Hi,
I am a single father of five children, and work from home to be able to spend more time with my family. As a digital illustrator, and aspiring author, I work on commission. Unfortunately, this year has been a real trial. Due to the higher taxes for most of my customer base, they have had less money to purchase artworks, leaving me working longer hours and having much less time to write on the novel I am in the process of producing.
Even with those longer hours, the money has barely been enough to keep my head above water for most of the year, and I have had to rely on my little brother’s kindness whom we are living with, to help out when he can to make sure all the bills get covered. To top things off, my suburban died due to a spectacular electrical failure that left it as little more than a parts vehicle. I need to replace it so I can still get to the store and out to the park with the family and so on.
I am trying as hard as I can, but the harder I try, the more the well seems to dry up. At this point I really do need some help. I need to replace the vehicle, my computer is aging poorly, and being nearly 10 years old, it is struggling to keep up with the modern art applications I use. Last year, one of my customers footed the bill to get my dying Cintiq replaced, so at least that is new, but what it is attached to is also trying to fail and if I lose that I will really be up the proverbial creek without the paddle.
At the moment I am looking to replace my Suburban with another older model vehicle, not just for the affordability of it, but also for the fact that I turn my own wrenches and thus know how to work on the older, early 2000s models (my last was a 2004), and I am looking at older 2000-2010 model Suburbans. I wouldn’t mind a slightly newer vehicle but would be happy with the older 2000-2006 model. Still the cost is prohibitive even for something older like that.
Prices in my area are in the $10,00 to $15,000 range if they are in even halfway decent condition and still have another 100,000 miles or so on the engine. To cover the cost of getting one, getting it properly licensed and insured and still having a little left over for incidental maintenance for the first couple of months I need to get somewhere around $11,000 to $17,000 minimum for a vehicle that is still going to be somewhere around 20 years old, but I do need the vehicle so that I can get the family around.
In addition to that, my computer is aging badly and really starting to struggle, and I need that to keep my income coming in. To replace it is going to be at least another $7,500 to bring it fully up to date with modern parts and equipment to keep it running for the next 5-10 years. This is far more than I can hope to afford, as right now I am struggling with putting enough together to even get the family Christmas presents this year.
Right now, if I could get donations to total $30,000, that would allow me to get a mid milage 2007-2010 suburban near me, license and insure it, build the new work-computer for my art and writing business, as well as pay this month’s bills and have enough left over to get the whole family a few nice presents to open Christmas morning. If any of you can find it in your heart to help us out, that would be amazing.
Bless you all this season,
Hellcat.
Donation Link: http://www.papal.me/hellcatillustrations