Hi, my name is Ben. I am a husband and father, and I'm in a bind.

My son plays tenor saxophone in his high school band, and as such, I am a Band Dad. I am an officer on the Band Boosters Board, and I almost exclusively pull the band trailer to games and competitions.

Everything regarding the band is done on a volunteer basis, and it can be especially difficult to find people willing to tow the trailer. So, I started doing it so it would be one less issue to address.

I love doing it. It is an absolute pleasure and a privilege to help these kids. I believe in helping out when and where you can, and being able to do so where young people and music meet is a kind of magic.

Roughly two weeks ago, while towing the trailer back from a playoff game, my truck blew its engine. She was a 20-year-old Ford, and she served faithfully for over two seasons, but now she's down for the count.

The upside is that I have all winter to get ready for next season. The downside is that while my wife and I both work, we honestly live day to day, meaning I don't have two nickels to rub together at any given time.

I was already primed to get a second job, but now we have only my wife's vehicle, so I'm doing all I can just to get to and from my existing job. The schedule I work makes it very difficult to catch rides with my wife or anyone else for that matter.

My hope is to purchase a sub-$2k vehicle that will allow me to get to work and save money so that when tax season hits, I can get a legitimate repair job done to the Ford, while not exhausting the tax money that is earmarked to get my wife a more dependable vehicle.

I live reasonably close to my existing job, so a stopgap vehicle really doesn't need to be anything special.

I am not easily embarrassed, though I am embarrassed to ask random strangers at large for money, whether it be justified or not. Having said that, there is no limit to what I will do to meet the needs of the people who count on me to do so.

So here I am, at your mercy, and for your consideration:

My name is Ben...

I'm with the Band, and I could really use a hand.

(I know times are tough all over, and whether you choose to donate or not, I truly appreciate your time and attention, and I sincerely wish you kindness and compassion wherever you find yourself.)

With respect,

Ben Nicholas