Well, a week after I replied to Jesse's email (in response to my blog comment -- the first message I was able to get through to him), having received no word about a cancellation or refund, I emailed again, and then I decided to call.
Perhaps I should have done that sooner. He answered the phone, and as we talked, he pulled up my account, cancelled it (my email last week apparently didn't do it), and wrote out a check for the refund amount and addressed and stamped an envelope.
Apparently
Shop@tvnewslies.org, which has been listed on
http://www.tvnewslies.org/html/contact.html since at least November 2006 (when I first tried to cancel my donation) as the email address for "Questions/comments related to our shops or about your donations", is defunct, and Jesse said he would fix it. I wonder how many other people tried to contact him about their donations, using that email address.
It sounds like Jesse's email system is overloaded and for anyone wishing to cancel a donation, the most reliable way to contact him is by phone, at the number listed on
http://www.tvnewslies.org/html/contact.html . Perhaps he (or anyone who administers the website) should put up a note to that effect, so that other people don't run into the same problem as I did, having months go by with multiple email requests unanswered and no refund or communication forthcoming.
Anyway, I'm glad this is finally resolved, assuming the check is indeed in the mail and clears at the bank, as I expect.
Thanks to those of you who posted here for your help and attention.