Giving Back After Getting Robbed
Donation protected
On the Friday of this past Labor Day weekend, all was good in my world - except the Bay Area heat wave. With nothing but a ceiling fan at home, working from a coffee shop with air conditioning seemed like the only sane option that day. One headphone bud in, I was listening to a makossa classics mix while powering through a city arts grant, wondering what I was going to eat for lunch, when it happened:
He came up from behind me, and in one fell swoop, grabbed my laptop as I was typing, and sprinted out the door to a getaway car across the street. Of course, not before I spilled my iced tea all over the floor, cursed at the top of my lungs, and lunged after him.
The most frustrating part? The Starbucks employee that tried to help let me know that six other people had their laptops stolen in the same way. Yup, you read right - six.
After ruling out that this probably wasn't bad karma for that time I stole a pencil from a classmate in the first grade, all I could do was calculate how it could have been different if I was smarter. More attentive. Less distracted.
The truth is, it was completely out of my control. And that's an unfortunate reality for a lot of people in the US right now; natural disasters and DACA getting repealed have pushed millions of undocumented and displaced people in limbo to no fault of their own.
I could shrug my shoulders and take the situation for what it is; but this is also an opportunity to offer some financial relief in a time of uncertainty.
I have the privilege of knowing a community of family, friends, and acquaintances who I can lean on, and I want to use that privilege to do good together.
1 in 4 Americans experience PTSD symptoms related to finances - what more in the face of traumatic events out of our control? More money isn't a long term fix, but right now it can be a big break while figuring out the next step to get by.
So let's talk numbers:
• $1,300 to replace my 13-inch MacBook Pro
• $500 to good people doing great work for displaced and/or undocumented people in the US; cause and organization to be confirmed
• What's in it for you? My laptop has primarily been used in community, and I want to continue that by supporting folks who contribute and are doing better for others, or for themselves. Whether it's a personal project that needs some proofreading, rewriting your resume, grants and funding related writing and research, helping draft an MOU, event planning, or someone to listen to an idea... let's all elevate.
Yes, my laptop was stolen like a scene straight from GTA.
Yes, it could have been worse.
Yes, there are many worthy causes that also need funding.
But this call to action wouldn't exist without the belief that my community reflects my passion to be great in doing good. So let's do this. Thank you for believing that good things can still happen from moments of uncontrolled chaos.
He came up from behind me, and in one fell swoop, grabbed my laptop as I was typing, and sprinted out the door to a getaway car across the street. Of course, not before I spilled my iced tea all over the floor, cursed at the top of my lungs, and lunged after him.
The most frustrating part? The Starbucks employee that tried to help let me know that six other people had their laptops stolen in the same way. Yup, you read right - six.
After ruling out that this probably wasn't bad karma for that time I stole a pencil from a classmate in the first grade, all I could do was calculate how it could have been different if I was smarter. More attentive. Less distracted.
The truth is, it was completely out of my control. And that's an unfortunate reality for a lot of people in the US right now; natural disasters and DACA getting repealed have pushed millions of undocumented and displaced people in limbo to no fault of their own.
I could shrug my shoulders and take the situation for what it is; but this is also an opportunity to offer some financial relief in a time of uncertainty.
I have the privilege of knowing a community of family, friends, and acquaintances who I can lean on, and I want to use that privilege to do good together.
1 in 4 Americans experience PTSD symptoms related to finances - what more in the face of traumatic events out of our control? More money isn't a long term fix, but right now it can be a big break while figuring out the next step to get by.
So let's talk numbers:
• $1,300 to replace my 13-inch MacBook Pro
• $500 to good people doing great work for displaced and/or undocumented people in the US; cause and organization to be confirmed
• What's in it for you? My laptop has primarily been used in community, and I want to continue that by supporting folks who contribute and are doing better for others, or for themselves. Whether it's a personal project that needs some proofreading, rewriting your resume, grants and funding related writing and research, helping draft an MOU, event planning, or someone to listen to an idea... let's all elevate.
Yes, my laptop was stolen like a scene straight from GTA.
Yes, it could have been worse.
Yes, there are many worthy causes that also need funding.
But this call to action wouldn't exist without the belief that my community reflects my passion to be great in doing good. So let's do this. Thank you for believing that good things can still happen from moments of uncontrolled chaos.
Organizer
Ann Pullido
Organizer
Union City, CA
