College Needs & Family Crisis

UPDATE SEPTEMBER 5, 2005

This website began with my college situation in dire straits and it was impossible to afford to continue my education. Over the summer my wife and I have been homeless and she is now 6 months pregnant with our baby due in December. We desperately need help, donations of any kind. We are staying with kind friends but have no place of our own, and they are even struggling with their own debts.

Please donate what you can to help us.

Please help with whatever you can and donate to a young couple trying to get up off the ground.

There is a newborn on the way very soon and we are only eligible for WIC. We cannot get any other assistance except for Tracy gets medical for her pregnancy. This does not put food on the table or gas in the car. We know there are lots of folk that have finacial security and have been blessed with good paying jobs. Please dontate some of that so people like us in dire straits can afford to survive. We're not asking for fancy cars and color TVs. We just want to survive.

Sincerely,

Jim & Tracy

Tracy at 5 1/2 months

ME AT UNIVERSITY

(Early 2005)

Presently I do not own one pair of pants that does not have rips or holes in the pockets. My shoes are in close to the same condition. In the past two years most of my clothing has come from the Salvation Army store. Unfortunately they rarely have my pant size. Although my wife does work a full time job* she has her own financial problems (student loans specifically) and it's about all she can do to keep up with the harbor rent fees, her car insurance, gas, and food for the two of us. Most of the time my lunches consist of Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches and water, maybe a Banana or chocolate bar if I'm lucky. I rarely get to eat at the college cafeteria because we cannot afford the prices there. A "decent" meal consiting of one entre`, a salad, and a beverage can easily run $10.

I am also facing a dental crisis. I have two teeth that need pulled, one which is very close to abscessing. I also need two or three cavities filled. I have no insurance plan and my wife cannot afford a family insurance plan. My teeth are in pain almost daily but we are unable to afford the necessary dental care. The type of low wage jobs I have been able to work in the past couple of years have not offered any dental insurance.

I want to be able to stay in college and complete my degree so I can have a career in sociology. I have been informed by my academic advisors that sociology positions often start at 30 to 40K per year, and that the University has close to a 100% placement rate for it's students. Yet I find myself in great financial difficulty, and I fear that I might have to quit college and try to find a low wage job - knowing that such jobs would not enable me to afford the cost of rent in apartments in this area. I also know that two years ago it took me four months to get hired at a job, and then it was only a temporary job of three weeks duration.

*Note: Tracy had to leave her job in May when we moved from Alaska. Since she was care provider and it was required she do physical lifting of patients, she could not work past her 3rd month of pregnancy.

OUR WEDDING DAY 3-7-2003

At this time I am hoping for donations from people who have a caring heart and who might be able to contribute to help a college student and his wife who are struggling to rise above their present dilema. You might ask, does he use drugs? Drink? Smoke? Gamble? The answer is a resounding "No" to every one of those vices. Neither does my wife indulge in any such activities. We are very cautious with the money we do get - We have to be! We are also both very spiritual and health conscious and do not believe in harming our bodies by intoxication. We like to eat healthy foods too, but this is often difficult considering our financial situation. I sincerely hope someone may be able to help. Thank you!

Update: September 27, 2005:

I have been trying to get into some kind of home business but we cannot even afford to do this. We are both very leery of the numerous scams out there that present themselves as "businesses" so we are very cautious when we do inquire of them. We have run across a couple legitimate businesses that are listed with the BBB but cannot afford start up fees (Which aren't even all that much). We have tried selling leather crafts on eBay with no success to date. We both have skills and education and are quite frustrated that we are unable to get any income that would lift us out of our situation. Tracy still has over $1000 in student loan bills to pay and that also sets us back every month when she is even able to pay them at all. (She took nursing courses in Oregon at Lane Community College in 2002 - 2003). All these reasons are why we are asking for help.

Below are some pictures of where we lived in Alaska while I was in College up until May 2005.

THIS IS THE ENTRY TO OUR BOATS CABIN

OUR "KITCHEN" ON BOAT

ME IN CABIN

MY WIFE IN CABIN WITH BERTH IN BACKGROUND

OUR "HOME"

WEDDING CAKE 3-7-2003

rayven1111@hotmail.com