Doug Palen's Relocation Fund

Hi.  My name is Mike Beechy.  I am starting this GoFundMe page for my best bud and childhood friend Doug Palen, and his wife Karen Turner, who have been together for 30 years.  Doug and I have been friends since about 1970 or so.  He is like a brother to me.

Doug is a U.S. Marine.  There are no former Marines.  They are Marines for life.  Through no fault of their own they have endured hardship that few of us that grew up in Pine Hills have known.  Basically, this fund is being set up to purchase a "Fifth Wheel" for a relocation into a central Florida campground or trailer park where they can live a comfortable life. 
 
Since 1998 Doug and Karen have had a long streak of bad luck that would devistate any of us.  After they helped out another family member by taking out a second mortage to support that family member, Doug suffered a massive heart attach.  He was comatose for weeks. Due to the loss of income for an extended period, combined with the second mortgage they were obligated to pay off, the couple lost their nearly paid for home in Pine Hills.  Right about the same time, the family member they were helping, Karen's brother, commited suicide.

There is a lot more, but the bottom line is Doug and Karen live in an area that is not suited for them.  They are treated poorly where they live, which is a stone's throw away from the 33rd street prison in Orlando.  They are extreme minorities where they live and are harrased because they don't look like everyone else in the area.  They are in poor health and both are 100% disabled.  They cannot work.  Trust me, they would like  nothing more than the abiltiy to provide for themselves.  These people are not drug takers.  They've worked hard their entire lives and have been dealt a really bad hand.  I've witnessed it first hand.

The government, for whatever reason, do not support them in a manner that is befitting a United States Marine's family.  They receive meager stipends of less that $1200 per month.  This is supposed to cover ALL expenses.  Rent, food, medical, gas and maintenence to their vehicle.  They are truly in need.  Please hlep them.
Many of you will remember Doug Palen and Karen Turner from Pine Hills as they attended Robinswood Elementry and Maynard Evans High School.

Your contributions would mean the world to them.  Where they live they are threatened and harrassed on a daily basis.  Please help them with relocation into an area where they can live in peace. 

I will post more pictures of where they live that will illustrate how dire their situation is.  God Bless and thank YOU!!
mike