TECHNOLOGY HELPS FAMILY TURN CORNER.(LIFE & LEISURE)

Byline: MICHAEL FINLEY

My family may be scattered around the country, but we still make an effort to help one another out.

When I was struggling to stay in college, my brother Pat, who worked in a steel plant, lent me $500 to get through the last quarter. I had bungled a few loans to that point, but you better believe I paid him back fast.

A few years later, when I was on the ropes yet again, my stepdad Dick gave me an old red pickup to get around in. ``Here you are,'' he said, and threw me the keys. When he heard I sold it for cash, all Dick wanted to know was did I get a good price.

When we had our first child, Dick bought us a big '77 …