Fundraiser finished!

We are done. I will be posting about after midnight Monday.

Okay, you've probably seen this letter before. Ignore it if you have. Especially ignore it if you have already given some money (in which case, much thanks). The rest of you (our readers), please consider helping us finish this thing. We are so close, let's not run out of steam now. I have already given what I could, and also will cover the shortage due to the percentage that Paypal takes (it isn't that much). We will appreciate any and all donations. I have so far made it a point to write to each person who has donated any amount, personally. I assume all of you got my emails.

Dear 3QD Reader,

Let me just give it to you straight: today I am going to ask you to give money. Not to 3 Quarks, or to me, but to someone who is in a jam because of the silly way the financial aid system works at American schools. Here's the story:

There is a very vivacious and intelligent young woman (she is 22) that my wife and I are friends with. She moved to New York City from a small town in the south to pursue her ambition to be a painter and illustrator. She had exhibited prodigious artistic talent from an early age, and after finding a job as a waitress and an apartment in the city, had no trouble gaining admission to an art program in a New York City college by showing her portfolio. She has been going to school full-time, and also working as a waitress full-time, and she has done tremendously well in school. She get's straight A's (she once proudly showed me her transcript, so I know that it is not an exaggeration) and is even involved in various extra-curricular activities at school, being the president of one club and the secretary of another.

The last time my wife and I saw her, she was in tears because she had just received a letter from her college saying that her financial aid is being cut off because she made $1,000 too much in income to qualify. Now, it turns out that it would have been better for her all around if she had sat on her ass and collected welfare the whole year, since she would then be eligible for aid. As it is, she reported her income absolutely honestly, and now she cannot afford to attend school in the spring. She is from a modest family and they cannot help her.

I asked her how much her tuition is, and she cutely told me a rather exact amount: $1,533.85 (I have a good memory for numbers). I decided I would try to help her, but cannot do this by myself. My wife Margit and I have made a contribution of $200 to a fund to help her continue with college in spring. I ask you to give what you can to make up the difference.

If 3 Quarks can help this young lady continue her education in the spring, I feel that it will have been worth it to have spent all this time finding and blogging the links we do, this whole year. I will report how much has been collected every day, and I will stop collecting as soon as the remaining amount is reached. I thank you for your attention and consideration.

Yours,

Abbas

Target Amount: $1,533.85
Amount collected as of 12/11/05: $200
Amount collected as of 12/12/05: $540
Amount collected as of 12/13/05: $1,115
Amount collected as of 12/14/05: $1,245
Amount collected as of 12/15/05: $1,325.85
Amount collected as of 12/16/05: $1,407.85
Amount collected as of 12/17/05: $1,407.85 (site was down for one day)
Amount collected as of 12/18/05: $1,412.85
Amount collected as of 12/19/05: Full Amount --No need for more contributions. Thank you.

I urge you to please give a small amount like 5 or 10 dollars, but not to assume that someone else will take care of it, because we have thousands of readers and will definitely reach our target, even with small donations, if a large number take the time to donate.

You will have an opportunity to leave a comment (identifying yourself, if you like) at the PayPal site if and when you click the button below to make a secure donation (all credit cards, checks accepted):