GreenGuy
4th December 2013, 05:53
I've spent my first week or so at Avalon browsing and getting the feel of the place. Lots of interesting stuff, many good people! But I couldn't find a single thread dedicated to good news or signs of hope....so I thought I'd start one. I'll begin with something that happened to me lately.
I live in a smallish city with high unemployment and lots of crime. It isn't the worst place in the world by a long shot, but there are enough tweakers and thieves that you don't leave stuff sitting out. I don't own a car, and was really upset when my bicycle was stolen on July 4. But I found one in a thrift store for $30. I put another $100 into it, and it really suits me more than the last one (it's also ugly, so it's less likely to get stolen).
I work with a charity that takes donated furniture and household items and delivers them to needy folks around the area. I spend every Tuesday delivering stuff to parts of town that most people never see.
(Recently we got 200 high-quality beds from a hotel chain that's doing some upgrading. Before I retired I was a furniture repairman and restorer of antiques and architectural woodwork, so when we get furniture that needs a bit of work I take it home and patch it up before we deliver it. I'm also a lifelong bicycle enthusiast, so I am always looking for bikes to refurbish for needy families and homeless people).
I had an ad on Craigslist for a solid year, explaining our organization and what we do, asking for donations of bicycles and usable parts. In the last year I got mostly a pile of junk, but I managed to put together a few usable bikes. Then I got lucky and over several weeks managed to put together a collection of usable frames. I got busy and soon had half a dozen usable bikes.
Last week, someone came into my carport at night and stole them all. I was so angry, I posted a rant on Craigslist under "bikes," hoping that the thief might see it. I called him names, I said everything I could think of to make him feel guilty (fat chance). "You stole from kids, you a**hole. You stole from homeless people who are trying to get their lives together and who, unlike you, deserve the help." You get the picture...
The result is that in the last week people have emailed me from all over the area, offering me bikes. Right now I have 8 frames, nearly 20 wheels, and can put together at least 5 decent bikes. People have contacted me from as far away as San Francisco. And when I couldn't get a ride to pick them up, several people have delivered them to me! I will have kids' bikes for needy families, transportation for people transitioning from homelessness, and a birthday present for a teen whose mom survived a murder attempt by his dad.
It is so easy to forget that there are really great people out there! Folks who really care about others but who may not know how to reach out and help those who need the care. I've been down and out, and people helped me along the way. Now I try to pay it forward, and it feels so good not just to be useful but to be able to inspire others to do the same. I got a bicycle shop to donate used parts that would otherwise be thrown away. Suddenly I have boxes of chains and seats and handlebars, and even figured out a simple way to build a repair stand. It's a small effort in a small town, but it has ripple effects. Little things do make a difference.
What's inspired you lately?
I live in a smallish city with high unemployment and lots of crime. It isn't the worst place in the world by a long shot, but there are enough tweakers and thieves that you don't leave stuff sitting out. I don't own a car, and was really upset when my bicycle was stolen on July 4. But I found one in a thrift store for $30. I put another $100 into it, and it really suits me more than the last one (it's also ugly, so it's less likely to get stolen).
I work with a charity that takes donated furniture and household items and delivers them to needy folks around the area. I spend every Tuesday delivering stuff to parts of town that most people never see.
(Recently we got 200 high-quality beds from a hotel chain that's doing some upgrading. Before I retired I was a furniture repairman and restorer of antiques and architectural woodwork, so when we get furniture that needs a bit of work I take it home and patch it up before we deliver it. I'm also a lifelong bicycle enthusiast, so I am always looking for bikes to refurbish for needy families and homeless people).
I had an ad on Craigslist for a solid year, explaining our organization and what we do, asking for donations of bicycles and usable parts. In the last year I got mostly a pile of junk, but I managed to put together a few usable bikes. Then I got lucky and over several weeks managed to put together a collection of usable frames. I got busy and soon had half a dozen usable bikes.
Last week, someone came into my carport at night and stole them all. I was so angry, I posted a rant on Craigslist under "bikes," hoping that the thief might see it. I called him names, I said everything I could think of to make him feel guilty (fat chance). "You stole from kids, you a**hole. You stole from homeless people who are trying to get their lives together and who, unlike you, deserve the help." You get the picture...
The result is that in the last week people have emailed me from all over the area, offering me bikes. Right now I have 8 frames, nearly 20 wheels, and can put together at least 5 decent bikes. People have contacted me from as far away as San Francisco. And when I couldn't get a ride to pick them up, several people have delivered them to me! I will have kids' bikes for needy families, transportation for people transitioning from homelessness, and a birthday present for a teen whose mom survived a murder attempt by his dad.
It is so easy to forget that there are really great people out there! Folks who really care about others but who may not know how to reach out and help those who need the care. I've been down and out, and people helped me along the way. Now I try to pay it forward, and it feels so good not just to be useful but to be able to inspire others to do the same. I got a bicycle shop to donate used parts that would otherwise be thrown away. Suddenly I have boxes of chains and seats and handlebars, and even figured out a simple way to build a repair stand. It's a small effort in a small town, but it has ripple effects. Little things do make a difference.
What's inspired you lately?