Homeless person phone card – 8/20/14

A local Summerville homeless person was approached by and ARC Owner and asked if he needed any assistance.  He indicated he was OK with food, etc. but says his phone had run out of minutes and it was his only means of staying in touch with the outside world.  He said he would greatly appreciate any assistance with getting his phone recharged.  ARC Charge for a Dollar purchased for him a prepaid phone card to recharge his phone.

Amount: $50

Sisters living together - 7/20/14

A teenager and her older sister live together. Both girls have been abused by family members so there is no family support what-so-ever. Older sister has many medical problems and was on disability but her disability has expired (she is in the process of disputing this). They live with a roommate who also has medical issues, but is employed. Teenager has been working 40 hours a week and going to school. Teenager’s and Room-mate’s income is not enough to cover all the medical bills and living expenses. Change for a Dollar was able to give them $100 in grocery gift cards and $100 in gas gift cards (Older sister’s doctor is in Mt. Pleasant and they didn’t have enough gas to get there and back).  Also, due to the loss of income, they got behind on their electricity bill. Change for a Dollar paid $250 towards their electricity bill.

 

Amount: $200 in gift cards & $250 towards Electric Bill

Woman needs to see Oncologist - 7/10/14

Cathy, a single woman who is a cancer survivor and is currently applying for disability.  During a routine doctor visit a specific complaint of pain was being treated by the doctor at the local free medical clinic.  In a chance follow up call from the MUSC program that treated her for cancer two years ago she shared her recent complaint.  They arranged for some tests and as a result she needs to have another visit with an Oncologist to review the test results.  There is a fear that the cancer has returned.  She currently has no income and up until now has had help from family members.  A friend has offered to drive her to MUSC but needs gas for the trips.  Change for a Dollar provided her with a gas gift card to cover the cost of being driven to her appointments.

 
Amount $50.00

Working single Mom fell behind in bills - 7/11/14

Jane, a working single mom with a young child recently got out of an abusive relationship.  Her ex-husband has not been providing any support for his child.  Jane has been working for temp agency and is currently with a local bank and is hopeful that soon she will be taken on as a full time bank employee.  Last month she had an auto accident and missed several days of work,  She also had an unexpectedly high electric bill.  Her rent and all the other bills are current but she does not have enough income this month to make all her payments.  She has applied for and been approved for food stamps but the EBT card is not due until mid-month.  Change for a Dollar inquired about this month's electric bill (~$100).  Change for a Dollar paid this month's electric bill and provided her with a $50 gift card to Bi Lo for groceries to tide her over until she gets the EBT card.

Amount $150.00

Cancer survivor needs PET Scan – 6/22/14

Cindy a single mom with two teenage children is a cancer survivor.  Cindy had to undergo treatment two years ago for cervical cancer and was cared for through a program offered at MUSC.   The surgery and treatment was covered by Medicaid at that time and was successful.  Earlier this year she had begun complaining of pain in her right hip and lower back and was being treated for that by a family medicine physician.  The MUSC program doctor recently made a follow up contact with Cindy to check on her health.  She shared with him the issue of the hip and back pain and he asked her to come in for a visit.  Based upon the consult with the MUSC doctor he wanted her to get a PET Scan at MUSC.  Unfortunately, she is no longer covered under Medicaid and needs to pay cash for the PET scan.  MUSC required a $100 deposit for the procedure and Cindy would be billed for the remainder at a later date.  Change for a Dollar coordinated with MUSC to pay the deposit so she could get the scan enabling her doctor to better diagnose her problem.

Amount $100.00

Two Free Clinic patients need medications – 6/13/14

Two patients from the Medical Outreach Clinic in Summerville, a free clinic that serves the uninsured who have limited resources, were in need of prescription medications following their doctor visit.  Raymond and Angela were not able to afford the medications prescribed.  Guerin’s pharmacy in Summerville partners with the Medical Outreach Clinic of Summerville in providing medications to patients from the clinic.  Ashley Ridge Church, Change for a Dollar, on occasion will help those patients in paying for their prescriptions through the clinic and pharmacy relationship if they do not have the means to do so.  Change for a Dollar covered this month’s prescriptions, plus a refill for both Raymond and Angela.

Amount $100.00

SIngle mom w/ 4 kids becomes homeless – 5/16/14

Stephanie, a Summerville mom is a mother of four children, ages 9, 9, 4 and a one year old.  Her husband was recently arrested and jailed for some outstanding bench warrant and they have been renting a house in town.  Recently the electric and water were shut off and she called the landlord about it and he told her the house was foreclosed on, utilities were terminated and they needed to get out.  Her case came to Change for a Dollar through an ARC owner who works for the school district and shared the details of the circumstances. 

