Help Rebuild Ophelia

On March 16th, Ben and his partner Liz went out to get some groceries and to move Ben’s beloved car, Ophelia, for the next morning’s street clean. To their dismay, they found an individual (while experiencing a mental health crisis) destroying Ophelia. Through quick actions by Ben and Liz, the man was arrested, but not before he severely damaged the vehicle. All four tires had been slashed, both side mirrors were kicked off and broken, the windshield and driver’s window were smashed, paint on the trunk had been scraped down to bare metal, vaseline was smeared all over the battery, components in the engine bay had been ripped out, and the interior had been cut up with a knife. Thankfully Ben and Liz were unharmed, but Ophelia is undriveable.

As you can imagine, Ben is devastated.

After speaking with his insurance company and roadside assistance, it became clear to Ben that any repairs would not be covered. Instead, the estimated $6,000 repair bill would have to come out of his own pocket. Gutted!

If you know Ben well, you’ll know how much this car means to him. He first laid eyes on it back in Massachusetts, when his neighbor Steve bought it. Despite being too young to drive, Ben fell in love. As he grew older (and his love of cars grew) Ben couldn’t get the vintage BMW out of his mind. He repeatedly asked Steve if he would sell it to him, but Steve wasn’t quite ready to say goodbye. Finally, in August 2020, it was time. Ben flew to New Mexico to purchase his dream car, and drove Ophelia back to New York City. Since that time, Ben has been tinkering away, fixing items big and small, and learning the inner workings of a 30-year-old vehicle.

The recent damage to Ophelia has Ben feeling really low, and we’re hoping to lift his spirits! Ben is one of those people who loves to help others, and consistently brings good vibes to so many people. Please help us to bring those good vibes right back to him. We know that times are tough, and there’s a whole heck of a lot going on in the world right now. But if you are willing and able, please help us bring his dream car back to life. Bad things happen to good people all of the time. Perhaps we can collectively make it less bad.

With love,

Sam (brother), Liz (partner), and Grace (close friend)