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Thanks for Donating to the Efund!

Bobbie Stice joined the HOWA team as the Emergency Fund Coordinator in December 2020 and has been doing an excellent job evaluating efund applications and recommending other options if the needs are outside the scope of HOWA’s efund program.

Since its inception in August 2019, the efund has distributed more than $26,000 and helped over 80 nomads! An anonymous donation launched the fund but all of you who continue to donate allows HOWA to keep helping nomads. We thank you!

Emergency fund recipients are vetted and donors can be assured that the fund is used to help nomads in emergency situations. Ninety percent of Emergency Fund contributions directly assist those in need within the mobile community. Ten percent goes toward operating expenses to run the Emergency Fund Program.

The following is an excerpt of a thank you letter from a recipient who was helped in a minor but important way:

“This past couple of years have been extremely hard for me…I was working two jobs and trying to keep the house payments up when covid hit and I lost both jobs. At that point I knew I had to come up with another plan…I considered just living in the car but I have 2 cats…I was able to sell enough furniture and other things to get the van…make it livable…I ended up in St. George…I was very cold… My job provided a way to have food and the things the cats needed but not much more since they only pay me 8.20 an hour and I only can work part time. I ended up hearing about the Homes On Wheels Alliance..The people who contacted me were very kind and helped me through the process. I was approved…so grateful to be able to get some ways to be warmer. Since I came from Florida I didn’t have a coat or gloves. I was able to go to a thrift store…I know my situation will keep improving…thank goodness for the videos and all they do to give me ideas…I will always be grateful for the help from HOWA to be able to keep myself and my cats warm this winter”

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We Care in Pahrump, NV

  A generous Community Grant of $3,000 from Walmart was distributed as $50 gifts to nomads in need through HOWA’s We Care Program. Volunteers gathered in Pahrump on April 1st to hand out the gifts. All coronavirus precautions were observed with a drive-through, masks, and plenty of hand sanitizer.  Big smiles could be seen all around in spite of the masks!

To contribute toward HOWA’s next We Care event during the 2021 fall/winter holidays, please go to http://HOWA.rallyup.com/HOWACares.

Thank you Walmart!

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2021 Online RTR & WRTR

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!

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We Care Gift Card Program

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

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Win a Step-Thru Electric Bike!

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.

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A Helping Hand

The Emergency Fund team reviews many requests and when it’s not possible to grant money for large repairs a compassion fund is often awarded to provide help in a smaller way. The following is a heartfelt letter of thanks from John.
“One of the big lessons I’ve learned from being nearly four years on the road is this: Even when things get lonely out there, we are never truly alone. In some mysterious way, we are all connected.

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”

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