We all have that one friend that is simply poor. In my case my poor friend is exceptionally good at snowboarding. Right after my friend's dad lost his job we started somewhat of a charity for him called the I Ride 4 Nuk charity. Nuk stands for Nick, who is my under privileged friend. I'm calling out for some help by buying stickers and merchandise I created from here:
I hate to advertise on this site, but I'd rather be snowboarding with my friend this season than leaving him at home. Even a $5 sticker will go a long way to buy Nick a lift ticket.
Not to be an asshole.. but when I was 17 I was working 30-35 hours a week on top of school & sports so I could do shit (like snowboard) because my parents couldn't/wouldn't pay for anything. Kudos to you for being a good friend, but I'm just not seein' the underprivileged part from what you've told me so far. I want to support the kid, but you've got to sell me the story better than that.
Well he does work (not 30-35 hours) but most of it goes into clothes, snowboard gear which could easily clean away a kid on minimum wages monthly paycheck, and then the scraps of his earnings are left for tickets. I'm not really trying to sell this charity, I just put it up if anyone wanted to feel free to buy some of the stickers and such.
17? He's basically a man now. 14, I would have been all over that. I had two jobs and bought a car when I was 15. Rode my bike to work while practicing my bmx freestyle tricks and washed my car every week counting down the days till I turned 16. When I was 18 I got certified in all stick and mig welding levels and had a full time job working for Bankhead Welding. If you really wanna help your friend I think you should motivate him to get out be productive. Unless there is a side of this story I'm missing.
So how does his dad not having a job effect him? Is he the bread winner?
When I was 17 I worked a job for $5.50 an hour at the resort. Thus I got a pass, but I still managed to pay for gas to and from the mountain as I didn't have a car, bought my gear as I needed it, and went to school. Oh and I chipped in around my house as my parents weren't exactly making bank.
Explain to us how spending money on gear/clothing means we should fund his lift tickets? Simple solution don't buy the freshest shit.
You kind of are, and you kind of have to. I don't really see anyone just throwing money away just because. Frankly, if anyone is going to donate, we want to be sure that it's a good cause, and that the person really needs it.
First, went to the link and there is no mention of your friend or his situation...thus sketchy is my impression.
Second, if your friend is passionate abt riding...why isn't he figuring out a way to make it happen. Passion and necessity are great motivators. As example, my daughter since she was 15 has bought all her own ski gear and has bought her own passes since 6th grade. Her senior year, she worked 2 part-time jobs, did not have a dr license nor a car, lived 60 miles from the hill, and still managed to ski 100 days and get herself equipped with bc gear.
Third, I tend to agree with others...I was kid and worked my ass off to do things; at 17 I chose to move out of the house and pay my own bills...and I still work my ass off to pay bills and go riding.
Fourth, I can think of a few self initiated and self-employment jobs (that are legal) that are reasonable money...certainly more than flippin burgers.
Sorry to sound like an asshole, but there are too many people out there struggling with real issues like hunger and paying for medical bills for me to donate my money so that an assumingly able 17 year old can snowboard. If the kid was dying or something and his dream was to take a big snowboarding trip, damn straight I'd donate to the cause.
You guys are a bunch of haters. This kid really likes to ride, and we as a community should be encouraging that. I'm willing to help out.
I just bought a helmet cam and a new board and binding setup after budgeting money for things that I think are important. I promise to make some videos and post them here so Nuk can enjoy riding vicariously through my generosity.
Nick has severe adhd and a variety of other problems. He struggles in school and life among other things. Snowboarding is the one thing that he can effectively do and I'm just trying to help him go snowboarding.
This screams of a spoiled winy kid who has been cut off from Daddy's cash flow and is having withdraws. He should skip this season and consider himself stupid fucking lucky to have boarded the amount he has.
It's fall and you are in the north east. Guess whats happening now. All the fucking leaves are falling and they need to be cleaned up by someone. 7.25/hr at 20 hours a week for 8 weeks should be close to $900. If he can't ride for a season on that then he shouldn't ride.
Is $7.25 the national minimum wage now? OK lets look at something by and large only in the last 2 years has gear prices actually really noticeably risen. Even then you can buy last years gear severely discounted. When I was his age minimum wage was $5.15. I worked at the resort so I had a pass, made $5.50 an hour still managed to get new gear as needed, paid gas to my parents for rides to and from work/the shred, paid friends to pick me up, or hitch hiked to the mountain in gear (let me tell you hitch hiking in WNY in snowboard gear in hick country does not get you picked up), and I still managed to ride 100 days a year.
Your generation sucks plain and simple. It has a sense of entitlement that it believes because someone is good, nice, or my personal favorite "special" that they deserve something. You and him should get off your lazy fucking asses and start saving money to do this plain and simple, instead of being the equivalent of a professional pan handler online.
If your case had been presented as really shitty I would have sent his ass a full set of gear head to toe or since you're in the NE called some of my friends in marketing at resorts and said "hey what can you do for me to get this kid a pass" but instead you fucking blew it like that hooker that sucked on my dick last night.
The only course of action for this thread now is Yoga Pants!
You reason for posting is admirable. Sounds like hard times for the family. I've been there. Instead of looking for donations maybe looking for solutions? tdn's offer is a legitimate way to proceed. If he can snowboard he can certainly do labor to earn that right. It is what most of us do in some form here. Myself included.
The kid needs a job. Anyone else got some ideas or employment for a 17yr old in his area?
Drop the standing on a corner giving handies for $5 a pop. I think he honestly wants to help a friend who is not as fortunate. This sport is stupid expensive. His first idea didn't work so well. At least it wasn't rotating bindings or dual snowboards. The right track has been said. What else can we offer?
