Let's get Larry out to see Leno! (donation thread)

[Benjamin.]

LAST EDIT: Donations have been closed as of 11:59PM EST, Friday 1/15/2010 - thank you for all the support! This was fun

This has gone above and beyond the amount needed to send Larry to California, but everyone's generosity will not go to waste - the additional funds will be donated to relief efforts for the earthquake victims in Haiti.

Donation deadline is 11:59PM EST, Friday 1/15/2010. At that point, I'll discuss with Larry what he feels is a reasonable amount for the trip, and the remainder will be donated to the Red Cross.

Thanks to everyone for being a part of this!

As many have read, Larry received a phone call from Jay Leno on Tuesday.

Thread: http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=4702637

Quick recap of the conversation:

Quote, originally posted by vwlarry »

Well, he called me back, and we talked for about 40 minutes or so. I don't know what to say; I'm about to bust. Talk about a surprise from out of the wild blue yonder. This is one of the few celebrities I really ever had dreams of talking with someday...and HE calls ME on the phone! We talked about steam power at first (he found me by reading my blog about Doble automobiles), and then the conversation just vectored off in several directions...Cords, stationary engines (you can see them in the Volt video in another thread btw), and then we talked about his and my backgrounds and stuff like that. It was just a fun, friendly, free-wheeling kind of conversation. Jay Leno, best of all, turns out to be exactly the kind of guy I had hoped he would be if I ever had the chance to meet him. He's a "regular guy", and that's about the highest compliment I have in my arsenal of compliments. We're going to talk some more in the future, and he even invited me to see the collection if I ever get to California. I'm still "gobsmacked" over this evening; I'll never forget it. The best part of all was the look on my son's face when he walked into the room when we were on the phone, and I mouthed the words "Jay Leno!" to him, pointing at the phone. I thought his eyeballs were going to pop out of his skull.

I wrote a lot more before, but basically - for anyone who missed it - it would be pretty awesome if we could all chip in to make a trip to CA a reality for Larry. It will realistically be a couple of months (at least) before he can get the time off of work and make the plans, so there won't be any instant gratification - but when the time comes, we all know Larry will document the trip extremely well, and hopefully his son - who will be along on the trip - knows his way around those newfangled whoseywhats digital phototaker gadgets to relieve Larry of any photojournalistic responsibilties.

Due to an overwhelming initial response, we are currently at a PayPal balance of $1200.91 (as of 1/15/2010 4:37PM EST). I would think as little as $700-800 could make for a really nice trip for Larry, especially if the generous offer from another TCL member of a free car while he's there comes through (TCL member JoeArlo has reiterated to me in PM that this is a concrete offer). If we hit that target, and people are still excited to be a part of this - perhaps we can all chip in to come up with creative ways for Larry to either spend the money, or a charity to which the excess should be donated.

I'll continue to update periodically with screenshots of the Paypal account, and will take a photo of the check(s) made out to Larry when the time comes to fork over the cash. If anybody would like to verify my trustworthiness with the money, my Ebay feedback (100% positive since 2001) is under the name "mynameisphunk".

Thank you to the following people who have donated:

Benjamin.
Manu44
OneLap - For VW Larry. Make sure he gets enough to get a digital camera too.
Byron Hurd (PassSedanGLX)
atomicalex
infiniteecho
pork
Sentinelist
SuperGroove
thesteve
EQVN01 - Well worth it, can't wait to hear and see how it went!
Arsigi
JtotheG
VadGTI
Peloton25
W. Sobchak - Godspeed larry!
Green Panzer - Have a great time Larry, I'm envious!
CXG231 - Larry's post-trip thread best be epic! Hehehe
FBMphil - Larry is an airplane.
andres16v
Lwize
JCJetta - for Larry to meet The Chin!
jettafan[atic] - I'm glad to help Larry fulfill a dream in any way I can. I'm a full time student and only working part time so money is tight but I can afford a few bucks to help out.
BrianC
DIAF
Toaster29 - Have fun on your trip, Larry.
LSinLV - Best of Luck on the Trip Larry!
Murderface
RogueOne
dubfan - Go Larry!
Booster
M3WannaBe
LordBass - Here's a few quid to get vwlarry out to Leno. I can't wait for the thread with pics! Cheers from TCL.
Achilles
Matchstick
Dawg Dee-Lux
My wife
mutcth - Larry, I don't know anyone who would better relish a trip to Jay's garage than you.
Dave928 - VWLarry, one of the best assets on TCL / VW Vortex. go meet your hero! worth every penny...
spoonie - hey Larry, I hope this small contribution can help towards you grabbing a digital point'n'shoot... because we'll all be expecting LOTS of pictures...
kar_nut
PlatinumGLS - Hope you have a great time hanging out with Leno! I am truly envious!

