MIP Online Recovery Meetings
Post Info TOPIC: NOT appropriate.
Anonymous

Date:
NOT appropriate.
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This is a copy of another member's that I received myself. I was not expecting this sort of behavior and I would like to remove my name and email from the site.

I got this email from this web site... This is wrong to do this to people who depend on the 12 step programs for support.

Date: Thu, 28 Oct 2010 10:52:55 -0700
> From: mip@12stepforums.net
> Subject: Seeking Assistance
>
> Hi Jenna-1974,
>
> Hello Jenna-1974,
>
> The assistance I am humbly requesting has absolutely no bearing on Miracles In Progress 12 Step Recovery Forums. It is a personal request for help. Our MIP 12 step forums will not be effected regardless of whether or not the help I'm asking for is recieved.
>
> Yesterday my car broke down. It is sitting at :
> Tonys Foreign Car Center
> 6121 Market St
> Wilmington, NC 28405
> (910) 392-9993
>
> The fuel pump went out on it. I had had it fixed by another shop here in town recently, who according to Tony's didn't install the pump properly and thus it was ruined in a relatively short period of time. The shop I used, which having done such a inadequate job, I am very reluctant to go back to, nor do they indicate they are willing to stand behind their original work. So, I'm out the money I really didn't have in the first place, due to always having to "rob peter to pay paul" over the past year. And now peter is broke and there is no way I can get it fixed properly without some help. It is a BMW 325i, which makes it expensive to repair to begin with, but it's 21 years old. It's a 1989. I paid approximately $3000.00 for it over 5 years ago, so its been good to me with no problems other than this. I believe its worth fixing and driving for another 2-3 years before I start looking into getting another vehicle. Tony's say it will cost a bit over 600.00 to fix it right so the fuel pump doesn't go out again any time soon. As they pointed out, the original pump lasted at least 15-20 years. They believe this newer pump went out so quick for two reasons. 1.) The other shop bought a cheap aftermarket pump, then charged me list price for a OEM part, and 2.) didn't install it properly with all the new components that come with a OEM pump. Tony's says they will show me the invoice for the new OEM pump so I can verify they are putting in what I'm paying for, and they will provide me with the old one so I can pursue any remedy I need to against the other shop. Of course as many of you know, this remedy may be quite time consuming and have its own cost to pursue. I don't know if it will be worth it, or if I should just let this be a lesson learned and move on, and not use that shop ever again, nor refer anyone else to it.
>
> This car is not the only vehicle I have. I also have a work truck, which is a real beater (1990), and I have a motorcycle. So, I personally can get around, and for that I am very grateful. However, my car is of great value because its what I use to pick guys up from the bus stop when they come into Miracles In Progress recovery homes from treatment centers, detox's ect. I also use it to get them to their follow aftercare care appointments, out-patient treatment programs, to get their ID's through DMV, to get them situated with Social Services for food stamps, and when it's raining, which it has been doing alot of around here this past few weeks, I take them to job interviews, so they are not showing up for them soaking wet. I also take the new men to meetings with it until they can develope a local support network of their own. The problem with using my truck for this is gas mileage, it gets between 8-10 mpg in the city. Unless it is making money, it has no busy on the road at all. And as for my motorcycle, I'm just not willing to use it to transport people around, I don't believe the effort of what I'm doing is worth the risk on a motorcycle.
> I do have work, but all of it is outside painting and deck staining, which has had to be put on hold for the last 2 weeks due to the rain we've been getting here. Two weeks ago, we had 22 inches in 4 days, and it has been raining, every 24-48 hours since. So, until I get a 2 day window of clear skys to do the jobs, and one day of dry time I can't start the jobs I have lined up, or I will end up doing them over again.
>
> If you are willing to help in any manner, by loan or donation, with any amount, you can use paypal (http://www.paypal.com) to send the funds. Just use the email address mip@12stepforums.net to send it to on the paypal site, and it will go into my paypal account. PayPal is very secure and user friendly. I have used it for years without ever having any problem, nor has anyone else I know who uses it. If you would rather send the funds directly to me via the US postal service, you can send it to my home which is: John Freifeld, 2302 Boardwalk Ave, Wilmington, NC 28403.
>
> I hate having to send out an email like this but I don't know what else to do to possibly solve the problem I've run into with the car, so I am reaching out with a hope and a prayer that some of you might be willing and able to help.
>
> Sincerely,
> John Freifeld
> 2302 Boardwalk Ave
> Wilmington, NC 28403
> 910-620-4554
>
> mip@12stepforums.net
> http://www.12stepforums.net
> http://mip.12stepforums.net
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Cheers,
> John F.



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Anonymous

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Yes - I got that email too, This is really bad. How could someone use this list like this? How do I unsubscribe?

