Love him or hate him Tim has done more for charity & the pinball hobby than pretty much anyone you will ever meet. Tim is truly a unique character that I have only met in person once but to me he quickly became a person I wanted to support and do all I could to help his cause.

After talking to a few of the volunteers I discovered even more about Tim and just how unique he is. Here is a guy that has devoted most of his adult life sharing his love for pinball and the hobby with the world and not asking anything in return for himself. He has operated PHOF on a shoestring budget for its entire existence just to be able to give more money to charity. He spends hundreds of hours a month working FOR FREE and even goes so far as to bring his own food from home to be able to keep expenses down and rarely has he ever asked anyone for anything other then to support his charity work.

Now he is asking the pinball community for a little help in his time of need. Let's "BLOW THE LID" off his go-fund-me drive and get him some excess money beyond his $200,000 goal. I can promise you and money raised will go to a great cause and will not be wasted. Tim is a cheap as it gets so every dime you donate will be well spent!

Tim knows the value of a little change and has become very well off a quarter at a time. But instead of being selfish he has always shared his love for the hobby with others and continues to do that everyday. PLEASE give all you can - give more than once if you can - let's all show Tim just how much we appreciate what he has done in the past and what he is trying to do with this new PHOF building.

For those of you making suggestions - that is great but if you know Tim you would realize he has already looked under every cushion and rock for every dime he can find. I doubt anyone could try any harder than he does not to have to ask for a little help. So love him or hate him if you love the pinball hobby how about helping the guy who has done something most of us could never accomplish. Dig deep and help PHOF open on time and be even great than Tim could imagine.

Find the Go-Fund-Me here: https://gofund.me/37f7e2b2

Keep bumping this post to the top of the page - keep re-posting the go-fund-me link and keep giving what you can.

Tim said he has already sold some duplicate machines there really isn't any long term logic in selling off machines when he has a new building to fill. People do "go-fun-me" for all kinds of "stupid things" and occasionally for some worthwhile projects. In my eyes this is a great way to help PHOF some with a short term shortfall due to Covid-19.

Three things to remember here: First thing is PHOF will be the largest "true arcade" in the world once this project is finished but beyond that all profits are donated to charity (hard to beat that "business plan"). Second is when you donate to PHOF your donation will not end their - once Tim gets up and running in the new location he plans to get back to giving to charity so your donation today will be paid forward in the future. And lastly this isn't some wild dream by someone who has not invested heavily himself - Tim has given of himself for almost two decades (or longer) really not asking for anything in return.

PLEASE do all you can to help Tim & PHOF. This Corona Virus mess has been hard on everyone but Tim has had it especially rough taking a leap like this just before Covid hit then getting hammered with nearly 1/2 a million dollars in lost revenue in 2020. He shouldn't have to be "stressing" over coming up with the last 5% of the money he needs to finish this project.

If a couple thousand people toss a bit of cash at this and a few people who are a little better off toss $100 (or more) into the pot $200,000 isn't really a hard goal to reach. A $20 bill would be a big help to Tim & PHOF - most of us waste more that that on "junk" food and coffee in a week! Give what you can as quickly as possible so Tim can sleep better at night and will just have to worry about moving hundreds of machines in a couple month and not have to worry about funding as well.

DONATE TO: https://gofund.me/37f7e2b2

I doubt anyone - including Tim - can tell you exactly what is going on as far as "shortfall" but I know Tim counts his quarters and has stepped up with his own personal funds to make this project happen. It isn't really about the amount of money borrowed, right now it is about the amount of funds needed to finish this $10 million dollar project. Tim isn't one to ask for more than he needs and if he is asking for something he is one of those people who will have exhausted all other options. In the grand scheme of things it is kind of like buying a new car and not having enough cash to fill the fuel tank to get home. (Shortly you will have that gas money but that doesn't help today). $200,000 is a boat load of money in some ways but compared to what has already been spent on this project it is "chump change".

Hopefully the go-fund-me will help him with the current $200,000 shortfall and he can keep the rest on schedule. I really don't think it is as much about money as it is about staying on schedule at this point. May is only 4 months away and a lot needs to happen in that 4 months. The last thing Tim or the PHOF group should have to be worried about right now is running out of money due to Covid-19 set backs. Hopefully this go-fund-me takes care of that so they can get the building finished and get everything moved on time.

