Funding Troubled Thursdays

Hey everybody!

Thanks for looking at this campaign.  My name is Michael Nguyen (that's me in the portrait-ish shot up there!) and I'm asking for your help to fund Troubled Thursdays.

What are Troubled Thursdays?
I try to help people when I can, usually by listening to them or giving them advice. About a year ago, my friend started putting up a Facebook status update every Thursday which says,

"It's Troubled Thursday! Every Thursday I will post this status inviting anyone having a tough day to message me and vent to me ANYTHING that is troubling them, whether it be big or small. I will GLADLY give you my input and advice, that is only if you want of course, but above all else I just want to be an ear to listen or shoulder to cry on...There are people who still care in this world, and YOU ARE NOT ALONE!"

I decided to give it a shot as well and started putting up this status every Thursday and the response I got throughout the last year has been incredible. I've had the honor of being allowed to help many people with just this status.

Why do I need the money then?
There are millions if not billions of people out there that have been through many more experiences than me and can give much better advice as a result. When it comes to victims of abuse, coming out about one's sexuality, or even figuring out one's path in life, I usually can only offer a few words of support and encouragement because I cannot relate and honestly- I want to do more than that.

With your support, we can help even more people! With the money, I hope to be able to-

Purchase a DSLR Camera
"A picture is worth a thousand words." - Arthur Brisbane
Inspired by Humans of New York, I want to shoot pictures of people and tell their stories, hopefully inspiring others in the process. Following Troubled Thursdays however, I also want to build an online community that can give advice (by leaving comments and etc. on pictures that I shoot) to those that can't or aren't uncomfortable to ask for help from people around them. A DSLR camera is the standard for taking pictures nowadays, and although I can use any old camera, I want to be able to capture every pixel of emotion to tell someone's story. These cameras, unfortunately, usually run for a couple hundred.

I also want to say thank you for reading this, even if you choose not to or can't donate. If you could put a Troubled Thursday status on your Facebook or any other social media account, that is just as good as donating :)

Thank you for your time and thank you for your support! Please share this if you can, every dollar and status update counts! Take care of yourself and if you do need someone to talk to, you can contact me through a message on my Facebook here.