It Started In The Shower...

I was standing in the shower thinking about being rejected for my student loan and personal loan for opposite reasons when I had this idea.  People have started turning to the internet to find investors and donors in everything from movie projects to music projects to start up business projects...why not turn to my wired world of family, friends, contacts and the friends of friends (the facebook kind or the real kind) and to find people willing to invest in me and my education.

I started pursuing a Master's Degree this fall from St. Stephen's University (SSU).   I put it off for almost 30 years.  I felt like this was the next right step for me at this point in my life and if not now, when?  So it all started  this past October.  I'm taking the Module Course which means I'm on campus two weeks each semester for 2 years.  The next Module is the travel module.  SSU is big on exposing students to cross-cultural experiences for history, culture, information and the elusive pilgrimage component.  This travel module will take me and my class to the cradle of civilization.  We will visit Egypt, Jordan and Israel.  We will trace a path from the Pyramids to Mt. Sinai and up into Israel where we'll eventually explore Jerusalem.

I'll be reading piles of books in preparation of the trip and writing piles of papers on my return.  Next fall I'll take my 3rd module and the following spring will be my 4th and final module.  Then my thesis or project.

Here comes the appeal...

Will you invest in educating Brian?  If you do, here's what I offer:

1) For a person willing to loan me the entire cost of my education I will repay your loan at an interest rate much better than the bank is currently offering.  Email me at crackedvirtueATgmail.com and I'll offer you a competitive interest rate.

2) For those willing to freely donate to this cause:

Donations from $5 - $49 - I will post "Live Blog" updates here at educatingbrian.com for you to keep track of what I'm up to, learn what I learning bout and interact with me as much as you want in comments in this 2 year journey.

Donations from $50 - $99 -  I will post "Live Blog" updates here at educatingbrian.com for you to keep track of what I'm up to, learn what I learning bout and interact with me as much as you want in comments.  I'll send you a personal postcard (but not too personal!) from Egypt or Israel if you send me your address, to express my appreciation.

Donations from $100 - $250 -  I will post "Live Blog" updates here at educatingbrian.com for you to keep track of what I'm up to, learn what I learning bout and interact with me as much as you want in comments.  I'll send you a personal postcard (but not too personal!) from Egypt or Israel if you send me your address, to express my appreciation.  I'll let you see all my grades and send you a photograph  of me being educated in Israel.  I will also send you a personal note of thanks on my return to Canada with some good stories that won't be published on my blog.

Donations from $300 - $500 - I will post "Live Blog" updates here at educatingbrian.com for you to keep track of what I'm up to, learn what I learning bout and interact with me as much as you want in comments.  I'll send you a personal postcard (but not too personal!) from Egypt or Israel if you send me your address, to express my appreciation.  I'll let you see all my grades and send you a photograph  of me being educated in Israel.  I will also send you a personal note of thanks on my return to Canada with some good stories that won't be published on my blog.  When I graduate I will send you a signed copy of my thesis/project, a picture from my graduation, I'll dedicate a blog post just to you during my education and will give you a call and personally thank you for your investment in me and my education.

Donations over $500 - I will post "Live Blog" updates here at educatingbrian.com for you to keep track of what I'm up to, learn what I learning bout and interact with me as much as you want in comments.  I'll send you a postcard from Egypt or Israel if you send me your address, personally expressing my appreciation.  I'll let you see all my grades and send you a photograph  of me being educated in Israel.  I will also send you a personal note of thanks on my return to Canada with some good stories that won't be published on my blog.  When I graduate I will send you a signed copy of my thesis/project, a picture from my graduation, I'll dedicate a blog post just to you during my education and will give you a call and personally thank you for your investment in me and my education.  I will strongly suggest to my son and daughter-in-law that their firstborn should be named after you.  I will personally come to wherever you are in the world - if you're up for it - take you out for dinner and tell you as much about this experience as you want to know.  I will reveal the top10 most embarrassing moments of my education journey.  I'll include your name in every book I ever write.

How much do I need to raise?  I need to raise $4200 CAD immediately for the upcoming semester (15 days of journey).  The remaining two semesters will cost $6000 in total.  That's $10,200 if you're counting and I'll keep this blog updated on my fundraising progress as well as notes from the adventure.

(NOTE: I'm willing to negotiate, modify or consider options, including car washing, dog walking, leaf raking, house concerts where I preach instead of sing, just about anything else you can come up with.)

So, that's the deal, if you're interested you can email me at crackedvirtueATgmail.com. or leave a comment here and I will contact you.  Unorthodox times call for unorthodox measures.  Please join me on this crazy pilgrimage!

For more info about me you can check out my blog.

If you know me and want to leave a testimonial in the comments below for potential investors to consider that would be great!