The Climate Crisis: PSR CO is on it! Donate

Dear Friends, Family and Fellow Travelers,

Most of you probably know that I hate to ask for anything. But, I am a founder and board member of PSR (Physicians for Social Responsibility) Colorado. So here goes my fundraising pitch.

I’m going to start years back when I first learned about PSR. That was shortly after I returned from a 1981 trip to Europe and Asia with Andy, my husband, where we learned that President Reagan was speculating about a “limited nuclear war” in Europe (people in Europe were not pleased about that) and after we both started working on the Nuclear Freeze Campaign and I started constructing a 32,000 piece miniature exhibit of our nuclear arsenal out of clay with the help of my entire family and most of my friends.

PSR was a leader in the efforts to prevent a nuclear war. Founding members Dr.Jack Geiger and Dr. Helen Caldicott wrote, spoke, testified, protested and spread the  message that there could be no effective medical response to nuclear war. It must not happen.

 Dr. Geiger was a civil rights activist. He brought to light the idea of social medicine, that doctors should use their expertise and moral authority not just to treat illness but also to change the conditions that made people sick in the first place. He started clinics in rural Mississippi in the 60s. Dr. Caldicott, a pediatrician, revitalized PSR in the 80s, devoted her life to protecting all children, present and future from the devastating impacts of our nuclear legacy.  

In the 80s I was terrified of the world that my young children might live in. In 2010, when I became painfully aware of the climate crisis, my nightmares (literally) became the world that my grandchildren, all children, would live in as the earth warmed.

I rediscovered my love for PSR and its work. PSR's definitive stance on climate change as a health crisis and environmental injustice as a social determinant has been an inspiration and motivation.  

I was fortunate to be one of the founding members of a revitalized PSR Colorado Chapter. We built on the work of many and in 2019 we became a statewide chapter of PSR National.

We are not just physicians. Our organization includes nurses, PAs, therapists, scientists, researchers, legislators, and every manner of health professional along with our allies who believe the health voice is important in protecting our people and our planet. 

We advocate for cleaner air, cleaner energy, and a safe climate future. We do this by providing information to the public and decision-makers about the health impacts of toxic pollution, the climate crisis, and nuclear waste and by advocating for less polluting, more climate-protective consumer choices and public policy.

Dr. Caldicott reminded us “The future of our children is a trust we have been given. To conserve and grow, not to squander wastefully on needless excesses. The earth is a trust, to protect and to honor. Our home, our livelihood, our future rests in the quality of our stewardship. Let us become better stewards.”

 I thank each of you for contributing your time, skills and money to make our world, our State, and our communities healthier and kinder. 

Please consider a donation to PSR Colorado.  We love monthly donations, however small, because these commitments have the most meaningful impact on our ability to plan and act. I invite you to just join us and get to know our work, and share with friends or follow us at PSR CO facebook or join us at PSRColorado.org.

With Deep Gratitude, 

 Barbara Donachy, PSR CO Board