Be Jolly For Jim
Jim Lane is a friend and fellow 1975 Forsyth County High School graduate, and he could really use our help right now!
I haven’t seen Jim a while but have kept up with him on Facebook. Through his postings I was aware of some of his health issues but totally unaware as to the severity and the unfortunate sequence of events that have since plagued his life.
Jim posted last week that he was having to use the computer at the library because he had no power or internet and was about to have to move. That threw up a lot of red flags as that kind of stuff just isn’t normal to most of us this day and time. He did happen to post his phone number, so at the urging of a friend, I called to check on him and this is what I learned:
Jim’s makes – or made – his living as a commercial truck driver, an occupation that has provided him a fair and steady income for many years. After a couple accidents, unfortunately, he is no longer insurable. In 2016 he suffered a heart attack and has physically been unable to work. He said his heart condition will continue to get worse and will probably lead to bypass surgery in the near future. If all this wasn’t bad enough, he has been unable to pay his bills, so his power has been turned off and he is living in a house powered by a generator. He has to be out of this house by the first and currently has no place to go and no money. Food stamps help somewhat but they are just covering the necessities. Unemployment will offset his conditions somewhat, but it has not yet started.
To sum it all up, Jim is unemployed, sick, has no insurance, no money, and soon will have no place to live. This is bad any time of the year, but it is especially bad here at the holidays. While most of us are wondering what to wear to the company Christmas party, what our bonuses might be, how much we will spend on gifts for our friends and loved ones, what food to make for the family Christmas dinner, Jim will be trying to figure out how to survive.
The money I am trying to raise will help Jim secure a room to rent and hopefully pay a few months’ rent. It will also be used to buy food and other necessities. Hopefully, some of the government subsidies will soon start trickling in but until they do, we need to help Jim NOW get over this initial hump and get his life back on track.
Thank you in advance for your kindness. Please give what you can and as soon as you can. I know Jim will be very appreciative. And please know, your gift will mean so very much to his family and to all of us who call him friend.
Be jolly for Jim!
