Glenn Clark Financial Relief
Donation protected
My Brother Glenn
2020 has been a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year for everyone. Some of us have lost jobs, homes, and tragically even loved ones to COVID-19. It has been rough and it’s going to continue to be rough for a while.
I don’t think anyone’s terrible year can be compared and contrasted by degrees of awfulness to anyone else’s. We all have our own struggles. But I know one person in my life who has had more than his fair share of hard times for the last year, and he is why I am reaching out to you now.
I would like to raise $7,000 for Glenn Clark.
Glenn could use this money towards:
Getting caught up on mortgage payments/bills (behind due to work disruptions during the pandemic)
Seeing a medical doctor (we think he may have had COVID-19 a few months back and he has some other medical concerns)
Seeing an eye doctor and getting glasses (Readers aren't enough anymore.)
Car repairs
Here’s a little information about Glenn and what he has been dealing with to let you know why I am asking for your help:
My brother Glenn is my best friend and, in many ways, he put in as much effort to raise me as either of my parents did. If you were one of Glenn’s kids when he was a youth director for eight years at White Rock UMC, he probably helped raise you too. I don’t know another human being as honorable and reliably kind as he is. I don’t know many people who would drop everything and do anything for anyone who needs his help like Glenn does. He doesn’t have to know you, he doesn’t even have to like you, Glenn’s code is simply to always do the right thing and help others.
When our mom became too sick to work or drive, Glenn became her full-time caregiver. It was his 24/7 post for five very challenging years that included; multiple weekly doctor’s appointments, multiple emergency room visits and long hospital stays, preparing meals and maintaining the house. Being a caretaker is a mentally and physically exhausting job and a generally unsupported one. At first, he tried to work part-time but it quickly became clear that her unstable health would not allow for that. He realized that he could either work or take care of Mom, but he couldn't do both, so he chose Mom. The choice was not an easy one to make and it took a heavy toll on him.
There weren’t many options open to us for her care. She needed full-time care and I live in another city. We couldn’t afford nursing homes or live-in caregivers and putting her in a state home would have meant losing her house and car to qualify for assistance and we could not abide to do that to her. It would have broken her heart. So Glenn made the choice to be her full-time caretaker so she could live the rest of her life in dignity. That decision added years to her life but it put Glenn's life on hold. We had a lot of help from other family members and for that I will be forever grateful. I don’t think she would have lived as long or as peacefully as she did without their support and Glenn’s constant vigilance.
In the year and a half since we lost her, Glenn hasn’t had much relief. He has been working as a Lyft driver. This was a great option because he was able to start working immediately after Mom passed. The downside to this job has been a lot of car repairs and all the challenges that have come with the pandemic; not making any money at the beginning of it, getting behind on bills, becoming an essential worker, dealing with riders who don’t obey social distancing rules, no hazard pay, no partition screen until August, and he didn’t receive any money from the COVID stimulus package. At one point he was sick for a couple of weeks (we think with COVID) and couldn't work.
When things were going better he was able to cover all his bills driving for Lyft, knowing it would not be not sustainable long-term because of the wear and tear on his vehicle. Up until recently, it has been his best option for work while he's been trying to find better employment elsewhere. I've been helping as much as I can financially, but the pandemic presented Glenn with an onslaught of financial curveballs that the two of us simply could not absorb.
The latest disaster in a long series of unfortunate events, was Glenn's Lyft car breaking down. It will basically require a new engine to run safely again and that is not feasible in the short-term. In the meantime, we might be able to fix up Mom's old car for him to drive. It doesn't meet Lyft standards but he will at least have transportation. He has a lead on a warehouse job but even if he gets it , it won't be enough to catch up on mortgage payments.
A lot of people suggest he move to an apartment but that would actually be much more expensive. Apart from moving expenses, the average 1-bedroom apartment costs more than his current mortgage payment. The house affords him an opportunity to own his home and has rooms enough to support having a roommate in the future when we can finish clearing out Mom's things. The mortgage has some protection from foreclosure due to COVID, but it doesn't last forever. We will need to catch up on payments soon.