Last but not least: Pelko (or more likely, an anonymous donor in his name), with this message: hopefully jay will show larry his impressive array of supercars, none of which match the power and speed of my personal 3000gt, but still cool nonetheless

Amazing!



Modified by Benjamin. at 9:09 AM 1-16-2010

[Manu44]

$20 incoming.

sent (ecapox)


Modified by Manu44 at 10:10 AM 12-31-2009

[fsuhorizon]

Having only read some of Larry's thread... How do we know he needs us to donate to get him to California?

[OneLap]

Quote, originally posted by fsuhorizon »

Having only read some of Larry's thread... How do we know he needs us to donate to get him to California?

For all the reading and knowledge I've gotten from vwlarry posts, I consider a donation to Larry like giving to NPR.

Edit: Money sent. Kudos to Benjamin for sticking his neck out and doing this.



Modified by OneLap at 10:23 AM 12-31-2009

[OptimusGlen]

In for later.

[AE2058]

I want to see Jay Leno

Jro3322@yahoo.com for paypal donation

I will gladly send signed picture to all who donate to my cause.

[Servo888]

Quote, originally posted by fsuhorizon »

Having only read some of Larry's thread... How do we know he needs us to donate to get him to California?

X2

Larry doesn't strike me as someone without money...

[brad@fifteen52]

Have you checked with Larry before posting this? If not, I'd ask a mod to lock it until Larry (and VMG) give you the okay

[DIAF]

Quote, originally posted by Servo888 »

X2 Larry doesn't strike me as someone without money...

Yeah, lots of people got wealthy spending most of 2009 unemployed.

Money sent. Larry should call Jay and find out when would be a good weekend. Let him know that he's got the backing of the internet's largest car forum paying his way.


Modified by DIAF at 9:28 AM 12-31-2009

[SpecialFX]

While I respect this and feel that it is a noble effort, I would personally feel better about a donation if Larry chimed in here.

[Benjamin.]

Quote, originally posted by fsuhorizon »

Having only read some of Larry's thread... How do we know he needs us to donate to get him to California?

I'll let him fill in the details if he chooses to, but he does.

[Benjamin.]

Quote, originally posted by brad@fifteen52 »

Have you checked with Larry before posting this? If not, I'd ask a mod to lock it until Larry (and VMG) give you the okay

Quote, originally posted by SpecialFX »

While I respect this and feel that it is a noble effort, I would personally feel better about a donation if Larry chimed in here.

(11:43 AM 12-30-2009) vwlarry: If you don't mind, I'll leave it up to you. I'd be honored to be considered like this by you and the TCL members, and it's guaranteed that I would bring back a really good story for everyone. It'd be like a private tour of Jay's inner sanctum, for me and several thousand of my closest friends.

[kwik!gti]

Will be donating a 20 spot once I get home later.

[Benjamin.]

Quote, originally posted by DIAF »

Yeah, lots of people got wealthy spending most of 2009 unemployed.

Not everybody knows or follows those details - give him the benefit of the doubt without the rolleyes

[PickleZygote]

[PassSedanGLX]

$20 in and my offer to act as an airport taxi still stands.

[pork]

I don't frequently post in the car lounge, as I mostly post in the VW sections, but I read pretty much every thread and have done so for many years. I cant really say his post's have ever really interested me, but you can definitely tell his passion for what he writes about. I have no problem donating $20 to help the cause. As a fellow enthusiast I wish I could be in his shoes, and definitely want to help make it a reality for him. I'm just waiting on confirmation that this is indeed his wish, and the money will be sent!

[atomicalex]

sent.

[PassSedanGLX]

Quote, originally posted by pork »

I don't frequently post in the car lounge, as I mostly post in the VW sections, but I read pretty much every thread and have done so for many years. I cant really say his post's have ever really interested me, but you can definitely tell his passion for what he writes about. I have no problem donating $20 to help the cause. As a fellow enthusiast I wish I could be in his shoes, and definitely want to help make it a reality for him. I'm just waiting on confirmation that this is indeed his wish, and the money will be sent!

It may sound like a cop-out, but Larry's far too polite to ask for something like this. I know he will be greatly moved by everybody's generosity, and he will absolutely make the most of this opportunity.

[infiniteecho]

I wish I could be so lucky. I have always wanted to meet Jay.

Gift from Echoservers.

