Help Keep Michael Conti and His Daughter Together
Donation protected
UPDATE (Posted July 2021): This fundraiser has been replaced by a new one set up by college friends. If you would like to donate money to help Michael, please go to Help Conti get back on his feet (GoFundMe). Thanks!
-----
In July 2017, Michael came home from work to find an email from his estranged wife informing him that she had moved from Washington State to California with their young daughter in order to be closer to her family. The news was devastating to him, as his relationship with his daughter was (and is) the most important thing in his life. He would have liked to drop everything and immediately move to be close to his daughter, but the reality of his finances did not allow for it. Michael had recently taken a job to help pay off his expenses from a newly started real estate business at Century 21. For the previous 8 years, he had taught music part-time while prioritizing his marriage and childcare duties, leaving himself no monetary safety net.
Michael spent the next ten months attempting to succeed in real estate to obtain the money to relocate while pursuing legal options to be a part of his daughter’s life. Then in May of 2018, while riding his bicycle, Michael was hit by a car. He was taken to the emergency room, having suffered injuries to his back and left side, including his leg, hip, and arm. He spent a month immobile, in recovery, during which time he was unable to work at all. Michael found himself increasingly in debt due to the injuries which prohibited him from working.
In order to be closer to his daughter, who was now asking for him to relocate, he sold all his possessions at a fraction of their value. Unable to find a place to live in Los Angeles, Michael purchased a 19-foot RV built in 1981 so that he would have a place to visit with his daughter. He found some work, which sustained him until February of this year when he was laid off. Since then, he has struggled to find consistent work which would continue to allow him to see his daughter at the designated times.
Two weeks ago, Michael was hired for full-time employment as a teacher. The company that hired him asked him to stop looking for work and assured him of his position. This past Monday, he was informed that the position fell through, and although they have assured him they are looking for more work for him, nothing has come in. Meanwhile, he is running out of money.
He currently has visitation with his five-year-old daughter every-other weekend and takes her to an RV Park or state park close to her mother’s house in Santa Clarita. When he’s not with his daughter, he parks in the increasingly diminishing allowed street parking for oversized vehicles in Los Angeles between Santa Clarita and Santa Monica, depending on the location of his next job interview.
Michael has immediate need of funds to maintain the current visitation situation with his daughter and to sustain himself at even a minimal level while looking for new employment. He would appreciate any and all assistance until he can get back on his feet. The initial goal for this GoFundMe is about half the total of one month’s expenses plus some one-time expenses to help keep the RV physically running, to help him with an inexpensive guitar with which he can teach, and for things he needs before going on more job interviews.
His basic expenses total $1,358 per month:
· Phone and internet: $90 per month
· RV Insurance: $80 per month
· Digital Mailbox: $10 per month
· Gas: $300 per month:
- RV Driving: Approx 300 miles per month at 6 gallons per mile: 50 gallons = $200
- Generator for Electricity: 25 gallons per month = $100
- (Cost of Gas in Los Angeles: Approx. $4 per gallon)
· Propane: $30 per month
· Laundry: $20 per month
· Child Custody Lawyer: $155 per month
· Groceries: $250 per month
· ‘Dining’ Out with Ravyn: $43 per month
· RV Park Fees: $360 per month ($60 a night)
· RV Refuse fees: $20 per month
His one-time or infrequent expenses are as follows, all approximated: $2,525
· Maintenance of RV (detailed below): $2,150
· Haircut for job interview: $20
· Interview clothes: $80
· Car seat cover to protect interview clothes: $25
· Guitar to allow for private teaching income: Martin Backpacker: $250
RV Fixes:
· Fridge is broken, required for childcare: $500 for an RV fridge replacement
· Built in Propane Heating system is broken, needed for childcare when it is cooler:
Approx. $200 for an electrician to look at and fix
· Roof needs painting before rainy season: $200
· Engine needs tune-up (oil, spark plugs, etc.): $250
· Air conditioner needs tuning or Freon, required for childcare: $200
· Roof repairs: $400
· Oil leak and water pump: $400
-----
In July 2017, Michael came home from work to find an email from his estranged wife informing him that she had moved from Washington State to California with their young daughter in order to be closer to her family. The news was devastating to him, as his relationship with his daughter was (and is) the most important thing in his life. He would have liked to drop everything and immediately move to be close to his daughter, but the reality of his finances did not allow for it. Michael had recently taken a job to help pay off his expenses from a newly started real estate business at Century 21. For the previous 8 years, he had taught music part-time while prioritizing his marriage and childcare duties, leaving himself no monetary safety net.
