Donation drive for a friend...

[seawasp]

ETA: The drive is over. Thanks very much to everyone who participated! The funds covered what was absolutely needed.


I have a friend named George Green (kharaku). He's made some... pretty bad life decisions, and he's stuck at the bottom right now; check his LJ entry here if you want details of the problems that make this an acute issue. To a great extent he's gotten himself in this mess, but at heart he's a good guy and some of his current problems are NOT his fault, so I'm going to do this for him once.

Short version: George's stuck in the Ukraine with essentially no money, and his laptop -- the tool he uses to do whatever work he can get as a web designer, writer, etc. -- was stolen from him.

He needs a new laptop; his ideal would be a Mac Powerbook but he's used others; the last one taken was an ASUS P50IJ.

I have set up a Paypal donation button below for people to contribute towards getting him a replacement laptop, probably from craigslist or some similar used location unless people are extraordinarily generous; any excess will go towards helping him have some resources to get the heck off the streets/out of charity places. If someone HAS an appropriate laptop they would like to donate, contact me and I'll arrange to get it to him.

I will leave this up for two weeks; if insufficient funds for a laptop  are given, I'll send whatever I have to George to at least give him something to work with.

Comments

[seawasp]

Since that obviously works for George, I'll pay for the shipping -- let me know how much it costs and I'll pay you back immediately, unless you need me to pay up first; if there are donations I'll use those to offset the shipping costs and then if there's any left send it on to George.

George, what address that you TRUST can it be shipped to?

[kharaku.livejournal.com]

My BEST advice is to send it DHL to Lviv and have them hold it at the DHL office; DHL has more English speaking employees than it does Ukrainian or Russian ones (try speaking to a Russian in Ukrainian some time if they seem like the same language) failing that the US post office does garuntee deliver and insurance but it's flakey about refunding for a lost shipment and replacment value of 'lost' objects.

I trust Yuliya's address completey but hold at office wither DHL or Post Office is a smarter option.
Yuliya's addess is Serdyuk, Yuliya 79066 Ukraine, Lvivska Oblast, Lviv 26 Syhivsk Apartment 66

It could be better to call DHL quote wise, I do need it badly but next day would be absurd I am sure

USPS (which is really fedex) Express Mail® International Flat Rate Boxes are 75 dollars, priority mail is 69 so express seems to make more sense.

[kharaku.livejournal.com]

Serdyuk, Yuliya 79066 Ukraine, Lvivska Oblast, Lviv 26 Syhivska Apartment 66

again in ANY option please try to use Pick Up At Post
I will get you the ukrainian for that phrase in latin and cyrillic letters before we ship.


This sounds amazingly exiting!