speedygonzalez
Silver $$ Contributor
It is not often I reach out to the shooting community but in this case I make an exception. One of my students Terry Shoemaker came to Trinidad State Junior College with a dream of becoming a 1000 yard riflesmith and return to his home state of Pennsylvania to compete with his old friends and build the rifles he so loves to shoot. Terry's dream has come to harsh and abrupt stop. Over the summer Terry began to feel ill and was then diagnosed with lymphoma and is now in competition for his life as he undergoes chemotherapy.
Terry has lost his hair and quite a bit of weight and has become a fragile shell of student that walked into my office two years ago. Yet he made me a promise that he was going to continue in his studies and machine shop labs because he was not going to let this get him. The sign of a true competitor and I tip my hat with pride to him.
Terry is one of those students that is always willing to place his work on the back burner in order to assist a fellow classmate who is struggling with a machining formula or assigned project. I have seen him drop what he is doing to lend a hand in my classes when he sees that I am attending to someone and another student requires help as well. These are the people that give and ask for nothing in reward but are content to see others succeed as a result of their help and selfless kindness. These are those that I call “the gentle” people of the world.
Well my gentle person could use all of our assistance now. You may know that most students get through their college years on a hope and a prayer and that money is always tight add treating cancer to that equation and money becomes non existent. Terry has two daughters that want badly to see their father for Christmas but the doctors told Terry not to fly in he weakened condition and the three day drive alone is not feasible. I would like to try to raise the money to fly his two daughters round trip from Pennsylvania to Colorado for Christmas and maybe have a little left over so that he could provide a nice present for them.
I know times are hard for many of us and money is tight but we could all feel better for a helping out a fellow shooter be with his daughters for Christmas this year and we can have a better sense of the true gift of giving for a worthy cause this year as we gather with our own families. I am going to start the drive for joining terry with his girls for Christmas with a $100 donation. I will print a list of all those who donate on Christmas day and hopefully with pictures of Terry with his girls no amounts will be listed with the names it does not matter if you can give $5 or $500 all will be thankfully accepted.
There will be two ways to donate to help this dream come true for Terry.
One through the TSJC Educational Foundation by contacting Toni DeAngelis
Toni DeAngelis
Executive Director
TSJC Educational Foundation
600 Prospect St.
Trinidad, CO 81082
719-846-5520/1-800-621-8752 ext 5520
tsjcfoundation@trinidadstate.edu
Two through PayPal and making a donation to the “Terry Shoemaker Christmas Fund”.
By sending the donations to speedy.godzilla@msn.com and I will turn them over to Toni.
May God Bless you all for your help!
Merry Christmas,
Speedy Gonzalez
Terry has lost his hair and quite a bit of weight and has become a fragile shell of student that walked into my office two years ago. Yet he made me a promise that he was going to continue in his studies and machine shop labs because he was not going to let this get him. The sign of a true competitor and I tip my hat with pride to him.
Terry is one of those students that is always willing to place his work on the back burner in order to assist a fellow classmate who is struggling with a machining formula or assigned project. I have seen him drop what he is doing to lend a hand in my classes when he sees that I am attending to someone and another student requires help as well. These are the people that give and ask for nothing in reward but are content to see others succeed as a result of their help and selfless kindness. These are those that I call “the gentle” people of the world.
Well my gentle person could use all of our assistance now. You may know that most students get through their college years on a hope and a prayer and that money is always tight add treating cancer to that equation and money becomes non existent. Terry has two daughters that want badly to see their father for Christmas but the doctors told Terry not to fly in he weakened condition and the three day drive alone is not feasible. I would like to try to raise the money to fly his two daughters round trip from Pennsylvania to Colorado for Christmas and maybe have a little left over so that he could provide a nice present for them.
I know times are hard for many of us and money is tight but we could all feel better for a helping out a fellow shooter be with his daughters for Christmas this year and we can have a better sense of the true gift of giving for a worthy cause this year as we gather with our own families. I am going to start the drive for joining terry with his girls for Christmas with a $100 donation. I will print a list of all those who donate on Christmas day and hopefully with pictures of Terry with his girls no amounts will be listed with the names it does not matter if you can give $5 or $500 all will be thankfully accepted.
There will be two ways to donate to help this dream come true for Terry.
One through the TSJC Educational Foundation by contacting Toni DeAngelis
Toni DeAngelis
Executive Director
TSJC Educational Foundation
600 Prospect St.
Trinidad, CO 81082
719-846-5520/1-800-621-8752 ext 5520
tsjcfoundation@trinidadstate.edu
Two through PayPal and making a donation to the “Terry Shoemaker Christmas Fund”.
By sending the donations to speedy.godzilla@msn.com and I will turn them over to Toni.
May God Bless you all for your help!
Merry Christmas,
Speedy Gonzalez
