Marketplace story on American Public Media

Here is a link to the show we were a quick guest on concerning unemployment on American Public Media's show, Marketplace:

http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/10/02/mm-discouragedworkers/

Just click on listen to the show button.

Any electricians have time?

We have had 2 requests this week for electricians for 2 separate projects. Unlike normal, these are paying jobs and we would love to be able to help some folks out and put a couple of people to work.

If yo have the time and knowledge, we would love to hear from you! Please just email us at wevegottimetohelp@q.com to let us know that you can lend a hand.

Also, we just received a request from someone that needs help putting up a small fence (roughly 15ft) between their home and their neighbor. They have offered a small payment to anyone that can help out. Got time?

Thanks for all you do,
Seth and Michelle

Guideposts Article

A few months ago Guideposts Magazine contacted We've Got Time to Help as they wanted to do an article. Seth was interviewed and the article is in the October issue. The interview is now posted on their website. We are unable to get the link to work from our page so please check it out here http://www.guideposts.com/story/jobless-volunteers-tough-times

OPB's Think Out Loud - Tuesday Sept. 15th at 9am

After posting a few days ago about what has been going on with Michelle and I over the last few months, and my (Seth) struggles with alcoholism and depression, we have received such wonderful support and amazingly kind words from friends and strangers alike. Thank you to everyone who wrote us and we are still going strong.

The reason for this post is that we were contacted by Sarah Rothenflutch, from OPB's "Think Out Loud" (www.opb.org/thinkoutloud) radio program. She wanted to see how WGTTH was going and to see if we wanted to be on the program again, this time talking a lot more about long-term unemployment and the toll that it takes on people and households.

We agreed to be on and it will air at 9am this coming Tuesday. You can listen online or at 91.5 FM. We are encouraging everyone to listen. Not because we will be on the show, but because there are so many of us in the same boat and there is strength in numbers.

If you know someone who is un/under employed and they are battling with depression or substance abuse, or if they just aren't sure how to deal with their struggles, please have them listen so maybe they will understand that they are not alone. We are all in this together and we will be here to support anyone who is going through rough times.

Thank you again to everyone and we hope to see out out and about in the neighborhood.

As always, please feel free to write us with any questions or comments.

Take care,
Seth and Michelle

OPB and Community Involvement

We were contacted last week by Sarah Rothenfluch from Oregon Public Broadcasting's show, Think Out Loud. This is such a great opportunity for us to get the word out about what we do and how we can help people. The show will run from 9am-10am on Monday. Please, spread the word and let anyone in your community know that we are here to help them in any way we can. Sarah's approach to this story is fitting the pieces of our community into a larger social puzzle.

She will also be interviewing a prior customer of Modern Color (the small business that we helped close their doors) and how he had to reduce his advertising budget which directly affected Modern Color; how Desi Miller and crew turned Modern Color into Moso Graphics; how Michelle and I (Seth) turned unemployment into a positive experience and how a laid-off heavy equipment operator used F.I.D.O. (Friends Involved in Dog Outreach) to help him provide food for his animal allowing him to keep his pets instead of having to turn them over to a shelter. If you have time please listen to this informative community driven program.

Moving last Saturday

Well, our moving project went off really well on Saturday the 4th. We moved a wonderful woman from inner SE Portland out to Gresham. We had 5 volunteers for the move. Thank you so much to Igor, Mel, Trevor, Michelle and Seth.

So, even though we had 4 cars and 1 truck to pack up, we ended up making 2 trips. It went smoothly, though. This lovely woman was very thankful and we couldn't be happier to have helped!

Thank you again to everyone. You are changing people's lives and giving them renewed hope in humanity!

Here are a few photos of the move and we wish you all the best.

Here is Igor's vehicle, crammed to the hilt with boxes and bags.

Mel, helping load up the vehicles.

Trevor, Igor (in the background) and Seth getting the door for Trevor.

Another one of the cars getting stuffed with items.