PLEASE DO WHAT YOU CAN!

https://gofund.me/37f7e2b2

Tim,

We have only met once several years ago and in just the very few minutes I talked to you I instantly knew you were "one of the good guys". After we talked briefly (I know you are always busy) I had the pleasure of talking to a couple of the volunteers and after some of the stuff they told me about you I realized my instincts about you were correct. THANKS for doing all you have for both the hobby & charities and keep up the good work. PLEASE don't let the "little things" worry you - remember if it isn't going to matter a year from now it isn't worth worrying about.

You are doing a hell of a good job - just keep the faith & keep up doing all the good work. I am sure all will be OK in the end as far as the money end of things go. I know this has to be super stressful for you - PLEASE take care of yourself also!

-Skip-

I was thinking the same thing originally but then I thought about Vegas and heat rising and then I realized that tall ceiling is likely to bring the cost of cooling way down. One thing I might have done differently would have been a second floor "parts department" over the work area just for some extra parts storage but otherwise I think the new building looks great.

If you think about it Tim has used the same "business model" for around 50 years and was able to retire by the time he was 40 years old using that model - why would he change now? Really a pretty simple concept - turn the lights & machines on each day and let people drop as many quarters into those machines as they would like. Think back to the 1970's & 1980's when you went into an arcade (if you are old enough to remember back that far) how often did all the machines in that arcade work? From my memory there were always machines with issues and other machines with "out of order" signs on them.

Bottom line is Tim has been doing pretty darn good for over 50 years I really don't think he needs advice how to run an arcade. Just some short term funds to get a new building open during this Corona Virus mess. (Who could have seen this coming two years ago when he started this project?)

I understand what you are saying and while I do agree with you in a way I also need to look at this from the logical standpoint. Tim is basically a "one man band" trying to get a new 10 million dollar building built while trying to keep his old location open (and in the process sell the old building and get moved out on time) while keeping as many machines as possible running and in decent condition for his customers. So I can fully understand Tim not having time to send a personal "thank you" for every donation.

Anyone who has ever tried to have a house or building built (or even do renovations where permits are needed) knows how tough that process can be. So before being too negative towards Tim for not appreciating what people have done as far as donating to his couple fundraisers please think about all he has on his plate right now. Put yourself in his shoes and realize this is a guy working basically for free to preserve pinball machines and give the public a place to enjoy them while giving all the profits to charity.

Beyond that Tim is not the most "polished" business person you will ever meet. He is a "little rough around the edges" and will be the first one to admit that. In the end donate if you want - don't donate if you don't want to but remember PHOF is something bigger than just Tim and his dreams. This is a place to showcase the vintage pinball and arcade hobby to the general public as well as a place pinheads can enjoy.

With or without donations I am sure in the end all will be just fine. Tim is just trying to come up with some extra cash right now to keep things on schedule as far as I am understanding things. Tim isn't a young man and really doesn't need the extra stress of being short on the cash he needs right now to keep this on track. So I am sure he is very thankful to everyone who is helping but I wouldn't expect a personal "thank you" from him.

I don't feel as though people making "suggestions" is a bad idea but I wish people would realize it is impossible to keep hundreds of machines running 100% of the time regardless of who you are. Most people complaining about PHOF machines being broken or "semi working" are comparing apples & oranges. They are thinking "I want PHOF machines to play like the games in my home collection" (or like new). Arcades were never that way - I have NEVER been to a public arcade that some machines didn't have issues.

I don't want to say where but here in PA about 6 months ago my wife & I stopped by a place of business just to kill a little time and they had an arcade area with about 20 machines in it. I had a couple dollars worth of quarters in my pocket and my wife & I decided to play a few machines we have never played before. (These were classic machines set on quarter play). Anyway between the two of us we dropped a total of 11 quarters into 11 different machines and didn't find one machine that actually worked? Only about 1/2 the machine in the place were turned on and we tried most of them and never even got to play one fully working machine!

When Clay opens his VFW to the public once a year for a couple days they have had all year to get ready for the event and he still needs a staff of people to keep all the machines running for just 3 days. Keeping 400 or 500 hundred vintage pinball machines running 7 days a week all year long is impossible. PLEASE be realistic with your expectations!

HOPEFULLY the new PHOF will have some improvements as far as getting machines repaired faster but instead of complaining about what isn't working try playing some of the hundreds of machines that are working well.

Donate what you can to help Tim get the new place open and give him a few months to see how things all work out in the new location. If things don't improve as far as machines not working maybe some of us can volunteer some time to help get more machines working. Tim has been working for free for years maybe it is time for some of the people complaining to put some free time in also!

Here is the link to donate again: https://gofund.me/37f7e2b2

We stopped in Vegas for a few days when making a cross country trip a few years ago and when I was talking to Tim I had the opposite experience. Not only was he interested in having me give him a hand if I could he even offered to have me stay in a mobile home he had behind the PHOF if I wanted to. At the time I had to "stay on schedule" to make it home for a wedding but I am sure Tim would love to get any help he can as long as he is sure the people offering know what they are doing.

