Hello, all! My name's Jeanette Wallis, and I've spent the last 6 months of my life walking across America for Democracy. I started collecting "grievances" (hand-written notes to the President) in Seattle, and left on April 1st to collect more from my fellow Americans and deliver them personally to the White House. There are many reasons to do such a nutty thing, but most important to me was to give people HOPE. I understand that feeling of powerlessness and apathy - which is why I hope to demonstrate that even one person, despite impossible odds, can make a difference.

The problem is, my odds are overwhelmingly against me at the moment. After the 9/11 tragedy, I took a break in Logan, Utah after walking 1,050 miles. I was devastated by the event, but I was also concerned that my message would be terribly misunderstood in this difficult time. I came here to Portland, Or to do some fundraising (donations ceased completely after 9/11), but have not been able to find work. I am penniless and without a support driver for the difficult winter months through Colorado and Nebraska. I don't qualify for any grants, being an "individual" (which is truly a shame - why NOT support courageous individual action?!), and the dozens of letters to foundations and organizations which might support me have gone unanswered.

Don't get me wrong, though! I fully anticipated more difficulties than even this. When you take on a task like mine, you must be prepared to encounter difficulties. I'm posting here precisely because I refuse to give up. One of these times, I am confident the exact right person is going to read one of my posts. Is it here? Who can say - but if there IS a person out there who would find value in helping me as a support driver or with a small monetary donation (every a tiny bit helps at this point!), please e-mail me. I look forward to ANY correspondence. Please check out my webpage for more information about my walk - www.thewalkfordemocracy.org

Blessings to you all!