Igor (left) and Seth (right) finishing up with the first load.

And because Michelle was doing all the picture taking, as well as helping move, and I wasn't thoughtful enough to snap some of her, I am posting a photo of her from December of last year. Yes, she is wearing antlers.

Moving Project on April 4th

Hi all, we just received a call from a woman who needs help moving. She has a 1-bedroom apartment with no appliances. A couch, dresser and bed are the largest items. She is unable to lift the heavy things and asked if we had people with trucks and any others are willing to help.

We are going to be at her apartment at 9am on Saturday the 4th. If we can get a few people on this one, it should be a nice quick move.

Who's Got Time to Move?

We've Got Time to fix a fence

Well, Michelle and Seth headed out to Troutdale this Saturday, looking forward to helping some neighbors in need. After arriving we saw quite a bit of damage and a large tree down. We spoke with the home owners and walked around the site. Luckily, a friend of theirs had taken down the part of the tree that was on the fence, so we didn't have to break out our chainsaw! Whew!

One lone volunteer, Randall, came out to help us in our endeavor! Thanks so much Randall! We couldn't have done it without you. Too big of a job for 2 people!

We walked around and formulated a plan and then just dug in (literally). We were a little apprehensive at first, but as we got going, it was a pretty straight forward job. We dug 8 new holes, all 2 feet deep and filled them with concrete. We then set the new posts and attached the support beams. It was a hard, dirty job, but after we finished, it was all worth it!

We didn't put up the actual fence slats. We are giving the concrete some time to set and besides, it was really, really, really (did I say really?) windy out there. If we had finished the fence with wet concrete, it would have come down again!


The first hole!


Part of the missing fence and you can see the huge downed tree on the right.


More of the missing fence. The missing part was basically a big "T". About 50 feet total needed to be repaired.


Seth, looking like he thinks it's a photo shoot! Get to work!

Some of the new fence posts set in concrete.

This is Randall. He was such a huge help! Thanks again, Randall!

The frame of the new fence. It took about 7 hours to get everything done.

It looked really good (if we do say so ourselves)!

We were absolutely beat after we were done. We could barely get back in the car afterwards. But you know what? We'd do it all again in a heartbeat!

Here's how you can be a part of this...

...just email us or call us (both our phone number and email address are on the right-hand side of this page and also at the bottom of the page). Let us know that you want to help. Let us know that you are ready to go out into our communities with other volunteers and start making a difference in the lives of those who need it. We will not accept payment from the people we help and we do not give money out. Most of us are unemployed and can't afford to give any of our money away. What we do give is time. Time and hard work. Time and dedication. Dedication to ourselves and our neighbors.

You can remain anonymous, or you can have your picture and name on our blog. You can help with every project or just one. You can choose to do physical labor or you could help with office/computer/phone work (we don't do fundraisers). You could volunteer to make food or drinks for project volunteers. We need everyone involved. No job is too small.

As for the projects themselves, again, no project is too small. We have helped people with simple things like fixing a leaky pipe under the kitchen sink or dropping off food to a needy family. We have some bigger projects, too. People who need major electrical and plumbing work done. Painting. Home repairs. Gutters installed. We will always do our best to help those who ask for it.
This is a horrible time economically for a lot of people. Too many people are being left behind while the economy worsens everyday. Jobs are being lost and lives are being harmed. We have all vowed to not let that happen anymore. Not on our watch. We will all do whatever we can, when we can, to make a positive and (hopefully) long lasting effect in people's lives.

Please join us. We (the volunteers) are having a get together this Wednesday the 11th of February and we would love to have as many volunteers come as possible. Most of the people coming are new to We've Got Time to Help and haven't been on a project yet. This will be a chance for most of us to share our ideas and experiences, to brainstorm about how we can best help those in need and to meet each other and see the excitement that we all share.

Not affiliated with any group other than Humanity.

Community Works!!!