I think you will likely see some major changes after the move because with the expansion of the place it will be humanly impossible for Tim to do everything. In my eyes he should add at least one "full time tech" but in the end Tim needs to do what is right for PHOF and for Tim.

Regardless of how things "play out" I am excited to see the move to a new custom built building and am hoping other positive changes will be coming as well. But before those changes can happen Tim needs to get the building paid for so he can get it finished & move in.

Find the Go-Fund-Me here: https://gofund.me/37f7e2b2

Again - put yourself into Tim's shoes. He wakes up everyday and works all day for free typically giving close to (or over) a half a million dollars a year to charity. He is always behind - has a ton of machines to fix and all other aspects of a business to run. He really doesn't have time to sit around hearing (or reading) about how he should change things and why.

When any of us get to the point we are doing as much for charity as he is I am sure he would gladly sit down and hear ideas but for now he just needs a little help getting the final money it is going to take to get the new place open.

So a guy who has already done more than anyone else in the hobby to help both the hobby & charity should donate more of his personal stuff to PHOF. It isn't enough that the majority of the machines in PHOF were already donated by him and that he also works every day for free - you think he should be doing more instead of asking a few other people to step up and give a little?

I don't mind seeing the "suggestions" or seeing the complaining because every post here bumps this post and the more people who see it the more people who will likely donate. One thing I do hate to see is when people start attacking Tim personally. Each person has their own "style" & personality and Tim can surely be abrasive at times but that should be expected of anyone dealing with the general public long hours everyday.

Just think about it from this perspective for a minute: You are busy trying to get a machine fixed and that machine is fighting you, a half hour earlier someone told you the men's room was a mess and is out of paper towels, your help didn't show up today and you have been on your feet for the past 6 hours without a break and all of a sudden someone walks over and says "I lost a quarter in the ------- ---------- machine" and "someone spilled some popcorn you should clean up ASAP". Are you always going to have a smile on your face?

Tim always make it very clear what his two goals are: First off he wants to have an arcade open to the public where people can enjoy some of his collection and second he wants to keep overhead as low as possible and donate ALL excess funds to charity. Pretty simple formula that has served him well for years. There are not many working class people in this world who could be building a $10 million dollar building in Vegas and are able to do that after giving the profits from your business away for the past 10+ years. He must be doing something right!

ONE THIRD OF THE WAY TO $200,000 KEEP IT GOING! Help Tim keep things on track if you have a little cash you can share!

It is sad to hear if they can't raise the $200,000 PHOF might be gone. Tim is so close to making this happen it is hard to believe needed less than a two percent shortfall in funds might actually kill this entire project (or at least delay things for a long time). Hopefully he can get the money but it isn't looking very good as far as the go-fund-me goes because donations have really slowed down.

Typically with things like go-fund-me once you get past the first few days it gets harder and harder to get donations because most people willing to donate have already donated. Please do all you can to help PHOF open on time as originally planned.

I would love to see Stern, Jersey Jack, and some of the other "big boys" step up and give big to this project. Maybe they have already but if not it would be nice to see that happen. $200,000 is a ton of money for "Joe average" but that is "chump change" for a big company.

I hate "making suggestions" but maybe Tim should add a "corporate sponsor wall" and offer advertising space on that wall to people who donate $1000 (or more) to the project. That could be a win-win for everyone. Then local businesses could get some advertising right inside the building and at the same time be helping a good cause. Doing something like that "should be something the could be written off as advertising expenses for the corporate donors" and might help Tim raise needed funds. Would it really matter if some wall space in the building has advertising for a couple of the Casino's, Pinball Companies, Coca Cola, or Geico? Just something that might help push things over the top during tough times!

The way the donations are coming in things are really not looking good for the PHOF. The first 3 or 4 days it looked like go-fun-me might help Tim out of a bind but money coming in to the go-fun-me drive has all but stopped over the past day or so. Very SAD to see the lack of support for someone who has done so much for the hobby & charity.

I thought Tim was crazy taking this project on when I saw the original post about it. NOT because of the lack of planning or funding but Tim is almost retirement age and this is a hell of a project to take on for someone half his age. I really hope he makes out OK in the end but unless more people step up we might see PHOF closed and a For Sale sign on a brand new custom built building. Really sad to see things headed in that direction!

