to get the wolves off the step and not end up
> homeless on
> the streets. Networking and putting the word out would assist. (We have
> managed to raise $900.)
> 4) If we can find someone to loan us the money we could redirect the
> royalties to that individual until the loan is paid off and then the
> royalties would
> be redirected back to me.
> 
> We are too old and too ill to end up on the street with nothing.
> We cannot emphsize the severity of our situation.
> It is hard enough to recover from a situation like this when healthy,
> but we are both ill and both very tattered.
> 
> Can you please bring forth a merging of minds in our behalf. We have
> run out of time.
> 
> Please get back to us immediately.
> The phones could get cut off soon.
> 
> Gabriel Butterfield & Salli Squitieri
> 305-304-2226 and 305-304-6222
> email:
> squitieri_butterfield_paintedblues@xxxxxxxxxxx
> also: squitieri_paintedblues@xxxxxxxxx
> 
> We are losing hope of saving our world and of ever getting medical
> help. We have put aside our creative endeavors for some time now and yet
> have orchestrated, donated to and performed for countless benefits and
> fundraisers each time putting aside our own dire plight and now we need
> help.
> 
> Thank you .
> 
> We send our love, warmth and hugs,
> Gabriel Butterfield and Salli Squitieri