Michael spent the next ten months attempting to succeed in real estate to obtain the money to relocate while pursuing legal options to be a part of his daughter’s life. Then in May of 2018, while riding his bicycle, Michael was hit by a car. He was taken to the emergency room, having suffered injuries to his back and left side, including his leg, hip, and arm. He spent a month immobile, in recovery, during which time he was unable to work at all. Michael found himself increasingly in debt due to the injuries which prohibited him from working.
In order to be closer to his daughter, who was now asking for him to relocate, he sold all his possessions at a fraction of their value. Unable to find a place to live in Los Angeles, Michael purchased a 19-foot RV built in 1981 so that he would have a place to visit with his daughter. He found some work, which sustained him until February of this year when he was laid off. Since then, he has struggled to find consistent work which would continue to allow him to see his daughter at the designated times.
Two weeks ago, Michael was hired for full-time employment as a teacher. The company that hired him asked him to stop looking for work and assured him of his position. This past Monday, he was informed that the position fell through, and although they have assured him they are looking for more work for him, nothing has come in. Meanwhile, he is running out of money.
He currently has visitation with his five-year-old daughter every-other weekend and takes her to an RV Park or state park close to her mother’s house in Santa Clarita. When he’s not with his daughter, he parks in the increasingly diminishing allowed street parking for oversized vehicles in Los Angeles between Santa Clarita and Santa Monica, depending on the location of his next job interview.
Michael has immediate need of funds to maintain the current visitation situation with his daughter and to sustain himself at even a minimal level while looking for new employment. He would appreciate any and all assistance until he can get back on his feet. The initial goal for this GoFundMe is about half the total of one month’s expenses plus some one-time expenses to help keep the RV physically running, to help him with an inexpensive guitar with which he can teach, and for things he needs before going on more job interviews.
His basic expenses total $1,358 per month:
· Phone and internet: $90 per month
· RV Insurance: $80 per month
· Digital Mailbox: $10 per month
· Gas: $300 per month:
- RV Driving: Approx 300 miles per month at 6 gallons per mile: 50 gallons = $200
- Generator for Electricity: 25 gallons per month = $100
- (Cost of Gas in Los Angeles: Approx. $4 per gallon)
· Propane: $30 per month
· Laundry: $20 per month
· Child Custody Lawyer: $155 per month
· Groceries: $250 per month
· ‘Dining’ Out with Ravyn: $43 per month
· RV Park Fees: $360 per month ($60 a night)
· RV Refuse fees: $20 per month
His one-time or infrequent expenses are as follows, all approximated: $2,525
· Maintenance of RV (detailed below): $2,150
· Haircut for job interview: $20
· Interview clothes: $80
· Car seat cover to protect interview clothes: $25
· Guitar to allow for private teaching income: Martin Backpacker: $250
RV Fixes:
· Fridge is broken, required for childcare: $500 for an RV fridge replacement
· Built in Propane Heating system is broken, needed for childcare when it is cooler:
Approx. $200 for an electrician to look at and fix
· Roof needs painting before rainy season: $200
· Engine needs tune-up (oil, spark plugs, etc.): $250
· Air conditioner needs tuning or Freon, required for childcare: $200
· Roof repairs: $400
· Oil leak and water pump: $400
Organizer and beneficiary
Adina Alpert
Organizer
Somerville, MA
Michael Conti
Beneficiary