There are dozens of ways to look at this but bottom line is donation to PHOF isn't like donating to most charities. For example if you donate to the Salvation Army directly that money gets spent right away for their causes and next month they need more money and so on. However investing your donation dollars to something like the PHOF is basically like teaching someone how to fish instead of giving them fish to eat. Once PHOF is up and running and has its debts paid off they will be generating money for charities month after month basically forever. So in the end a $100 donation to PHOF might create $1000 (or more) in donated money over time.

But beyond that you are donating to help grow this mission as well as to give thousands of people each year a place to play these great old machines in a true arcade environment. A true arcade never had all working machines and machines in most arcades were never perfect. You went in and dropped some quarters into machines that were working and enjoyed those machines. Back in the 1970's & 1980's machines in arcades were far from perfect. From my memory of those arcades you were happy if that pinball you dropped the quarter into worked and even more happy if both flippers worked.

Is PHOF perfect - NO IT ISN'T - but have they done great work over the years to preserve these machines and raise money for charity? If you answer anything other than yes to that you are missing something. Tim has never claimed to have the "best working machines" he has always said charity first and I really don't see how anyone can say anything bad about him feeling that way.

PLEASE give what you can to help Tim get "over the top" and get opened on time. Borrowing more money might work but hasn't Tim already done more than his fair share to make this happen? If my memory is correct he has already loaned PHOF over a million dollars and donated most of the machines in the place. Is it really fair to ask him to give even more when just a few dollars from a couple thousand people is all he needs to get over the top? If most of us were in his shoes we would be selling off the collection and retiring! How much do he need to give?

Time to make this easy to find again! I wish everyone that posted here would just cut and past this to the bottom of their post to make it easy for people to find and donate but that doesn't seem to happen very often.

https://gofund.me/37f7e2b2

Super Bowl Challenge - Lets see if we can hit $150k before the Super Bowl and then try for $200k fully funded by the Daytona 500 the following Sunday (Valentines Day). Wouldn't it be a great Valentines Gift to the hobby and the PHOF to hit the $200,000 goal for Valentines Day!

Come on guys we are almost 1/2 way there in 12 days that gives us almost another three weeks to make this happen and take some stress off Tim as a Valentines gift to him & the PHOF.

https://gofund.me/37f7e2b2

Give a little if that is all you can afford - dig a little deeper if the Corona Virus has not been too tough on you - all of us working together can make PHOF a place we can all be proud of if everyone helps a little. Then when you finally get the chance to visit you can say to yourself "this might not have happened without our help". We need to get this money raised and get the bills paid so PHOF can open on time!

Years ago I had a guy working for me and one day he said "you are my favorite boss". I asked him if that was because I paid well, because I always bought lunch, filled his vehicle with fuel, etc" and he said "no I do appreciate all of that stuff but what I respect the most about you is you never ask anyone for help unless you really need the help". As an employer I have always treated my good employees over the top well and I found they give me 110% in return. I worked as hard as any of them and never asked them to do anything I wouldn't do myself. So they realized if I asked for a little help I really needed that help!

Anyway the reason I am bringing that up here is Tim reminds me a lot of me from the standpoint I have never seen him ask for help unless he really needed it. He has had PHOF open for years - he didn't ever ask for help to to get it open originally, didn't ask for help if the building needed major repairs, etc. But two years ago he did ask for help to get this "over the top project" off the ground and now he is asking for a little help again because he is backed up against the wall because of this Corona Virus mess. He has managed to raise over 95% of the money needed on his own and just needs a little help with the last couple percent of the money needed is that really asking too much?

PLEASE remember this about Tim! He gives 110% everyday to the PHOF. Now at a time of great need he is asking the pinball community for a little help to keep this project alive & on track. That really isn't asking for much when you think about it. Please dig deep and keep this on track!

https://gofund.me/37f7e2b2

I am sure they have plenty of extra cash on hand a year into this Corona Virus mess. Any other stupid suggestions ?

Bottom line - knowing Tim he exhausted all other sources before going the go-fund-me direction. Ideas & suggestions are fine but please think about what you post before posting it.

I have put plenty of money into charities over the years but the last thing I would do in a time of need to to go to one of those charities and say "I have giving you a bunch of money in the past how about giving me some of that back because I need it now". Charities don't work that way - they are not savings & loans!

https://gofund.me/37f7e2b2

Not much giving going on today! Come on guys we really need to make this happen. The survival of PHOF might be depending on this!

All cost time & money! WHY would he want to put himself through all of that at his age. If I was in his shoes and the pinball community didn't step up with the last little bit of money I needed to make this happen I would say "the hell with it no one seems to care - send everything to auction & retire".

