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Author Topic: Salvage Project Experience  (Read 43726 times)
breinholz
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« on: June 19, 2018, 07:50:53 am »

Hi Everyone – first time posting here. It’s actually a bit surreal, since I haven’t been on a web forum in over 10 years and it was actually a web forum (for Christian teens) where I met my wife. Ah, nostalgia.  Roll Eyes

My name is Brian and I am a current GCC member, though more accurately I’m in small town Nebraska doing missions work among Native Americans.

I understand that the purpose of this forum is for ex-GCC members to share challenges / wounds / grieve experiences they had in church previously, but I hope you’ll indulge me for a short post about my experiences because I think it’s important.

The reason I’m sharing this is because I’ve heard some rumors about the Salvage Project / Jeromy that imply the org is not what it’s purported to be, or perhaps Jeromy is living a lavish lifestyle.

Jeromy and 2 other gentle, Spirit-filled guys all drove 8-10 hours (each way) to spend a few days ministering among Native Americans here, at my request. I met Jeromy at a conference and thought the gifts God has given him were a fit for the emotional hurting of the tribe here, where understanding and emotional connection is what’s needed, not more handouts. They stayed in my basement, ate the basic meals I pulled together, paid their own gas and blessed folks on the reservation with food or other small kindnesses where they/we could. At the jail performance 12 women prayed to receive Christ.

The guys embraced us as brothers and were a huge blessing to my young kiddos. One of my children cried for 10 minutes when the guys left because they experienced so much love and missed them!  Cry

Friends, I’m not puffing these gents up, they’re just guys, but I’m just saying this ministry is exactly what it purports to be. Please be careful what you assume and what rumors you might spread.

There’s a lot of opposition in the world already to taking a stand on anything, and (at least I can say here around the reservation) a lot of spiritual evil that opposes the work of the gospel.

Sharing your own story is important, I would never want to deprive anyone of that. Churches, pastors, leaders make mistakes and people get hurt. Just remember to speak life, speak love, test the spirits and be cautious before you reply, repost, retweet.

That’s all! Thanks for listening. I’ll check in to reply to my own post but don’t intend on being active on the forum’s threads otherwise.

With love and kindness. Until the whole world hears.

-Brian
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OneOfMany
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« Reply #1 on: June 19, 2018, 08:01:41 am »

Thank you for sharing Brian. It is good to know that they were able to help you out.

However, anyone who donated to this trip will according to their website expect that donation to be tax deductible. And it is not because they have lost their 501c3 standing by not filing their taxes for three years.

Jeromy Darling openly solicited funds toward the trip he made to help you out. He has a video on his FB page asking people to send him travel money. The donation page used to collect those funds claims that he is in good standing with the IRS and that the donation is tax deductible. This is a lie.

Please make those who might have donated to him during his stay with you that donations are not tax deductible.

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Huldah
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« Reply #2 on: June 19, 2018, 11:17:43 am »

Breinholz, thank you for taking the time to share your experiences.

The issue is not whether or not Jeromy is sincere in his ministry. I assume he is. However, if you would take some time to review his posts in this forum (username jeromydaviddarling) you would understand part of the problem.

Consider whether or not Jeromy might be undermining his own ministry by revealing such a dark side of himself on this forum. If you read his words for yourself, you'll see several disturbing things:

- he reviles people who disagree with him with coarse and degrading language,
- uses violent imagery (and refuses, when asked, to confirm that he only meant the violence metaphorically),
- outs the privacy of users who wished to remain anonymous,
- says things that are meant to intimidate potential witnesses, who might otherwise have been willing to speak up about his father's alleged sexual harassment of young women.

He even admitted that he joined this forum with no intention of following the rules. That is, he lied when he clicked the box that said he would follow the rules, and moreover, when confronted on the lie, he said he was entitled to do so because he was accountable to no one but God (not his exact words, necessarily, but you can read it for yourself). How can an admitted, unrepentant liar stand in front of his audience as an ambassador for the Truth?

If the women he witnessed to had read his posts before they heard him speak, would they have been open to hearing the gospel from him? Would he have had any credibility in their eyes?
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breinholz
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« Reply #3 on: June 19, 2018, 11:55:36 am »

Thank you for sharing Brian. It is good to know that they were able to help you out.

Hey thank YOU for listening! Come visit the sandhills, it will be a great experience - look me up!  Smiley

However, anyone who donated to this trip will according to their website expect that donation to be tax deductible. And it is not because they have lost their 501c3 standing by not filing their taxes for three years.