Stephanie was trying to find a place to stay and was reaching out to various agencies for help but was overwhelmed at the moment.  She had sought help from her husband’s parents (the children’s grandparents) but when she stopped by they told her they did not have room for the five of them and they gave her a bag full of candles and told her to go back to the house they were being evicted from.

The needs of this woman are great but Change for a Dollar at a minimum offered to put her up in a local hotel for two nights so the children would have a place to stay and it bought her some time to try to find additional resources and help for her family.

Amount $158.94

Change for a Dollar – 5/12/14

Lisa, a single mom from Summerville, who had to recently leave her husband due to domestic violence is caring for her 3 yr. old granddaughter as well as her two teenage sons.  Her daughter had been living with her since March but left the house a few weeks ago and has abandoned her daughter to her mother’s care.  It also became evident this past week she was arrested and is currently in jail.  The mother's case came to Change for a Dollar through an ARC owner who works with the woman and was made aware of the circumstances.  Also the grandmother’s car recently broke down and she is borrowing a car to get to work but has missed some work as a result of the extra burden of caring for her own children and the grandchild.  She is seeking help from Social Services who is helping her get legal custody so she can get some assistance for the grandchild.  Her co-workers have been helping her as well but she complained this week she had no food for the children and her rent was past due as she didn’t have the full amount to pay this month because of the cost of child care etc.  ARC Change for a Dollar helped out with a gift card to Bi Lo and made a partial payment towards her rent

Amount $75 plus $300 – total $375

Change for a Dollar – 5/9/14

Mark, a Summerville homeless man who suffers from a bone disorder has been in and out of a cast for the past 59 weeks.  His fracture has finally healed to the point where the doctors have permanently removed the cast.  He was relieved to get out of the cast but has a long road ahead to gain back some strength in his leg.  He asked if ARC Change for a Dollar could put him up for one night in a hotel so he could spend some time soaking in a nice hot bath and get a good night rest in a bed.  To help him start to feel more normal again on his road to recovery, Change for a Dollar reserved a room for him at the local EconoLodge where he spent the night cleaning up and relaxing.

Amount $ 79.47

Change for a Dollar – 5/4/14

Carol, a single woman who is a patient at the Medical Outreach Clinic of Summerville is battling cancer and is awaiting a disability determination.  During her eligibility update interview it became known that she was struggling financially.  Her ex-husband does not pay any support to her for her teenage son who has been looking for work to help his mom pay the bills.  The son has a job offer at BiLo but needs a replacement birth certificate to get his photo ID but the family does not have the funds to apply for a replacement birth certificate.  The woman also stated her electric bill was in arrears as her brother is no longer able to help her pay her bills.  Change for a dollar provided a money order to the State of Kentucky Vital Statistics office for the birth certificate and made a payment to SCE&G on the electric bill.  She hopes her disability will soon be approved and her son is also looking forward to helping out.

Amount $ 16.00 plus $296.00 total $312.00

Change for a Dollar – 4/28/14

A Summerville man who is a patient at the Medical Outreach Clinic of Summerville came to the clinic a few weeks ago.  During his eligibility review it became known that he was struggling financially.  He is on Social Security Disability and was holding his own until the ice storm and frigid winter.  The HVAC unit in his rented trailer is very old and in need of repair but the landlord has failed to address the problem.  His electric bill was $600 for February and March as opposed to $150 per month due to the faulty heating unit.   He initially stated he was managing and getting help.  He returned to the clinic for a follow up visit last week and shared that he was struggling in making the SCE&G payment after all and asked if Ashly Ridge Church was still offering to help.  ARC Change for a Dollar inquired as to what the arrangements were with SCE&G and he needed $364 by May 5^th for his current bill and payment plan.  A payment to his account was made on April 28^th and his account is current till next month which he feels he can handle.  

Amount $ 364.00

Change for a Dollar – 4/11/14

A Summerville man, who is a patient at the Medical Outreach Clinic of Summerville, came to the clinic very upset.  He has been unemployed due to a disability, his wife had left him a while back and his house was in foreclosure.  He was at the clinic for medication refills and shared that his electric was disconnected that afternoon in spite of having paid a couple of hundred dollars the week before.  His only source of income at the moment, while waiting on approval for disability, was to sell items at the flea market on weekends.  ARC Change for a Dollar inquired as to what the arrangements were with SCE&G to get his electric turned back on.  A payment to his account was made the following day and his electric was restored that afternoon.  

