Help a RI Journalist Replace their Car
Donation protected
I've been volunteering for Uprise RI for the past few months, on the ground livestreaming protests and rallies, and then creating graphics or little social media videos, but the only way I was able to get to events was with my reliable station wagon, and last week I lost it to an accident in New York City. I went to New York on business to make and sell art with the '$10 Club', a Providence art collective; we all did well, and I made my first few sales, but unfortunately $60 can't buy a car. I hope that if you're watching any of my videos or seeing my fine art photography that you'll consider helping me out, as most of this work requires a car.
If you would like to donate immediately to help with the payments I already had to make, my username on Zelle, Cashapp, PayPal, and Venmo are all "willconns". If you feel like you've sent a large donation please message me so I can send you a print of one of my photographs! In the image below, on the left, is the receipt from 54th Street Auto Center showing that I paid $365.82 to have my car inspected and scrapped, and on the right is the document showing my car was officially declared scrap.
THE ACCIDENT AND THE PLAN:
While turning to enter the highway at night, I hit a median or road divider which had no neon signage to indicate it was there. This caused my right wheel to bend and disconnect from the axle; see the cover image at the top or the one directly below. Not only did I lose my car, but I had to pay *them* to scrap it. I had never been in a car accident my whole life, not even having a flat tire. The repair would have cost $3,012 and would have required me to stay in New York City for 5 more days. I didn't have the cash, and I definitely couldn't afford to miss that many days of work.
My father is a mechanic and he helped to keep my Volvo in good condition, and it would have lasted about 3 more years. He estimated that a used car around $3,000 would be a reasonable replacement for my 2004 Volvo V70, as my car had around 217K miles and was in almost perfect mechanical and aesthetic condition. Family and friends have been helping us put together a list of good cars around this price, we've found two similar Volvo's for around $3,000. If I receive more than what I'm asking for I'll have the opportunity to buy a higher quality vehicle and reimburse myself for the services I already paid for. As stated before, and shown in the second image, the inspection and scrapping cost $365. I also lost a few hundred extra dollars since I purchased and self-installed new brakes, and paid for an oil change and inspection this past month.
MORE ABOUT MYSELF:
For the past year or so I've been paying my bills with a combination of freelance gigs and part time jobs, which includes freelance reporting for radio, working for the Census, a warehouse job, and now selling art. This allows me to have a flexible schedule to volunteer to report on protests, rallies, and other actions which can occur at any hour, and sometimes without advanced notice. I do not have enough money in my savings to purchase a used car, and as stated before, almost all of the work I do requires a car. It would be helpful to purchase a car within the next week, as that is when my next car insurance payment is due. If I cancel my insurance I will be forced to pay a higher price when buying the same insurance again.
If you're unable to donate I would appreciate help in building a list of reasonably priced and good quality cars, ask around for me!
If you would like to donate immediately to help with the payments I already had to make, my username on Zelle, Cashapp, PayPal, and Venmo are all "willconns". If you feel like you've sent a large donation please message me so I can send you a print of one of my photographs! In the image below, on the left, is the receipt from 54th Street Auto Center showing that I paid $365.82 to have my car inspected and scrapped, and on the right is the document showing my car was officially declared scrap.
THE ACCIDENT AND THE PLAN:
While turning to enter the highway at night, I hit a median or road divider which had no neon signage to indicate it was there. This caused my right wheel to bend and disconnect from the axle; see the cover image at the top or the one directly below. Not only did I lose my car, but I had to pay *them* to scrap it. I had never been in a car accident my whole life, not even having a flat tire. The repair would have cost $3,012 and would have required me to stay in New York City for 5 more days. I didn't have the cash, and I definitely couldn't afford to miss that many days of work.
My father is a mechanic and he helped to keep my Volvo in good condition, and it would have lasted about 3 more years. He estimated that a used car around $3,000 would be a reasonable replacement for my 2004 Volvo V70, as my car had around 217K miles and was in almost perfect mechanical and aesthetic condition. Family and friends have been helping us put together a list of good cars around this price, we've found two similar Volvo's for around $3,000. If I receive more than what I'm asking for I'll have the opportunity to buy a higher quality vehicle and reimburse myself for the services I already paid for. As stated before, and shown in the second image, the inspection and scrapping cost $365. I also lost a few hundred extra dollars since I purchased and self-installed new brakes, and paid for an oil change and inspection this past month.
MORE ABOUT MYSELF:
For the past year or so I've been paying my bills with a combination of freelance gigs and part time jobs, which includes freelance reporting for radio, working for the Census, a warehouse job, and now selling art. This allows me to have a flexible schedule to volunteer to report on protests, rallies, and other actions which can occur at any hour, and sometimes without advanced notice. I do not have enough money in my savings to purchase a used car, and as stated before, almost all of the work I do requires a car. It would be helpful to purchase a car within the next week, as that is when my next car insurance payment is due. If I cancel my insurance I will be forced to pay a higher price when buying the same insurance again.
If you're unable to donate I would appreciate help in building a list of reasonably priced and good quality cars, ask around for me!
Organizer
William Conner
Organizer
North Attleborough, MA