Application Details

Truck Repair

| Cost to fully fund this application: 1,060.00 Modest Needs Points

We are desperately in need of a truck repair. Our truck had to be towed
to the local garage. The problem that we are facing is that my husband
was getting a ride with a co-worker so that was ok for us. His coworker
was just recently fired, which is what has put us in this bind.

My
husband is going to lose his job as well if he doesn't get the truck
fixed. The company he works has a disciplinary point system and my
husband already has one point against him for having transportation
issues.

We has already paid a small amount towards the bill, but
are having difficulty doing much more as we are currently undergoing a
legal battle over our home. We had a rent-to-own contract and once we
paid it off, the landlord decided to double the price. Our court date
is set for December 19. This is already going to make our Christmas
rough, so we're hoping we don't have unemployment to go with it. Thank
you so much for all that you do. We truly appreciate it.

Points Until Funded

This application has 84% of the points it needs to receive a Modest Needs grant.

This application will be instantly funded when our donors have allocated 170.00 more points to this application.

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Please help this family!  They are so close to having this request granted, just a few more contributions and they can get the self sufficiency grant from Modest Needs.

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If you can help please visit

Application 93758:  Truck Repair

http://www.wrdw.com/home/headlines/36421649.html

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- A group of parents and teens are upset over a school suspension after some students showed up at school wearing T-shirts with the writing "first amendment rights" and "free speech."

I had been looking for a nice pair of slippers that would also function
as shoes when going outside. I found a really cool pair, but they were
expensive and I knew I wouldn't be able to get them. I still kept
drooling over them though. I put up a wish on Greedy or Needy saying how I wanted these slippers.

Well..that
wish was granted! Someone ordered the slippers from the company and had
them sent to me. They arrived today. I was like a little kid tearing
into a holiday package.

Here is a pic of the slippers and a description of them. They can be found here: Sportsman Guide



His 'n' her Guide Gear® Lace Chukka Slippers, genuine wool!

These Slippers are cozy and indoor / outdoor tough! The uppers are supple suede leather, and a slip-resistant rubber outsole makes them outdoors-ready.

These
slippers are going to be great for me, they are light enough so I can
lift my feet, the rubber soles are grippy enough so I am not sliding
around even when my foot drags.  They come just over my ankle and tie
tightly so they will keep my ankles warm.  The wish granter got the
size just right too, I will be able to wear them with socks, but they
will stay on my feet even without socks.  They are simply perfect!

I
have had help for things that were needed to help with disability
issues or household needs, but this was something for just me,
something that would look good when I went out of the house, be warm
and comfortable.  Mine, just for me and I'm so totally thrilled!!!

Ok, just wanted to share that :)

To the Wish Granter...thank you so very kindly.  I appreciate your generosity and the kindness will not be forgotten.

Doing our part for the holidays. Amy and I are active members of Dixie Thunder of Aiken County South Carolina. Dixie Thunder is a motorcyclists rights organization politically aware and active on the County and state level. They are also decent folks who share the motorcyclist lifestyle.

A few times a year they do runs and events to help local folks. Twice a year they do a benefit run for the Helping Hands shelter for abused and neglected children. Those runs are the back to school run and a holiday toy run. I have gone on all of the annual runs except last years holiday run. My legs had worsened and I didn't have a scooter or wheelchair at that time so knew I would not be able to attend. I sent my contribution along with someone who would be making the run. This year though, nothing was going to stop me! I attended the back to school run in August and couldn't wait to be able to go on the Holiday run. Amy and I decorated my scooter with holiday garland and a stuffed holiday puppy hung from the front of the handlebars so I'd be all ready for the event.
 
We met at the Midland Valley Plaza in Clearwater SC



 It would have been too much trouble to haul out the scooter and get it all set up here so Amy went and let Rick (chapter leader) know we were there, get our patches and find out what position we would be in the line up of tactical support vehicles.  Tactical support vehicles are automobiles that ride along with motorcycle parades and help out at events.  We usually follow at the rear of the pack with our flashers on so that other drivers know there is something going on ahead and to not pass us.  We have also been trained to watch and listen for motorcycle communication like hand signals, revving of the engine to alert someone etc.  We also know what to do if a rider goes down.  For other events we carry items that can't be carried on motorcycles.  So while Amy was off getting all the info we needed I was hanging out taking pictures




While I was sitting here on the car a lady parked next to me asked me what was going on.  She is new in SC.  We explained what the run was about and she wanted to know if she could drive with everyone. We said yeah...just follow us.  She went and got a toy for kids and Amy took her to get the patches for her and her daughter. 

