Welcome to the fastest-growing grassroots effort on Facebook and the web! Since January, 2009, the Facebook group has seen nearly a quarter of a million people join this cause to make their voices heard and thousands more have joined here. Our success is entirely due to the active participation of our members. As such, here's a few tips on how best to get involved:
1) The "share" button is your friend! When an article or link is posted that you agree with, please share it so that it's posted on your own profile for your friends and family to see. The more often you share these links, the greater our ability to grow and reach new audiences.
2) If you're on Facebook, please join the group (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=46657437878) and stay up-to-date on the latest news, information and opinions regarding the growing student loan crisis in America. Invite your friends and family to join as well.
3) Join the conversation! Share your own student loan stories with the rest of the community. If nothing else, you'll quickly discover that you're not alone and that millions of Americans are struggling just like you. There's no shame in owing money simply because you sought to better yourself through education, but it certainly helps to know you're in good company.
4) Take action! On both the Facebook group as well as here at the website, you'll find links and sample letters for you to write to the President, Vice-President, your Senators and Representatives in Congress. There are links to a petition and other resources as well. Make your voice heard and demand real change that will directly help the middle class.
5) The most simple, easy, and cheapest way for you to help the cause is to follow this link to print out and distribute/post flyers. http://www.forgivestudentloandebt.com/content/print-distributepost-flyer... Post them in your dorm, coffee shop, office or anywhere else you think there are others in the same boat.
6) Stay alert! If you find an article, video, news release or other information you believe would be of interest to fellow members of the group, post it! Please try to keep any such postings relevant, i.e. on the subject of student loans, excessive debt, loan forgiveness, increasing tuition costs, income disparity and the general health (or lack thereof) of the economy.
7) Reach out and network! As the Founder of FSLD, I have profiles set up in the following places, please feel free to join and to invite others:
*Twitter - @bobbyapples
*LinkedIn (Personal Profile): http://www.linkedin.com/myprofile?trk=hb_side_pro
*LinkedIn (FSLD Group): http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=2026448
*Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Robert-Applebaum/54158215949
*YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/ForgiveStudentLoans (Please feel free to post video testimonials here!)
Thanks again to everyone who's joined this cause to fight for the middle class! Your participation is the key to our continuing success!
Robert Applebaum
Founder & Executive Director
ForgiveStudentLoanDebt.com
- Robert Applebaum's blog
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My previous post was intended as a reply to dcpd867's post on 11/30/09- not as a separate comment. But it can be generalized to anyone out there who can: GET AWAY FROM SALLIE MAE!!!!!!!!! They (the student lending agencies) are all bad- but I think Sallie Mae takes the prize for the most revolting.
Hello, This is the first time and forum that I have been able to express this problem. I hope sombody hears me and can help me.
About 27 years ago, I took out loan for about $1.700 for Hairdressing School.. Due to a personal family situation, I had to quit after only a few weeks. I was told to sign papers to sign off on the loan. I did, and never thought about it again. I also learned that the school went bankrupt sometime later. many years later I got a call saying I owed thousands of dollars. I tried to explain what had happen and for them to check thier records. They wouldnt listen and continued to send me bills. Unfortunetly I put my head in the sand as I had no course of action to take. Now 27 years later they want to garnish my wadges.. I am a 54 yr. old woman with a small job of $11.00 hr.. My 60 yr. husband has not been working as much and we are behind in rent and just trying to survive. Is there anbody who can help me or direct me in the right direction. I am scared and desperate of what will happen to me next. Thank-You for any advice you can share with me Cheryl
It's hard to give solid advice without knowing more. Was it a private loan or a federal loan? Do you still have the papers from when you initially took out the loan? Did they initiate any court procedings to start wage garnishment? How much is the total amount they claim you now owe? It seems to me that this is something that should be able to be settled. You don't dispute owing $1,700 correct? Perhaps offering to pay that amount in full satisfaction of the loan might do the trick? Many creditors and collection agencies are willing to settle a debt for a LOT more than you allegedly owe - usually not in the Student Loan realm, however, due to the lack of incentive for the creditor to do so. Given the age of the loan, it may not enjoy the same level of protections afforded to newer student loans. So, that's where you should start. Good luck and keep us posted!