Yeah, he did mention that. The accountant he used for 3 years failed to file his 990. So he switched to a new accounting firm and is now all caught up on their 990s and is in the process of having is 501 C3 status reinstated.

The paperwork on running a non-profit on a shoestring can be tough, it's an honest mistake.

Please make those who might have donated to him during his stay with you that donations are not tax deductible.

I will... though FWIW I'm pretty sure we're talking ~$50 donations and very few people are probably trying to write them off. I gave up trying for those itemized deductions years ago. But yes, that's fair, it should be made clear of course, just to be safe

Breinholz, thank you for taking the time to share your experiences.

Hey, my pleasure. You should come to the sandhills too and visit.  Grin

The issue is not whether or not Jeromy is sincere in his ministry. I assume he is. However, if you would take some time to review his posts in this forum (username jeromydaviddarling) you would understand part of the problem.

Consider whether or not Jeromy might be undermining his own ministry by revealing such a dark side of himself on this forum. If you read his words for yourself, you'll see several disturbing things:

- he reviles people who disagree with him with coarse and degrading language,
- uses violent imagery (and refuses, when asked, to confirm that he only meant the violence metaphorically),
- outs the privacy of users who wished to remain anonymous,
- says things that are meant to intimidate potential witnesses, who might otherwise have been willing to speak up about his father's alleged sexual harassment of young women.

He even admitted that he joined this forum with no intention of following the rules. That is, he lied when he clicked the box that said he would follow the rules, and moreover, when confronted on the lie, he said he was entitled to do so because he was accountable to no one but God (not his exact words, necessarily, but you can read it for yourself). How can an admitted, unrepentant liar stand in front of his audience as an ambassador for the Truth?

OK, point taken, I did read some of those posts after I found out about this (I've never lived in Minneapolis, so I'm really not connected to ECC/etc). He feels VERY attacked by all of this, they're a very close family, even if you disagree with some of the word choices my guess is you'd understand that.

Forum threads can be tricky, confusing, divisive places at times. I'm pretty sure if we were all sitting around the couch we'd end the conversation with smiles, understanding, well wishes and embrace. I've seen his tears and his love for people.

If the women he witnessed to had read his posts before they heard him speak, would they have been open to hearing the gospel from him? Would he have had any credibility in their eyes?

I couldn't say, but he wouldn't have endured the long road hours, time from family, and mediocre bed in an old musty basement (at no personal profit) if he didn't love those beautiful folks dearly.  Tongue

God is doing an exciting work of revival among our indigenous tribes in the US, after 2 centuries of tragedy/racism/oppression. Please pray for that work to continue!!

Thanks and God Bless

-Brian
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Linda
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« Reply #4 on: June 19, 2018, 12:03:05 pm »

As a former director of a 501c3 non-profit, I can relate to confusion regarding tax filing. Our non-profit was small, and had no hired staff (including me) and therefore no accountant, attorneys, etc. In this regard, I feel for Jeromy. It's hard to navigate the system. However, I do believe the IRS sent reminders about the 990. Again, addresses change and someone alone in a ministry could not be aware of the filing requirements. So, I do have some mercy.

Glad he's correcting the error.

One thing I did notice is that there is no "one time" option on his donation page.

http://www.thesalvageproject.org/donate

If you give, you have two options. Monthly or Yearly. It defaults to "monthly" giving. So, I assume this means that if a person went to the site and contributed $10 (or $50 or $100) toward the recent trip to "help out with gas", the person most likely signed up for a "monthly" $10 give because that was the default.  I wonder if people are aware of that. He really should notify people of the error because monthly donations can add up and they would need to amend their taxes if they took 501c3 deductions for 2017.
« Last Edit: June 19, 2018, 12:04:37 pm by Linda » Logged

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Huldah
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« Reply #5 on: June 19, 2018, 12:20:17 pm »

... even if you disagree with some of the word choices my guess is you'd understand that.

Well, calling this a mere issue of "word choices" really minimizes what he did here. Besides, saying that he was "attacked" is kind of a stretch. There was an agreement on this forum to leave the Darling kids out of the discussion, until Jeromy showed up here loaded for bear (figuratively). Plenty of people have gone through things as bad or worse than Jeromy, but they've still managed to remain truthful and act with integrity. I just don't see his behavior as consistent with ministry work. You may disagree.

