Friday, February 14 News Flash!!!
Sanderson Ford in Glendale, Arizona gave George a Mercury Sable this morning! Pictured above are Dan Spindle from ABC15 News, Uncle George, and Sanderson Ford General Manager Tom Collins. Thank you, Tom.
Check out the video here!
We are so grateful to Sanderson Ford, ABC15, Surprise Today, the Arizona Republic, Las Fuentes Mexican Grill & Bar and Fiesta Toys for replacing George's stolen penguin backpack, and for everyone who donated to help Uncle George, with $5 or $500.
We'll give all of the donated money to George when the campaign ends in five days, so if you still want to contribute, that's great and thank you.
We know many of you had little to give. If you want a refund please e-mail your Indiegogo receipt within 10 days to dmarin2535@gmail.com. We're grateful for your kindness.
Uncle George! Don't be late for bingo!!
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Here's our original campaign:Help Uncle George, an 80-year-old Korean War vet, replace his stolen car.
Uncle George lives in Surprise, Arizona, near his daughter. On Sunday, February 2, 2014, while he was inside a gas station his 1996 Ford Taurus with his wallet, hearing aid, and penguin Bingo bag was stolen.
The crime was reported to the police. A witness said someone jumped out of a pickup truck and into George's car and drove away.
George is a former Chicago police officer and a US Navy Korean War veteran, serving on the USS aircraft carrier Leyte, launched in 1945.
The Blue Book value of a 1996 Ford Taurus with 150,000 miles is $1,000. We'd like to replace it with something better, nothing fancy, and we'd like to get him a new penguin Bingo bag he uses to carry items to save seats for his Bingo friends.
Any money over $5,000 will be used to buy a more reliable car. 100% of the money goes to Uncle George.
Update #1: We're going to get Uncle George a decent car even if his old car is recovered by the police. As of Tuesday, February 11 the car is still gone.
Update #2: Many thanks to Armando at Las Fuentes Mexican Grill & Bar in Surprise, Arizona for donating gift certificates.
Update #3: And thank you to Coral at Fiesta Toys for donating a new penguin backpack for Uncle George.
Update #4!: Front page story: Read about George in the West Valley Times newspaper.
Update #5: Read about George in the Arizona Republic (Phoenix) newspaper.
Update #6 February 13 at 1:45 PM MST!!!: Wow. In the last four hours we've had 35 donations, taking us past half-way!! The donations range in size from $10 to a very generous $400. The $10 donation means as much to us as the $400, but for a different reason - it appears to have been made by a retired Navy man. Thank you, sir.
Uncle George is back at the VA Hospital today. His daughter is calling him with updates. He thought Fiesta Toys sending him a free penguin backpack was wonderful. The Indiegogo campaign, he can hardly comprehend. Thanks everyone.