I really can't wrap my head around why people can't just toss a few dollars in his direction instead of wasting time with silly "what if's"

$200,000 isn't a ton of money if everyone would just step up and give a little.

This is totally different than someone "begging for money" because they are too lazy to earn it. Different than someone who is trying to take the "easy way out". ETC!

Tim has busted his ass for two decades giving all the profits to charity and now he is asking for a little help to get the last little bit of money he needs to finish up a 10 million dollar project. He did all the hard work - he did everything right - he just had very bad timing because of the Corona Virus mess. Had this Corona Virus happened a couple years sooner I am sure Tim would have never attempted to make this move. If it happened a year later Tim would have been just fine. But as luck had it timing couldn't have been worse.

Tim isn't asking for a lot from the pinball community. He is asking for help to fund a 2% shortfall in short term funds.

But more importantly he is asking for donations so he can get back to giving more to charity sooner instead of delaying the move and the move costing more money because of that delay. DIG DEEP and help him & PHOF stay on target. Even if you don't agree with the way Tim does certain things it is still a very worthy investment just from the standpoint of the money that will be going to charities again very soon.

PHOF is a WIN-WIN regardless of how you look at it. Like a lot of people I wish some of the machines would be maintained better (and maybe that can happen in the new place). But I know when we were their a few years ago we had a blast and I can't wait to see the new place once it is done.

Sadly donations are slowing way down (under $1000 a day the last three days * if you don't include one or two big donations). At this rate things are not looking good. It really makes me sad to think that the tens of thousands of people in this hobby can't find it in their heart to support the biggest & best arcade on the planet. Every few dollars helps but there are just not enough people stepping up?

I realize times are tough for some people but 1/3 of the people in this country are doing as well (or better) than ever. I fully understand people who are having a tough go of things not stepping up but there should be plenty of people with some extra money for enough donations to come in to keep PHOF from closing. Close isn't going to cut it if I am understand things correctly. Tim didn't ask for twice as much as he needs - he asked for about 1/2 of what the shortfall is.

Please help if you can!

https://gofund.me/37f7e2b2

I am really sad to see there isn't much money coming in each day over the past week or so. People need to understand hitting 1/2 the goal is kind of like having enough gas to make it 1/2 way to an appointment. Yes it does help but you are still not going to make that appointment ON TIME if you have to walk the second 1/2 of the way.

Tim really needs EVERYONE who can to DIG DEEP and donate as much as possible. Coming up "a little short" isn't an option - coming up short will delay the move or kill the PHOF completely.

If I am understanding "the math" delaying moving in could cost PHOF tens of thousands of dollars a month. First off they will not be open to have revenue coming in, second they will be paying a mortgage, utilities, taxes, etc on a NEW building they can not move into, and lastly they will have to move all the machines at least two times. (Once from PHOF old location to storage then again from storage then again from storage to the new PHOF - if it ever opens). On top of that they will also have to cost of moving those machines twice and storage rent WITHOUT income coming in. PLUS the added expense of moving a couple hundred machines twice.

Not making the May 6th deadline would likely kill this project complete just based on added cost of being shut down without any revenue coming in. Originally I kept thinking - so what if they open a month or two later. Then the more I thought about it the more I realized just how bad that could end up being.

WHAT A MESS! It seems like if Tim can't come up with the needed funds this might truly be the end of his mission and the dream of moving into the great new location. All over less than the cost of a couple new pick up trucks or a dozen new pinball machines. Hard to believe this small of a percentage of the cost of the total project could spell the end of PHOF.

Sad - VERY SAD!

Maybe you are right - maybe he can get another loan or "pull a rabbit out of his hat". I know many people have stepped up and donated more than once (including me) but there are tens of thousands of people in this hobby - lots of them with "more money than GOD" and it wouldn't hurt them a bit to give to a good cause.

Over the years I have found people who can afford to give typically don't and people who really can't afford to give tend to give the most. The guys who can afford to buy a dozen or more of the latest machines can afford to give more than someone like me (living on a small Social Security income now that I am retired) yet we always seem to be the guys will to dig deep.

I don't know Tim's financial story but I do know when taking on a project like this most people have already stretched themself pretty thin. Asking him to do more really isn't fair either.

My latest post was just stating something that I was thinking about today while I was out clearing over a foot of show off our driveway by hand after our snowblower decided to die. Originally I was thinking "what difference would a couple months make" if Tim just had to close down for a couple months. But after thinking about it today I realized just how expensive that could end up being. And I thought I would remind people of that since many people are likely thinking like I was up until today.

I really don't understand so many "down votes" on post just stating the facts as I see them.

