Jump to content

GPS Fund?


TEAM 360

Recommended Posts

Anyone ever think about starting a fund (here on Geocaching.com) that we geocachers could all send in $1 or $2 to in order to buy an inexpensive starter GPS for those who want to participate but are financially challenged?

 

Okay, dumb idea. Forget about it.

 

[This message was edited by TEAM 360 on April 19, 2003 at 08:17 PM.]

Link to comment

I was thinking about that mom, who found a cache, and got into geocaching with her son?, I don't know if people on this board got together and bought her one, or if she went out and got one herself, but sometimes single moms, or families that are not so well financially but would like to get into geocaching could use some help. Everyone has been down and could use a hand at one time or another. Just a thought.

 

[This message was edited by TEAM 360 on April 19, 2003 at 10:09 AM.]

Link to comment

If someone is in financial need to help them buyt a GPS. They probably need some items of a little more importance, like food, electricity, etc. I hate to break some hearts but.....here goes.....there are a few, not many, but a few things in life more important than geocaching. Sorry, but someone had to put it out there.

Link to comment

How does one prove hardship? Would simply sending an e-mail saying "I'd like to try this, but can't afford a GPS", or does someone have to send in a copy of their tax return?

 

And what is hardship? Someone with an income below the poverty line? A upper-middle class person on the verge of bankruptcy? A college student who can afford beer, but not books? A ski bum who willingly works minimum wage jobs and lives on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches so he can ski all day? All of the above?

 

I also agree with the other posters. If you can't afford $89 for a GPS, you have more serious concerns than Geocaching.

 

"It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues" -Abraham Lincoln

Link to comment

How does one prove hardship? Would simply sending an e-mail saying "I'd like to try this, but can't afford a GPS", or does someone have to send in a copy of their tax return?

 

And what is hardship? Someone with an income below the poverty line? A upper-middle class person on the verge of bankruptcy? A college student who can afford beer, but not books? A ski bum who willingly works minimum wage jobs and lives on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches so he can ski all day? All of the above?

 

I also agree with the other posters. If you can't afford $89 for a GPS, you have more serious concerns than Geocaching.

 

"It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues" -Abraham Lincoln

Link to comment

360, Why would you post someones name here while discussing hardship cases. Rather thoughtless of you I think. Can you edit that out?

 

And you wonder why people are not responding to this thread, without your plea to do so?

 

Your new thingy is nice, but so many on one page is quite blinding.

 

And Brian is right, both times!

Link to comment

I'd have to agree with mogolloyd (and Brian, too, it just take me so long to write my essay.) and I will add there are many more expenses than just the GPS to cache. Many have complained that this is a fairly pricey pastime; gas, vehicle maintenance, trades, etc. can all add up.

 

Plus, newbies don't really know if they will like caching. Once they really know they'll stick with it, they're no longer a newbie.

 

I'd probably rather see an Adopt-a-Cacher program. Experienced cachers who want to give back to the community can sign up for a cache dating service type of thing that teams up members with newbies in a mentoring type of situation.

 

Start a local caching club and be available for group caching.

 

Organized Caching, write a page or two centric to complete outsiders in a church or other civil organization explaining geocaching. A person who wants to start caching could point a group that might have access to a GPS to these pages that helps explain geocaching and likely to get them started caching. I know many churches have different sports teams and other activities completely outside the church, it should be simple to add this to it! I know there are many people of faith here that could start this in their own church. (Just have to watch the proselytizing.)

 

How about a tutorial explaing GPS-less caching. A few do it, more started out that way. Nothing wrong with a newbie going sans GPS for a little while.

 

Encourage letteboxing-style clues for finding the cache. Finding caches with clues like this seem to be popular with the locals around here. A clue-oriented find adds to the hunt like a clever hide adds to the hunt. HERE is an example of mine. To be listed here on GC.com you need a set of coordinates to the cache. I've made the cache an offset and hidden the coordinates somewhere in the environment. The end result is you can hunt it with clues only or hunt it with GPS. (The DNFs are because of the hide itself. HINT: use a flashlight and a mirror to allay fears.)

 

So there are a few options for getting people out caching without just giving away a GPS to someone who you don't know will stick to it.

 

That's not to say that a group of cachers can't get together and buy some pawnshop or goodwill GPS units, make sure they work well, and give or loan them out to newbies. But for the caching community at large to just give away units is something I'm just not comfortable with.