[MylesPH1]

I'll contribute - plus, I bet the SoCal TCL guys would help once he gets here. Got a couple things in mind - NOT including tagging along to Leno's garage, since that should really only be Larry and his son.

[pork]

Quote, originally posted by PassSedanGLX »

It may sound like a cop-out, but Larry's far too polite to ask for something like this. I know he will be greatly moved by everybody's generosity, and he will absolutely make the most of this opportunity.

understood, money SENT!

[Sentinelist]

Donation sent.

[LuckyDogg]

Quote, originally posted by Benjamin. »

(11:43 AM 12-30-2009) vwlarry: It'd be like a private tour of Jay's inner sanctum

Why does this sound so dirty?

[windycityvdub]

Let's set out what exactly our donations are going to:

Fly Larry out to L.A? Where does he live? Does he have frequent flyer miles he can contribute? Does a TCL member work for AA/United/Delta/whatever and can help with the flying aspect? What is the cheapest and most economical time to fly?

Can TCL members provide transportation to/from airports? Is Larry going to stay overnight? Can a member set him up overnight at their house if so?

[SuperGroove]

sent.

Larry you better have some good MF'in stories and pictures after this!!

[Benjamin.]

Just a quick note....I'll be a little tied up this weekend (not literally...well, OK, who knows) as I'm getting married Saturday, so if the list isn't updated until early/mid next week, that's why

[SuperGroove]

Quote, originally posted by Benjamin. »

Just a quick note....I'll be a little tied up this weekend (not literally...well, OK, who knows) as I'm getting married Saturday, so if the list isn't updated until early/mid next week, that's why

oh man...this is how a legendary story starts.

[MylesPH1]

Quote, originally posted by windycityvdub »

Let's set out what exactly our donations are going to: Fly Larry out to L.A? Where does he live? Does he have frequent flyer miles he can contribute? Does a TCL member work for AA/United/Delta/whatever and can help with the flying aspect? What is the cheapest and most economical time to fly? Can TCL members provide transportation to/from airports? Is Larry going to stay overnight? Can a member set him up overnight at their house if so?

Larry lives in Delaware, so yes, donations would be primarily for plane tickets. I'm sure a few people out here would be willing to help, but it might still be a bit early for the West Coast people, brah

GREAT idea, Benjamin

[Benjamin.]

Quote, originally posted by windycityvdub »

Let's set out what exactly our donations are going to: Fly Larry out to L.A? Where does he live? Does he have frequent flyer miles he can contribute? Does a TCL member work for AA/United/Delta/whatever and can help with the flying aspect? What is the cheapest and most economical time to fly? Can TCL members provide transportation to/from airports? Is Larry going to stay overnight? Can a member set him up overnight at their house if so?

It really depends on how much we contribute - I don't think that round trip airfare and a couple days of hotel + rental car + reasonable food would be unreasonable for him to spend on if the amount of sufficient. Having to rely on crashing on someone's couch, and/or having someone taxi him around rather than having a reasonably-priced rental car isn't something I think we should dictate.

If the amount is more than that needed for the above....then he should rent a 'Vette convertible.

[Chutzler]

Quote, originally posted by Benjamin. »

Just a quick note....I'll be a little tied up this weekend (not literally...well, OK, who knows) as I'm getting married Saturday, so if the list isn't updated until early/mid next week, that's why

Good news abound! Congrats

[absoluteczech]

Quote, originally posted by Servo888 »

X2 Larry doesn't strike me as someone without money...

gonna have to agree, id rather donate $ to someone here that lost his job and down on his luck and needs help getting a car then a plane ticket sdomeone can buy themselves.

Modified by absoluteczech at 8:13 AM 12-31-2009

[AE2058]

VWLarry has asked that I join him on this venture..

[SuperGroove]

Quote, originally posted by absoluteczech »

gonna have to agree, id rather donate $ to someone here that lost his job and down on his luck and need help getting a car then a plane ticket he can buy himself.

yeah, but you wouldn't do that either, would you?

[Benjamin.]

Do we want to set a dollar limit for donations? If we exceed the limit needed for Larry to fly/drive/stay in CA, should we agree on a charity to donate the surplus to, or should Larry be able to spend a little extra to make the trip (and the story) a bit more special?

As infiniteecho stated in PM - the cheapest time to buy airfare is Tuesday afternoon - that's also the cheapest time to fly. However, with Larry starting a new job shortly, anything other than weekend travel may be an impossibility. It will depend greatly on when the trip is POSSIBLE for Larry.

Of course, I'm open to all options as to when to cut off donations, or if we should keep things open to all who choose to be a part of this, regardless of what the amount ends up being.