Something to Someone Somewhere
A personal anecdote about a larger issue
Marc Sterling is a reader and sometimes commenter here. Marc and I worked together at 2nd and Charles and I’ve had the pleasure of knowing him as a co-worker and a friend. Marc is kind, funny and passionate.
He’s lived many lives over his 71 years, currently a college student at VCU and very rarely still puts books on shelves and helps customers find things. Marc loves music, especially loud guitar music. He’s sometimes self-conscious about his age in relation to his passions, that’s not something reserved for those later in life.
I reached out to Marc because I wanted to level up my interviews. Marc and I had talked last year about doing some video projects together and I have an opportunity to start interviewing people that AREN’T my friends or in my social circle. I really appreciate the people I know who’ve let me refine my skills and get back on the horse.
Marc makes very cool video art. I’ve talked with Pedro, who runs a recording studio and is in a lot of bands, about doing audio work. Let’s make this thing legit if I’m going to interview people who might be less forgiving, you know?
I sent Marc a text, no answer. Well, I have an interview I want to line up, so I need to get the ball rolling. I called him and Marc called me back after he got out of class. He’s a little too busy right now and he’s got an issue, he was targeted by a scammer and it was bad.
The details of this story aren’t mine to share. Marc got hit hard and he’s struggling with a system that would let him drown. According to Finder, 75% of Americans will reach the age of 70.
And, according to Consumer Report:
As many as 1 in 18 “cognitively intact, community-dwelling” older Americans fall victim to an elder fraud scam every year, according to a 2017 study in the American Journal of Public Health.”
A 5.5% chance. That’s a shockingly high percentage. And once it happens, there’s not a lot of recourse for most types of fraud. I know it second hand, as I’ve been trying to help Marc through the process.
I set up a GoFundMe for Marc as a way to help him maintain some stability during a very stressful time. If you’re reading and you’re able, kick him a few bucks. If you’re not, please use your voice to help spread awareness of his campaign and the situation at large.
Fundraiser by Richard Lineberger : Marc Sterling (gofundme.com)
Other, more fun things:
RivirCon is in Richmond this weekend. It’s $15 for two days of gaming.
The movie Bottoms and the TV show Deadloch are both worth checking out. I hope to write about those later this week, especially since I’m already late on both, but if you have Amazon get on it.
I saw Anxious, One Step Closer and Koyo this weekend. I hadn’t been to a show in a while.
dave. the band put out a new record called Happy Here. It is currently on bandcamp and pay what you want. The album was recorded in 2021 and carries a lot of the bleakness of that time period with a hope that we can be happy here.