no reason to not fund my campaign ??

[kimberly-rowe]

Hi all: Just a reminder to please keep things friendly!

[deb-l]

I was just reviewing material from the National Foundation for Transplants considering a fundraising campaign to help us through expenses for my husbands liver transplant. He has cancer and my son wants to be live donor. This thread helped me with my struggle with feeling comfortable with asking people for money. I know what you mean Andee, I can hardly leave the door without people asking for money, and often I can’t afford to give to charity so I hate to be the one asking for help so I can understand that sometimes Sherry would say things she doesn’t mean in anger or emotion. Although that being said,

Sherry, sometimes life isn’t fair. There are things we deserve or think we need for our personal happiness that we need to let go of or aren’t meant to be. The only way to be happy is to try to be content with your current circumstances, appreciate what you have at this moment, and stop thinking about what the future may or may not bring. You can’t control such things. I understand how much a pedal harp means to you, and I hope you get one some day, but more importantly I hope you enjoy your current harps and don’t feel you need a pedal harp to be happy.

[cc-chiu]

I completely agree!

Also, usually crowfunding campaigns are designed to market a product and give the backer something in return. Half of the forum is saving up for their own pedal harp, why should they donate just to get a picture of someone they don’t know? I think that a campaign that really offers something – for instance, an innovative affordable carbon harp model – would be very viable, but this?

[andee-craig]

Deb, sending your husband and you lots of healing energy and good vibes all around.

[deb-l]

thanks Andee.

[lyn-boundy]

Pardon me for coming in late here and, perhaps, resurrecting an old argument but I haven’t been around much lately and so only just noticed this thread.

Please can we not compare this campaign with giving to charity! There is a massive difference between asking people to donate to a charity that saves lives or does real good and asking other people to give their hard-earned cash to buy a luxury item for someone who feels a sense of entitlement to whatever other people have got. What is being asked here has nothing to do with charity and everything to do with greed. Okay, if people want to give to something like this it is their own business but I know I would rather give any spare cash I have to genuinely needy causes.

Deb – your post is very touching and very wise. I wish you and your family luck and strength throughout this ordeal

[Philippa mcauliffe]

Very sorry to hear about your husband Deb – I asked Mummy how much a liver transplant would cost here and she said nothing although there is a contribution towards the post op drugs that you have to pay here – capped each year and minimal if you are on a low income. Is it very expensive where you are? She said it is probably the US in which case it could be very expensive.

[deb-l]

Lyn, thanks for wishing us strength, something like this really pulls people together, never been closer to my family, we are all helping each other through this. My husband just got medical approval for the transplant, and our son is a potential live donor.

Philippa, in the US although we have insurance, there is a percentage that we have to pay out of pocket. The tests are 10s of thousands of dollars to be approved, then it’s 2-3 hundred thousand for the surgery and over a thousand dollars a month for anti-rejection drugs. I’m trying to find out what the actual cost is to us. We may be able to do this without a fundraiser which would be great. But lets just say it’s a good thing I decided to stick with lever harp than go onto pedals : )

[diana-lincoln]

Deb L. I just saw your post and I’m devastated for you both. Medicine is full of miracles these days. I have no doubt that you will see each other through this difficult period. I’m wishing you both all the best and I’m looking forward to your posts as he heals. Fondly, Diana L.

[michelle-winston]

I am very bothered by this…I see her posts everywhere. I worked THREE job, often in excess of 75 hours a week, to pay for my harp. I read online that she only works part-time. It took me a long time, but I did it! I appreciate all she has done to save and improve her financial status but I don’t understand why she doesn’t pick up a second job or work more hours? And Sherry–if you read this–don’t misunderstand…I did what I needed to also to get a harp but I didn’t do it by asking others to pay for it. I believe every harpist should follow their dream and if you get a harp from this campaign, I will be happy for you. But I believe in self sufficiency.

[tracey-kjonegaard]

Michelle, I totally agree with you. I picked up and moved out of CA on my own last year and have struggled almost the whole year I’ve been in Chicago just to make ends meet and get on my own feet out here. I don’t ask for help from my friends or parents or people on the internet. I’m a very VERY independent person and this whole campaign bothers me, every time I see a new post from her. I wanted to learn harp, so I found my own way to get one. I plan on buying a pedal harp and I know that will take years but I’ve started saving for one, ON MY OWN. NOT by asking for handouts.

On that note… apparently we’re all lollygagging because there is a pedal harp out there to be fully funded…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZ0HdY6ukug#t=53

And one other thing, I wouldn’t contribute to these internet campaigns because where is all of this money gonna go when she doesn’t raise the other $8,000+?

[lyn-boundy]

Excellent point about that left-over cashTracey. I’m also quite amused that this woman insists that by giving her our money we are benefiting the world of music and the performing arts in general. Let’s be quite clear about this – the only person this money will benefit is her. If you want to benefit other people en masse just send those spare pennies to Cancer Research, Save the Children or some other registered charity. There are plenty of places where donations will be put to really good use and this isn’t one of them.

Edited to add – Incidentally, having just looked back at some of the lady’s campaign publicity I am interested to know how much the harp she wants (us) to buy actually costs. She says she needs to raise either $14,000 or $20,000 – which is it?

[tracey-kjonegaard]

I agree with you Lyn.

I’ve followed this campaign for the last few months and initially she wanted to raise $10,000 for a Petite Chicago 40 from L&H, then when that campaign failed and only brought in like..$20 I think, she relaunched the campaign and made her goal bigger (either $14,000 or $20,000?) but then in that last video she said she had raised over $1,000 so far and still had $8,000 left to raise…so I guess shes just going for whatever she can get? There are 2 weeks left in her campaign…

[cat-harp]

The video posted strikes a rather raw nerve in me – I know more than a handful of professional(!) harpists that can’t afford (and therefore don’t own) a concert grand harp. If I already can’t help a fellow musician who does it professionally for a living, (because I myself am struggling to make ends meet) than why should I reach out to someone who simply feels entitled to own such an instrument? Heck – I feel entitled to drive a Lamborghini just ‘cuz it’s always been a dream of mine but I guess I just can’t afford it. 😉

[tracey-kjonegaard]

You better start an internet campaign and bash people for not fully funding your lambo!

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