Amount $ 285.00

Change for a Dollar – 3/31/14

A Summerville Mom with several kids had to relocate their residence.  Following the move while setting up their electric account a past due bill resulted in a significant deposit being required.  Initially SCEG worked with the woman and established a payment plan for the deposit which she thought was workable.  As weeks progressed it became apparent that the payment plan was beyond her ability to pay at the moment given the expenses from the move.  ARC Change for a Dollar helped out this family by making an installment payment towards the required deposit.  

Amount $ 250.00

Change for a Dollar – 3/27/14

A Summerville single Mom with two kids is a recent cancer survivor.  The illness had put a terrible strain on the family budget.  An ARC Owner became aware of her situation and ask Change for a Dollar to reach out to her.  The woman was very upbeat and happy to have successfully dealt with her illness but was anxious about mounting bills as she lost a lot time from work.  Change for a Dollar inquired as to her most pressing need at this time and she shared her electric bill was in arrears and she was in danger of her power being turned off.  Change for a Dollar paid her past due amount on her SCE&G account thus preventing the disconnect.

Amount $ 317.00

Change for a Dollar – 3/24/14

A Summerville Mom has relocated as a result of some marital issues.  Her and her children have moved into a new place of their own at this time.  There were expenses associated with the change of residence for her and the kids that put a strain on the budget.  While she is employed she needed some temporary assistance.  ARC Change for a Dollar provided a gift card to Walmart to help her get the new place set up for her and the kids.

Amount $ 150.00

Change for a Dollar – 3/10/14

There is a young special needs homeless man, who has been spotlighted in the Summerville Journal Scene and has been helped by local police and fire department personnel since he finished high school.  He has been assisted in various ways by other local churches and other organizations but remains in a difficult / fragile situation since he needs minor supervision and his family is incapable of caring for him, they are a family in need as well.  ARC reached out to representatives from the police department to see if he had any needs not currently being met.  They indicated he could use gift cards to a local fast food restaurant that he frequents which they would share them with him as he needed. Change for a Dollar purchased six, $10 gift cards to one of his favorite places and presented them to the police officer to give to the young man to use.

Amount $ 60.00

Change for a Dollar – 3/10/14

Guerin’s pharmacy in Summerville partners with the Medical Outreach Clinic of Summerville (a free medical clinic for those with no insurance and limited means) in providing medications to patients from the clinic.  Ashley Ridge Church, Change for a Dollar, on occasion will help those patients in paying for their prescriptions if they do not have the means to do so.  There was an outstanding balance at Guerin’s pharmacy along with some pending prescriptions that Change for a Dollar covered this month for those patients.

Amount $ 125.00

Change for a Dollar – 2/10/14

A homeless couple who had been previously living in the woods in Summerville have been making progress on getting back on their feet.  The husband had been working part time with his brother but recently has not had the hours he needs to stay current with their rent.  The wife works for a local fast food restaurant and between the two have been able to afford a room at a boarding house.  Due to the lack of work for the husband they were coming up short for their full rent.  Change for a Dollar help out this couple with a partial payment on their rent.  They were confident that in the weeks to come they would get back on track.

Amount $ 100.00

Change for a Dollar – 2/3/14

A 53 year old woman, who lives in an apartment with her daughter and 15 yr. old grandson sought medical attention at the Medical Outreach Clinic of Summerville.  The woman was just release this week from the hospital following admission for acute kidney failure and is scheduled for dialysis.  The woman has been unable to work since last October due to her serious health conditions and has applied for disability.  She has been able to make payments on the rent and utilities with the help from her daughter but has been falling behind in her electric bill.  She has continued to communicate with the electric company and has made token payments to keep from getting threatened with disconnect but is worried she may get too far behind.  Change for a Dollar made a partial payment to her SCE&G account to help lighten her financial burden.

Amount $ 75.00

Change for a Dollar – 1/27/14

A young lady, a former ARC Community Youth participant now a college student, did some community service over the Christmas break at a North Charleston elementary School.  She and her friends noticed some children scavenging for food scraps and decided to look into their situation.  They found these children were living as a families in a small motel room.  She and her friends decided to search them out and found one family in a local hotel by the school.  A mother and her six children were facing being put out of the hotel because the mother lost her job and could no longer pay for the room.  These young adults took it upon themselves to try to do what they could to help this family, find the mother work, find a less expensive hotel, raise money for food for the family and whatever else they could do the keep the family off the streets. The former ARC student approached Change for a Dollar for assistance and we provided her with funds toward the hotel room.

Amount $168.00