We need your help!

Hello,

My son Joel will be riding his Vespa motor scooter across the United States in September to raise money for a friend tragically injured in a car accident and I will be driving the support truck.

We are asking people who wish to help, to donate money - unless of course you want to contribute by riding in a rental truck from San Francisco to Ocean City, MD and keep me company [grin].

Scott Harding is a New York musician, recording engineer and producer, who like many in the music business has no insurance to cover staggering medical bills as doctors try to repair massive damage to his spine. Here is what was posted shortly after the accident on Scotty's myspace page:

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Feb 25 2008 11:37 AM

Dear Friends Of Scott Harding,

Scott is in the Intensive Care Unit at Bellevue Hospital in New York City, a victim of a car crash Friday February 15th in which he was a passenger of a car service, returning home from a late night mixing session to finish a new record. Another car came at high speed through a stop sign and crashed broadside into his car. The accident occurred a short distance from his home. His condition is serious, with fractures of his clavicle, rib, shoulder blade, and back, including catastrophic fracture of his T5 vertebrae, crushing his spinal chord. The full extent to which he will recover remains unknown, but we have high hopes. He will need time, patience, and extended care to recover. Part of the doctor's stabilizing efforts at this early stage will be an operation on his back, currently scheduled for Thursday February 28th. All things considered, Scott's spirits are good, and he's able to fully participate and decide on all decisions regarding his health and welfare. There has been extensive consultation on many levels of the medical community here, and the consensus is he is receiving the best in medical care and treatment. All his friends and family have continued to mobilize to aid his healing as best we can, with round the clock coverage in his room by one or more close friends at all times. Unfortunately Scott, like most dedicated musicians, does not have a health care plan, lived modestly, and cannot afford the luxuries of extensive bank accounts full of savings for those rainy days that always come one day. Every day that passes continues to reveal yet another unexpected financial, legal, and logistical obstacle that threatens to overwhelm this remarkable network of support that has rallied around Scott.
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Joel, his sister Libby, and I are planning to blog the trip and in that way publicly acknowledge "sponsors" of route segments each day. If you can help, please contact Joel for information on where to send a check (joelhamiltonrecording at gmail dot-com). Or visit this site to use a Paypal donation link. Your contribution, though very much appreciated by Scotty, will not be tax deductible as we have not been able to pull together a 501-C3 in time. Scotty's mom has asked that we urge people to include a US Mail address so that she can write individual thank-you notes, which she has been doing since the first donations arrived.

The cross-country trek begins September 11 on the west coast and ends on the east coast September 20. For details see the Scooter Cannonball web site.

For information about Joel and the career path which introduced him to Scotty, see his web site.

Scotty's myspace page is at this link.

Thank you,

-Dan Hamilton