Our advertising
expense to reach out to
new members residing all across
the USA is not free.
That is why we need YOU.
Your donation will allow us to advertise in newspapers, on radio,
launch email campaigns and send out postal mailings.
As
you aid LAO in this
advertising effort through your donation, remember to help us in other
ways, as well. Your help is worth JUST AS MUCH to us. Check
out some suggestions
below.
Do
something today, for yourself, and for LAO!
---- Donate whatever you can give, so that we can build our membership |
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Fred's
wife passed away, following a long illness, just 5 months ago. He
still feels the loss of the love of his life. They had no
children; both of them worked hard together, through the years, to
build their thriving floral business.
After they
retired,
his wife became ill. While caring for her over a 3-year period of
time, Fred gradually lost contact with his friends and past
employees. He was spending far too much time alone, mainly caring
for his greenhouse plants. Then, through LAO membership, he found
his contact companion, Margaret.
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Margaret's
daughter and family live four states away, and lead very busy
lives. But they are glad to know she keeps constant contact with
her LAO member companion, Fred, who makes sure she is okay at home each
day.
They talk in the evenings. She and Fred immediately connected, as
contact companions, through their common interest in flowers and house
plants.
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| LessAlone.org
is easy to navigate,
contains a FAQ page for answering
questions on every detail of our site. Visitors can share stories
and
comments on our blog page, and post articles for user
information.
Best part of all - it's free, to anyone who wants to become a
member. (The only request is that members agree to be in contact
with their contact companion on a daily basis, or as they agree - the
only restriction is that members must be over 18 years of
age.) |
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Felicity
suffers from battered-woman syndrome, and avoids relationships with other
people. She lives
alone now, but it will be
quite a while before
she learns once again to trust anyone close to her.
By becoming a member of LAO, Felicity
can remain
anonymous
and, while she serves as contact companion for another person, she
knows that her LAO companion
cares about her. |
| We do
all the work to find our members a contact companion. Members,
during registration process, give us some simple information which aids
LAO in locating a member they choose for their contact companion who
shares similarities - in their locality, circumstances, interests and
background. |
| Wesley
is a recent veteran, back in the U.S. from Afghanistan. He has
been on total
disability for three months, and he has also been diagnosed with a
debilitating illness just 10 days ago. Wes has been suffering
from insomnia, too. He wants to start feeling 'normal', leave the
house and be with people - but he says he can't figure out how to do
this. Wes knows he needs to talk to someone, but he can't figure out WHO to talk
to!
Signing up for an LAO contact companion seems a viable solution to him,
since he can share with another member so anonymously. |
| Until
new members have chosen a
contact companion, their online member account displays up to 12 other
LAO member candidates who match well with them. Once they choose
a
member they wish to contact, by sending
an email invitation to connect as companions, the invited member has
the option to accept or decline that invitation. Of course,
someone
else might invite them first. |
Irene will soon live alone, in the home
she and her husband shared for 54 years. This is the same home
where they'd also raised their grand-daughter, Chrissie, from an
infant. Irene's husband has passed. It's just the two of
them now. But Chrissie leaves home for
college next month.
Chrissie wants her grandmother to sign up for an LAO contact companion
who will be close by, someone who will check on Irene regularly.
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Chrissie knows this
will
relieve her mind,
as to Irene's well-being, while she is busy and concentrates on her
studies. |
| Once
our members accept an invitation to connect, each member is given
the other member's first name and phone number. Initially, one
member is nearly anonymous to the other - and for the purposes of their
providing safety assistance to the other, the contact information
provided is sufficient to fulfill
their roles as contact companion. |
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Clarisse moved for a
job in a
new city just three weeks prior to being injured in a severe car
accident. She didn't
know anyone in the city,
as yet, other than co-workers she had just met. |
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When she located her LAO contact
companion, she was so relieved that she and the woman could assist each
other. Her LAO-member
contact
companion is permanently disabled and virtually house-bound,
but they both share an avid interest in graphology.
Clarisse looks forward to chatting each morning with her companion,
knowing
that she gives this woman not only delightful conversation, but also
provides both of them with necessary safety and peace-of-mind, in the
case an accident or injury should befall either in
their homes. |
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| Now,
these two members can begin to get to know each other, set times
of the day for their checking in with each other, and even exchange "in
case of emergency" contact information with each other. Alternatively,
LAO members can store their "I.C.E." information in their own online
member
account, giving emergency personnel quick access to vital
information (just a phone-call away). This can be a life-saver,
in cases where time is of the essence. |
Nathan
suffers from bi-polar disorder, and often does not leave his apartment
for days at a time. He says his best times are spent
outdoors. However, Nathan always remembers
to contact his LAO companion daily. Aware of his
difficulties, the companion is flexible with Nathan as to whether (or
not) they chat on any given
day.
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| An
estimated 31 million people,
across the USA, live alone - and statistics show this number rises each
year. Among these millions are thousands of people living alone who
really ARE ALONE, without
anyone to check on them. At this point, they risk not only their
physical well-being, but their mental health, as well. |
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Although
Thomas has been permanently disabled since birth, he possesses a quick
intellect, which allows him to live on his own. He also just
completed his college degree, and loves repairing computers.
Many people think, because of his affliction, that Thomas should not
live alone. However, he prefers to do as much as he can for
himself. Upon locating his contact companion, he was very
gratified
by the realization he is able to provide security to another.
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Our
organization recognizes that
people do not need to be as alone as they are, when there are others
all around them in similar circumstances and situations, sometimes
closer to each other than the two of them know - whether in the middle
of a large city, or secluded in a small rural community.
With your donation, you can make a difference in two peoples' lives at
a time. With your help, we can all reach out and identify those
who
would be safer and more secure at home. Even though they live
alone,
they can be less alone!
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Register yourself as
a member today,
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or help someone else
to register. |
a) Take a few
minutes to help
someone sign up as a member through our website.
b) Print off a
flyer at site
LessAlone.info and include it in mailings. If you own a
business, consider including the flyer in envelopes of your
employees' pay-stubs.
c) Mention our
organization in
your Twitter and Facebook (any social media)
comments,
encouraging people to visit LessAlone.org website.
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