Thursday, December 19, 2013

Money to support the independent arts

Today I've decided to contribute to an independent music internet radio station run by a man named Erik from Dunfermline, Scotland.

This small $50 gift will hopefully help Erik continue his efforts to share great music with people around the world.

You may have noticed that most of my publicized free money has gone to individuals in need or for very specific purposes. Occasionally, I like to change things up a bit. In this case, I happen to be a musician myself and Erik's cause really caught my attention.

So even if you don't think your need is "worthy" or is as significant as some else's, remember that there are many reasons I give and those reasons change from day to day.

I appreciate everyone's emails and hope you'll continue to share your stories with me and that you'll continue to help others when you can.

See you all again soon.

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Help a blind man keep his loyal guide dog

I will make a contribution to this GoFundMe effort on behalf of GivingAwayFreeMoney.com. I hope you will consider doing the same for a good cause.

GoFundMe Page: Help Cecil Williams and Orlando the Lab
Some background on the story from Fox:
New York City blind man saved by guide dog will have to give up dog over insurance coverage
The blind New York City man who credited his guide dog for saving his life Tuesday when he fell onto the subway tracks said he is going to be forced to give up his dog because the dog is nearing retirement and his insurance will no longer cover him.

The lab, named Orlando, will be 11 on Jan. 5, and will be retiring soon, Cecil Williams, 61, said. His medical benefits will cover a new guide dog but won't pay for a non-working dog, so he'll be looking for a good home for Orlando.

"If he had the money," Williams said, "I would definitely keep him."

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Gofundme - interesting crowd sourcing web site I heard about today



The local radio morning show host brought this very interesting web site to my attention during today's show.

GoFundMe.com is what's known as a "crowdsourcing" site, where folks like us can raise money for worthy causes or even for ourselves.


I haven't done a thorough study of GoFundMe, but I like the spirit of the site. It seems to be organized and designed as a way to help those who need help. That's why I founded GivingAwayFreeMoney.com. The only difference is that you can personally solicit donations on GoFundMe, while I'm the one who funds you on my site.

Give it a look. You may find it to be another helpful tool if you are in need or know someone in need. Or perhaps, like me, you may even find a way to donate to someone else's need or cause.

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Sharing $200 With Alyssa From Virginia For Health Insurance Premiums

I received a letter recently from a woman in Virginia named Alyssa. The subject was timely and it caught my attention.

As many of you know, November is often the enrollment time for health insurance coverage with many employers in the United States. Alyssa's letter described her selecting coverage for her family and the significant expense this creates for her budget every year.

Well this year, I wanted to do something to help out. I have decided to send Alyssa and her family $200 to apply toward their insurance premiums that they pay out of their own pocket.

While this may not cover all of the expense or even most of it, I hope it makes things just a little more manageable for Alyssa.

And to everyone else who has contacted me this month -

I've been getting so many letters recently. I'm happy that I've been able to connect with so many of you. If I don't answer you personally, please don't think that I'm not interested or concerned for you. The emails come in, sometimes a dozen in a day, and I will respond to as many as I can. I may not write to you directly and I may not always post updates to the blog. But I will continue to do everything I can to help whomever I can.

Please continue to do your part too. If you can, help out a friend, neighbor or stranger today. You'll be glad you did.

See you soon.

Friday, May 31, 2013

$120 for water bill, cell phone for Brenna

I recently spoke to Brenna about some of the challenges she's facing in her financial life. Brenna is a single, 20 year old woman. She hopes to be able to afford to purchase auto insurance so that she can drive her car again and look for a new job.

But first things first, she told me that she has a water bill and a cell phone bill to pay.

To help Brenna out, I gave her $120 yesterday.

Good luck to you Brenna. Once you're back on your feet, I'm hoping you can do something to help another person in need.

Talk to you all again soon!

Monday, April 1, 2013

Birthday money for Emily from Ohio

I met Emily (from Ohio) via an email, as I meet so many of you too. She was 18, unemployed and was feeling bad that she was about to turn 19 without any means to celebrate her birthday.

Although a birthday celebration is somewhat trivial, sometimes it feels right to help someone with something small - a kindness that may not change their world but might brighten their day.

In addition to giving Emily $100 to take a friend out to lunch and have some left over to simply spend on herself, I encouraged her to seek some form of employment, even if it was part time work.

Do you have a request for assistance? If so, I'm still here to help, even though my posts have grown a little less frequent as my career consumes a larger portion of my time. Just because I don't post doesn't mean I'm not doing what I can to help.

Also consider liking this site's Facebook page. It really has helped get the word out. Remember though, I don't accept requests for free money on Facebook. Those requests must still come through this web site.

Thanks everyone. Talk to you again soon.

Saturday, March 2, 2013

$225 for Cierra

Cierra contacted me in need of $400 for costs related to a legal case she was dealing with. With no income and no options, she didn't have any way to get the bill paid and was concerned about getting on the bad side of the court.

We had a discussion about the nature of the issue and her options. We discovered her bill was actually smaller than originally thought - $225. Definitely more welcome than the 400 dollar tab. It pays to examine bills and fees closely so that you're not overpaying when you don't have the spare cash for it anyway.

I provided Cierra with the money she needed and the bill was paid. We've agreed to keep in touch, which I thought was nice too.