Subj : Re: Greetings
To   : George Pope
From : Carol Shenkenberger
Date : Sun Aug 15 2021 11:23:57

  Re: Re: Greetings
  By: George Pope to Carol Shenkenberger on Tue Jul 27 2021 04:10 pm

 >  > Sorry for delay!  I started a new job and kinda let Fido be on autopilot
 > for
 >  > a bit.
 > 
 > I hear ya -- I'm looking for new work & when I get it, Im sure, I'll be
 > offline for a while, too. . .
 > 
 > 
 > 
 >  > not to worry on the area I live in.  Navy, 26 years, lived lots of left
 >  > coast
 >  >  and Hawaii, then Japan.  Been back in 'Hampton Roads' (Virginia beach,
 >  > suffolk, Chesapeake, Norfolk, Hampton, Newport News, Williamburg etc.)
 > since
 >  > 2007.
 > 
 > Did yo knowe that on December 7, 1941 when Japan attacked your Pacific base,
 > they also attacked Vancouver, Canada, trying to pre-emptively prevent us fro
 > hearing yhour radio call for help & our cutting them off on their way home
 > (look at a map -- easily done)
 > 
 > Canada actually declared war on Japan quicker than you guys did!
 > 
 >  > On local stuff I do, well tends to be very direct.  Neighbor, now good
 >  > friend has MS and Lupus.  She asked how much a wheelchair ramp costs to
 >  > build on a house.  I and some 50 others built it with donated materials
 > and
 >  > labor.
 > 
 >  > Then there was a fellow with no electricity for the last 10 years and no
 >  > heat headed at his 5th year.  He needed help decluttering, wood burner
 >  > chimney repair, funds.  Nothing electric in the house still worked
 > (fridge,
 >  > stove, washer, dryer, hot water heater).  Most electric lines had been ra
 >  > chewn so wall rip out and replacement then the ceiling collapsed due to
 > old
 >  > house and 60 year old drywall nails.  Go-Fund-me set for 2,000$ hit 6,000
 >  > all from locals.  Handyman places donated dumpsters.  People gathered and
 > we
 >  > helped clear flotsam that folks had given him in place of money for his
 >  > working on their lawnmowers. good stuff but too much.  He'd been disabled
 > in
 >  > a car crash for life, but only got enough money for part of the medical
 >  > bills and a replacement car.  For some reason, he's not eligible for
 >  > medicare, medicare, or Social Security assistance.  He's only 55 or so.  
 >  > local charity provided drywall.  Other locals rewired then redrywalled.
 > We
 >  > got him a hot water heater.  His brother provided a stove.  I came up wit
 > a
 >  > larger dorm fridge that runs at very low cost and an ancillary chest
 > freezer
 >  > he can use when he needs to, and unplug when he doesnt.  Others came up
 > with
 >  > washer/dryer.  Probably 100 folks donated time or money to make that
 > happen.
 > 
 >  > I 'organize' these sort of things.
 > 
 >  > Right now, it's a lady (disabled) who has to get a fence up due to code
 >  > issues, to hide a boat in back yard.  We laid the posts yesterday.
 > Donated
 >  > wood panels arrived today.  She had just enough for the galvanized fencin
 >  > nails and QuikCrete for the posts.
 > 
 > That's swonderful stuff! I love hearing good stories like this! Ever watch
 > MrBeast on YouTube? He does a lot of philanthropic work with the millions
 > Youtube pays him. . .
 > 
 > Can you give me some tips on doing this sort of direct organising of
 > assistances, please?
 > 
 > Your friend,
 > 
 > <+]:{)}
 > Cyberpope, Bishop of ROM

Sure.  First thing is the main 'work' is in organizing it all while accepting
what level of time folks have to donate to it.  Most of ours were done via
'NextDoor' (a social networking site, limited mostly to within 5-10 miles of
you).  It's interesting because it really does create a 'community effect'.

What you do is catch wind of someone who needs help, then if they are willing
to accept it, let others know what piece of the project needs help and see what
comes back.  Critical is scoping it small enough to be in the realm of the
'possible'.  You also have to control your frustration when someone who didn't
keep up with the thread, makes the 700'th suggestion for some charity that's
already been contacted (grin).  With Charlie, we just started with 'get the man
heat'.

That was the most critical portion.  The next step was to  find someone who
could repair a stove pipe for a large indoor wood burning stove.  I told folks
at the start, this would be on a shoe string budget but we just needed to pay a
handyman with a skill set close enough to get the new one he already had, in
place.  He'd have helpers.  We dug in youtube for how to do it and a nice young
man said he'd do it for 100$ plus parts.  He was just starting out in the
Handyman business so we all knew he was going well under the 'going rate' but
it would help another and hopefully get his name out there (It worked, he did
beautifully and folks started calling him with jobs).  We started with a goal
of 2,000.

At this stage, we needed about 200$ (Labor and parts), backpay a 900$ 10 year
old electrical bill that for whatever reason, they would not waive, 500$ for
critical structural repairs, and 500$ worth of materials to get just enough
electricity rolling for 4 outlets.

Then I called for a working party to help clear stuff.  We had some 15 people
(some kids but old enough to be helpful).  It took 2 days.  Charlie's not
actually a hoader, he was just overwhelmed with donated 'stuff'.  Would have
made a hell of a yardsale but it was bitter cold with off and on snow so
instead, we told folks that we set the best by the 3 donated dumpsters but come
get whatever they wanted.  Smile, folks knew what was up from NextDoor posts
and suddenly folks who 'took free stuff' started donating the value they could
afford to his go fund me account.  Yup, ammassed much more so we up-ticked the
project and had the whole house rewired, literally.  Every single wire was
ripped out and replaced, mostly with donated parts/wire, donated time from a
local company that is highly respected as a class A electrical.  (Smile, they
do a worthy chairity a year and his was it, not even tax deductable).

Then ceilings started to fall in (Drywall with older type nails, not current
spec screws).  We thought the livingroom would be first but instead it was the
2nd bedroom, then 3rd bedroom and finally his master bedroom.  Livingroom held
on for another 6 months.  One of the local charitys donated 1,200 square feet
of drywall.

A lot of the work was done during the nominal 'dead time' for these handymen.

In the end, I literally do not know how many people were involved but it was
estimated, 500 or so was probably right, even if just with money or helping
find resources.  Grin, even got him a stove (he was using propane), a hot water
heater (can you imamgine 10 years without a hot bath in winter?) and an
extremely efficient mini-fridge.

Tip?  For this type, be kind and patient as folks seek to 'donate' all sorts of
stuff that can't be used like electric heaters or cooking related things like
blenders that he's never going to make enough money to afford the electrical
costs to use them.

Also, at the start ask folks who are referring to various charitys, that they
call them first to see if they are even still in business or are limited in
some way (like, only members of this specific church are eligible).

It is a lot of work, but it's a really good feeling to get engaged and DO
something for others.

   xxcarol
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