Most of us know what it’s like to feel discouraged waiting to catch a break when you are job hunting. Couple that with historic unemployment and it can feel pretty hopeless, especially when you are planning a budget down to the last penny. It only takes one or two financial glitches, an insufficient fund fee or a late charge on a payment, to snowball into disaster making it impossible to get ahead again.
Eventually, there’s no more bootstrap left to pull on. This is where Glenn is at right now. He has worked every second he possibly can, he is frugal, he is practical but it’s not enough. The world keeps knocking him down and he keeps getting back up, but I’m afraid he is losing hope.
I want to be clear that I am the one asking for help for my brother. He won't know about this until right before I post it. I know it will hurt his pride. He is always the first person to offer help and the last person to accept it. He never wants to feel like a burden on anyone, especially when times are hard for so many. It's mortifying for him and he is trying so hard to get to a better place.
But sometimes you just need a leg up.
The happy place he is trying to reach is one where he has steady income, health insurance and a roommate to help with bills. The road to get there is uncertain and expensive and he is struggling to stay afloat in the meantime.
I think this may be his George Bailey on the Bedford Falls bridge moment and I am sending out an S.O.S. to the people who love him. I would be so grateful for your help if you could join me in lifting up this wonderful person who has spent so much of his life lifting up others.
Even if we don’t meet this goal, I think it would mean the world to Glenn to feel supported and less alone in his struggles. Sometimes the best help you can get it is knowing that your friends and family still love you and are thinking about you.
The COVID days are extremely lonely and isolating when you live by yourself and Glenn has definitely felt that isolation. If you can’t make a monetary donation, maybe drop Glenn a line, email/text/or card to help lift him up. And if you can think of someone who would be interested in this, please feel free to forward.
Thank You!!!
2020 has been a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year for everyone. Some of us have lost jobs, homes, and tragically even loved ones to COVID-19. It has been rough and it’s going to continue to be rough for a while.
I don’t think anyone’s terrible year can be compared and contrasted by degrees of awfulness to anyone else’s. We all have our own struggles. But I know one person in my life who has had more than his fair share of hard times for the last year, and he is why I am reaching out to you now.
I would like to raise $7,000 for Glenn Clark.
Glenn could use this money towards:
Getting caught up on mortgage payments/bills (behind due to work disruptions during the pandemic)
Seeing a medical doctor (we think he may have had COVID-19 a few months back and he has some other medical concerns)
Seeing an eye doctor and getting glasses (Readers aren't enough anymore.)
Car repairs
Here’s a little information about Glenn and what he has been dealing with to let you know why I am asking for your help:
My brother Glenn is my best friend and, in many ways, he put in as much effort to raise me as either of my parents did. If you were one of Glenn’s kids when he was a youth director for eight years at White Rock UMC, he probably helped raise you too. I don’t know another human being as honorable and reliably kind as he is. I don’t know many people who would drop everything and do anything for anyone who needs his help like Glenn does. He doesn’t have to know you, he doesn’t even have to like you, Glenn’s code is simply to always do the right thing and help others.
When our mom became too sick to work or drive, Glenn became her full-time caregiver. It was his 24/7 post for five very challenging years that included; multiple weekly doctor’s appointments, multiple emergency room visits and long hospital stays, preparing meals and maintaining the house. Being a caretaker is a mentally and physically exhausting job and a generally unsupported one. At first, he tried to work part-time but it quickly became clear that her unstable health would not allow for that. He realized that he could either work or take care of Mom, but he couldn't do both, so he chose Mom. The choice was not an easy one to make and it took a heavy toll on him.