We talked more and explained what Dixie Thunder is all about.  She really had no clue about why you need to fight for rights and road equality.  Well....in route we saw the wreck, a car ignored the road guard blocking traffic for the parade and knocked him over,  she also saw us nearly get hit by 2 cars while trying to help.  Finally we got through the intersection and decided to go ahead and try to catch someone or get one of you by cell.  She pulled alongside us and rolled her window down in shock at what had happened.  She said "did that car really just hit that biker??"  We said yep....sadly happens all the time, cars just don't care about these guys on the road.  We rolled on and at the Helping Hands went on to explain that this is a big part of what you fight for.  Freedom and equality on the road, that also means awareness.  That rider did not have to go down like that, it was carelessness.

At the end of the run, She wanted to know how she could join, she saw first hand the importance of a motorcycle rights organization in our county and state.

So, after the guy went down, we did go on, we saw one of our bikers coming back to the accident scene so we knew word got ahead to the riders and someone would be on scene with the biker.  We got to helping hands in perfect time to catch video of the bikers rolling in.



The Aiken Standard news paper reporter was there and the run was in the paper today, here is that article:

Toy Run held for holidays
12/6/2008 11:40 PM
By RACHEL JOHNSON
Staff writer

Rumbling could be felt in the sidewalks of Aiken yesterday as well over 250 bikers joined forces to spread the spirit of giving.

The Dixie Thunder of Aiken ABATE of South Carolina association held its 24th Annual Toy Run to benefit Helping Hands Inc. on Saturday. Helping Hands is a nonprofit organization that provides shelter for abused and neglected children.

"It is an unmistakable sound," said Carmen Landy, director of Helping Hands. "This motorcycle run has always marked the beginning of the Christmas season for us. The countdown begins once the motorcycles pull in; it's an exciting event."

A line of black leather chaps, jackets and vests streamed from the community building at Helping Hands as motorcyclists hand-delivered toys and made monetary donations. The group delivered a roomful of toys and donated $1,037.

"This is the best turnout I can remember," said Rick Cooper, Dixie Thunder Chapter coordinator.

"We feel so honored they come here every year. They are so excited to be here and they have so much energy, we try and match that energy," said Landy. "The kids love it when the motorcycles come. They 'ooh' and 'ahh' over the bikes, and they start asking every day until Christmas when they can open their presents."

The highlight for many of the children was Santa Claus, who rode in at the end of the motorcycle parade. The Toy Run started with a police escort at the Midland Valley Plaza in Clearwater, looping along Richland Avenue through downtown Aiken and down Barnwell Avenue.

Despite all of the excitement and joy, the need for motorcycle awareness was made clear as one participant was run over by a motorist along the parade route.

"This is the first time we have had an accident during a Toy Run," said Cooper.

Rick Rainwaters stopped his bike to act as a road guard at an intersection on Richland Avenue. The function of the road guard is to alert motorists a parade is en route and to prevent them from pulling out and hitting a motorcyclist.

The Toy Run had police escorts in the front and the rear of the procession; however, it is customary for road guards to place themselves along the parade route.

"I was blocking the intersection as the parade went by; it was toward the end, and a car tried pulling out to squeeze into the parade," said Rainwaters. "When he did, he knocked me over and tore up my bike."

Luckily, Rainwaters suffered no major injuries; however, the important issue of safety was highlighted.

"He told me he had was a surgeon technician and had an emergency call," said Rainwaters, as he shook his head. "It's three minutes of courtesy for someone's life." For more information about Dixie Thunder of Aiken ABATE, visit dixiethunder.com or call 642-4633.

Original artlice can be viewed at The Aiken Standard by clicking this link:  http://www.aikenstandard.com/Local/1207Bikes


If you didn't check out the video above, let me leave you with these pictures and a plead for you to watch for Motorcycles on the road.  These guys have families, friends and lives like everyone else.

We have had a really rough few months.  We had hoped to be caught up by now but it appears we are just getting farther behind.  By now we had hoped we would have some kind of walls up in the apartment and a door installed to replace the door that was damaged in last winters storm.

Well...That didn't happen.  We just couldn't swing paying the bills and getting building supplies too.  We pulled out our old kerosene heaters when it got cold in here.  Cleaned them up and went to our local store for kerosene.  We found out our local gas stations are no longer carrying kerosene.  We have to travel to another town to get it.  Ok.  So we got some, fired up the heater only to find it will not heat this space without the winterizing that needed to be done.  On these warmer heating nights we were still cold.  There is no way this is going to handle honestly cold days/nights.

Amy made another curtain to go over the one we already have in the door space.  We hoped the double thick curtain would help some, but that really isn't going to do the trick so since we can't afford to get building supplies and we know the kerosene heater isn't going to keep us warm and even if it would, we can't afford the gas and risk to out dying car to go out of town to get kerosene every few nights.  It would be ok if we could get it on our regular grocery nights, but the store that has kerosene is in a different town than where the strip of grocery stores is.  We needed another plan.

We had attended a Legislative Event with Dixie Thunder and there I let some of my buddies know I was looking for a cheap wood stove to put in our apartment.  We can get wood from the wood area behind our home, and we can always pick up road side branches and limbs for free.

