The very last thing I wanted to do was fundraise…we went down this road last December when we first lost our home of 8 years, followed by losing our car, then my job-along with my company vehicle too. We’ve lost income, my savings/my 401K, our furniture/most belongings, our peace of mind, and recently one of my beloved dogs. Probably hardest of all we’ve totally lost our ability to foster shelter dogs in NC, the backbone of who we’ve been for 10 yrs with fostering over 55 dogs/puppies. We’ve completely lost our independence…and have been fighting so hard to get it back. The fight never seems to stop, though..it’s just setback after setback. It’s so shocking to watch everything fall apart & disappear one piece at a time, all as if in slow motion. We’ve moved locally 4x now and will unfortunately be moving again tomorrow. Between extended stay motels and a friend’s house which was unsafe for my daughter, and back to another motel. We’ve been happy at the hotel we’ve been in for 2 weeks, but the owners of the hotel have doubled the rates this week due to the NC State Fair going on and we can’t continue here (even though the hotel needs major renovations which they refuse to make, smh). The rates don’t drop until Sunday but nevertheless this is not affordable. So off we go again. Tent camping sounds fun if we can heat it!?
I think losing my car 2 months ago was the hardest hit of all though. I have never known adult life without a vehicle, and as a 100% only-parent of my sweet now-teen daughter, the aftermath of losing it has been pretty massive for us. We’ve spent every single dollar I’ve been able to earn (working as a remote medical biller, etc,) on our shelter and transportation…Uber, taxis, one car rental for just 3 days to the tune of $260, food minus EBT, pet food, you name it. A gracious donation helped us afford to finally have our senior foster fail Simba treated by a Vet last week, and we all know how $$ vet care is. How excruciatingly expensive everything is these days. I don’t know how many people are even surviving at all. And I know sadly there are people in much worse shape than us. We are finally on a waitlist for The Carying Place in Cary, NC…a 3-month long waitlist with an amazing organization. Praying we’ll somehow finally be back on our feet by then so that someone else in need can take our spot. Shelters are full. We’ve somehow managed to keep our 4 rescue dogs and rescue kitty with us this entire time, which has truly been a miracle. They’ve braved the unknown with us for 10 months now, never once leaving our side, through good & bad, even sleeping in my former company car with us for one night…me, Lily, 4 dogs & 2 cats. One of the most disheartening moments of my life. The moment that truly showed me what a failure as a parent I have become throughout these months. It’s hard to think about even now without tears.
Yet we’ve been so incredibly blessed, literally beyond all imagination. By you guys-our tribe here, the only real family we’ve ever known. By strangers all over the country, by churches, by friends of friends and even anonymous kind helpers. And I’ve been thankfully interviewing like crazy the last 2 months straight for a job in my field of work. The interview process for medical sales is long, anywhere from 4-6 interviews per company. I should have had offers by now. I’m still waiting and have only lost out on one so far, out of 5 positions I’m in the running for. And I guess what makes me reach out now is the urgent need for transportation funds, like Uber gift cards, rental car funding (so so expensive), even train fare to get to interviews with companies based in Charlotte. Which is the dilemma..I have already lost one job offer due to not having transportation to the final interview an hour away..wasn’t the best fit for me but still…income is income! This Friday I have an interview in Charlotte for a huge promotion where I would manage a sales team of my own, and in my same line of work. With a competitor actually, which feels kindof good in light of the awfulness of how I was left on completely unpaid leave from March-June 2024 then terminated. I’ve been fighting for unemployment since May. My company is notorious for denying it. The total payout is only $2244.00, but it was to be used for my old-used car down payment. I have an EEOC charge in process related to an ADA restriction denial for my return to work following a very short-term disability last November which will take 90 days to get to mediation, longer to resolve. For cash I’ve been cleaning houses, walking dogs, transporting a dear friend to weekly Dr appts. But I have no way to get TO a job now, and am not seeing many remote jobs with enough pay these days. And once I do receive an actual offer, since all 5 of these jobs require a reliable personal car, I don’t know what I’ll do. I just keep committing to having a vehicle when that time comes. And hoping I somehow will.
I have a couple leads on cars under $5K, that’s low I know, but I’ve driven very old Hondas & Toyotas for years in past. Even an old van would work, I don’t care what it looks like as long as it runs. And yes I have a great mechanic friend to check it all out. Soooo if anyone just happens to have a 2nd or 3rd vehicle that they are not using, and would like to sell it or maybe even just rent it to me monthly, it would be such a GODSEND. I have an immaculate driving record and my own insurance (after all you can’t have company cars your entire career with an unfit driving record..) So this fundraiser is asking for people to keep an eye out for anaffordable reliable used car, and any interim funds for transportation possible. Sadly, the biggest reason I’m desperate for a car is because my daughter has already missed the last 2 weeks of this new school year due to not having bussing from the hotel we’ve been in. Lily had bussing at the friend’s house but that environment wasn’t feasible for us…I realized my mom friend had a severe substance abuse problem that I felt endangered my daughter & pets; somehow we lasted 3 months there by the grace of God. Lily has now missed some of her very first year of high school because we have no transportation, and Ubering to/from school is totally unaffordable. Our current location doesn’t have bus service here, and we know no one around here to carpool her with. Ugh. To top it all off an old phone # of mine was hacked last week and my identity was used illegally..lost 2 interviews over that whole mess. 😞
It’s the worst time to ask for help, I know it. The tremendous guilt I feel is just soul crushing. Western NC & TN deserve so much help-my heart is broken for our mountain friends here in NC. This year has forced me to ask for things..something that I’ve never, ever had to in my whole empath lifetime. But kind people answered, and they somehow blessed us, a hundred times over. And if even a few of my many Facebook followers/friends chip in just a few dollars now, that can really add up. (A few of you have gone so far above & beyond in helping us survive and you are now forbidden to help anymore, I mean it!!!). Every dollar helps us stay living.
We love you all, we hope so much to be able to help each & every one of you out in return someday. I pray daily for that.
*Most/all of these personal fundraiser platforms take a big % of donations and can take several days to reach the recipient. GoFundMe was the worst, so we’re trying Spotfund now. And the quickest way to help if you should feel led to in your heart, would be to use one of our trusted payment apps listed below. Thank you and God bless you all! Grateful for eternity.
Love,
Laurel, Lily & our beloved rescue pack ❤️
We will update on our crazy nomad life often! Xoxo
Paypal: @LaurelLily
Venmo: @LaurelLily2017
Cashapp: $LaurelLilyLove
Zelle: 9198969295
