Being part of a community is important even when we cannot meet in person. HOWA’s Caravan Connections with Zoom meetings on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, are a popular way to get to know fellow nomads. Everyone is welcome to join and participate! The Caravans use both Meetup and Zoom so participants must sign up for Zoom and Meetup.
A few thoughts from a recent Sunday Morning Women’s Coffee Connection:
Like so many other events during the coronavirus pandemic, the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous and the Women’s Rubber Tramp Rendezvous could not be held in person this year. But as nomads we are resourceful and the RTRs were switched over to a completely online format with live presentations by knowledgeable nomads covering topics such as camp etiquette, solar power, and boondocking. The presentations consist of a class followed by a question and answer period. All sessions are posted on the HOWA YouTube channel for viewing at a later date.
Thank you to the HOWA staff, HOWA volunteers, and the nomads who shared their expertise with the community. We appreciate all of the work and dedication that went into making the 2021 RTRs a success!
In early December HOWA received a wonderful donation – $15,000 to be distributed to nomads in need. The anonymous donor stipulated that each vehicle dwelling nomad who could drive to a distribution location would receive a $50 gift. Three locations in Arizona were chosen but due to the great need, the funds were gone after the first two events. The event in Pahrump, Arizona served about 20 nomads; the event in Quartzsite, Arizona, where many nomads spend the winter, served over 300. Additional donations brought the total money distributed to more than $16,000.
For the safety of both the volunteers and recipients, everyone was required to wear a mask. Recipients stayed in their vehicles and material handling was kept to a minimum. The process went very smoothly thanks to an outstanding group of volunteers who directed traffic, accessed the nomad’s need, and distributed gift envelopes. All types of homes on wheels arrived at the distribution location – several motorcycles and even a bicycle!
Walmart Supercenter is donating $3,000 for another We Care gift program that will take place in Pahrump in March 2021. HOWA will continue to accept donations to be added to the $3,000 from Walmart. Thank you to all who donate! http://HOWA.rallyup.com/HOWAcares
Update: Winners of the bikes are Kay Debrava and Stanley Thomas!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viNJDpx2iDk&ab_channel=CheapRVliving $7,611raised!
Thank you to Lectric eBikes for donating two of your New Step-Thru model Off-Road Electric Bicycles to support the work and mission of Homes On Wheels Alliance. These are fun ebikes to ride. And, they are also useful to those in the mobile community who want to save on fuel for running errands into town.
Sweepstakes ends on January 21, 2021. The drawing will be held on January 27, 2021 Click Here to enter.
Recently, on a trip to visit family, I encountered a series of mechanical problems in my “new” old van. The repair bills ate through my savings and left me in debt. Not since my heart surgery more than four years earlier had things seemed so bleak.
Fortunately, friends and family came through for me. I now include HOWA as part of friends and family. They found a way to help me out with a small “compassionate” grant.
See? We’re never alone. We’re all in this together, and HOWA is part of that. Looking forward to seeing you all back on the road.
John
Apprentice Wise Elder”
Due to precautions because of the coronavirus pandemic, the fall minivan build was scaled down to an un-build with a small crew of HOWA staff members and volunteers. Over a two-week period, four recipients of minivans participated in a mentoring program and also spent time arranging donated Amazon wishlist items into their new homes. Even though minivans are small each becomes a personalized space designed around different needs and decorating styles. Tents from HOWA’s Loaner Tent program served as temporary homes for the recipients until their minivans were ready.
The recipients of the minivans were:
Barbara had boondocked for several years in her van but was living in a tent when she applied for a minivan. She received a Honda Odyssey donated by Robin and built out by David and several friends. This minivan was purchased and finished in the eastern US and delivered to the build location by the donors. Besides being thrilled with her new home Barbara is excited about the welcoming community that she’s found with her fellow nomads.
April moved into her SUV in June 2020 when rental payments left her with little money for other expenses. During the hot summer days in Missouri, she visited a women’s shelter to take showers and enjoy the air conditioning, but she still preferred the privacy of her own space in the SUV at night. When April was approved for a minivan, she headed to Pahrump, Nevada with barely enough money for gas and some apprehension that the transmission in her SUV could survive the trip. She arrived safely and donated her SUV to HOWA through the CARS program which sells vehicles for charities and returns 70% of the selling price to the donor’s chosen charity. Thank you, April, for the first CARS donation for HOWA!
Cindy and her two cats, Bella and Kenze made a home in her Saturn after her roommate died following a long illness. The car was clearly too small for all three of them and the extra supplies needed for the cats so getting accepted to be a minivan recipient was a godsend. The extra room has allowed Cindy to organize her new home so that everything has a place and is easy to find.
Christy has been a nomad for two years and lived in her car in Utah for about a year previous to that. She volunteered with HOWA as a caravan host and organizer for the RTR and WRTR. When her 2007 Toyota Sienna needed expensive repairs she was encouraged to apply for a minivan. Since Christy is an experienced nomad many of the components in her Sienna such as the solar system could be transferred to her new minivan home which is also a Sienna.
Thank you all who donated to the minivan fund and the Amazon Wishlist plus a special thank you to the donors of Barbara’s minivan. Thanks to all the volunteers who helped at the un-build especially the mentors, Ditzy and Lesa, and the construction workers, Duane and Bob.
We believe that through an “alliance” consisting of financial and social resources we can assist those who wish to remain productive, contributing citizens while preserving their independence, self-sufficiency and dignity.
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