Hi Robert,
I would just like to comment on the issue of making donations to your organization. I first found this website during the summer after I was laid off from my job. I have not yet made a donation in spite of the fact that I whole-heartedly support the cause. It has been somewhat confusing as to who and what organization I would donate to. At first, there was no donation information. Then you added the link to Donation Information where there was a simple reference to being a 501(d)4 organization. ( I think that was the number). However, today, December 12, the link to the page goes to "Page Not Found."
I would like to donate, but where is my money going to go?
I decided to take down the donation link and information for several reasons:
1) The poeple who have an interest in making a donation to these efforts have no extra money to spare;
2) The sum total of ALL donations that have been made since launching this website haven't even covered the costs of incorporating and creating/maintaining the website; and
3) It's more trouble than it's worth. Therefore, I've decided to restructure in such a way so that the google ad revenue generated by the site goes towards maintaining it and keeping it up and running. I've never sought to make any money off of this, nor do I intend to now.
I feel completely stuck and discouraged. Upon graduating from highschool I went on to a 4 year university. I was the first person in my family to go on to college and I obtained my first B.S. degree in December 2000 using federal student loans both subsidized and unsubsidized as well as a couple of small pell grants. I had no other choice, but to take out loans and live on credit cards as I had no college fund set up for me. My dad became ill when I was in 3rd grade and was no longer able to work by the time I was in 6th grade. Social security benefits that we received was only enough to pay some of our bills. He passed away 1 1/2 months after I graduated highschool. My mom continued to work as a nurse, but didn't make very much as we lived in a small town of less than 1,000. She became ill 2 years after my dad passed away in 1998 and she passed away in 2003. I was in my 2nd year of college and actually dropped out for a semester to help her financially, emotionally, and physically. Once her social security benefits kicked in I enrolled back into college where I completed my 1st B.S. degree in Sociology with an emphasis in Criminal Justice. I pursued this degree because I really enjoyed law enforcement and I thought I would never marry and have a family. However, that all changed when I moved and became employed with the Kansas Department of Corrections. I met my now husband and we married and started a family. Now my priorities have changed and I no longer want a career in law enforcement also my husband is in law enforcement and did not want both of us in a dangerous career. I wondered what I was going to do after my kids became school aged. So I went back to school and obtained a 2nd B.S. degree this time in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing/Sales. Again I had to utilize Federal Student Loans both Subsidized and Unsubsidized as well as a few Private Loans. With my first set of student loans from my 1st degree I was able to consolidate them all and have the same interest rate. Now, Sallie Mae will not consolidate any of my student loans and they all have different interest rates and 2 of my loans were sold to the Department of Education. This is making our payments extremely high and I have begun applying for work 1 year earlier than I had wanted to and find that I am either looked at as over qualified because I have 2 degrees or I don't have enough experience to get a job in my new career field. The employment rate is bad enough, but even when there are openings I am running into problems. I really regret getting this 2nd degree now as I am constantly thinking about how much money I have caused me and my family to waste. Everyone stresses the importance of obtaining a higher education, but if this keeps happening it is going to discourage everyone from doing so. All I wish is that all of my loans could have the same interest rate and be from the same lender and not have had a couple of them sold to the Department of Education. If anyone knows anything I can do to make this happen and/or get some relief I would be grateful. I know there are many others in the same situation. Good Luck to everyone!
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Have you tried to consolidate all of your loans through Direct Loans? They are the best there is to deal with. Now is a good time to do it (with interest rates being so low). Get away from Sallie Mae!!! They are absolutely evil!!! Good luck.