Legislative Event Group Photo



Well word got around that I needed the wood stove and PR and Faye came up to talk to me.  Seems they have an old wood stove sitting in a barn that they could sell to me.  A friendly arrangement was made and we would be getting a wood stove soon.  Just need to get chimney supplies now.

Faye and PR at the Legislative Event



Just yesterday PR dropped off the wood stove.  Had no clue he had till I checked my voice mail.  We found out by surprise that one of my dogs who is mentally challenged (she is a newer dog to our pack)  Does not alert the other dogs, or bark at strangers.  Good thing she failed in her guard dog duties while someone was brining something TO our house and not taking something OUT of our house!

Anyhow...My son brought the stove inside and when Amy got home from work she decided the stove could use a good cleanup since it had been sitting in a barn and showed obvious signs of weather exposure.  Please excuse the wheelchair in the photo of Amy.  We don't have any furniture so the old wheelchairs now serve as household furniture.

Amy Scrubbing the stove



Today we have a nice wood stove waiting for us to buy some chimney piping, and brick for underneath and behind it.















Even if we don't have the walls done, or have a door installed soon, we will be able to get plenty of free wood behind our house to keep the stove hot and by eliminating the cost of heating fuel, we just might make it through till we can get some walls up and get a door hung.

Now to come up with some funds for chimney pipe!  The stove came with enough pipe to pipe from stove to wall.  We now need to get a T pipe, a chimney cap, and enough straight pipe to pipe from ground to about 2 feet above the roof pitch.  That is looking like 12-13 feet of straight pipe.  We haven't had a chance to go pricing chimney pipe so we are not quite sure what we are facing in cost, but we are pretty sure it's going to be less costly to pipe the stove, than to keep wasting gas and kerosene on a heating system that is worthless with no walls or door.

Finally, Dixie Thunder will be hosting the second annual Crippled Critter Benefit which they do for my animal sanctuary.  I am a small private sanctuary for non-medical special needs domestics.  The motorcycle group helps me raise funds for kennel supplies.  This year they are targeting enough funds to get supplies to build a wheelchair/scooter ramp from my kennel to the double wide home and a proper door exiting the kennel so I can bypass all stairs between the main house, kennel and my apartment.  Once the funds are raised there is a group of people from the organization who will get what supplies are needed and will build the ramp.

Here is the flier that is now being circulated for the event.

To help a man who has helped so many others

Vote: 1 2 3 4 5

http://www.microgiving.com/blog/?p=12

Members of MicroGiving.com helped raise funds to help Tiffin resident, Sherri Ferstler, to pay substantial medical bills while managing daily expenses for her family. The site has currently raised $665 of the $2,300 that the family needs.

July 15th and 16th, MicroGiving will be looking for volunteers in the Cedar Rapids area.

The volunteers will be asked to work 3-4 hour shifts from 9am – 6pm on both days. The volunteer's will be in charge of registering those in need of financial aid at the MicroGiving site.

Most residents are without internet access, so MicroGiving will be bringing computers to them!

CONTACT  Email :michelle@microgiving.com Please put Iowa or Cedar Rapids in the subject line

If you are in Cedar Rapids Look for the Microgiving Team at Green square park in Cedar Rapids Iowa. Downtown cedar rapids

 MicroGiving has decided to match up to $25,000 in donations made towards Cedar Rapids Relief through MicroGiving.com. So whatever you donate, it will actually be doubled!

DONATE HERE

Please do what you can to spread the word about these efforts, the more volunteers and donators, the more people we can help.

A Facebook group has been created to keep everyone updated on MicroGiving's relief efforts. Everybody please stay updated and do what you can to help this cause.

Take a look at MG's Flickr page so you can better grasp the hardships these people are dealing with.

Here are a few examples:

Microgiving.com is an organization trying to help Iowa flood victims. There is a team in Iowa right now but are being told basically that their help is not needed.


The team that is in Iowa knows of people living in cars and in tents who are not being helped.  There are members on the MicroGiving website willing to donate to these families.  We do not wish to deal with large charity programs that will decide who gets help or how much help they get.  We want to be able to read their stories and decide who we will help and with how much.

What we need is a way to reach those who are not getting the federal, state or local aid.

We are reaching out to Iowa news sources in hopes that someone will print, air or carry by word of mouth the website name of MicroGiving.com and let people know there are members ready and waiting to send donations and care packages.   We just need to know who they are.  If they can sign up at the website we can help.

My local news channel picked up my success story when MicroGiving.com helped me.  I'm a physically challenged woman who needed help with a mobility scooter.  I got that help quickly.  You can read about that here, I hope that helps you to understand that this is a real help site, giving real hope to people who need it.

http://news12archives.com/watch?v=3079

This site also has a special registration section for Iowa Flood Victims and has two fund raisers going right now.  Here are those links

Registration Page for Iowa Flood Victims

Fund Raiser for Cedar Rapids

Fund Raiser for Iowa City 

How can you help?

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