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Anonymous

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Not much you can do since it comes from the 'owner'.  No traditions here



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Anonymous

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It just keeps happening

 

Hello everyone,

As many of us already know, the economy is taking a toll on so many people, so hard that life as we once knew it has changed.  So it is with me.  

As I write this post I am struggling to just keep my head above water, but the water is rising very fast.  And I am reaching out for help.

At one time, the men in the Miracles In Progress Aftercare Recovery Homes were able to come into the homes without a dime, and within a week or so have a job, and their weekly rent paid and caught up on their arrears shortly thereafter.  Today, when I elect to give a man a hand, that is coming out of treatment, detox, jail, hospital, or from the streets, even putting forth his very best efforts it can take up to a month before a job is landed, and a week or two after that before a check is available to them.   Community resources to help these men have dried out as well, because the agencies that are allotted these type of funds are overwhelmed with the need to help families with children, the elderly, vets, and the disabled.   The alcoholic or addict is not a priority on their list. I will not debate whether this is right or wrong, it is what it is.  A good example of this is our detox center here.  Two years ago, it had 21 beds, and was shut down due to a lack of funding.  18 months later, it reopened with only 7 beds available. This is in a community with the highest DWI related accident record for the past 5 years in all of North Carolina, and with a population of 100,000 people.  7 detox center beds.  Agencies such as Vocational Rehabilation is floating vouchers... what this means is they will issues a voucher to help a man with a month of rent in a recovery home, but that isn't the same as getting a check.  It can take up to six months before those funds are available to them to make good on the voucher they issued, and... if the man is not currently living in the facility at the time the funds become available, even though you allotted him the month based on the voucher, you can't collect it.  The funds can only be used to assist with their "current housing".  Churches are doing all they can, but again, their funds are being funneled directly into the community resource agencies that distribute the funding based on priority and availability, not to the individual who is at the church asking for help.

This being the case, I have had to change how I was doing things, and start requiring that an individual have a means by which to pay at least the first week rent and a 100.00 deposit (195.00) before I could allow them into the homes.  And if they can't afford to pay their rent for 2 Fridays, with no evidence that it is forthcoming from some resource and I have to terminate them from the MIP houses.  Now I don't know about any one else, but for someone to ask me for 195.00 when I got out of treatment in 1989, they might as well be asking for a million dollars.  Nor did I have a dime after a trip through detox, or a hospital, or coming out of a jail in the years before.  

I never wanted this endeavor to be about a dollar, but my gawh, let a man get behind 4-6 weeks, (because you see him doing all he can), and when he finally gets a check... he moves into another recovery home because its cheaper for him to pay their first week and deposit then to pay his debt that he occurred while job seeking here at MIP for a month or so!  This use to not be an issue, but in todays economy it is, because the debt that is being incurred can easily get to a place where the newcomer cannot see any way to the other side of it.  It becomes overwhelming, so they put their running shoes on.  And I had housed them for that period of time without collecting a dime!  So, fault me if you will but I couldn't endure their debt any longer and had to shut down the generousity faucet, and start requiring that they be able to pay their rent or after 2 weeks, which is really two fridays which is actually 1 week span, they had to make other living arrangements.  I just couldn't keep enduring the expenses they were generating any longer.

I want to scream right now!  

Then on a personal note; I have had a pressure washing and painting business for the past 10 years.  Until a few years ago, I made some very serious money.  And I could provide several of the men coming into the homes with work.  However, when the economy crashed, so did new construction work, which accounted for approximately 60-70 % of the work I was getting.  Even the other 30-40%, the average home owner, was tightening their grip on what they would spend on their own homes because many didn't see doing improvements on a home when its market value was suddenly below what the bank was owed, or they were sitting and waiting to find out if they were on the forclosure list,  because they fell into the "substandard loan" bracket.  Not because they hadn't made the payments but because they did not actually qualify for the loan they got for the home 10-15 years before.  So, a home that started out being 700.00 - 900.00 per month suddenly saw a ridulous (balloned) increased of such proportions (some over double the original amount) that the average family couldn't make the payments on any more, and so by default it ended up on the forclosure list, based on "projected earnings".  In short the bank knew these folks would not be able to endure the increase, and then applied the appropriate loan qualifiers as to whether or not to keep carrying the loan of the home.  Just a year ago here, one out of 12 homes were being forclosed on.  So, this situation took a big bite out of the little 30-40% of work resources I had left after the new construction came to an end around here.

