2009 Fundraiser

Rainbow Law is dedicated to providing free and affordable legal documents (Wills, Deeds, Trusts, Powers of Attorney, Medical Directives, etc.) exclusively for gay men and lesbians and available in all 50 states.

Ours is a not-for-profit service that we created soon after President Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act defining marriage as an institution between one man and one woman.

Since we launched the website, Rainbow Law remains the first and only online source of its kind. And, as long as any state and the federal government continue to deny basic legal rights and recognitions to our relationships, we are determined to continue this service.

Although we charge a nominal fee for our Will and Trust packages, we make just enough to keep the website up and the lights and phone on. Thus, we are dependent upon the support of the LGBT Community for our survival. And when times are tough – as they are now - we must make an appeal for donations so that we can continue to provide this vital service.

Here are a few ways you can help:

• make a direct online donation;

• purchase a legal document package;

• make a purchase of any item you need from Amazon through a search box posted at www.RainbowLaw.com*;

• click on any ad link on www.RainbowLaw.com and whether or not you make a purchase, we may get a few pennies.

When you donate to Rainbow Law, your support directly impacts the lives of real people – like Hillary and Lynn. When Lynn was diagnosed with brain cancer, she and Hillary utilized every conceivable medical avenue for treatment and a cure. By the time they received the bad news that the cancer was terminal, there was no money left for them to purchase the vital legal documents they needed to authorize Hillary to make Lynn's medical decisions, to visit her in the hospital, to inherit Lynn's property, manage her financial affairs and so on.

Not only did Rainbow Law create documents for Hillary and Lynn free of charge, we also spent hours upon hours speaking with them on the phone, explaining the purpose of each document, and how to sign, distribute, record and store them. And, after Lynn passed away, we worked with Hillary, helping her find her way through the legal maze that followed.

The assistance Rainbow Law provided to Hillary and Lynn is something we do every day. And, after nearly 12 years, there are literally thousands of LGBT people across the country who have benefited from Rainbow Law's dedication to our community.

When someone calls or writes with a question, we try our best to answer it or we refer them to someone else who can. We spend time on the phone, explaining the function of each legal document and how it acts to protect a specific right or grant an authority. We give estate planning workshops over the phone and at events – free of charge. We give away our estate planning workbook to anyone who wants one.

Through Rainbow Law, we advocate for equal legal rights by putting on events like the Rainbow Ride Across America, rallys for Marriage Equality, providing an online Marriage Equality Petition and more. We maintain 4 websites and 2 Facebook pages to keep the LGBT community informed about LGBT legal issues in the country and in their communities.

Unfortunately, the current recession has left Rainbow Law in a difficult financial position. We would like to continue to be here, providing services like this to our community as needed, but fear we may not be able to hang on.

We need your help if we are to survive without severely curtailing our services.

Thank you so much for your continued support!

Carrie & Elisia Ross-Stone

*Did you know you can support Rainbow Law's free legal document service at no additional cost when you shop at Amazon through a search box posted at www.RainbowLaw.com? You can use the Amazon search box to find a product you are looking for, or simply click through and shop the Amazon site normally. Better yet, click on the Amazon search box once and bookmark that page to use every single time you shop. By doing this, Amazon will donate around 7 or 8 percent of the cost of your order to support Rainbow Law without adding one dime to your bill. It takes very little effort on your part but it can make a huge difference to support the services we provide free of charge on Rainbow Law. Check out the white, black and gold Amazon search box on the left side of RainbowLaw.com and thanks so much for your support.