So……here we go…

~Redwood Empire Health Coalition (a consortium of 14 clinics) are going to gather kids/adults for the pilot programs-this is a big coup.
~The Community Action Partnership is going to develop the pilot programs knowledge tracking assessments, also a big coup and vital to grant funding.
~We are chatting with three major local businesses with national reputations about pertnerships. But here’s the thing…

The next and vital step before anything else can happen is to develop the programs based on the data collected. There are 5 programs: Basics, Body/Mind, Body/Earth, Fitness and Culinary. All three businesses want to see the programs before they commit too much more. Makes sense to me.

I figure it will take me 3-4 months working full time to write the programs and run them all by my team of experts for any revisions needed. I also have two books to write, one is my personal journey and the other is the recipes the kids want to see, but it’s so much more than recipes. We will use it as part of the teaching. I also have a literary agent, another positive step as literary agents are not easy to find. I spoke with the owner of the New York agency about the two books just yesterday. She told me how much she loved the first chapter of book (the personal journey) and it was a very rough draft! She said, ‘write, write, write!’ I’m very encouraged. Getting the go ahead from her was a big deal.

Now here’s what I tend to not talk about much to anyone but my closest friends, but now I cannot avoid bringing it up. How do I spend the next 7 or 8 months writing full time, and this is absolutely a full time job, and pay my bills? I cashed in my retirement to fund the non-profit trip and all my money is gone, or else I wouldn’t be asking for assistance. I do not want or need a pat on the back about spending my own money; it’s not something I regret or choose to focus on, but the fact is now if you believe in this incredible non-profit, please consider helping so the next step-program development-can happen. I can’t help ‘our’ kids if I can’t survive myself.

To continue, I will sell my RV (which I am still living in) that I traveled the country in and the rest of my belongings. The only reason I am mentioning this is not because I want or need to be told how wonderful I am, but to let you know I am committed.

Out of the blue on Sunday I had calls from three friends. John and Nancy in Oregon sensed that something was wrong. I had a little melt-down explaining I have bills to pay that aren’t being paid and 5 minutes after our conversation ended, they called back to say they are emptying their guest house to I can live there, rent-free from January-March; food included! I can use that time to not only start the programs, but try out all the recipes I am developing for the book for the kids, based on what the told me they wanted to learn. I didn’t know John and Nancy three years ago and they have been there with me-heavens knows why-through everything I have gone through and here they are again. Isn’t this wonderful? Yes, is the answer. Free housing is terrific, but my bills are still not paid.

So now I have a place to live until March. My friend Amy from New York has offered me her home in Nova Scotia until summer -also rent free, just internet and food and the gas to get there. Yes, it’s 3,400 miles away but for me that’s nothing..So Southern Oregon from January until March and Nova Scotia from March until July. Wow!

Next call was from my friend Karen, who is a personal and business coach extraordinaire. I have known Karen for years and while I was in the Boston area, she set up kids interviews. We talked for a long time and in essence, she says that I need to ask for help. Pride aside and ask for help. She knows that this non-profit is what I am supposed to do and I need to ask for help. All you need is money to finish, she said simply, and everything will be wonderful. This is true, she’s right. She also helped me with the self-talk and watched for patterns in my speech and thinking. It was incredible. By the way, here is her contact information:

Karen Burke, MBA, PCC, ELI-MP
Principal Coach at Mobius Business Coaching, LLC
Business Leadership Strategies
www.MobiusBusinessCoaching.com
978 844 2555

First of all, I am not looking for anything for free, although I wouldn’t say no! A little further down on this post is the note from Exchange Bank about how this might work.

If you can help me or can gather a group of people to help me to finish, that would be wonderful. This is personal help I need now. The total needed for this year is about $40,000, but anything helps. If you make a donation to Shine The Light On Kids, that is wonderful and I thank you so much, but obviously that money is not for me, but for the kids. The money I am looking for would be so I can survive while I write the programs. My address is at the bottom. If you use the donate button, I can not use those funds.

Also, I am not expecting anything for free; I will happily pay it back, with interest, which I will be able to do when the programs begin and I start to draw a salary and my next two books come out. Dorothy Rodella, the branch manager at Exchange Bank in Sebastopol, is so supportive and truly believes in me and this non-profit. She said if someone will put a CD in the bank as collateral, they’ll loan me the money. Is that person you?

Here is her note:
Here is my suggestion and yes; you never know until you ask. A savings secured loan is your only option. Meaning one of your friends would open a Savings or Certificate of Deposit they pick the amount and term i.e. 36 months/48 months or ?. They would pledge their CD to your loan. You would be the borrower. You could then determine your own re-payment schedule it could be as low as interest only monthly (payments are automatic from an Exchange Bank account). The rate on the loan would be 5%; $60 loan fee. The term of the loan is the maturity of the collateral.

What would this accomplish? You would get the $ you need and your friends would be able to help you. The risk of course is if you default they may loose their savings. But you would be making payments to the bank versus your friends just giving you the money.

Call me with questions or have your friends call me directly and I can explain how a savings secured loan works.

Take care,
Dorothy
707-823-4087 is my direct line

Can you believe all these amazing people in my life? I honestly don’t know what I have done to deserve all of them, all of you, but I am grateful and thankful.

We have way too much forward momentum to stop. Please help if you can….and soon…

Thank you,

Patty

Patty James
P.O. Box 1915
Sebastopol, CA. 95473

Remember this is not tax deductible, this is so I can write the programs and pay my bills. It’s a Patty fund….:) I did it Karen! Breathe……