God is doing an exciting work of revival among our indigenous tribes in the US, after 2 centuries of tragedy/racism/oppression. Please pray for that work to continue!!
-Brian

Brian, that kind of good news is always welcome on this forum! I hope people on both sides of the Darling debate will keep your people in prayer. May God richly bless your ministry.
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OneOfMany
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« Reply #6 on: June 19, 2018, 12:45:15 pm »

Having watched as Jeromy Darling communicated in a manner that cannot in any way, shape or form be described as civil much less Christian I just don't accept that he poorly choose his words. His behavior here went on for weeks, if not a couple months. In fact it was JD's behavior which I would describe as reprehensible that led to my joining this forum. In my opinion his behavior here is such that he is unfit for service. I have been put through the ringer with unjust legal threats and I did not turn on people as he did. There simply is no excuse for an adult to behave that way, especially when it is ongoing and over time shows itself to be who he is not just a bad day.

Further. If JD has integrity he will change his website NOW! He is not in compliance with the 501c3 and his website states that he is. This puts all donors at risk with the IRS. In my opinion Jeremy Darling needs to add a paragraph to his donation page alerting people to the date he lost his standing and that any donations made from that date until he is back in standing are not deductible. That alert should remain indefinitely so those who have donated have a chance to find it and amend their taxes.

As for Jeremy only taking in small donations only Jeremy knows if his donations have been small. It appears he may be living in a donated house on donated property. The thing is we just do not know the extent of his donations so to excuse what he has done saying his donations are only small is not helpful. You cannot make that statement unless he has opened up his accounting to you.

My opinion and warning:

I realize Jeremy is very charismatic, as is his father. But charisma does not indicate good character. After watching Jeromy Darling these past few months I would not be willing to testify to his good character. I have no doubt that he can act kind but his behavior might be only an act. That is how far he has fallen in my esteem. I see him as a charismatic actor. You mentioned his long drive as evidence of his good character and why would he travel so far? To feed his ego. That is why. One of the top 10 professions people who have psychopathic personalities choose is that of a pastor/minister. They do not go around killing people. But they love power. People keep telling them that they saved their lives and their souls. People tell them how great their story is, their music is, their teaching is. People attribute their soul saving to this person. It is one huge power trip for those that love themselves. So please read deep into this forum and learn who these people are. Then look at things with a new eye. If you still find merit in Jeromy Darling at least you have learned about his "church" and more of what he has revealed about his character.
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breinholz
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« Reply #7 on: June 19, 2018, 01:17:28 pm »

Having watched as Jeromy Darling communicated in a manner that cannot in any way, shape or form be described as civil much less Christian I just don't accept that he poorly choose his words. His behavior here went on for weeks, if not a couple months. In fact it was JD's behavior which I would describe as reprehensible that led to my joining this forum. In my opinion his behavior here is such that he is unfit for service. I have been put through the ringer with unjust legal threats and I did not turn on people as he did. There simply is no excuse for an adult to behave that way, especially when it is ongoing and over time shows itself to be who he is not just a bad day.
But stick to the facts, right? “In your anger do not sin” but being angry doesn’t mean you’re not a Christian. It’s statements like that, that are so deeply hurtful and only stir the pot.

I think (but again, I’m really on the fringe here, I’m cautious of having too much commentary on this) the notion that we can criticize/defame people by name, online, anonymously, and cause a huge storm is really hurtful. “Be careful little lips what you say.” I think it is that fact in large part that has incited a passionate/angry response in some cases.

Further. If JD has integrity he will change his website NOW! He is not in compliance with the 501c3 and his website states that he is. This puts all donors at risk with the IRS. In my opinion Jeremy Darling needs to add a paragraph to his donation page alerting people to the date he lost his standing and that any donations made from that date until he is back in standing are not deductible. That alert should remain indefinitely so those who have donated have a chance to find it and amend their taxes.
I will mention it.

I realize Jeremy is very charismatic, as is his father. But charisma does not indicate good character. After watching Jeromy Darling these past few months I would not be willing to testify to his good character. I have no doubt that he can act kind but his behavior might be only an act. That is how far he has fallen in my esteem. I see him as a charismatic actor. You mentioned his long drive as evidence of his good character and why would he travel so far? To feed his ego. That is why. One of the top 10 professions people who have psychopathic personalities choose is that of a pastor/minister. They do not go around killing people. But they love power. People keep telling them that they saved their lives and their souls. People tell them how great their story is, their music is, their teaching is. People attribute their soul saving to this person. It is one huge power trip for those that love themselves. So please read deep into this forum and learn who these people are. Then look at things with a new eye. If you still find merit in Jeromy Darling at least you have learned about his "church" and more of what he has revealed about his character.
OneOfMany, I receive your words in a spirit of love and desire for accountability and health in the church. I always seek to assume the best unless proven wrong otherwise. I’m sure you have a long and challenging history with ECC, if you’ve shared it on here I haven’t read it full disclosure.

