(Update. The bus company said a bus was $300 for five hours, when we called, they said it was a mistake, the price was $3,000. Back to the drawing board, we’re trying to rent a school bus.)

 

When I started fundraising for the projects of the Army Of Good, I had only to ask, and the money would flow. Donations are a mirror of the country, and times have changed. This isn’t bad or sad and discouraging news for me; this tells me I need to adapt and be creative. Life never goes on a straight line.

So far, so good.

Yesterday, I asked for $2,000 to help the Mansion residents end their three-year Covid confinement. I may not get that much. I don’t live in a cave. I know how pinched and anxious people are. I’ll have to think outside of the box.

We need a bus to take the residents, tickets to get them in, and food and drink for them to eat. According to New York State Health Dept, additional aides will have to come along on the trip. The Mansion is not a non-profit institution but a Medicaid facility, which is more or less the same thing.

I knew this would be a complex request; I know too well that times are rough and a little scary.

But I’m working to pull this off. I’m not afraid to scramble. So far, all of our Wish Lists have sold out. And we got $5,000 worth of books for Bishop Gibbons without spending a dime.

So far, I’ve received about $600 in donations for the World’s Fair Outing, mainly via Paypal. Additional contributions and checks are on the way to my P.O. Box,  P.O. Box 205 (Mansion Fund, P.O.Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816.)

Like the old cliche says, the tough get going when the going gets tough.

Yesterday, we found a Saratoga Bus company that will take a busload of Mansion residents to and from the Washington County Fair on Wednesday, August 24th.

As I’ve learned, the charge would be $300; a grand bargain is given that bus trips can run up to $2,000 for a full day.

The bus is air-conditioned, so the residents rest or nap there. Some have their grandchildren in the 4-H trials. If I get additional donations, we might wish to extend the time. If this heat wave continues, five hours might be plenty.

This morning, I called the Washington County Fair office and talked with the very kind and helpful Rebecca, who said if I sent her a proposal that included some Medicaid documentation, they would be happy to leave free tickets for all of the residents who choose to come, plus the aides required by state regulation. Done.

She told me there is a 4-H food booth I could contact for discounts on food, drinks, and salads.

I will continue to fundraise for food and money to pay for the extra aides. I will do this for less than the $2,000 I thought it would initially require (thinking of bus costs from the previous refugee and Mansion outings), but I don’t yet have enough money to cover all the expenses for this trip.

So if you can help with some donations, that would be great. Any overage will go to the future outings we hope to plan for the Mansion residents, who have been practically under house arrest since the Covid crisis began. They are desperate to get out and around.

I’m committed to helping the activities team get them out and around again. They are eager to schedule local and inexpensive trips. Transportation is the highest cost, it turns out, and the most complicated. Cars are too small, there is only one van, and buses can be costly.

I’m not greedy and not spoiled, and I hate whining above all things except hypocrisy, which I hate the most.

We’ll get it done. There is always a way.

Donations can be sent to me via Paypal, [email protected], Venmo, Jon-Katz@Jon-Katz-13, or by check, Mansion Fund, Jon Katz, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816.

Thank you, I am confident now that we can pull this off and pleased to be uncovering new ways to keep costs down and still be able to do good things – small acts of great kindness.