Debt update

OK, so it's been over a week and nothing has been fixed regarding my private student loans. :( I'm really sad. On the upside, I was contacted my Senator Evan Bayh this weekend and stopped by his office to sign a consent form today. We'll see how that goes...

This was a great weekend for Starfish. We held a Back to School Bash and had about 175 people at the office. It was mostly the new class of freshman, but a ton of Scholars, families, and mentors (some that haven't even been matched yet) got to hang out on a BEAUTIFUL Sunday afternoon. We grilled hot dogs and had a Tonks and Four Square tournament complete with prizes for the tournament winners. (I guess Tonks is a card game... I'd never heard of it before.) Some of our veteran mentors were out there playing Four Square with the Scholars and it was a grand ole time!

That's all I have for the blog world right now. For all of you that read this... I've begun my hunt for a job. I'll be available to work December 7th. Keep your ears open for me!

Senator Lugar? Really?

About 30 minutes ago, I received a phone call (on my cell phone) from a "317" number (that's the Indianapolis area). I answered it, thinking it was a wrong number or something like that. No one random ever calls me and I have all the numbers I need programmed into my phone. Well, I answered it and guess who it was.... Senator Dick Lugar's assistant!!!!! For those of you who read this and are not from Indiana (like my parents), Senator Lugar is a Republican senator from Indiana. A month ago, I wrote letters to Senator Lugar, Senator Bayh, and Congressman Carson about my troubles with my student loans. I highlighted the fact that I am a VISTA and that I have had no help or sympathy from ANYONE regarding my private student loans since December when I started AmeriCorps. I explained that I was not asking for a hand out, for anyone to pay my loans off for me, all I wanted was some much needed assistance and understanding. I can't be the ONLY AmeriCorps member that has ever had this problem!

Anyway, I got this phone call... Mark Doud, Senator Lugar's assistant, informed me that they had my letter and that they would be calling AES!! Never, ever, ever in a million years did I EVER think that anything would come of those letters I sent. I hoped, but I really wasn't banking on it. I'm so excited that I got a response, I really have no clue what to say... I'm not sure what will be in store for my student loan battle, but I'll keep you all updated.

It just goes to show you that they DO read the letters we write and that someone DOES take the time to make sure we, as American citizens, have a voice and are being treated fairly. Today our government has received a point in my book! Thanks Senator Lugar!