Sometimes people have the names that fit them. In the case of Marilou Goodfellow her name not only suited her it was her entire being. As a young woman, Marilou was a preschool teacher for visually impaired children. In the late 1970s she met and connected with Svea Karlsen, one of the founders of the Puget Sound Ski for Light Regional program. Marilou began guiding at that regional, and it wasn't long before she was also guiding at International events. Marilou didn't get involved in politics. For about ten years she came, she guided, and she quietly made a difference in the lives of all of those who came into contact with her.
Unfortunately, Marilou passed away early in life, the result of a tragic accident. After she died, in 1990 the SFL Board created the Goodfellow Fund. The fund was created to honor her memory and the impact that she had on so many lives. Donations to the fund were to be used to support guides and guide-related activities at the International Event. Guide-related activities include such items as guide stipends, guide training, guide recruitment, etc. These activities cost Ski for Light more than $10,000 per year.
It has been some time since we have publicized the Goodfellow Fund. We are correcting that situation with this announcement. If you were a friend of hers, are one of the many whose life she influenced, or you simply want to make a donation that is earmarked for guides, please consider a gift to the Goodfellow Fund. Donations will be used for the guide-related expenses mentioned previously.
In so doing, you will not only honor the spirit of a woman who was truly beautiful in every sense of the word, you will honor the spirit of Ski for Light.
Marilou was not only a guide and local volunteer in Seattle, she was my mother's sister -- my aunt. She is the person who invited me to attend a local regional event. Mine is only one of the many lives she changed.