We have started a new group to continue with the activities that I have been involved with for the past 9 years.

This group will be called "Gold Country Guardians" - Neighbors Helping Neighbors Thrive.

This is a new nonprofit and 501(c)(3) in process — founded by myself with the help of others such as Beth Moore and Shanna Lesley here in Nevada County, California.

A snapshot of our mission is to continue the work that has been ongoing as:

I’ve been helping people quietly for years, but now I’m building something bigger that will be more equipped to help people in Nevada County and will continue long after I leave this world.

Just an FYI, as I have been working my regular engineering job full-time with the help of others, but found that with the changes in my America, there is a bigger need that is straining my ability to do things like see my wonderful wife, my older mother in the SF Bay Area, and to provide services to those who just need a little hand upwards and to move off the bottom rung of life's ladder.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been repairing and rehoming RVs for people with nowhere to go, delivering firewood to families who can’t stay warm or may have missed being able to sign up, clearing snow for seniors when we have issues such as the snowmageddon events, helping when we have wildfires in our area as during the Paradise fire we were able to round up 40 trucks and trailers with eager people wanting to help move animals, and just stepping in when someone in our community needed help.

This work has varied from relocating wildlife safely (rattlesnakes, raccoons, skunks, deer), to answering calls from a 92-year-old woman at 2 am who's fallen in her bathroom because the lighting doesn't work and more, and then replacing the switch making sure that these people are safe, or resolving a problem where a family needs a car, and their last one died when the engine exploded, to keep food on the table, a roof over their head, when barely making the financial issues that they have. We have fixed numerous plumbing issues, including the replacement of water heaters to low-income families, and all of this work including the vast majority of clearing licensing issues have been paid for at no cost to the recipients.

These activities have had lots of help from very generous people in our community, and we do this work on funding provided from our GoFundMe fundraising.

As of this week, we have placed 336 families in safe, secure housing and in 2025 this was 67 trailers and RVs, making sure that when this work is done, and these units are placed, the current proposed guidelines for Nevada County's developing long-term guidelines have been met.

In 2025, we have distributed 112 cords of firewood to people who may not have been able to sign up for the Nevada County Senior Firewood program, and we have repaired and given away 37 cars.

I answered 55 calls to help with wildlife issues, including removing lots of skunks and raccoon families, and even a big momma bear, resulting in securing these homes. I even removed a large female deer that had been hit and died on the front porch of an Alta Sierra home.

I’ve always done it on my own, with my own tools and whatever donations showed up, but this need has grown, and it’s time to create something that can support our neighbors in a bigger, more sustainable way.

All of this work was done with the $11,300 that we raised in last year's GoFundMe efforts.

That’s why we are starting Gold Country Guardians, a nonprofit currently in formation with 501(c)(3) status being filed, as this will facilitate people who might be looking for a tax deduction and to start looking at grants (which has become exceedingly hard in today's environment).

Our mission is simple:

Help people in need right here at home — with hands-on support, practical resources, and real compassion.

In 2026, Gold Country Guardians plans to launch community programs that include:

• Repairing and redistributing donated RVs and essential items

• Delivering firewood to vulnerable households

• Snow removal for seniors and mobility-limited residents

• Volunteer-led service and assistance projects

• Assisting seniors to stay in their homes when a safe, secure living space can be maintained

These are the same things I’ve already been doing for years — now we’re building the structure to reach more people.

Why I need your help now

This fundraiser supports the start-up phase of Gold Country Guardians:

• Nonprofit formation

• 501(c)(3) filing

• Volunteer and donation systems

• Tools, repair capacity, and operational setup

• Full program of services in 2026

Your donation today helps turn years of quiet, individual acts of service into a community organization that can truly change lives.

Thank you for being part of this journey.

Gold Country is filled with good people. When we show up for each other, hope grows.

Thank you for supporting the beginning of Gold Country Guardians and helping create something meaningful, lasting, and rooted in compassion.