About four years ago, a Catholic-school science teacher named Bobby Schindler appeared before a board meeting of the antiabortion group Florida Right to Life to tell the activists about his older sister, one Terri Schiavo. Attendees, who were gathered around tables at an Assemblies of God church in Winter Park, recall Schindler saying that his sister was disabled, and that her husband was basically trying to kill her.
"We were appalled," said Lynda Bell, a board member since 1989. "The first thing we did was, many of us began to open up our checkbooks."
The donations were small, Bell said -- maybe five or 10, each for $25 or $50.
The warm reception for Schindler was an early example of the way that a small network of Christian and other conservative activists has helped support his family's long fight, through steady financial gifts as well as logistical expertise and high-level contacts in Tallahassee and Washington.
The connection has proved mutually beneficial, with Schiavo's plight dominating the Web pages and e-mail alerts of groups such as Focus on the Family and the Family Research Council, providing an emotional rallying point for activists.
"Sign up to receive daily family news updates!" says the Web site of Focus on the Family, a Colorado Springs group founded by James C. Dobson.
Coming to Washington
The Family Research Council, which is based in Washington and describes itself as championing family and marriage, has sent daily updates for the past week, with subject lines such as "Terri Communicates" and "Villains and Heroes." Each includes a link for donations.
Lobbyists from the Florida group's parent, the National Right to Life Committee, later introduced Schindler to senators just off the floor, so he could make his case face to face and hand out CDs containing the now widely aired footage that the family holds out as evidence that Schiavo, 41, who is brain-damaged, still has critical faculties.
Megan Dillon, media relations director for National Right to Life, squired Schindler from camera to camera at the Capitol this weekend.
The group, founded in 1973 in response to the Roe v. Wade decision, also has picked up incidental expenses for Schindler during his Washington forays. "I know I bought him a meal," said Burke J. Balch, a lawyer who directs the committee's Robert Powell Center for Medical Ethics.
No 'million-dollar check' for family
The Schindler family's known sources of support have been more of a patchwork than those of Schiavo's husband, Michael, who received a medical malpractice award of $1 million in 1993. Of that, $700,000 was for his wife, and was placed in a trust. His lawyers have said most of the money has been spent on health and legal costs. Michael Schiavo received the remaining $300,000, court records show.
Lawyers for the family said Schiavo's parents have received no windfall, either from a large benefactor or from insurance or a legal settlement.
"Nobody has written a million-dollar check," said George E. Tragos, one of the lawyers who worked on the family's federal appeals. Tragos, a criminal-defense specialist in Clearwater, Fla., said he donates his time. He said there are at least five other lawyers on the case, most working free or at discounted rates.
In 2002, Schiavo's parents set up the Terri Schindler-Schiavo Foundation Inc., which reported to Florida regulators that it collected $38,567 in 2003, the most recent year for which disclosure was required. The foundation spent $11,800 of that on legal fees. The group's major event was a golf tournament, according to the form.
Records from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which regulates charities in the state, show that the foundation did not file required forms at first, even after being told the registration was delinquent. Schiavo's brother, the group's treasurer, filed the form last month after the state sent a letter saying the foundation would have to cease and desist fundraising in the state and pay a $1,000 fine.
Schiavo's father, Robert S. Schindler Sr., is president, and her mother, Mary L. Schindler, is secretary. The group's purposes are listed as preventing Schiavo's death, and increasing awareness and changing laws to benefit people in similar situations. The third stated purpose is to "pay for rehabilitative medical expenses for Terri Schiavo when the time comes."
The organization's Web site, Terrisfight.org, invites supporters to donate online and to contribute laser-printer paper and toner, as well as "Music CDs for Terri (she loves piano music)." The site also urges visitors to wear a ribbon for Terri ("green to symbolize life") and to join Terri's Lights Movement, described as stretching from North America to Australia, by "placing a light in their window as a show of their dedication to her liberty."
The family has endorsed donations to one other group, the Life Legal Defense Foundation of Napa, Calif., which -- among other missions -- defends "rescuers" arrested outside abortion clinics.
Driving the story
One early volunteer is now paid by the parents' foundation. Gary McCullough, 46, is the bearded Floridian who can be spotted on cable news stations updating reporters about the timing of family statements and introducing Schiavo's mother at the camera stand before her tearful pleas.
McCullough owns a service called the Christian News Wire and said he learned about Schiavo through Randall Terry, founder of Operation Rescue, and another of his clients, former Republican presidential candidate Alan Keyes.
McCullough said he donated his services at first but recently received a check -- he declined to state the amount -- from the foundation to help cover groceries, travel, hotels and rental cars. McCullough said he has been working round-the-clock for the past week. He first helped the family in 2003, the last time Schiavo's feeding tube was removed by court order.
"They really hadn't done anything to beat the drums at that point," he said. "We started a 24-hour vigil outside the hospice, which was something visual. The signs, and having people outside praying, made the press more interested. And we advised the family to make regular but concise statements that would drive the story."