I am not saying the people who have donated have not stepped up and done all they can. I am saying unless more people realize how important "timing of money" is for the PHOF Tim could be in big financial trouble.

Tim is a guy who really HATES "WASTING MONEY" and hangs on to every quarter he can trying to do as much good as he can while he is on this earth. Even the slightest delay in getting moved with come with huge financial cost. His dedication to the hobby and to raising money for charity is light years ahead of anyone else I know of in the hobby. For years he has unselfishly share his collection with anyone interested in enjoying it and at the same time has managed to raise millions of dollars for charity. Tim really needs more help to keep things on time. NOT the same people giving more but more people giving a little!

So far his Go-Fund-Me has only gotten around 1600 donations. That isn't a lot of people stepping up when you consider many of us have donated more than once and also the fact that a lot of donations have come from people who are not on Pinside. At a guess I would bet there have been less that 600 or 700 Pinsiders who have actually "stepped up" and giving to a great cause. The the grand scheme of things that really isn't very many people from the Pinside community.

Even if every Pinsider who has ever visited PHOF gave just $10 I am sure this fund raising drive would reach its goal. The question now isn't why people have not given more the question is how can we get more people to give a little?

Tim was also "quoted" on a recent podcast saying if he can not raise the funds the move might be dead in the water. Originally when I was reading everything posted here my first thoughts were "no big deal" but yesterday I realized this shortfall COULD actually be a huge deal for the future of PHOF.

I know I tend to post WAY TOO MUCH on some topics sometimes but my thought process is new people are always seeing a topic for the first time and only look back a few post. For anyone sick of seeing my post they can always just skip over them or hide what I am posting.

The main thing at this point is to help Tim get the money he needs to make the move ON TIME. Those who love PHOF (or what Tim does for charity) should do all they can to help. The people who really don't give a shit are likely not looking at this topic anyway.

I wish Tim & PHOF all the best. I know Tim has spent most of the past 20 years doing what he can to "give back" and I respect that more than I can put into words. There are so many selfish people in the world today it is refreshing to see someone devote the time he does (for free) and giving as much as he has to charity. He is a great example of how much one person can make a big difference.

Less than $350 away from being 1/2 way home!

https://gofund.me/37f7e2b2

EXACTLY! For those people who "Dug Deep" already a second donation might be asking for TOO MUCH but for people who have giving a few dollars that can afford to do it again it would make a huge difference. And new donations would help gain some ground also.

The thing I like about a donation to PHOF is to donation will not stop at PHOF. Once "the bills are paid" Tim with be going back to doing his non profit work and donating HUGE amounts of money to charity again. A donation to PHOF is actually a donation to many great causes just passing through PHOF on the way for a few months. It isn't often that one donation actually becomes a bigger donation down the road!

Tim isn't asking for money so he can keep that money he is asking to "borrow that money" for a short term so he can turn it into a bigger donation down the road. WIN-WIN-WIN because a win for PHOF opening with as little debt as possible is a win for charities in the future, a win for PHOF to open on time and a win for everyone in the pinball community having the biggest & most bad ass arcade of all time. Money well spent in my eyes.

https://gofund.me/8fe844b5

EXACTLY - Any money you donate to PHOF will end up going to charity once the bills are paid. Not your exact same money but since PHOF donates all money coming in to charity (after operating expenses are paid) donating to PHOF now is just a delayed donation to some other charity. So Tim is not asking for a handout - he is asking for a donation to a good cause that in the end will become an even bigger donation to some charities.

Again exactly the point I was trying to make a few post earlier.

So donating to PHOF not only helps the hobby but it is also a donation that will be multiplied and paid forward. I think some people are forgetting that and looking at it like Tim is begging for money so he can make more money. Tim doesn't keep any of the money he makes - that is what makes PHOF one of a kind unique and a very special cause.

Being retired & on Social Security I am trying to give all I can even though I doubt I'll make it out to see the new place once it is done. I am waiting to get paid for a couple items I sold on eBay and then I'll make donation #5. Even though I am not giving as much as I would like to each time I am doing what I can with any excess funds I can put together once the bills are paid.

Three hour no activity bump

https://gofund.me/8fe844b5

I really don't think this thread was ever really negative. Some people think Tim "could or should" do things differently and that is fine. Some people took personal offense to the suggestion people were not doing enough and that is fine also. In the end love him or hate him you will be hard pressed to find anyone any more up front about his beliefs and business plan than Tim.

