Jamie's Life Changing Fund
I'm
proud to announce that in September, I started a bookkeeping training program
at The Bookkeeping Company of New York City. It's an award-winning program
that turns out highly skilled bookkeepers and I'm looking forward to learning
everything they have to teach. Completing this program, which leads to a
bookkeeping certificate, will be a huge step towards having a stable job with
benefits and a decent salary.
As many of
you know, I suffered from immune system issues all my life, and last year,
these health problems became severe. Constant pain, energy loss, swollen
joints, and other symptoms were so bad that they completely dominated my life.
Then,
with the help of a health team, I reached out and asked my friends and
community to raise money so that I could start alternative health
treatments. Thanks to everyone's generosity and support, in the last year
I've had access to health resources, like acupuncture,
yoga and chiropractic treatments
that would have been unavailable to me otherwise.
I'm
feeling better, and my health and life have improved. Thank you to all of you
who have helped me get to this place. At a recent appointment, my
acupuncturist (the amazing Hope Hathaway)
said I was doing the best I have been since she started treating me.
Since
I've started feeling better, I've been able to spend less time focusing on my health and have had more energy to work on
changing my life for the better.
Though
I've had some good jobs, I've been poor all my life and spent a lot of years
living on the edge, so this opportunity to become a bookkeeper means so much to me: to learn a skill
that's in demand whether the economy is good or bad, and to be able to improve
my life. Not having been in school in over 20 years, I was nervous about it,
but I'm also beyond excited and so far I've been performing near the top of my
class.
The
training program is full-time, 5 days a week, 6 hours a day, so I've taken
a leave of absence from my job to complete the program. Because of that, I need
to raise funds: to continue with the treatments "“ both alternative and
traditional "“ that have been making me healthier, and to cover living expenses
while I'm in school and during any internship I hope to obtain at the end of
the program.
I've
consulted with a friend with financial expertise about my budget and how to
keep my living expenses down. I've set a goal of raising $15,000 to cover
my living expenses and health costs from October to February.
So I'm
asking for your support. Many of you have supported me to get to where I
am and I wouldn't have been able to take this next step without
the financial and emotional support of many of you reading this. I'm extremely appreciative
of what I've been given and the positive impact it's had on my health and
well-being and now I'm thrilled to be at this new stage.
If 100 people
give $150, I can meet my goal. Please give generously and forward this to your
friends. And please know that your contributions will be appreciated and well
used. Thank you so much and feel free to contact me directly if you want more
information (or if you need a bookkeeper!)