ChipIn for Donations For Betheny

[zillazangel]

Click here to donate for Betheny (eta: you can also click to see the updated total amount donated at any given time). If you missed her thread, her son Jake tragically passed away last night. If you recall, her husband also recently passed away. I am collecting money initially for flowers to send to the funeral on behalf of CareCure (ETA: we're not sending flowers as per her request), but anything leftover I will send to her as a check for any needs that she has, as I'm sure she will have many with (another) funeral to pay for. :*(

You can pay securely by credit card, bank account or paypal, and ChipIn handles the transactions, not me, so you can be assured its all legit.

Thank you for any donations.

Ami

[LindaT]

Thanks Ami.

[Curt Leatherbee]

I just sent in $50.00 good idea Ami, it's real good of you to do this.

[skippy13]

I sent some too. I cannot get this thing through my head. I am just spinning.

[woman from Europe]

Thanks Ami. I can't sleep, I will send over some money.

[JimD]

Great idea! Thanks for setting it up - it's nice to feel that there's some way to help.

[cheesecake]

Ami: Is there a way to track total donated openly and then what is spent on flowers vs sent to Betheny? You don't need to indicate what each person donated but simply how much came in.

There were major abuses with this for another member who no longer posts and he burned several very generous folks. I want to help protect you from a similar situation.

[woman from Europe]

I am sure if the Chipin liked my Norwegian card but I hope so

[zillazangel]

Cheesecake - yes, absolutely. I would be perfectly willing to give you (or another person I know and trust) the login to the chipin site to have a second verification if that would help, but I assure everyone that I am 100% trustworthy. However, with that being said, I totally understand people wanting transparency and a second set of eyes even.

I will post how much we get (it shows on the website directly - for reference we have $380 already!!!), and then I will let everyone know how much I spend on flowers (I will call a florist in the area tomorrow (I'm thinking $150, but I'll see how much a funeral spray costs, I really don't know), and then I'll send the rest (after a week or so) as a check to her - I can photocopy the check and cancelled check for you (Cheesecake or someone else) to secondarily verify if that would put minds at ease.

And WFE, yes, your card was accepted. Thank you to everyone so far, you are all very generous and I am SURE that Betheny will appreciate the flowers and the funds to help with funeral expenses.

[JenJen]

Ami: Is there a way to track total donated openly and then what is spent on flowers vs sent to Betheny? You don't need to indicate what each person donated but simply how much came in.

There were major abuses with this for another member who no longer posts and he burned several very generous folks. I want to help protect you from a similar situation.

Very generous to take this on Ami. But yes, with CC's history, Cheese is right, it would be wise to protect yourself with a second set of eyes. Looks like you guys have this worked out already.

I wonder if setting up a bank account in Betheny's name at a local bank might be the best way to go. Then she could use the funds as best serves her needs. A huge flower arrangement, while wonder in sentiment and effort, might be better expressed as cash to pay for the headstone or such. IDK.

[addiesue]

When her husband died she asked for donation sent to U2FP instead of flowers. I remember because I did this. I definitely think she will need the cash though.

[cheesecake]

Cheesecake - yes, absolutely. I would be perfectly willing to give you (or another person I know and trust) the login to the chipin site to have a second verification if that would help, but I assure everyone that I am 100% trustworthy. However, with that being said, I totally understand people wanting transparency and a second set of eyes even.

I will post how much we get (it shows on the website directly - for reference we have $380 already!!!), and then I will let everyone know how much I spend on flowers (I will call a florist in the area tomorrow (I'm thinking $150, but I'll see how much a funeral spray costs, I really don't know), and then I'll send the rest (after a week or so) as a check to her - I can photocopy the check and cancelled check for you (Cheesecake or someone else) to secondarily verify if that would put minds at ease.

And WFE, yes, your card was accepted. Thank you to everyone so far, you are all very generous and I am SURE that Betheny will appreciate the flowers and the funds to help with funeral expenses.

Just another thought--could a fund be set up in a local bank for Betheny? Everyone of her family members have been cremated per her posts. If an account at a bank was set up, funds could go straight to the bank, no fees would be taken like via pay pal and Betheny could elect to do what she needs or wants to do. She might want a memorial fund for Jake--SCI research, any number of things.

If Novi can connect with who is going to see Betheny tomorrow, I think this might be a good option. Then Ami, you could take the current money and transfer to the bank fund.

I would be a secondary verification by my husband had a heart attack last week and today was pretty much my first day back here. I am on overload. Perhaps Obie who had worked in a bank or RDF could assist. Both of these folks are well respected and trusted.

Sorry, didn't mean to hijack this thread. Just want to protect everyone.

[cheesecake]

Very generous to take this on Ami. But yes, with CC's history, Cheese is right, it would be wise to protect yourself with a second set of eyes. Looks like you guys have this worked out already.

I wonder if setting up a bank account in Betheny's name at a local bank might be the best way to go. Then she could use the funds as best serves her needs. A huge flower arrangement, while wonder in sentiment and effort, might be better expressed as cash to pay for the headstone or such. IDK.

Wow JenJen and Addiesue, I guess we are on the same wavelength.
Is there anyone who can set up an account with Betheny as payee? She could always take funds and donate to W2W herself. Jake was such a good advocate.

[zillazangel]

I'd like to do this quickly (ETA: and over a weekend), and its easiest to do via paypal here on chipin (ETA: and you can also use a credit card on chipin, which you can't at a bank), so as long as you (whoever donates) trusts me, go ahead and use chipin, then send her a check that she can cash immediately. I will get someone from here to verify the donations on chipin, and to verify that I sent the check and the cancelled check. Then she can do whatever she likes with the money, whether its donate to U2P2, use for funeral / cremation costs, or set up a memorial fund, or anything else. I have sent a note to someone here to ask if she would be my verification. Also, I've been a member here since 2004, I've met dozens of people from here in person, and I've met Betheny in person as well.

Thank you all, again, for your generosity ... and your trust. To everyone who donates, I am sending back a personal email to thank you, so you'll have my real name, just as another layer of trust.

[LindaT]

I trust you 100% Ami. Never hurts to have a secondary just in case someone questions something later.