Ephesians 4:2 says to be humble in all circumstances and make allowance for another’s faults. They are hard words for Jeromy to receive amidst trying times, but I’m 100% sure the Spirit in him will bring discernment and softness in all situations.

They are also important words for everyone present here. It seems to me, most folks on this site are very genuine and had some hard and hurtful experiences, and it’s helpful to grieve that together. You know, I understand that. God is the great healer, we all need to hold each other up.

I think there are a few people on the site who seem to have given themselves to hatred and vitriol and have become hardhearted. I don’t doubt some challenging experiences led to that point. But nobody on this particular thread has come across that way, so my faith (yes I am Pollyanna at times) is that some good  & reconciliation will come of this challenging season.

Well, calling this a mere issue of "word choices" really minimizes what he did here. Besides, saying that he was "attacked" is kind of a stretch. There was an agreement on this forum to leave the Darling kids out of the discussion, until Jeromy showed up here loaded for bear (figuratively). Plenty of people have gone through things as bad or worse than Jeromy, but they've still managed to remain truthful and act with integrity. I just don't see his behavior as consistent with ministry work. You may disagree.
I’m just saying the entire situation is extremely emotionally trying for the family, even if they’re not being “targeted” in your opinion. I understand your point.

One thing I did notice is that there is no "one time" option on his donation page.
http://www.thesalvageproject.org/donate
If you give, you have two options. Monthly or Yearly. It defaults to "monthly" giving. So, I assume this means that if a person went to the site and contributed $10 (or $50 or $100) toward the recent trip to "help out with gas", the person most likely signed up for a "monthly" $10 give because that was the default.  I wonder if people are aware of that. He really should notify people of the error because monthly donations can add up and they would need to amend their taxes if they took 501c3 deductions for 2017.
That’s a good point, probably just how the ecommerce platform is set up/some defaults but worth exploring the options. I can mention that.
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ShineTheLight
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« Reply #8 on: June 19, 2018, 01:31:24 pm »

If you are in active communication with Jeromy, you might also point out to him that a sincere apology to those who were hurt by the approach he has taken in this forum and on FB would go a  very long way to putting things right.  He is also, no doubt, due an apology from some, myself included - I confess I haven't always had the purest of motives, intentions and thoughts concerning him and his behavior. At the, beginning all of us were sympathetic to all of the Darling children, most of us still are to his siblings, who've been either silent or engaged respectfully. We are all still called to be sympathetic to him, regardless, but my belief right now is that he only stopped the attacks on this forum because it was brought to the attention of senior church leadership vs. that he has had any realization or change of heart regarding his own offensive behavior.
« Last Edit: June 19, 2018, 01:33:26 pm by ShineTheLight » Logged
OneOfMany
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« Reply #9 on: June 19, 2018, 01:35:51 pm »

Brian I appreciate your commentary. Thank you. And it is good to hear your report on the people you minister to.
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Huldah
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« Reply #10 on: June 19, 2018, 02:00:22 pm »

One thing I did notice is that there is no "one time" option on his donation page.
http://www.thesalvageproject.org/donate
If you give, you have two options. Monthly or Yearly. It defaults to "monthly" giving.

Linda, I understood it to be automatically set up as a one-time gift, unless you check the box and choose Monthly or Yearly. This appears to be PayPal's default setting for charitable websites.

What I thought was odd, was that there was no prayer request list. Nothing asking for prayer for the ministry, and very little reference to God at all. Jeromy's "Story" doesn't even mention where and how he came to Christ. Or did I miss something?
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Fireball
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« Reply #11 on: June 19, 2018, 02:18:12 pm »

One thing I did notice is that there is no "one time" option on his donation page.
http://www.thesalvageproject.org/donate
If you give, you have two options. Monthly or Yearly. It defaults to "monthly" giving.

Linda, I understood it to be automatically set up as a one-time gift, unless you check the box and choose Monthly or Yearly. This appears to be PayPal's default setting for charitable websites.

