Please Help! Very Important... :(

This is not spam nor is it a scam. This is a genuine emergency. My friend's family is in need of some help. Here's the story:

They moved away to Florida and my friend is a hair stylist in her home state. She did what the state of Florida told her to do to get her cosmetology license. They told her she would have it 2 weeks after they got her application. She moved down to Florida with her 1 year old son and boyfriend who is the stay at home daddy because of the cost of day care. After they moved she got a letter saying she couldn't get the license. Now both have been looking for jobs but can't find any because no one is hiring in their area. I feel horrible because I can't do much for them and they have no family down there to help. So this is my way of trying to help. They are now slowly having things disconnected. They are now just down to electricity and water. The don't have the rent for July. All they need is help for the next month because she is taking the cosmetology exam in 2 weeks and then can start working at the hair salon she transferred to last month.

Here's what I am asking:

Please help me help this family from becoming homeless because there is a baby involved. I have set up a donation box at my store. If anyone could donate L$ you're selflessness will be very much appreciated. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to send me an IM in world. I am trying to raise L$285,000 by July 1st. Please help if you can. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this.

Here is the location of my store where the donation box is located http://slurl.com/secondlife/Caeshu/21/145/228

Im going to come off a little cold and disconnected, perhaps, and I'm the first person to help someone out, especially if a kid is involved -- But:

1. They moved to Florida without jobs?
2. The husband cannot find a job, as he's the designated babysitter?
3. Both the wife's family, and the husband's family, cannot help?
4. She did know the requirements before moving for her to get that license, yes? WHY didn't she get it?
5. I have to repeat #1: They moved to another state without jobs???

Not to mention we being asked to send help to you via a donation box outsdie your business, in the form of Lindens!

Sorry. there's just too many holes in this story.

Assuming that this really is not a scam- you should provide some sort of verifiable proof- I am sorry- but the truth is- there are way too many scams that belie the validity of such actions.

There are better ways to make an emergency income than trolling the Second Life forums.

Ever considered a loan?


This sort of preying on the compassion of others reads as "scam" to me. Or at the very worst, prolonging the problem.

Wow, didn't know you need a license to cut hair.

They moved there with her having a job. She works for a national chain so she was able to transfer to a salon in Florida but the problem came along when the state started giving her a problem about her license. So yes, she had a job but because of the state of Florida giving her misinformation, she has not been able to obtain her license yet. So now she has to take the cosmetology exam for Florida even though she took and passed one in another state. Because of this they used up any money they had to support themselves and their baby for the last 2 months while waiting for her appointment for the exam. Her boyfriend started looking for a part time job as soon as they got there but in Southwest Florida I guess the job market is horrible and I did read online that area does have one of the highest unemployment rates in the country. An about the box being in my store, I have no where else to put it. I can't just randomly drop it anywhere I want. This is a very serious matter and I am asking for people to help because I care about them. Her parents won't help and his family has done what they could but it wasn't enough. I assure you, this is not even close to being a scam.

Oh yes. It's a health requirement. And you know - running with scissors and all

You do. It's a sanitary requirement in the state of Florida.

Not helping... :|

It is a requirement in just about everywhere I've been... and that's about half of the East Coast.

There fixed that for you.

I'm sorry, and if this is genuine, I really hope they get themselves sorted - however, as a parent myself, I find it totally irresponsible to move house to a new area/country/state with a 1yo child without any kind of guranteed income - I'm in the UK so dont know the exact process of getting the licence, but quick google shows be that it would take a LOT longer than 2 weeks!

I'm sure between the two of them they could take up a few part times jobs to raise the cash whilst taking the childminding load off each other. Or, if you are as good a friend as you seem to be, maybe you could lend her the $1000 you are trying to raise? You seem to own a few businesses in sl...

I'm sorry if I sound harsh, but this problem has only come about because of irresposibility - theres pleanty of good causes that are in similar situations without thier own manufacture that are more deserving.

Gomez

lol.

Well, aside from personal information, I don't really know what you want as proof. She does have a myspace profile and an e-mail address. I just don't think she would appreciate her personal information posted for everyone to see lol.

Touche.

(this is Lucrezia Lamont hijacking her alt's account)

I'm not sure about the USA but in Canada we have emergency services like shelters, food, welfare, beds, and even places for mothers and babies. Is there nothing like that in Florida?

Yes... there are. Wow... Google.

http://www.artistshelpingchildren.org/shelters.html#florida

There you go!

I used to live in Florida. There are jobs even *he* could do, skilled or not. There are churches. There is welfare, if nessasary. There is whatever they have to do to get money to protect the welfare of that child. You setting up a box for lindens in SL outside your business and asking for donations in the forum is, well, patently rediculous. I'm SO not buying it.

If it's so serious, you'd be asking for donations of MONEY, not Lindens, supplying an email address to paypal it to so it could be traced, and your friends would be in line at the state office to make sure their kid doesnt go without, and hubby would be on the corner at 6AM with workboots and a shovel if that's what it takes. Nope, not buying it.

They could be a real family and you could keep all the money raised to yourself, pretending to raise the money for someone other than yourself always looks better.

Maybe they are real, maybe you are being honest, you can't show any of us though and posting here doesn't really make it look good.

But she would appreciate having everyone's money in her own pocket without giving even the slightest tidbit of proof in return.

Best of luck to "your friend." I would love to donate but I already did, through the part of my taxes that pays for public assistance. You can tell her "You're welcome" from me.

I think Publix is always looking for baggers.

Still? The retirees haven't taken up all the positions yet?

Does she even want this kind of help?

I mean, I'd be utterly mortified if a friend of mine went and broadcast my financial woes and poor decision making by way of begging for money on some internet forum - even if my name was not attached to it.

Does she really need this kind of help?

She can make deals with the utility companies, they can be flexible and in some states are required to be when a child, handicapped, or elderly person is involved. Their landlord may also be willing to cut some sort of deal as well. More to the point: She may already be working on these options, and confided in you for the sake of "letting off steam" and relieving the pressure she's under a bit.

Your intentions may well be good, but are you sure your chosen actions really fit?

To the Op are you sure you aren't being scammed?

Imagine the forum with 700 of these messages a day.

I know an avatar who lost her leg in a boating accident and she has 16 children and her husband was eaten by a shark. Please send Lindens.

Any legitimate request for help of this nature would be accompanied with lots of transparency/verifiability as to who is getting the help and that they in fact are getting it. As others have already noted this smells way too fishy and it's completely inappropriate to post in any Second Life forum. Hopefully a moderator will stumble along and delete this entire thread.

Not to belittle any aspect of the OP's post if there's truth to it but...

If some day I can't pay tier on my neko shinto shrine at Necros and get turned out, will someone maybe want to adopt a neko girl?

I can keep your place clean of mousies and fishies.

I'm cheap to clothe -- Bare Rose Tokyo clothing mostly.

I'm not very demanding; not in world a lot.

And I like to purr.