A couple of days ago venerable IM announcer, Steve King, shared a post from a Facebook page called Keep the Cold Off Penticton Foundation.
Bob is 77 years young. He was seen wandering the streets of Penticton while Mike, from the Foundation, was doing his rounds. Bob had been spotted a few times sp Mike stopped to chat. Bob was looking for recycling bottles and cans to assist in reducing the debts brought about by the unfortunate events listed in the Facebook Post.
An Ironman Penticton competitor (8x) who had to give up the sport to help his late wife who suffered from MS. He is a kind and caring individual that spent a small fortune making his home mobility friendly for his ailing wife. Despite this financial hardship, he then took out a big loan to help some random people from Penticton. A wife and kids who had suffered the loss of their husband / father who worked with Bob. They no income had nowhere to live. Bob got a loan, purchased them a mobile home.
One would imagine that fate might look kindly on such an individual. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. The family left the place I disarray and left Bob with further debt.
We set up a GoFundMe page to help Bob. It has been posted to the groups I am involved with on Facebook, namely the Ironman Canada Groups. If you are able to share in any Ironman Groups you are members of, and maybe consider a donation, that would be amazing. We have already raised over $6,000 Canadian. We are hoping to reach $20k or more
Here is the original Facebook Post:
https://www.facebook.com/...sts/3763905420332142
GoFundMe Page:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/helping-bob-richards
________________________________________________________
Mike from the Penticton foundation initially sent Bob and email, this is Bob's reply.
Hi Mike
Nice to meet you and I assume Kristyn last night. More earthly Angels that I’ve now met. So good of you to be out looking after those in need.
I would gladly accept your offer to process your bottles and cans. I could pick them up or they could be dropped off at 114 Ayres Crescent here in Penticton.
I’ve got to admit the years since 2005 have been tough and I do get a bit depressed. I had to give up doing the ironman race to 2000 when my late wife was suffering from M/S. Then in 2005 I had to put in adaptions in the house and ramps and cement the back patio. In 2008 I had to get a truck with a lift to load a wheelchair and a swing out seat that I could load her into.
Shortly after that I herniated a disc, T12 – L1 and had to keep working with pain killers. A fellow came to work for two weeks and then committed suicide, leaving a widow and two kids. She came to work and I picked her up and her rural Oliver home with the crew I took in to work. Took them under my wing and took them fishing and up into the hills once in a while.
In 2010 the box plant in Oliver was closed down and I went into Security work here in Penticton. Ended up working twelve hour shifts for eight at night to eight in the morning four days on and four off. Days were sleeping with ears open to hear with *name removed* needed help. In the meantime, to help the family in Oliver out as the kids were finishing school. I took out a huge loan to help them purchase a mobile in Penticton. I could not get a mortgage on a house as well as my own.
In March of 2014, they move out and when I managed to get a key once I found out, it was a total wreck inside. Cost of pad rent and repairs plus insurance were out of the question and I had to give it away and transfer the credit line to my mortgage. A hard pill to swallow, but at least then I managed to cut down on the money I owned and wan’t going to add over a thousand to my debts each month.
By this time my wife was in care, and I’ve slowly managed to drop the [loan] balance from over 130 thousand to the 93 thousand it is today. Any large expenses for myself I but on a line of credit and pay that off first. Mortgage payment just over $518 a month and I usually make an extra payment each month.
Bound and determined, I’ll get back on my feet without the financial stress.
Thanks again for your offer.
Bob R.
https://www.pbandjcoaching.com
https://www.thisbigroadtrip.com
Bob is 77 years young. He was seen wandering the streets of Penticton while Mike, from the Foundation, was doing his rounds. Bob had been spotted a few times sp Mike stopped to chat. Bob was looking for recycling bottles and cans to assist in reducing the debts brought about by the unfortunate events listed in the Facebook Post.
An Ironman Penticton competitor (8x) who had to give up the sport to help his late wife who suffered from MS. He is a kind and caring individual that spent a small fortune making his home mobility friendly for his ailing wife. Despite this financial hardship, he then took out a big loan to help some random people from Penticton. A wife and kids who had suffered the loss of their husband / father who worked with Bob. They no income had nowhere to live. Bob got a loan, purchased them a mobile home.
One would imagine that fate might look kindly on such an individual. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. The family left the place I disarray and left Bob with further debt.
We set up a GoFundMe page to help Bob. It has been posted to the groups I am involved with on Facebook, namely the Ironman Canada Groups. If you are able to share in any Ironman Groups you are members of, and maybe consider a donation, that would be amazing. We have already raised over $6,000 Canadian. We are hoping to reach $20k or more
Here is the original Facebook Post:
https://www.facebook.com/...sts/3763905420332142
GoFundMe Page:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/helping-bob-richards
________________________________________________________
Mike from the Penticton foundation initially sent Bob and email, this is Bob's reply.
Hi Mike
Nice to meet you and I assume Kristyn last night. More earthly Angels that I’ve now met. So good of you to be out looking after those in need.
I would gladly accept your offer to process your bottles and cans. I could pick them up or they could be dropped off at 114 Ayres Crescent here in Penticton.
I’ve got to admit the years since 2005 have been tough and I do get a bit depressed. I had to give up doing the ironman race to 2000 when my late wife was suffering from M/S. Then in 2005 I had to put in adaptions in the house and ramps and cement the back patio. In 2008 I had to get a truck with a lift to load a wheelchair and a swing out seat that I could load her into.
Shortly after that I herniated a disc, T12 – L1 and had to keep working with pain killers. A fellow came to work for two weeks and then committed suicide, leaving a widow and two kids. She came to work and I picked her up and her rural Oliver home with the crew I took in to work. Took them under my wing and took them fishing and up into the hills once in a while.
In 2010 the box plant in Oliver was closed down and I went into Security work here in Penticton. Ended up working twelve hour shifts for eight at night to eight in the morning four days on and four off. Days were sleeping with ears open to hear with *name removed* needed help. In the meantime, to help the family in Oliver out as the kids were finishing school. I took out a huge loan to help them purchase a mobile in Penticton. I could not get a mortgage on a house as well as my own.
In March of 2014, they move out and when I managed to get a key once I found out, it was a total wreck inside. Cost of pad rent and repairs plus insurance were out of the question and I had to give it away and transfer the credit line to my mortgage. A hard pill to swallow, but at least then I managed to cut down on the money I owned and wan’t going to add over a thousand to my debts each month.
By this time my wife was in care, and I’ve slowly managed to drop the [loan] balance from over 130 thousand to the 93 thousand it is today. Any large expenses for myself I but on a line of credit and pay that off first. Mortgage payment just over $518 a month and I usually make an extra payment each month.
Bound and determined, I’ll get back on my feet without the financial stress.
Thanks again for your offer.
Bob R.
https://www.pbandjcoaching.com
https://www.thisbigroadtrip.com