I was thinking about sending emails to each individual but since there were a couple anonymous gifters that contributed to JeffinSD’s gift card project I wanted to make sure everyone received a proper response.
Like I said in the original thread, I was completely caught off guard once I saw what was going on. I do this job because I truly enjoy it and for you guys to go out of your way like you did is an incredible feeling.
Every now and then I get in-person comments, emails, tweets and posts here on the forum that compliment my work and that sort of stuff alone can make my day, sometimes my week. But I have never been given a gift for my work, not to mention one as generous as this. (edit: I take that back, Matt Pohl bought me a soda once during a hot football practice when the vending machine wasn’t accepting my card).
The amount of money left me speechless. And you can rest assured that it will be put to good use. The holidays are never easy for me to get through for a lot of reasons but the gift card will go a long way, more than you can probably imagine.
To give some perspective on what a gift like this means - and I hardly ever talk about personal stuff with anyone, but you guys are like family, so … - I want you to know that, financially, I’ve been living on my own since I was an underclassman in high school.
I lost my mother to diabetes and kidney failure when I was a sophomore. My father hasn’t been around in my life so me and my siblings (one older brother, one older sister and a younger brother) were on our own from that point on. My older brother actually stopped attending UC Riverside to take care of us once my mom stopped doing well. We couldn’t afford rent at our home anymore so I finished out high school living with them in a small two bedroom apartment.
My brother held two jobs while I finished out high school and we were able to make it through those tough times. We received a lot of help from my grandpa as far as transportation went, especially taking my little brother to and from school and things like that. My grandpa passed away two months ago very suddenly. What’s baffling is that his wife, my grandma, has had alzheimer's for about 10 years and has been living in an assisted living center for as long as I can remember. Forgive me if this sounds crass, but my grandpa was in such good health over the years that I could never imagine losing him before my grandma. It truly came out of nowhere but he lived an admirable life and left me with a lot of knowledge and advice that I can live on.
He also left me his car, and I actually put down a large amount of money to get it insured last week. That’s just one of the many examples of how your gift will help me out.
Again, I know it’s personal, but I feel like it’s the only way to let you guys understand what it means to me rather than just saying a generic ‘thank you.’
For some closure, know that my family is still keeping on and doing well.
My older brother is still working multiple jobs to take care of himself and occasionally can help us siblings out when money problems arise. My sister is engaged and currently living in New Mexico with two beautiful kids and another on the way. My little brother is staying with family friends and just finished up his first semester of high school, and I’m proud to say that his grades have improved tremendously after struggling in middle school (I would have too, given the living circumstances he fell into).
Both brothers were actually at the basketball game last night. I went home last week to spend time with my little brother since I missed his birthday party earlier this month (MW championship game) and I got them tickets to see an Aztecs game for the first time in about two years. The money will help me out with some of those payments I mentioned and I also plan to use some for xmas gifts for my siblings. My older brother’s birthday is also later this month and I’m getting him a gift that I previously didn’t think I could afford.
Honestly, I’m still not sure what else I’m going to use it for because I’m still in shock…
I do know one thing though: I love this job and your support and generosity will only drive me to work harder.
A sincere, heartfelt thank you to all of you subscribed to this board. Your support means the world.