Well, we are back from helping deliver furniture and household goods to a family in need. It was great! We had 3 volunteers show up, ready to help in any way they could! Thank you so much to Lynn, Hall and Trevor for all your help! A Big Thank You to all who donated items as well, including Margena, Aelinn, Lynn, Linda, Hall and Trevor!!

Just a few minutes ago, we received an email from the woman who called us for help. I could go on and on about what we did today and why we did it, but I think that I'll just let her letter speak for us all.

To see what started this all, just click on this link http://wevegottimetohelp.blogspot.com/2009/02/call-for-help.html and read the original posting.

Needless to say, this letter quickly brought us to tears. Here's the letter:

"Hi Seth, Michelle, et al.... I want to thank you ALL for the help, hard work, and loading/unloading/moving you did for my friend today!!!! It was amazing! I was overwhelmed with all the items donated including food, clothing, furniture, time, hard labor, vehicles, etc.

Thanks to you who wrestled with not one, but TWO sofa sleepers up a flight of stairs, into an extremely narrow entry and into place inside the apartment! Whew! Only Giving and Generous People could do that! Thanks for getting everything set up, cushions in place, table reassembled, chairs in place, baby clothes, tiny little shoes, and even the food brought in!!!!!! You all were fantastic!

Networking works! Community works! Love for your fellow "man" works! I saw it in action today!

My friend's doctor told her to go home and rest, no delivery today. She has another appointment at the hospital to deliver on Tuesday! The original due date was for Valentine's Day. But the kid wants "out" early I guess.

She got home around noon. She thought she was in the wrong apartment! For the first time since I've known her, she was speechless....and that's no small feat!

Like me, she could not stop saying thank you. The girls pulled her by the arm into their room and said, "Look! Our room is not empty anymore!" She called her mother and told her what happened and her mother told her to call me "MOM". She stated that her daughter has a mom in America now....Mom #2!

Again, thank you all for making this happen for her and her small, but growing family. The girls were delighted! The teenage boy was delighted! She and her SO were delighted! And all of you made it happen for them.

THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!!!! YOU ARE AWESOME!

Count me in as a member of your "giving" community. I wanna be like you when I grow up!

Love to you all!
Lynn"


Here's a couple of photos from today. Please join us!!

Michelle, Seth, Trevor and Hall. Thanks, too, to Lynn for taking the photo!

Trunks, hatches and beds were packed full of items!!

Trevor was able to fit 3 couches in his truck alone! Thanks Trevor!!

Tomorrow morning

Well, tomorrow morning (Saturday the 7th) is when we are making a delivery of household items to the family in need. We are very excited. If you plan to join us or you have other items to donate to this family, please let us know. We will be leaving our house (email for address) at about 8:30 am. If you can make it, we would love to have you!

As far as we know, the family is unaware of our efforts.

We have a sofa/love seat, dining table (no chairs, though), a coffee table, a stroller, food and some clothing for the family. All of these items were donated by people who just want to help. You guys and gals are great!

A BIG thank you to all that have donated time and items to this wonderful cause! Please join us.

On the radio this Friday!

Earlier this week, we were contacted by the KBOO radio station (FM 90.7) and asked if we could be interviewed on their Friday Night radio show. Of course, we shouted a resounding “Yes!” What an opportunity to get the word out about We’ve Got Time to Help. The show will start at 6pm on Friday the 6th and will be an interview/call-in lasting an hour.

If you are available, please tune into the show. Or even better, call into the show and ask any questions that you might have. Hopefully, this will garner us new opportunities to get the word out. Thank you to KBOO and to Bridget Sullivan (the Event Producer) for this chance to speak to so many people!

You can find links to the show at http://kboo.fm/node/11938 and at http://kboobreadandroses.blogspot.com/

Please take a few minutes to listen to the show and PLEASE tell us what you think! We would love to hear from you! You can also listen to it here: http://kboo.fm/node/12082

Also, please see the post below for an opportunity to help a family this Saturday! Thank you for your time.

Seth and Michelle

Call for Help!