 

CR

 

72057_2000.gif

Link to comment

quote:
Originally posted by mogolloyd:

If someone is in financial need to help them buyt a GPS. They probably need some items of a little more importance, like food, electricity, etc. I hate to break some hearts but.....here goes.....there are a few, not many, but a few things in life more important than geocaching. Sorry, but someone had to put it out there.


 

Not always. Yes, sometimes, but not always. I think I am a good example of what you are talking about (but I am not asking for a GPS). I find it hard to make ends meet but I am not on welfare to the point that my child is starving. I work full-time and my hubby stays home, with my 2-year old, as he can not find a job and is sick. We want to go caching but I haven't been able to get the money together to get a GPS. Something comes up, ie: the car breaks down, hubby needs more meds, TV broke (which is did recently, and still isn't fixed). But I don't really care about the TV, I want my 2-year old to go outside and play and ... I dunno, NOT sit infront of the TV. Does that make any sense?

Link to comment

quote:
Originally posted by TEAM 360:

I was thinking about that mom, Lisa, who found a cache, and got into geocaching with her son?, I don't know if people on this board got together and bought her one, or if she went out and got one herself, but sometimes single moms, or families that are not so well financially but would like to get into geocaching could use some help.


 

Naturally, I can't speak for the rest of the folks who contributed to the 'Buy Lysa a GPSR' fund.

 

But I certainly didn't contribute because I felt she was on the ropes financially. I contributed because I felt like rewarding her effort to teach her son that taking things that don't belong to you is always wrong, and her efforts in making sure that he corrected his mistake.

 

Lysa didn't ask for a handout, and I wouldn't call what she got a handout, I'd call it a nice thank you/wedding present from a bunch of people who appreciated her doing the right thing.

Link to comment

Good Lord! No matter how you slice it, a GPS receiver is a luxury device. I can't even begin to rationalize giving them away to "hardship" cases.

 

I'm sure all of us have people near them that hard-up for food, clothing, and shelter. I suggest we try to take care of them first.

 

George

Link to comment

Team 360

 

I work with Guests of the County on a daily basis. I really don't think you want to get involved at the level you suggest.

 

A Local club might sponsor an event for newbies with or without GPSr. You might award a GPSr as a door prize. I think this is what Sissy-n-CR shook out of the cobwebs in my gray matter.

 

In short, If you address the need over the activity, you may be disappointed with the result. JMHO - the beast

 

So what is the speed of dark?

Link to comment

Providing GPSrs to hardship cases sounds like a Clinton program. How about putting the onus on the indiviudals to obtain their own toys?

 

I'm not blind to the needs of the needy and volunteerism, but let's be reasonable. A "GPSr for the needy" fund is way over the top.

 

Just so you know I'm not some grumpy scrouge, I volunteer on two water utility boards, participate in the Econ. Dev. Committee of our local Chamber of Commerce and am a School Board member. My wife donates her time at the local food bank on Tuesdays. I believe in helping out, but for logical purposes. If you really want to help, then donate some food to your foodbank.

 

Wet mop, aisle seven ...</font>

Link to comment

Good answers, all. Sorry to name names in that post, I didn't mean to imply that the person I was speaking about was a hardship case, so I wiped out the name. I just wanted to help out the one or two a month that we see come in here and ask for help. Maybe I am too much of a softie when I see people down on their luck. I will aim my charities in a different direction, perhaps as GeoStrider suggested.

Link to comment

A charity to buy GPSr devices for people who can't afford them? When there are people who can't afford to eat? Who are living under bridges? Sorry, but if someone is truly in hardship, there is a loooong list of things that would have priority over a pricey toy to play a game. If you really want to do something for people in need, how about a charity geocache-athon, where the organizers put out a bunch of caches and folks donate $X to play. The proceeds can go to a local shelter or food kitchen. If I was living under a bridge, I'd sure appreciate a hot meal vs. a yellow etrex.

 

There are 10 kinds of people in the world: those who understand binary numbers, and those who don't.

Link to comment

Yes, I don't want the person to feel bad. Sharing the fun is a noble act. Perhaps taking interested persons along on hunts and letting them use the GPS would be something more workable. There is an expense to the hobby and the GPS is really the less expensive item of it. As I mentioned earlier, gasoline is huge. As are batteries or putting together a cache to hide.

 

I have several very expensive hobbies. Some I just don't do much with anymore because of the expense. Such is life.

