Get the Lea Family Back on their Feet Again!

(Photo – James working as a Cinematographer on Undercover Boss)



Who are We?

Hi, we are the Lea Family in Florida.  We are fairly well-known in the amateur radio world through our YouTube channel, Ham Radio (dot) World.  For those of you who don't know us, we are a homeschooling family of six and Dad (James) is the sole breadwinner, working as a freelance Director of Photography/Cinematographer.  James works for clients all over the world on various television shows, projects, and as a professional storm chaser and war correspondent.  His job entails carrying a heavy camera on his shoulder as well as carrying heavy equipment to and from shooting locations.  

Mom (Michelle) has dedicated her life to training up the children according to their bents and to guiding them to be productive members of society.  She always looks for ways to be organized and conservative and she is quick to lend a hand to those who are in need.

Our two oldest children, Zechariah (16) and Faith Hannah (14) are dual-enrolled at Daytona State College and are doing very well in their studies.  (They are both in the top 5% of their class.)  They attend classes in Daytona Beach two days a week and we have to drive just under 150 miles a week commuting them to and from class.  Hope (12) and Grace (11) are homeschooled and very active on amateur radio and community service.

As a family, we have inspired hundreds of people to earn or upgrade their amateur radio licenses and participate in community service activities on a regular basis.  Our lives have been spent in the service of others.



(Photo – Providing emergency communications in Wewahitchka, FL)



A Little Bit of the Backstory
In October 2018, James was working covering the landfall and aftermath of Hurricane Michael in the Panhandle of Florida.  While shooting stock footage of the aftermath, he heard over amateur radio of an urgent need for communicators to respond to the affected area to help coordinate the relief efforts.  James immediately made the decision to put down his camera (meaning that he stopped earning an income to volunteer to help save lives) and spent over a week in the the town of Wewahitchka, Florida volunteering to provide life-saving communications via amateur radio.  Before arriving in Wewahitchka, he helped establish communications between the Emergency Operations Centers in Calhoun and Liberty Counties and the State EOC in Tallahassee.  James also helped provide communications to help get a paramedic who was septic evacuated via helicopter to a hospital where he was able to receive life-saving surgery.  This volunteer effort cost a significant amount of income because James was not out shooting footage that he could sell.  Once James was finished serving in the Panhandle, he returned home to be with his family in Central Florida.





(Photo – James in pre-op, minutes before going under the knife!)



What Happened?

In late July, while at home and through the negligence of others, James traumatically injured his right shoulder and recently underwent major rotator cuff surgery to repair the damage.  The process from injury to surgery took several months because of healthcare protocols.  Recovery may take as long as a year and he is unable to work as a Director of Photography/Cinematographer until he is fully recovered.  During this recovery process, James is unable to pick up a TV or cinema camera, much less put one on his shoulder!  Prior to the surgery, James had a large, well-paying contract for a training video that would have provided a few months income to help offset his inability to work.  Less than two days prior to the project's beginning (a mere week prior to the surgery), the client pulled out, saying that they did not know that James was not operating as a Corporation.  James spent two months being vetted for the job, including having to pass multiple security checks and drug screenings, all of which he passed.  We later found out that the client's client decided that they wanted another company, owned by a relative of theirs, to produce the project. 

Our savings has been exhausted and the State of Florida does not have a short-term disability program for self-employed entrepreneurs.  In a short period of time, we have gone from self-sufficient to facing eviction and are unable to keep up with the bills.



What are we Doing to Cut Costs?

We have cut our expenses to the bone.  (Did you know that you can get the same cell phone service that you would get from Verizon from a company called Total Wireless for about 1/4 the cost?  We found that out and we switched providers, as well as turned off one of the phone lines and kept only what was the bare necessity.)  We are making sure that we have multiple tasks to perform before driving somewhere and that we drive the most cost-efficient route.  We also cut expenses by moving to a much slower Internet service (we can't get rid of it because James is using it for what work he can do.)  The heat is tuned down low and we are judicious in our use of electricity and water.  For example, Michelle waits until it is cold to use the oven so we can open the oven door to help heat the house once the baking is done.



(Photo – The kids are considering building and selling amateur radio go boxes.)



What are we Doing to Support Ourselves?

Michelle is using her talents to restore furniture to place it for sale to help bring in some income, and the kids are looking at ideas such as building amateur radio go kits and making paracord products to help supplement the family income.  James is cultivating a client who wants to produce a documentary in the next year and working to convince them to begin preproduction now, instead of six to nine months from now.  He would be able to do the preproduction work with his injury.  However, this client is starting to look like they may have decided to use another producer.  Unfortunately, our current efforts to support ourselves are falling short.



What is the Need?

We are in immediate danger of being evicted from our home because we are unable to pay our rent and we have fallen behind on our bills.  In the short term, we need help getting caught up with our rent and other bills, such as electricity, water and insurance, as well as building a financial cushion.  In the medium term, we may need some ongoing help as we figure out how to provide for ourselves in new and creative ways.  



How You Can Help

Firstly, donating helps a lot and we sincerely appreciate it!  (It's very easy to do by simply clicking on the donate now button at the top of this page, on the righthand side.)  Other ways to help are by sharing our fundraising campaign with your friends and contacts on Facebook and other forms of social media, via email, text, and word of mouth.  Please take five minutes out of your day to share our story to as many people as possible. A quick email or a post on Facebook will make all the difference in creating a successful fundraising campaign for us!

Most importantly, we need your prayers!  Thank you for your help and support!