If the kid wants to ride then he should get a job at their local resort if it is within a reasonable driving range. Can't run a lift, but could work in the cafeteria or rental shop. Fuck even be a ticket seller, just to get that free season pass. Our hill even has free rentals for employees.
Nick has severe adhd and a variety of other problems. He struggles in school and life among other things. Snowboarding is the one thing that he can effectively do and I'm just trying to help him go snowboarding.
ADHD is not going to fly. Plenty of people have that disorder and manage to make ends meet. If you want it bad enough, you'll figure it out.
Not trying to be a jerk here. This is more of a case of "empowerment".
What can be done to make it possible for him to ride? Maybe the suggestions so far don't work. I don't know for sure. To get the results you are looking for, the person you are trying to help is probably going to have to be an active participant in solving the situation. I think you can get some great ideas and help here. I just think your initial tactic was not the right way to go about it.
Everybody has their issues they have to deal with. It is how you take it on that makes the difference.
It's the beginning of October... east coast riding won't be happening for another 2 months. What is he doing until then? What has he been doing all summer?
You say all his money goes to clothes and gear. Forgive the lack of empathy, but not many people are going to want to help buy the kid lift tickets when he's got a couple hundred into a board setup and 2 or 3 sets of outerwear. Time to prioritize. 17 is close enough to being an adult where it's time to start thinking and acting like one.
Not having money in the past has never stopped me. No matter what, I always made sure I went snowboarding, everything else took a backseat and I trusted it to all fall into place.
Your friends is buying clothes and snowboard gear first and relying on complete strangers to fork over money for his season pass!! :dizzy: :WTF: I think even his 17 year old brain should realize the ridiculousness of that request.
Not only am I not giving money, I hope no one else gives him money or buys the stupid stickers. Let him look at all his new gear sitting in his room all winter while everyone else is riding. Maybe he'll learn to make better decisions in the future.
Sorry to hear about your friend and you have good intentions but your approach is all wrong. Honorable idea, poor execution.
If you would have told me that he's wearing the same pants and jacket because he cannot afford new ones for the past few years then perhaps I would have.
If you would have told me that this gear were all hand me downs from other friends or complete strangers, then I would have helped.
If the site said a little something about your friend and how underprivileged he was, then I might help.
I live in NYC and I see fake beggers and pan handlers all the time on the trains. You have to do better than that to get my money.
This screams of a spoiled winy kid who has been cut off from Daddy's cash flow and is having withdraws. He should skip this season and consider himself stupid fucking lucky to have boarded the amount he has.
It's fall and you are in the north east. Guess whats happening now. All the fucking leaves are falling and they need to be cleaned up by someone. 7.25/hr at 20 hours a week for 8 weeks should be close to $900. If he can't ride for a season on that then he shouldn't ride.
Clean folks rain gutters...its fricking fall, leaves need to be cleaned out of the gutter...ladder, bucket, hose and small trowel, hand-rake gloves. Fricking don't even need a car...walk around the hood and schedule it.
Many folks are afraid of heights, are lazy or old and just don't want to climb a ladder and would gladly pay cash $20-50 on the DL. Ok $25/house at 2 hours max (probably easily done in 1 hour) per house....way better than minum wage; 2 houses per day...boom $50 x 5 days...$250/wk x 4 wks...$1000. And the genius of this is that the owner probably won't go up and inspect....it doesn't have to be pristine...just work...boom frickin boom...
Now say the kid and friend have a beater car/truck....2 kids could fucking clean up if they just humped and did 4-5 houses a day for a few weeks. And if thy also had a gas leaf blower or pressure washer...might even do better.
Often times regular folks can't afford or don't want to deal with a contractor and pay their overhead; but would gladly pay cash to a kid that had some initative. Shit back in the day...9-10 year old, I frickin mowed yards for a $1 yard...truth.
Anyway there is always work...its just a matter if you want to do it.
Reading this thread reminds me of an acquaintance I had in high school. The kid could absolutely SHRED and was well known on and off the mountain as an amazing snowboarder at 14 years old. He had that complete lack of self preservation required to huck anything. His parents had a place on mountain, but ended up selling it when they wanted to build a new house.
This kid was always getting handouts all over the place from people who thought he was fun to be around and wanted to support his riding. He rarely asked for them, but people would offer nonetheless since his recreational activities had no monetary backing. I would let him stay at my parent's place at the hill, mainly because I felt bad for the guy, much like everyone else.
The problem ended up being that he just got used to the hookups or would take advantage of them (used to steal pills from my parent's medicine cabinet) and never went out of his way to really work for what he loved. I offered to let him pay rent at my condo... no go. He attempted to move to Breckenridge, but came home 3 months later 'cause he couldn't handle the amount of work needed to ride and pay rent.
Years went by and people moved away, and now no one knows this guy is/was an actual shred machine. Now, 12 years later, he is just another sketchy, bearded, gas station attendant who lives in his baby mama's parent's basement.
So in short... in every way, shape and form... this is one of those "give a guy a fish or teach a guy to fish" situations.
Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press On' has solved and always will solve the problems. - Calvin Coolidge
One of the guys who worked with me for the past year dropped out of school in grade 9 to sell drugs. He's in his mid-20's and has PTSD from his upbringing, a bunch of other issues... he could do the labourers jobs just fine. I'm a roofer and although I only work big projects like high rises and big commercial buildings... some of the best money is in side jobs. You can really clean up in no time. Gutters are an easy menial job, but definitely be careful. Lots of people get seriously hurt and some even die when they don't know what they're doing. I could tell some stories...
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