***If you would like to submit your own $5 Paper Airplane Story then send the story and picture (if available) to keepingupwithmom [at] gmail [dot] com***

 - EMAIL FROM DAN -

Hey, Joanie.

Hope you’re well.

I wanted to send you an email to let you know that I gave away my first $5 airplane last week.  It’s funny because, although am in contact with the homeless quite often, I almost never remember to bring $5 bills.  I wish I had a pic or something but Victor (the homeless man that I met) didn’t want to take a picture.  I was able to share a sandwich and coffee with him on two separate occasions.  Hopefully, more!

Just wanted to say, “Thanks for the idea.”

Have a great day.

Dan

-MEET STEVEN-

Steven used to be a contractor for industrial and commercial buildings.  He is now homeless. He has been hitch hiking from Delaware and it has taken him a month and a half to get to Utah. He plans on hitch hiking the rest of the way to L.A. to pay respect to a few family member’s graves and get a job through a friend there. Good luck Steven! I hope everything works out for you!

When I saw Steven, instead of getting on the free way I pulled over and went to the gas station he was standing near. I went in picked out a vitamin water (fruit punch), a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos and got $10 back….in fives, obviously! (Thought that was pretty safe. Everyone likes Cool Ranch, right???) So I walked over to him and gave him the food and the $5 paper airplane and asked him about his “story”. While we were talking a lady I passed while walking up to see Steven came over and brought him the left over pizza she was bringing home from their meal at Applebee’s. Mmmm, Applebee’s! Anyway, Steven was super grateful. I hope he makes it to where he’s going safely!

-MEET GARY-

Gary has a cool cane……….

Gary is homeless. He has been trying to make his way back up to Idaho, but apparently his van blew a tire…..even though that same day when I drove past where he had been sitting, his red van was gone. But whatever….Doesn’t really matter if his whole story was true or not, he was cute, and that’s all that matters in life……..Okay it’s not, but see for yourself how cute he was -

I pulled over when I saw him sitting there and gave him the $5 paper airplane I made up real quick and also a piece of the hot pizza I had been sent out to get for the fam. Poor guy had no front teeth, but he seemed to still enjoy it

-MEET ROBERT-

Yesterday I was driving away from my bank and was passing a homeless guy and thought, shucks! the light’s green I can’t give this guy 5 bucks….so I had a thought go through my mind and decided to share it on twitter. Here’s the “tweet”:

“Have U ever made a paper plane out of a $5 bill & thrown it out ur car window while passing a homeless guy? Me neither but I’ve thought about it.”

Anyway, so today I was by my bank again and there was a black homeless guy sitting in the same place. I could have sworn he was white yesterday but whatever. So I got an extra 5 dollars out of my bank and pulled over and made a paper airplane out of it. Then I drove over to the homeless guy, named Robert and asked him if I could get a picture with him. We took like 7. Had to be somewhat decent right? Anyway, I gave him the $5 plane (Sorry, white guy. You picked the wrong corner today) and asked if he minded if I posted the picture on my blog. He said he didn’t mind, and I gave him the blog url so he could see it if he ever had internet access….I hope he doesn’t pretend like he never gave me permission and then sue me. (Robert, if you’re reading this, that was a joke, you can’t actually sue me for this. That never happens….ever! I have no money)

Anyway, Robert and his wife need a place to stay. If you know of a place they can stay, he can usually be found on the corner of University Ave and…..across from the Provo Mall, by Chase and McDonalds.

(……..Ok, yes. My kids were in the car waiting for Mom to get done taking pics with a homeless guy. Is that bad?)