How can you help?

1. Vote

Go to the Pepsi Grant Website and click on "VOTE FOR THIS IDEA"

It will prompt you for email and password or for registering. All they want is verification that you are of age and to identify you so that you can only vote once a day. I have not received one iota of SPAM from them.

Once you sign in and/or register, you have to hit "VOTE FOR THIS IDEA" again.

You know you will have voted when the button turns into a catchy response (they vary but they are obvious).

2. Comment

It looks like Pepsi is also considering the comments, so leave a short comment as well. It can be like 3 words: "Modest Needs Rocks!" or whatever you feel like saying.

If you read this blog, you know that modest needs has been instrumental for me being more mobile and healthier this year. This grant will not only make it possible for them to help hundreds of people from the oil spill region but it will also get them specific promotional support that will spread the word about this worthy effort.

This is about people helping people the way neighbors used to help each other. This is about people who fall through the cracks because their problems aren't popular or big enough to gather attention.

Please vote daily. They need to move from #4 to #2 in order to get the grant.

Thanks for your consideration.

Good news is that our camera is working again (turned out to be bad batteries). So here's some pix from when we pick up the scooter I got from Scooterville through the generosity of donors on Modest Needs.




We bought the scooter from Brad at Scooterville and picked it up at the Broadacres Swap Meet on Saturday, December 5. He's out there every weekend in Space 1304. Since then he's been totally supportive and we highly recommend him, his scooter team and his scooters to anyone who is looking for a great deal with wonderful service.



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I had to learn how to assemble and disassemble the scooter to get it in and out of the van.










Good news is that once I'm done, I got some place to sit and rest.

I was extremely excited to receive help from Modest Needs to become more mobile.

Now I'm happy to be part of letting Las Vegans and Nevadans know about this wonderful micro-charity!

If you are local, watch today (January 1st) at 4p on Channel 8, KLAS-TV. They are doing a story about Modest Needs, featuring me and my new scooter.

I highly encourage you to become a donor at Modest Needs if you can. And if you need a little bit of help to make this a great year, don't be afraid to ask.

Neighbors helping neighbors is a great way to make this a better world for us all.

So I doubt many people will realize this because I haven't really publicized this blog much yet, but I spent the past two days setting up a new look and new links. I hope you like it. More importantly, I hope you learn something useful to make your life richer, or at least, easier.

There is definitely more to come.

This week has been a whirlwind of activity:

On Tuesday, I was interviewed by Channel 8 reporter regarding my new scooter and modest needs. I think it will be aired tomorrow. I hope to have a link and video up after it goes on.

Today, I officially transferred my license to Internet Realty, Inc. So I'm active again and able to work with clients. (I decided to not join GLVAR or the MLS at this time, so I had to hang my license with a non-MLS broker).

I've been upgrading my web presence in an effort to be ready for new clients. I plan to do some marketing next week and see where the universe takes us.

The journey continues.

I picked up my new scooter today. Wow. I can't believe that I got it. The camera broke or I'd show you the pix we took when I picked it up from Scooterville.

Here's the history of how I got it:

Last year (2008), my friend Kell told me about this website called Modest Needs that gave small grants to people who needed a helping hand to keep them from falling into poverty. At the time, our Sonata had broke down and need an engine rehaul. Unfortunately, the repair had to be done by a business (not a shadetree mechanic) and I couldn't find a quote for less than $2200. The most I could expect from Modest Needs was $1,000 and they would not let it be a down payment. So I wasn't able to get the grant.

But I remember Kell telling me that one of the ways they helped people was the acquisition of assistive devices like scooters and wheelchairs. So as I started having more and more mobility problems this year, I started thinking I would like a scooter and maybe Modest Needs could help.

The straw the broke the proverbial was when I got my RE license in August. I've tried showing places a couple of times to clients and just exhausted when I got finished. I knew that there was no way to work the two careers without some help.

I found a refurbished chair in early November from Scooterville and sent in the paperwork and waited.

The way Modest Needs works now (it changed a little from last year) is they review your documentation and once approved post your request for donors to review and give small amounts of money towards. If the total of donations reach what you need before 60 days are up, you get a check made out to the business or service that you need paid.

Many of the people on there are looking for more mundane things that a scooter, such as help with rent payments or utility payments.

I am grateful that my request funded in about 27 days.

I plan to pay it forward with my real estate commissions -- 2% of what I make in 2010 will be donated to Modest Needs.