Please Help Restore Ken's Dignity

My name is Kenneth Schmidt, what follows is the story of how I've lost pretty much everything I've ever held dear; be it hope and dreams, confidence, or tangible possessions. I wanted to create something with which to share, something that would be worthy of your donation. Since I don’t have much left to offer anymore, I thought I would share my life's story in exchange for your generosity. You may find a copy of my story, "From Dreams to Despair - The Autobiography of a Broken Man" by following this link.

In the meantime, I'd like to outline the purpose of this fundraiser, which is also posted on GiveSendGo. In short, I'm sharing my life's story in an effort to earn donations to help make some of the desperately needed repairs to my mobile home, thereby, making it much more habitable. It would also be wonderful if I were able to earn donations to help supplement my Canada Pension Plan Disability, making it easier for me to make ends meet; kind of lift me up a bit, so that I’m not so far below the poverty line. Essentially, my two goals are: 1/ mobile home repairs, and 2/ help keep the heat and lights on and food in the cupboards.

To be unabashedly blunt, I am in desperate need of your help. A couple of weeks ago, around the beginning of March, I read an article stating that a fundraiser set up on behalf of Donald Trump, raised more than one million dollars in just its first week alone. I cannot convey to you in mere words, how devastating something like that is, when I'm having to skip meals, can't afford fresh fruit or produce, and live in a mobile home that is quite literally falling apart as it slowly sinks into the earth. I don't understand how someone could choose to send money to a billionaire, but would never bother to invest a dime in someone like me.

With that being said, however, I don't expect anyone to make a donation solely based on being asked to do so. Therefore, I would like to offer you something in return. Something that you may find entertaining or maybe even inspiring. Something like the story of my life's journey and the trials and tribulations I've faced throughout. I'm hoping once you've read my short autobiography, which may be found by following this link, you’ll see enough value in it that it earns your donation.

Perhaps my story will help you feel a bit better about your current situation. Maybe you'll see it as something to which you can relate, helping you to not feel so alone in your own struggles. Or maybe you have someone in your life that is experiencing something similar and perhaps this may help you understand their plight just a little bit better. Whatever the case may be, if you do find my story to be helpful, sad, or silly and you find some value in it, please do consider making a small donation.

However, if you're not in a position to leave a small donation but would still like to help me out, I would ask that you please consider sharing this GoFundMe campaign with a couple of your friends and/or family members. It would mean so much to me if you could help spread my story, and this plea for help, as far and as wide as possible. I know these are all just words written by some random stranger, but please know that I will be truly grateful for any assistance I may receive.

I admit that my ultimate goal is very ambitious, but I want to be honest about how bad things really are. While likely insurmountable, achieving this goal would basically set me up for life. It would allow me to live a modestly independent life, while still being able to maintain some semblance of dignity. To help understand how the funds would be allocated, I have compiled a distribution list beginning with the most critical repairs. My intention is to post regular updates accompanied by photos so that you'll be able to follow along with my progress.

Estimated repair costs for mobile home:

$1,600 - Replace hot water tank

$4,500 - Level mobile home and replace the skirting

$8,000 - Replace entire roof of mobile home

$3,400 - Make repairs to washroom and bring it up to Code:

- replace plumbing

- replace cracked and leaking tub and surround

- replace and relocate toilet

- replace water damaged flooring and wall

$3,900 - Seals in the dual-pane windows have deteriorated and most cases have rot:

- replace two kitchen windows

- replace hallway window

- replace three bedroom windows

$2,800 - Repair water damage to living room and hallway:

- remove all mold and mildew from ceiling and walls

- replace damaged materials (insulation, vapour barrier, subfloor, ceiling)

$3,200 - Replace all flooring; flooring throughout has been damaged due to years of neglect, abuse, and water leaks from roof, windows, and fridge

$4,500 - Rewrap exterior and replace deteriorating vinyl siding

$600 - Remove non-functioning through-wall air conditioning unit and cover opening

The two most critical initial repairs that the mobile home requires are replacement of the hot water tank, and its associated plumbing, and replacement of its skirting. However, before replacing the skirting, the mobile home would first need to be levelled as it is several inches out of level from end-to-end.

Having been built in 1967, the list of potential insurers is already pretty short because they all consider this mobile home to be of high risk due to its age. As it stands, I can't even insure it, nor its contents, because the hot water tank is too old and the skirting is rotting away in several spots. I just hope and pray that nothing happens before I'm able to place insurance on this mobile home. I even limit my trips for doctor appointments and grocery shopping so that I'm present here as much as possible to address any issues that may crop up.

In addition to the goals I've set for mobile home repairs, I've also included a dream goal meant to supplement my monthly disability income. I've based this goal on a life expectancy of 70 years and an inflation rate of 2% year over year. Although this is still well below the poverty line, it would greatly reduce the stress and anxiety of having to cobble together sufficient funds every month to pay for my pad rental, utilities, and some groceries. The ultimate dream goal for me looks like this:

- $102,500 - $350 per month for 20 years to augment monthly disability

I know all of this is basically just me reaching for the stars, but it would be a dream come true if this wish were to be granted. I would no longer have to worry about a leaky roof, plumbing issues, or a mobile home that is slowly sinking into the earth. Nor would I have to worry about whether or not I should buy groceries instead of paying the heating bill and risk having my pipes freeze because my natural gas service gets shut off.

One final note before I close. I realize the audio on my introduction video is very low. I thought about redoing it, but I want these video messages to be off the cuff, uncut, and unedited because I think it feels more natural that way. However, going forward I will make sure I set up everything properly before I begin recording.

Once again, you may find my story, "From Dreams to Despair - The Autobiography of a Broken Man" by following this link.