Bottom line is Tim is all about preserving pinball and giving to charity and that is what his life has been about for over 20 years. How many other guys who have attempted to open and run an arcade are still around 20+ years later. And of those how many have given all their profits to charity? Tim has done a hell of a job on all accounts except maybe not being able to keep up with everything. But for a place that is open 7 days a week he even does a pretty good job keeping most of the machines running.

Is it perfect - not by a long shot. But I have never seen anyone do it better and my hat is off to him for that.

It is nice to see the total raised slowly climbing. It would be nice to see more activity but I am sure Tim is very thankful for every dollar donated.

https://gofund.me/8fe844b5

Some of the spikes might be due to other places Tim has been advertising the PHOF's need for money. From what I understand he has been on every major TV network news in the area as well as other venues. So only part of the donations coming in are from Pinside.

In any event it is nice to see it keep growing a little at a time.

It is nice to see the total growing everyday but Tim needs the money before May. He has to pay the contractor to finish the building then get final inspections so he can get the occupancy permit and be ready to move in. So the sooner he hits his goal the better things will be for PHOF. Inspections & permits all take time!

Some "good news" is some people have decided against doing the "go fund me" thing and have sent Tim money directly so I am sure he has gotten more in than we are hearing about. The "bad news" is I am sure he needs all the cash he can get right now with things being slow at PHOF because of this Corona Virus mess.

I am hoping to send a little more again later this week. We all need to keep doing what we can to help keep this move on time. Keep things positive and keep things moving in the right direction anyway you can. If you can't donate yourself maybe you know someone that can use an extra tax write-off this year who would be willing to donate. Since PHOF is a registered NON PROFIT donations are tax deductible. So what ever you (or they) donate can be written off!

Tim has no "long term money issues" he will have plenty of revenue coming in once the new place opens. His issue is a very short term issue having the needed funds at the needed time so he can get the place open on time. REMEMBER the PHOF paid CASH for the property and has paid for most of the construction from funds Tim set back to do this. His issue is he expected "X" amount of revenue to be coming in each month after construction started and now his foot traffic & business income is down by like 80% over the past 6 months.

PHOF isn't "broke" and running out of money. PHOF needs a little help to keep this mega move on schedule. Since he needs to be completely out of the old building by May he has a timeline he has to stay on and the funding shortage is messing up that timeline. Once he gets the new place open everything will be just fine.

Remember he has been doing this for years and giving around a half a million dollars to charity each year basically forever. A couple hundred thousand dollars normally would be no big deal for Tim & the PHOF. But since he has that May deadline he is in kind of a squeeze play situation and just needs a little short term help.

If I remember correctly most of the "loan money" (money borrowed for construction) was put up by Tim personally. So if PHOF falls behind with making payments it will just be money going back to Tim's account anyway.

HUGE difference here compared to most people begging for money. In this case it is more of a money timing thing than a money thing if I am understand it correctly.

I remember reading somewhere that Tim made a "major loan (in excess of a million dollars)" to PHOF to help fund the project but I don't know for sure that there is ZERO money from an outside bank. I know Tim doesn't like paying interest on loans so I would assume your statement is likely correct.

It has been a couple years ago - back when Tim first announced this project - that he got into the funding for the project and said instead of PHOF borrowing from a bank he was going to make up the shortfall with a low interest loan to PHOF. DON'T hold me to this because my memory isn't great when it comes to something I saw somewhere a couple years ago.

But regardless PHOF should have no problem covering operating expenses and loan payments once the new place is open. The issue is basically just a short term $$$ shortfall that might delay them being able to move on time if I am understanding things correctly.

If you ever listen to Tim or read anything about him he will be the first to tell you he is cheap. That is part of the issue with the current PHOF but it is also one of the reasons he has given so much to charity over the years.

If you stop and think about it Tim would likely have ZERO problem getting a $200,000 loan to finish things on time but instead he is asking for a little help in the form of donations so he doesn't have a loan to pay back or interest on a loan to pay. That will help him get back to giving as much as possible to charity sooner.

As I said a few days ago a donation to PHOF isn't going into a "for profit" business. It is a donation helping a non profit through a tough time so they can get back to giving to charity sooner. So every dollar we donate will become multiple dollar to charities down the road. PLUS we are helping get a KICK ASS BIG ARCADE open sooner. Sounds like a win-win-win all the way around to me. That is why I keep bumping this post, donating what I can, and keep spreading the word anywhere I can.

https://gofund.me/37f7e2b2

One more quick thing I think needs to be "explained again" is because PHOF is a non-profit there are a ton of regulations Tim has to follow. Even him selling stuff at PHOF was an issue he had to resolve. So it isn't like his money & PHOF money are in the same pot. So Tim needs to be very careful how certain things are done because of PHOF being a non profit.

