Success Stories

“After my son passed away I lost all motivation to carry on, having my great-grandkids live so close gives me purpose.” As he told me his story he began to choke up, and I could see he was fighting to hold back tears as he explained the back story. The premise was simple: he missed his great-grandchildren and the joy they brought to his life. The granddaughter was forced to move out after the children's dad removed himself from the picture and refused to help financially.

I could tell he was stressed the day he asked us to look at the wiring and I could sense that he didn’t have the confidence to complete the job independently. He was willing to try and he did complete some sections of the project on his own. I appreciate his willingness to put in the effort, this isn’t the type of guy who takes anything for free.  This man is resilient and determined so I know the job would have gotten done one way or the other,. However, I feel like I can rest easy knowing that the house will be safer for his grandchildren.

Later that evening I couldn’t stop thinking about this gentleman and his story. He was on a very tight budget and desperately in a bind. I thought about it all evening. At some point, I remembered that although I don’t have a formal mission statement in writing at this time I have a pretty good idea it would involve something like “all people deserve access to basic utilities.” I developed this worldview shortly after moving to the Wasatch Front and quickly realizing that the necessities for human life are not accessible to every individual.  

I decided to pose the question to my friends and family on Facebook and see what their thoughts were on the idea of crowdfunding. I received an overwhelming response in favor of the idea. So I went back to the gentleman and proposed the idea. With tears in his eyes and overwhelmed with gratitude he agreed that I could move forward with the idea. Later that evening I launched a campaign on Facebook both for my friends and in some other groups. It didn’t take very long before my heart was filled and I was fighting to hold back the tears, even though I was in the privacy of my own home.

We set a goal of $700.00, and within just a couple of hours, we raised $565.00. We also received a brand-new electrical panel from one of the supply houses. Our company spent $509.95 with that money. Together we provided a new service entrance cable, a new electrical panel, new circuit breakers, and wiring for most of the branch circuits along with boxes, connectors, and various other parts. We had 3 electricians who donated more than 12 man-hours of labor thus far. The work is about 80 percent complete and we expect to have another 8 man hours donated to complete the project. We also donated 4 ceiling lights, 1 porch light, several GFCI receptacles, and numerous other small parts to this project. With the remaining funds we plan to purchase the main breaker, and any miscellaneous parts to finish the project.

I don’t even know how to express my gratitude to each person who felt in their heart that this was a worthy cause and donated to a family they never met. A family whose life will be better and a family who specifically asked me to express their gratitude to each one of you for your kindness and generosity. I know how grateful they are to each one of you.