Apologies if this is off-topic-- please feel free to relocate as necessary-- however, I feel the need to spread this wherever I can.
These wonderful friends of mine are in a short yet dire emergency, and have requested that I pass the word on; for those who may not know them, they are Appleseeders (a Red Hat & a Blue Hat), genuinely good, hardworking people and true friends of Liberty. Wes (almost eighteen) struggles with multiple disabling health issues, and his mother, Kim (kilakiwi on the forum) is in financial straits which could result in their eviction by the end of the month. Please consider donating and spreading the word; they will appreciate any help that can possibly be given.
Link to GoFundMe Campaign: http://www.gofundme.com/wdd5czs (http://www.gofundme.com/wdd5czs)
Just kicked in $20.
Thank you, Scuzzy!!
$20.00 just sent.
God Bless!
-gb
Donation made. Shared on FB to rally some more troops..
Thank you all so much for your kindness and generosity!
Donation and FB.
I'm usually skeptical of this kind of stuff, but Appleseed family is different...
Done.
Bump.
Donation made.
Just a warning, now that I made this donation I'm getting solicitations for other in need families. I might wish that I had not.
Fred's right -- they're Appleseed family. Wes struggles with debilitating health issues. But in true Appleseed tradition, he has reached two of his primary goals -- graduating with a 4.0, and getting his red hat.
With a little help, we'll be seeing him on the firing lines for a long time to come.
tk
Donation made. I hope things work out.
^:)^
OH, my gosh!! I knew that Appleseeders were donating to us like crazy, but until just now when Ohio kicked in $300(THANK YOU OHIO FRIENDS!!!) I hadn't gotten over here to the forum to see if there was a thread. Melissa, thank you so much for sharing this! Wow. You are not only a true friend of Liberty, but a true friend of mine and Wes'. You all have gone so far above and beyond, I can hardly believe it.
This morning we were hit with 3 more financial/medical issues, and I thought I was literally going to lose my mind. But a few minutes later, I got a notice that our Ohio Appleseed friends, whom we've never met, have donated $300 on top of so many, many other generous gifts you've all given us, and I was so relieved. We're going to make it thanks to all of you.
I know you're all the kind of people who don't expect or need thanks, but please know that you have done far more for us than you could possibly realize. I don't even know what else to say.
I am sorry to hear that some of you have been pitched for other fundraisers after sharing with us, and I understand that some of you may be skeptical. But if you ask our current and former shoot bosses (and friends), they'll tell you that Wes and I are usually first out to the range on Saturday morning with brooms and trash cans in hand, and last to leave after Sunday cleanup. I've slept in the car with pneumonia waiting for Wes to instruct before he was old enough to drive up on his own, and we'll be in the trenches whenever we can be (and sometimes when we can't) going forward. That's not to brag though, it's just to say that they know us well. I can't brag, because I've seen you all do so much more, giving up weekends with family and doing shoot boss duties with laryngitis and using carpal-tunnel afflicted wrists to pull a shooter's bolt back and then packing your cars and trailers to their breaking point, going home exhausted and having to clean everything up, only to get up and do it again whenever and wherever you were needed.
Now imagine a kid like Wes going to his first Appleseed at age 12, making Rifleman and IIT at 15 and Instructor at 17, and imagine him seeing the kind of dedication you all showed him, and learning from you all to push through the pain and insecurity. He wasn't there back in Pennsylvania when his Vernon ancestors came over with Wm. Penn, but he does have an appreciation for what was sacrificed on his behalf thanks to Appleseed. And Wes never had a team sport. He couldn't possibly have run and thrown or kicked balls, but he had something to proudly tell people when they asked what his sport was. Marksmanship.
Now you've also shown him how Americans make it through winter together. You helped to raise our barn when we were alone, just as the storm set in. That lesson will take Wes a long way in the right direction.
And P.S. Sacramento gang, I never thanked you properly for being so kind to Wes as he struggled through his first Dangerous Old Man story when we visited you a couple of years ago. It was agonizing to see him struggle with every single word, but you were all so kind and patient with him, that he gained the confidence to eventually look at people as he told his stories. And if you haven't heard him go ballistic on late shooters, you wouldn't believe he was the same kid. ("SHOOTERS! CEASE FIRE IS NOT A SUGGESTION! IT IS AN ORDER!") Makes a mama proud.
THANK YOU!!!!! ALL OF YOU! We WILL pay this forward!
Kim/kilakiwi (and Wes/Relentless)
Kim,
That is awesome! I'm soooo glad he made Red Hat and has come so far.
Anytime you want/are able to come out to our neck of the woods you are more than welcome...that means Sac, Red Bluff, or Hat Creek... come on out.
Laurie
Thank you, Laurie!! Your cadre is amazing, and you were all so good to us when we visited. If you can find us some shade on the range(!), we'll do our best to make it up there this summer. We'll see if we can even drag Haleson and the other CV-ers with us. That would be so much fun!
Hey Kim....Hat Creek is at 3000 feet, in the pines, the shooting line is shaded. ;)
Quote from: NorCal22Gal on June 16, 2015, 06:11:56 PM
Hey Kim....Hat Creek is at 3000 feet, in the pines, the shooting line is shaded. ;)
ROAD TRIP!!!
^:)^ June 27-28, July 25-26, Oct 31-Nov 1 Tell Wes....KD on Sunday.... :D