Update: A big thank you to all who have emailed us with your support! We are delivering some furniture and other items to this family on Saturday morning. Anyone that would like to come along, has any household items or if anyone has another truck, please email us and let us know. We will be leaving our home at about 8:30am. Thanks again!!


We've had our first Call for Help. It's a woman in her 20's and she's got custody of her 3 siblings (2 sisters and 1 brother). She is pregnant and just got laid off. She is in need of anything to do with a home. Household items, furniture, food or clothing. Is there anyone out there that can help? We are not asking for money or for anyone to go out and purchase any items, just asking if you have some extra items around your home that you don't use or need.

If you can help, just let us know. Email us at wevegottimetohelp@q.com

We are a making a delivery on Sat. the 7th of Feb. A friend (of the woman) purchased a couch and love seat for her, and made the request for a truck to deliver the items. But, we would like to do more for her. We are looking for any other items that might be of use. Her baby is due next month and anything that you could contribute would be awesome!

Please email us at wevegottimetohelp@q.com or call us at 503-953-6018.

We've Got Time

Hello to everyone! My name is Seth and my (long time) girlfriend is Michelle. We are a couple in our mid-30s and we live in NE Portland (Gateway Area). So, if you read the sidebar, you kind of get an idea of what we're about. We are not trying to organize the world. We are just trying to help others with nothing expected in return. This alone will give us an overall feeling that we did something that matters. Just getting out of our homes, away from the job searching for as little as an hour or two a week improves our outlook.

The thing that will join us together is desire to help. Nothing is too big or too small.

Why does it take a disaster to draw people out to help? Do we need a snow storm? Do we need a Hurricane Katrina? Why are we not able to do this on a daily or weekly basis? Every possible career path has been affected by the current economic times. There is no profession that has been unscathed. We are doctors, plumbers, electricians, cooks, homemakers, woodworkers, roofers, dentists, students and every other profession that you could fathom.

Let’s get this started. No matter how small it may appear it makes a difference in another person’s life. You do not have to join us in any of our projects or ideas. Thank you for visiting this blog. If you don’t want to join us in our endeavor to make our communities back into Communities this is fine. Maybe you would like to spend your time helping out your neighbor or volunteer at your child’s school. Every thing you do, every little step you take helping others can bring great personal rewards.

You may think you have no skills that would be useful. Bah humbug!! It could be helping the retired neighbor take in their groceries from their car. It could be someone to organize and maintain a phone list of others that are willing to help. Maybe you have a chainsaw in the garage that you can’t personally use but if a tree falls on someone else’s home you can lend it to another who can help cut the tree up. Everything large and small makes a difference. Maybe you speak more than one language and can translate for another who wants to help.

You could be an unemployed roofer or a person who has had their roof replaced in the past and has an extra bundle or two of shingles lying around the house. Put those two together and you just helped someone who had a roof that was leaking. This is a grass roots cause. There will be no monetary payment. Knowing you can and are helping others in your low time will show you that you are worthwhile and do have something to give this world and to your community.

We are just as new to this as some of the people visiting this site. We have done some volunteer work in the past but it was very minimal. We’ve Got Time to Help now, so we are going to give it our best.

Anyone and everyone has something to offer. Race, color, religion, sexual orientation, politics etc. etc. None of that matters here. People helping people is all that matters.

Thanks for stopping by. We are going to host a get together/meet and greet at our home on Wednesday, February 11th, 2009 from 11 am-3pm. All potential volunteers are welcome to stop by, introduce themselves and let us know about any special skills or equipment that you have that we can use to make our community better. You don't need to bring anything (except a positive attitude!) and we will be making lunch for everyone. This will be very informal and will just give us a chance to plan our first "outing".

Please let us know that you stopped by or send us an email at wevegottimetohelp@q.com and let us know if you can make it to the gathering (it would be great to know in advance so we know how much food to make). Thanks again and we hope to see a lot of you on the 11th!