Finally, the warm fuzzies.
You guys are really making my heart feel good, seeing all of you caring and being so willing to pitch in and help someone out, even if you don’t know them IRL.
I don’t know Poly IRL, and I’m definitely not religious, but I’ve always appreciated the intelligence evident in his posts.
No spare puter parts here, and not much money. Anybody have any ideas of other stuff they might need?
I have spoken to Polycarp.
Now that I’ve got your attention, I’ve told him what we’re up to, and we have got the go ahead. I think we’ve rather overwhelmed him, actually. aenea, scotticher, I’ve got his address as well as phone number, thanks to RTFirefly. Feel free to e-mail me and we’ll see what we can coordinate. I’d like it if we could set up a way of handling donations made by cash or check. This thread, as of now has 80 posts and over 1500 views. Even allowing for duplicates, it won’t take much to accumulate quite a fund. Kezermezer, I’ll try to stay in touch with him and his wife and see what they need.
According to Polycarp, we have already brought him a great deal of joy this Christmas, just by this outpouring. I’m also a little in awe of you. This Board may be a den of atheists, rogues, lawyers, telemarketers, and other disrespectable types, including renegade Episcopalians;), but let’s see if we can give this man the happiest Christmas ever!
CJ
I’d be thrilled if I could help in any way at all. No spare PC, but I’d be happy to contribute to help fund an ISP link, or a junker, etc.
I, like most Dopers, really admire the man.
Let us know when you’ve got things organized, CJ. Thank you! And please tell Poly that I pray that God go with him.
I’ve got a spare monitor. Lots of pieces-parts, too.
Christmas time is for giving: Love and hope. Mine’s on the way.
I am honored by your trust.
I will, of course, be only TOO happy to help with anything I can. I might be able to help him with a connection, too…I will have to call him and discuss that part of this with him.
So, if you all want me to collect? Or does someone else want to do it?
Probably not worth much, but I have a spare e-mail address on my domain that is not being used.
If Poly would like an e-mail address that doesn’t end in hotmail.com and is a POP address, my e-mail is good on the board here.
Passing on our best wishes and any help we can muster up.
Wow…
What a fantastic group of people you all are! I feel genuinely lucky to have stumbled across this place.
Even though I’ve only just started posting I’ve been lurking for nearly a year and have read enough of Polycarp’s posts to know he’s one in a million. If someone that astute, literate and loving cannot find gainful employment then we’re all in trouble.
Poly, if you read this I’d like you to know that my thoughts are with you.
Ben.
Poly’s one of the main reasons I always ended up coming back to this board.
After this thread, there are so many, many more reasons.
Let me know where I can send a money order. It won’t be much… but it comes attached with many good wishes.
Enough people have helped out when I’ve posted asking for help, so count me in. Just let me know where to send a check.
Me, too.
I have received a few emails asking me to go ahead and collect the contributions, so unless someone else feels that they would rather do it, I will be accepting contributions.
You can either email me for my address so you can send a check, or you can contribute by PayPal to Scotticher@aol.com (if you do so, please enter Polycarp in the message area…I am still collecting contributions for another person and I need to know to whom you intend the money be given.) Click the “service” box and I don’t think anything will be deducted by PayPal.
If you have contributions you wish to make, other than financial or computer related (computer stuff should be sent to aenea as previously stated) …please email me and I will try to work something out.
This is a very wonderful thing, and no one ever deserved it more. And I would encourage anyone who might have connections to a job for our friend to email me too…once we sort out the computer access problem, I will forward them to Polycarp.
OOPS…my email address is Scotticher@aol.com, just in case that wasn’t clear.
Checkbook is out, have arena’s address, but I need Polycarp’s real name.
This is really amazing.
Good Luck guys!
Oh and Poly doesn’t need a pay ISP, he can just use the Free Juno service.
I haven’t been out here since early this morning. It is great to see the support on the boards. This crowd is great.
We are physically the closest to Poly and his wife. We are going to see if we can check in tomorrow with Poly. We were already planning to get together, but hadn’t done so yet. I was hoping to get in touch with Poly through email this weekend, then I read RT’s post. (Thank you RT for sharing the information).
I am trying to figure out a car solution too. A car is vital out here in the country.
Aenea, let us know how we can help. We can meet up and get items from you to take to Poly. I work in the park and could easily meet you.
Cranky, I really like the emergency fund idea. It is tough when you run out of places to turn and are in a bind.
I’m making this one a sticky for the next few days. Not something I’d do normally, but I mean, it’s Poly fercryingoutloud.
Ditto for the collection et cetera. Generally, we would frown on such a practise, mostly because the internet makes it hard to verify if the story is true. But we’re more than willing to make an exception in this case - Polycarp has contributed immensely to these boards. For him to get into a rut like this and have his car repossessed a week before Christmas just breaks my heart.
I can recommend Scotticher in this regard. She’s done this sort of thing before, with great tact and compassion.
One thing, though. Let’s keep the posting of real life addresses and phone numbers off the boards. These need to be exchanged per e-mail, if you please. But given the PayPal option Scotticher uses (getting an account is free or almost free, IIRC), that’s not even necessary.
And thank you all for showing you know what the spirit of Christmas is, from whichever spiritual direction you hail. You guys rock.
Oh, and kudos to cjhoworth, who recommended/asked we make this a sticky thread, credit where credit’s due. 
Best wishes, Poly. Glad we can brighten your Christmas!
I’ll throw in, too.
He’s always welcome at the Chance Estate. He’s that kind of guy.