I just need a little more help to get my driver's license unsuspended...

[ChaosMageX]

...so that I can be able to legally drive again.  I'm on the final leg of a long and arduous journey that started over 2 years ago, and now just needs a bit more cash to finish.  This final leg involves paying $100 and any potential additional processing and late fees to the Texas DPS in order to get them to unsuspend it.

Normally I would take my time in saving this last bit of cash I need, but unfortunately I don't have that kind of time anymore.  In just 5 weeks, a total solar eclipse will sweep across the continental US, an eclipse I've been dreaming of seeing for 14 years now, ever since I saw its date and location listed in the special features of a DVD.  I want to be able to legally drive up to Nebraska to see it.

Unfortunately, according to their website, it could take up to three weeks for Austin to process my payment, which means that I have to get my payment to Austin no later than July 31st, in order for my license to be unsuspended in time for me to be able to drive up to see the total solar eclipse.  That's I've posted the GoFundMe campaign below, in a last ditch effort to try to get the money in time:

https://www.gofundme.com/driver-license-unsuspension

Getting this money in time would mean so much more to me than just getting to see a rare celestial event.  I would also finally be able to get a new job at an actual brick-and-mortar office, instead of scraping together money from the internet and selling things in my closet.  I would finally be able to leave the financial hell I've been in for over 2 years now, and actually have gainful employment once again.  I would finally be able to save a large amount of money again for times when I need it, like this one.  I would finally be able to freely and legally travel far beyond my house once more.

So please, will you help me take the final step in getting my life back again?

I thank you so very much for helping me be able to live a dream and get my life back on track.

Some background:

This whole ordeal started over 2 years ago when I got a speeding ticket on the way to AnthroCon 2015, one which I thought I had paid off...until I got a letter from WV informing me that they didn't accept my check and another letter from the Texas DPS saying they had already suspended my DL as part of the NRVC.  Suffice it to say that by the time I got that letter, I was already in dire straits financially because I had lost my last job, and losing my ability to legally drive only made it worse, flushing my life further down the sewage pipes.

After saving for the longest time, despite barely being able to make ends meet, I finally scraped together enough to pay off the expensive speeding ticket itself. That might have been the end of it, but unfortunately now Austin wants their piece of my pie in order to give me back my license.

The current goal is at $175 in order to ensure that after GoFundMe takes its cut, there's enough to pay the $100 base fee to Austin plus the extra money in additional processing and late fees that they may tacking onto that base.  If they don't tack on any additional fees (and I really hope they don't), any cash that's left over will go towards paying for gasoline on the journey from Houston to the middle of Nebraska in to see the eclipse in its totality.

Once again, I thank all who contribute to this GoFundMe campaign for their help in making my dream of seeing a total solar eclipse come true, as well as helping me take a big step in getting my life together again.

Unlike my last GoFundMe campaign, I promise to post regular updates of the situation as it develops, each time I take a step in the bureaucratic process of getting my license unsuspended.  Luckily, my life isn't as hectic as it was at the beginning of the year during my last GoFundMe campaign.  I'll even post pictures that I take of the total solar eclipse if I manage to meet the goal in time and my driver's license is unsuspended in time to drive to see it.

[ChaosMageX]

As promised, I'm posting regular updates for this GoFundMe.  First, I want to thank everyone who has donated so far.

Now, as for where this campaign stands so far, it might seem like I've reached the initial goal of being able to pay the Texas DPS's base price (and hopefully they won't attach more fees and surcharges later on), but unfortunately I haven't yet.  Once GoFundMe takes its cut and the money service that GoFundMe uses, WePay, also takes its cut, I'm left with less than the minimum I need to pay off my driver's license unsuspension, and that's not even taking into account the cut my bank could take out of it as well.

On top of that, when I got the initial money withdrawal started, I was reminded that it can take up to 4 days from the time I finalize a withdrawal from GoFundMe to the point it becomes available to spend in my bank account.

What does all this mean?

For one, it means that I'll need more donations before I even have the minimum amount of money needed to send off to Austin in order to start the bureaucratic process of getting my driver's license unsuspended.

For two, it also means that once I have gotten enough donations and initiated their withdrawal, I'll have to wait at least 2 days before mailing off the check and paperwork to the Texas DPS, in order to make sure that the money is in my account by the time my letter reaches Austin.

Frankly, I have no idea how long it usually takes for a letter to travel from Houston to Austin.  It could be as little as 2 days, which is why I'd need to wait two days so that at least 4 days go by between when the GoFundMe withdrawal is started and the letter arrives at its destination.  On the other hand, it could take up to 4 days for a letter to travel between the two cities, and I have to take that into account as well.  This means that I have to meet my goal not by July 31st, but by at least 6 days prior, July 25th.

That's allowing four to six days for the whole process, in order to ensure the letter reaches the Texas DPS by the 31st and I have enough money in my account by the time the letter reaches the Texas DPS so that the check doesn't bounce when they cash it.  Once again, that places my real deadlines at around the 25th, which is just 4 days from the time I'm posting this update, so you can understand why I'm starting to get a little nervous, but I'm still hopeful enough donations will come through in time that I can mail off the check in time for it to reach the Texas DPS by the end of the month.

Anyway, that's all for now, and I once again thank all those who have donated so far.  I really do appreciate you all helping me to get my driver's license unsuspended and my life back on track as a result.

[Sprocketsdance]

Remember to not double-post. There are rules. Feel free to edit your last post to make any updates in the future.

[Darkmoon]

I'm actually not comfortable with people begging for cash on this forum. I need to talk to the other admins more about this, but I personally feel like this isn't really the forum (no pun intended) for this. There are a number of venues better suited to this kind of discussion (Facebook, Twitter, on the GoFundMe page itself) -- this forum is really for discussion of topics and to blow off steam.

While I appreciate the situation you may be in financially, I don't know that this is the kind of topic we should really have here.

That said, if another admin disagrees, they can come back in and unlock this thread.