What I thought was odd, was that there was no prayer request list. Nothing asking for prayer for the ministry, and very little reference to God at all. Jeromy's "Story" doesn't even mention where and how he came to Christ. Or did I miss something?

Do you not have anything better to do with your day or time!? My goodness.
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Huldah
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« Reply #12 on: June 19, 2018, 02:35:51 pm »

Fireball, I wonder if the irony of your post is apparent to you. ~sigh~
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OneOfMany
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« Reply #13 on: June 19, 2018, 02:44:16 pm »

One thing I did notice is that there is no "one time" option on his donation page.
http://www.thesalvageproject.org/donate
If you give, you have two options. Monthly or Yearly. It defaults to "monthly" giving.

Linda, I understood it to be automatically set up as a one-time gift, unless you check the box and choose Monthly or Yearly. This appears to be PayPal's default setting for charitable websites.

What I thought was odd, was that there was no prayer request list. Nothing asking for prayer for the ministry, and very little reference to God at all. Jeromy's "Story" doesn't even mention where and how he came to Christ. Or did I miss something?

Do you not have anything better to do with your day or time!? My goodness.

I am laughing so hard. May I ask...Do you not have anything better to do with your day or time!? My goodness.
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Linda
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« Reply #14 on: June 19, 2018, 03:10:32 pm »

Quote from: Huldah
Linda, I understood it to be automatically set up as a one-time gift, unless you check the box and choose Monthly or Yearly. This appears to be PayPal's default setting for charitable websites.

I missed the box to check, but what threw me was the donation part of the home page. Here's the link. It has the various categories for giving: Basic, Bronze, Silver, Gold and by each category it says "month".

http://www.thesalvageproject.org

If you click on the option for "See all options" it takes you to the page I linked originally (see below) and there you see the options (Basic, Bronze, Silver, Gold, etc.). I happened to notice on the first page it said monthly. So if you are a Bronze member you are committed to $50 a month. As Brian mentioned, a $50 mistake on a tax form would not make much difference. However, if that was for 12 months it would be a much bigger error. I'm sure Jeromy would not want to deceive people and since he is familiar with web design, he could fix this rather quickly and issue a note of apology and explanation. Perhaps he already has.:

http://www.thesalvageproject.org/donate

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Linda
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« Reply #15 on: June 19, 2018, 03:12:13 pm »

Quote from: Fireball
Do you not have anything better to do with your day or time!? My goodness

Would this be considered a form of ad hominem or a red herring?
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Linda
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« Reply #16 on: June 19, 2018, 03:17:09 pm »

Quote from: Linda
Would this be considered a form of ad hominem or a red herring?
Adam, did I just beg the question by asking this?
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Fireball
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« Reply #17 on: June 19, 2018, 04:20:32 pm »

Fireball, I wonder if the irony of your post is apparent to you. ~sigh~

Ya got me, Huldah, because I was here to criticize the act of posting (with a post) rather than what you're posting about...silly me.
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OneOfMany
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« Reply #18 on: June 20, 2018, 10:28:12 am »

I just checked to see if the right thing has been done. No, no it has not.

The Salvage Project website: www.thesalvageproject.org has not corrected the tax status error nor have they posted a notice to alert those who have already donated that their donations have not been tax deductible.

The tax exemption claim can be still be seen on the donation page: http://www.thesalvageproject.org/donate

I design websites. It does not take long to change a page even if you are on your own server. Jeromy Darling has said he designs websites so I expect he would change the text on the page if he wanted to. If someone is maintaining the Salvage Project website for Jeromy Darling then they will hopefully help him out and update the pages.
« Last Edit: June 20, 2018, 10:31:56 am by OneOfMany » Logged
Mango
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« Reply #19 on: June 20, 2018, 11:20:33 am »

I just checked to see if the right thing has been done. No, no it has not.

The Salvage Project website: www.thesalvageproject.org has not corrected the tax status error nor have they posted a notice to alert those who have already donated that their donations have not been tax deductible.

The tax exemption claim can be still be seen on the donation page: http://www.thesalvageproject.org/donate

I design websites. It does not take long to change a page even if you are on your own server. Jeromy Darling has said he designs websites so I expect he would change the text on the page if he wanted to. If someone is maintaining the Salvage Project website for Jeromy Darling then they will hopefully help him out and update the pages.

Thank you for your ministry Oneofmany, you've got a big heart for helping others.
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