There weren’t many options open to us for her care. She needed full-time care and I live in another city. We couldn’t afford nursing homes or live-in caregivers and putting her in a state home would have meant losing her house and car to qualify for assistance and we could not abide to do that to her. It would have broken her heart. So Glenn made the choice to be her full-time caretaker so she could live the rest of her life in dignity. That decision added years to her life but it put Glenn's life on hold. We had a lot of help from other family members and for that I will be forever grateful. I don’t think she would have lived as long or as peacefully as she did without their support and Glenn’s constant vigilance.
In the year and a half since we lost her, Glenn hasn’t had much relief. He has been working as a Lyft driver. This was a great option because he was able to start working immediately after Mom passed. The downside to this job has been a lot of car repairs and all the challenges that have come with the pandemic; not making any money at the beginning of it, getting behind on bills, becoming an essential worker, dealing with riders who don’t obey social distancing rules, no hazard pay, no partition screen until August, and he didn’t receive any money from the COVID stimulus package. At one point he was sick for a couple of weeks (we think with COVID) and couldn't work.
When things were going better he was able to cover all his bills driving for Lyft, knowing it would not be not sustainable long-term because of the wear and tear on his vehicle. Up until recently, it has been his best option for work while he's been trying to find better employment elsewhere. I've been helping as much as I can financially, but the pandemic presented Glenn with an onslaught of financial curveballs that the two of us simply could not absorb.
The latest disaster in a long series of unfortunate events, was Glenn's Lyft car breaking down. It will basically require a new engine to run safely again and that is not feasible in the short-term. In the meantime, we might be able to fix up Mom's old car for him to drive. It doesn't meet Lyft standards but he will at least have transportation. He has a lead on a warehouse job but even if he gets it , it won't be enough to catch up on mortgage payments.
A lot of people suggest he move to an apartment but that would actually be much more expensive. Apart from moving expenses, the average 1-bedroom apartment costs more than his current mortgage payment. The house affords him an opportunity to own his home and has rooms enough to support having a roommate in the future when we can finish clearing out Mom's things. The mortgage has some protection from foreclosure due to COVID, but it doesn't last forever. We will need to catch up on payments soon.
Most of us know what it’s like to feel discouraged waiting to catch a break when you are job hunting. Couple that with historic unemployment and it can feel pretty hopeless, especially when you are planning a budget down to the last penny. It only takes one or two financial glitches, an insufficient fund fee or a late charge on a payment, to snowball into disaster making it impossible to get ahead again.
Eventually, there’s no more bootstrap left to pull on. This is where Glenn is at right now. He has worked every second he possibly can, he is frugal, he is practical but it’s not enough. The world keeps knocking him down and he keeps getting back up, but I’m afraid he is losing hope.
I want to be clear that I am the one asking for help for my brother. He won't know about this until right before I post it. I know it will hurt his pride. He is always the first person to offer help and the last person to accept it. He never wants to feel like a burden on anyone, especially when times are hard for so many. It's mortifying for him and he is trying so hard to get to a better place.
But sometimes you just need a leg up.
The happy place he is trying to reach is one where he has steady income, health insurance and a roommate to help with bills. The road to get there is uncertain and expensive and he is struggling to stay afloat in the meantime.
I think this may be his George Bailey on the Bedford Falls bridge moment and I am sending out an S.O.S. to the people who love him. I would be so grateful for your help if you could join me in lifting up this wonderful person who has spent so much of his life lifting up others.
Even if we don’t meet this goal, I think it would mean the world to Glenn to feel supported and less alone in his struggles. Sometimes the best help you can get it is knowing that your friends and family still love you and are thinking about you.
The COVID days are extremely lonely and isolating when you live by yourself and Glenn has definitely felt that isolation. If you can’t make a monetary donation, maybe drop Glenn a line, email/text/or card to help lift him up. And if you can think of someone who would be interested in this, please feel free to forward.
Thank You!!!
Organizer and beneficiary
Valerie Clark
Organizer
Tomball, TX
Glenn Clark
Beneficiary