 

Steve Bukosky N9BGH

Waukesha Wisconsin

Link to comment

quote:
Originally posted by ScottJenColleen:

Not always. Yes, sometimes, but not always. I think I am a good example of what you are talking about (but I am not asking for a GPS). I find it hard to make ends meet but I am not on welfare to the point that my child is starving. I work full-time and my hubby stays home, with my 2-year old, as he can not find a job and is sick. We want to go caching but I haven't been able to get the money together to get a GPS. Something comes up, ie: the car breaks down, hubby needs more meds, TV broke (which is did recently, and still isn't fixed). But I don't really care about the TV, I want my 2-year old to go outside and play and ... I dunno, NOT sit infront of the TV. Does that make any sense?


 

Yes. I think we all have to decide which "fish to fry" at any given time. My hubby used my birthday gift money towards my GPS, and that helped a great deal. Can you borrow a GPS, or get one as a holiday gift for the whole family, or do caches (like, say, letterboxes) that have complete enough information to not require a GPS? I completely agree about wanting to get the kids out of the house - mine are a lot healthier when we get outdoors even just a few hours a week.

 

I hope your hubby's health improves soon.

 

Shannah

Link to comment

quote:
Can you borrow a GPS, or get one as a holiday gift for the whole family, or do caches (like, say, letterboxes) that have complete enough information to not require a GPS? I completely agree about wanting to get the kids out of the house - mine are a lot healthier when we get outdoors even just a few hours a week.

 

I hope your hubby's health improves soon.

 

Shannah


 

That's the thing. I may look like I know what is going on, but I don't. icon_biggrin.gif I don't know what the different between Geocaching and Letterbox!?! I have tried to find a cache without a GPS and I was WAY off (about 150miles). And I am getting a GPS this weekend, the TV can sit there another week or two.

 

As far as my hubby getting better, he is a recent insulin dependent diabetic and he has ulcerative colitus, not much hope for a cure... yet!

Link to comment

There are other "seeking" games like finding survey benchmarks. The benchmarks are described in relation to landmarks, and can be found without a GPSr. There's plenty of them around, and may be in walking distance for a 2yr old.

 

You can get a GPSr on Ebay for $20. Old models, like the Magellan Trailblazer XL, sell for about that much. (I have one. It locks up only when its absolutely in a clear area.)

Link to comment

Not to sound callous, but I've been involved with people that we call poor in this country and have yet to enter a house, no matter what the income level, that didn't have a TV.

 

It's a matter of priorities.

 

 

"It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues" -Abraham Lincoln

Link to comment

I was earning around $13,000 a year when I bought my GPS. By just about any measure I could have claimed hardship. It was an item I wanted so I tucked away a bit of money here and there until I had enough to buy it. I'd be happy to part with some of my income to provide necessities to someone in true need, but a GPSr doesn't qualify as a necessity IMHO.

 

---------------

Where am I going? I don't quite know.

What does it matter where people go?

Down to the wood where the blue-bells grow

Anywhere, anywhere. I don't know.

-A.A. Milne

Link to comment

I make a lousy little salary, and I can afford a cheap starter GPS....but I want one that runs about $350 and I have to save for it! Ahh, the humanity!

 

No really, in a better world, we could worry about doing something like you described, and it would be great. In reality, how about approaching a low-income after school program and say hey, I'll teach these kids some geocaching, and their parents can come too.

Link to comment

I guess this has been talked to death already, but one suggestion would be to join Big Brothers or Sisters and take less fortunate kids out Geocaching with you. That's worth a whole lot more than buying a GPS unit for someone.

 

frog.gif Jeremy Irish

Groundspeak - The Language of Location™

Link to comment

Just a thought, but some members of local geo clubs have more than one GPSr. How about if some of the older, not often used ones were loaned to the club? Interested parties could sign up to borrow one for a day. This would have the advantage of letting them use a GPSr at little or no cost and allow them to see if they enjoy the hobby enough to save and buy one. Maybe the club members would be willing to sell some used ones for less, too, if they got to know the interested party.

 

Catcher24

"You see, you spend a good deal of your life gripping a baseball and in the end it turns out that it was the other way around all the time." Jim Bouton

Link to comment

quote:
ExactlyArmy,

This is not really a "hehehe" topic, my friend. I'm guessing you're actually a nice person who wouldn't really hide food and make hungry people look for it.

 

Worldtraveler


 

Ah, I suppose I'm glad I come across as "actually a nice person". :-)

And I think that you wouldn't really have to MAKE hungry people look for food. Speaking for myself, when I'm hungry, nobody has to make me look, I do that willingly.

I also insert humor into every kind of situation, every day of my life. Ocasionally at inapropriate times. Keeps me from getting too stressed out in this crazy world we live in.

hehehehehehehe

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...