I have busted my ass over the years, working hard, helping people whenever I could, keeping things above water even when it meant plugging holes to keep the water out so they could stay afloat... 

and tomorrow my phone bill is due and I don't have any clue how I'm going to pay it.  This is my life line.  It is what I use for both the MIP recovery home intake interview calls, as well as my personal business calls.  It's the line that members of MIP use when there is a problem on one of the message boards, or with the chat rooms, or a problem needs to be addressed with a member.  It's also the phone I use to talk with my grandchildren each week. (In short, I have no other phone)

This week, I have over 1,000.00 due in utility bills between the two Miracles In Progress recovery homes and my own place, (yes, I pay three leases, three electric bills, three water bills, three cable bills, three of everything each month) and every thing is hitting me at once, and only have 400.00 to work with and less than 400.00 worth of work scheduled for the week thus far.

I want to scream! But I'm not going to... I am going to ask for help.  No amount will be accepted without a great amount of appreciation and gratitude returned.

Thats what I am doing now, asking for your help.  If you can afford to assist me with any funds to get through this rough spot, while I determine what method to utilize to bring things back to a place of true manageability for both myself personally and for the recovery houses, I would greatly appreciate it.  

If you want to help through paypal, using a credit card, my account there is mip@12stepforums.net

If you want to send it using Walmart's Money Gram, (which can be done online as well) send it to John Freifeld, Wilmington, NC (you must call me at             910-620-4554       with the referrence number in order for me to pick it up)

If you want to send it via the US Postal service, send it to 

John Freifeld - 2302 Boardwalk Ave - Wilmington, NC 28403

If you would personally like to talk to me before making a decision as to whether or not you want to help, which would be fully understandable... please do, my phone number is             910-620-4554      .

I just ask that you seek your own heart and keep in mind this isn't only helping one person, it helps many as a by product.

I am asking for your help, because it is truly needed.

John

 

I wonder if I can ask for money too?



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Anonymous

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I agree and find it very sad to lose people who need MIP!!!

One mod tried to take one off awhile back and the owner kicked him from being a mod.

Owner, sadly is showing many signs of being sick.He fully admits he is A.

He has bared people from mip for asking for money, using profanity and talking about God.

He used to be a man with integrity, cared, willing to explain things to us.

The site has been crumbling for awhile now. A person was very x rated in the chat room, next thing we see she is a mod on the message board.

I guess I am more concerned that this person is showing the signs of relapse.

No one has the nerve to confront him. It would help if more people pm'ed the ones sending him money!!He posted this on the AA and NA too.

Manipulation, to send money is enabling.

 



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Anonymous

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This is a once a year deal here.  If you look at the main sites you have over 18,000 members.  I realize that many members are not active so lets say 10,000 people send $10 each.  That's a $100,000 - that should last a year until the next time money is desparetly needed.

 

I know not everyone is going to give $10.  Some won't give any while others on Facebook have given $100.  All of this - tax free.

 

He is a con man - nothing more - nothing less



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Anonymous

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bump



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Anonymous

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Here we go again. I'm sorry you got hurt John, yet I have to wonder where all the money goes?  On another board you mention that we can make checks out to you.  Instead of powerwashing other people's houses I think it is time to get your own house in order.  Both sites cost under $400 a year, so if 40 people give $10 that's it.  Where does the rest of the money go?

 

Hi Everyone,

As many of you know I broke both of my wrist, a hand and an elbow recently and therefore am not able to work my pressure washing and painting business right now, with one arm in a cast and the other in a particle cast.  Therefore, I do not have the funds to pay all the expenses related to Miracles In Progress 12 Step Recovery Forums at this time.

There are a few immediate needs that I will need help with if you are willing and able to do so.  

This message board cost us 179.40 per year @ 14.95 per month (Again, more if paid by the month instead of annually - 17.95 per month) our current billing cycle is about to hit us again, as it is set for Tuesday, Dec. 13th, 2012.  If we can't pay the bill, they will take down the board until we can pay for it.  I'm asking everyone to keep this from happening by helping me generate the funds to cover its expense. 

Lastly, the Miracles In Progress 12 Step Recovery Forums web site as a whole, which host the main page, each groups home page, chatroom entrance, etc, cost 191.40 per year @ 15.95 per month. (if paid monthly it too cost more, 17.95 per month.) It's hosting cost becomes due again on Friday, December 9th, 2012, and needs to be paid in order for the site to stay on the internet at all.

I have always paid the annual price of everything on this site, in a effort to save a few dollars and strongly suggest we continue to do so.

If you are willing to donate as little as 10.00 towards this effort, I am sure that collectively we will be able to cover our current expenses, as well as pay a bit in advance to offset our future expenses.  

I would not ask for this help if it was not absolutely necessary. As reflected on my post at http://alanon.activeboard.com/t45671323/securing-yourself/ I am simply not able to do it myself at this time without your help.

Please consider it and if you are willing and able, click the graphic below or at the top of this page and make a donate you are comfortable with.

John



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