Ellie Busby, of Waldoboro, always knew she had friends, but she hates calling on them in time of need, which is why her friends have gone ahead and set up an online fundraiser on Busby’s behalf, “Angels for Ellie“.
Busby, who is employed by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, is currently on medical leave after surgery. Busby said she is doing fine but acknowledged she is experiencing a cash flow problem.
Busby may be best known locally for her activities in Lincoln County theater, where she has acted, directed, produced, or otherwise participated in various productions for 30 years. She is also a former local coordinator for the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program and a former Lincoln County liaison for the Salvation Army.
More recently she has written for The Lincoln County News as a theater reviewer and freelance reporter.
These days, if Busby pooh-poohs her troubles, friends are convinced she needs a little help getting by.
“Of course she is not very forthcoming, so I started this give forward thing,” said close friend Deborah Payson. “We are now at $2,000, which is just sort of keeping the landlord at bay to be honest.”
“We are not talking tons of money, comparatively speaking,” Payson said. “I guess the thing is she helps everybody else. She is already talking about what she can do this summer as a fundraiser for somebody else.”
On the Angels for Ellie fundraiser website, Payson spells out the problem Busby faces, and notes that Busby has rallied time and time again for others, most recently organizing a fundraiser for the now late Sue Ghoreyeb last fall.
“When someone is struck down by illness or accident, Ellie Busby has dedicated her time to making as much of a difference as possible for them whenever possible at all. She has done this time and time again for others, even when she is struggling through much the same as they,” Payson wrote. “Her endless dedication to being (a) real help, compassion and reminding others of their courage and inspiring hope is why I want you to consider helping her … “
“She just had major surgery, her car died, and the uncovered medical expenses are putting her now at risk of eviction with no funds coming in. The insurance premiums are now also her responsibility since she is out on medical leave. Her debts in this world are very small compared to most people; she has no credit cards and will never have any.”
For her part, Busby admitted that times are tight, but she is quick to point out many people have it far worse than herself. Anyway, she said, the people who are the quickest to help are usually the people with the least ability to give.
“I worry about people trying to donate money because they don’t have any anway,” Busby said. “I don’t do stuff to have them do stuff back to me. That is not the way this works.”