Thanks! I remember it was disclosed somewhere before construction started but I could not remember where. I know the "non profit" makes things a little more involved also.

https://gofund.me/37f7e2b2

I am not trying to make people feel guilty I am just trying to get people to understand what a donation to PHOF actually is. Most of the time when you donate money to a cause that money stops at that cause. With PHOF they use donated money to generate more money donated to charity. So in the end giving $10 to PHOF might end up being an additional $100 going to charity.

As far as my post if you don't like seeing what I have to say there are two simple solutions. First you can choose to "ignore me" in your settings on Pinside or you can look to see who made each post and just pass mine by.

As far as a loan verses go-fund-me it is actually really pretty simple. If Tim borrows more money then he has to pay that back before getting back to giving money to charity. If he nicely ask for a little help from people who are interested in helping his cause and can raise the money without borrowing it more money can get to charity sooner.

I know a lot of people are either jealous or Tim or unhappy with the level of maintenance on some machines at the PHOF but in my eyes those people just don't understand things completely. Tim is not the PHOF - Tim is the founder of PHOF and controls most of what goes on at the PHOF but PHOF isn't just Tim. It is a group of people donating their time to bring the pinball hobby to people looking for something to do (other than gambling) when they go to Vegas. And at the same time all proceeds from PHOF (beyond operation expenses) are going to charity.

Tim isn't asking for anyone who can't afford to donate to donate, Tim isn't asking for donations so he can make more money for himself, Tim isn't asking for donations for a failing venture, Tim is just asking anyone interested in helping his cause for a little short term help to fund an unexpected cash flow problem caused by this Corona Virus mess.

The people who "get it" and "give a damn" are doing what they can. And for the people being negative about this -- those of us that do care will never change their minds anyway. But love or hate Tim & PHOF one thing I think most of us can agree on is it is pretty amazing how much he has done for charity over the years a quarter at a time. Who would ever believe a guy like Tim (an old hippy who ran an arcade years ago) would be able to raise millions of dollars for charity a quarter at a time?

In any event I'll likely keep posting here when I am bored and taking a break from doing my business stuff. So if you don't like what I have to say please just ignore me!

EXACTLY! About as well as anyone could sum things up. THANKS!

I am going to stop posting here and just move on with other stuff going on in my life. Best of luck to Tim getting opened on time. Knowing what I know about Tim I have no doubt that will happen and thanks to the help of a couple thousand people it will likely happen without PHOF having any additional debt. Job well done for sure!

https://gofund.me/37f7e2b2

Over a quarter million if you count the one big donor who stepped up in a big way a few weeks ago. But Tim still has debt and bills to pay so any donation will still help. I would love to see the go fund me hit his $200K goal. That would be a nice thank you from the pinball community to Tim for all the years he has worked for free doing this for everyone to enjoy.

Once it is open I think the new place is going to be a huge success & Tim should be out of debt in no time at all. Pretty amazing what a guy who started an arcade right after he got out of High School has be able to accomplish with a little help from some good friends. But it is even more amazing how much of his life Tim has devoted to "giving back". Can you imagine what a different place the world would be if everyone just stepped up and gave a little of themself. HATS OFF to Tim & everyone who has helped PHOF over the years!

Tim is the "MASTER" of keeping things simple and to the point. Glad the sign on the front of his Ten Million Dollar building still matches his style. Why waste money on a fancy sign when you can just paint one word on the front of your building and get the same message out? I am just a little surprised Vegas didn't demand he to something a little more fancy but glad Tim could keep it simple!

How about we all dig deep and toss a few more dollars at the Go-Fund-Me so he can buy the rest of that red paint and finish that sign!

Just killing time as always. But since Tim still has an active "Go-Fund-Me" and lots of bills to pay before PHOF is debt free again and can go back to donating proceeds to charity I am sure he would still appreciate any money that heads in his direction. To me it is one of the most logical donations anyone in the hobby could make. How can you argue with Tim's success with giving to charity over the years?

Any new pictures? Anyone here been out to help or out to see the new place in person yet? Can't wait to see some pictures of the progress and to hear more if anyone near that area has anything to share. Remember Tim can still use your money and unlike our government he will not waste it! Since he is a registered Non-Profit donations are tax deductible so if you need a write-off you might want to consider sending PHOF a little money.

Thanks for letting me know! I have not been spending much time on Pinside these days so I don't typically do much as far as looking at new topics. Basically I just stop by once in a while to check my messages and to see if anyone has posted anything new in topics I was watching in the past. I'll have to check out that other post.