Power for Lurko and Geo

Everyone’s favorite couple has their birthdays coming up and they could use our help. Geo and Lurko’s tropical happily ever after has run into trouble in paradise. Due to a solar contractor that was, at best, incompetent and, at worst, unscrupulous, Geo and Lurko are currently unable to meet their power needs, including AC, just as Higuera Blanca heads into its hottest time of the year. Daily temperatures and humidity are both in the 90s, giving a heat index of over 100!

As most of you know, their property is located far enough away from existing power lines that hooking up to the main grid is simply not an option. Lurko and Geo need a completely new solar system, one that actually does what it is supposed to do, and, ideally, a backup generator as well. This need comes at the worst possible time for the couple. Geo’s employer has extended her summertime furlough nearly a month longer than expected. Although they are looking into ways to expedite the process, they have not lived in Mexico long enough for Lurko to qualify for a work permit.

They are asking for your help in raising $8,000 to ensure they will have the necessary electrical power this summer to protect their physical health and ensure their mental and emotional wellness. That’s not a small number, but these are not small people – Geo and Lurko, as individuals and as a couple, have always played an outsized role in our community and in touching our lives. Now is your chance to give a little of that love back.

Between them, Lurko and Geo have 3,900 FaceBook friends (admittedly, with a lot of overlap).

-- If each of those friends gave just $5 dollars, the proverbial “for the price of a cup off coffee,” that’s $19,500 right there.

-- If you’re friends with both of them, think about contributing $10.

-- While some of you are facing your own challenges right now, for many of you, if you can do $5, how much harder is it to do $20? Admit it, you’ve drunk way more than $20 worth of grog from Lurko at Flipside over the years.

-- And, if you have the means, if you’re one of those people who can’t imagine your Burn experience or your Austin experience without Geo or Lurko without doing an “It’s a Wonderful Life” thought experiment, look into your wallet and see if you can’t find $100 for this one time, this one month.

The power supply is Lurko and Geo’s immediate, and critical, need. But there are other things which would quickly and noticeably improve their quality of life in Higuera Blanca. If they manage to raise funds above and beyond what it takes to meet their power needs, additional money may go to important projects such as fixing their car, building an actual outdoor kitchen, plumbing repairs, replacing their doors (as per Lurko, “they’re really more gates than doors,”), fencing their property so Geo’s dogs can actually enjoy their new home, and meeting basic necessities and cost of living until their financial situation normalizes.

Those same power needs mean that Geo and Lurko’s internet access is very spotty, that’s the reason they’ve entrusted the running of this campaign to friends here in the US. But they also thought it was important to share with you their own words.

Statement from Geo: "Hi y'all. As a lot of you know, it is really difficult for me to ask for help. I have held the "pull yourself up by the bootstraps" mentality most of my life. However, that doesn't tell you what to do when the bootstraps break. We almost had a savings to fall back on, but losing the summer job plus an unexpected medical situation wiped that out. We are grateful for whatever you can spare and we will pay it forward whenever we get back on our feet. Love y'all and thank you."

Statement from Lurko: "Things here have been a lot of one step forward and then a few steps back. Like Geo I am not big on asking for help of this nature but ya we are both at the point where humbly asking for help is where we are. We are going to make this work but right now we just need some help to get us to a point where things are stable enough for us to move forward."

Don’t wait, open GoFundMe right now, and make your $5 contribution. It’s literally the lowest amount GoFundMe allows. But, if you can, think about a contribution of $20, $100, or even more. Over the years, we’ve all depended on Lurko and Geo for many things. Now they’re depending on us.