Priscilla Clary-Skarda's Car Fund
Donation protected
Bernie and I have been the best of friends with Priscilla Clary Skarda, since attending and graduating from Morrilton High School in 1967. Right now, she is having a difficult time, considering her car was stolen last week in Southwest LR. The police are giving her little hope of recovering it. Her husband has Dementia and she has been his caregiver for the last two years 24/7. She needs a vehicle. The best way we can help is by donating money she can use toward purchasing another car. If we all work together, I know we can lessen Priscilla’s financial burden. Below is what her daughter shared on Facebook about their situation. Please help with any amount. We appreciate each one of you. - Judy & Bernie Porter
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From Priscilla's Daughter...
“Many of you know what a rough time my parents have had over the past 3 years. With Daddy in & out of the hospital countless times, my Mom had to stop working much sooner than expected in order to take care of him. They had always promised to take care of each other “no matter what” & that's exactly what they've done.
For about 20 years or so before that, my Mom was the breadwinner, because my Dad was disabled & couldn’t work. She did not complain or whine about this responsibility. She just went about her day with a smile on her face, doing the job she loved, while helping as many people as possible. She took great care of her family at home, as well as her "family" at work. What an incredible role model I had growing up!
Back to the present time... It has been very difficult emotionally & physically with Daddy having advanced Dementia, as well as being on oxygen. Mom is his 24/7 caregiver & it's been a roller coaster to say the least. At times, he doesn’t know who she is, which is completely heart-breaking! And just getting him to eat something can be such a challenge. My husband & I obviously do what we can, but with living in another state, there's not a lot we can do physically to help her. Thankfully, they have wonderful friends & neighbors who check on them.
A couple of weekends ago, they had to say good-bye to one of their sweet dogs, Tootsie. She was like a child to them for the past 14 years. The very next day, in the midst of their sadness, her purse was stolen. Then a couple of days later, her car was stolen. This is still unimaginable to me!! The police said it was probably a set-up, because they had also taken her wallet two weeks before that. After all of this happened, we heard there’s been an unusual amount of car theft going on in the area. Even though they have lived in Southwest Little Rock for over 30 years, it wasn’t until recently that they’ve experienced any problems.
They only had one car - 2012 Toyota RAV4 – with about 20,000 miles on it, which would have lasted them many more years. My mom absolutely LOVED her SUV! While they have car insurance, it will basically just pay off that car – there will not be enough to buy another one, too. This is a major loss to them! We are still hopeful it will be found in decent shape, but also aware it would be a miracle at this point. I hate the thought of someone taking advantage of them & getting away with these horrible crimes!
On February 3rd - my Dad's 73rd birthday - one of my Mom's dear friends of 50+ years, had heard enough. Judy Porter was saddened by the tough situation her friend was in and felt compelled to find a way to help her. While trying to figure out what to do, she remembered donating to a local family in need using their GoFundMe page. She realized that would be the perfect way to help my parents, so she set it up GoFundMe.com/PriscillaCar to collect donations for their car purchase. This was an answered prayer for us, because we literally had NO idea how we would replace her car.
We sure appreciate Judy’s generous heart for doing this. Our family is very humbled and grateful for every prayer, share, & donation we receive. Every dollar will be used to buy their car, and I know they will think of everyone’s kindness & generosity every time they drive it. I really didn't mean to write a book, but I felt you should know a bit more about my parent’s story to see the positive difference you will make in their life & in mine. Thank You & God Bless You!!! “ - Tina Skarda Downey
________________________________________
From Priscilla's Daughter...
“Many of you know what a rough time my parents have had over the past 3 years. With Daddy in & out of the hospital countless times, my Mom had to stop working much sooner than expected in order to take care of him. They had always promised to take care of each other “no matter what” & that's exactly what they've done.
For about 20 years or so before that, my Mom was the breadwinner, because my Dad was disabled & couldn’t work. She did not complain or whine about this responsibility. She just went about her day with a smile on her face, doing the job she loved, while helping as many people as possible. She took great care of her family at home, as well as her "family" at work. What an incredible role model I had growing up!
Back to the present time... It has been very difficult emotionally & physically with Daddy having advanced Dementia, as well as being on oxygen. Mom is his 24/7 caregiver & it's been a roller coaster to say the least. At times, he doesn’t know who she is, which is completely heart-breaking! And just getting him to eat something can be such a challenge. My husband & I obviously do what we can, but with living in another state, there's not a lot we can do physically to help her. Thankfully, they have wonderful friends & neighbors who check on them.
A couple of weekends ago, they had to say good-bye to one of their sweet dogs, Tootsie. She was like a child to them for the past 14 years. The very next day, in the midst of their sadness, her purse was stolen. Then a couple of days later, her car was stolen. This is still unimaginable to me!! The police said it was probably a set-up, because they had also taken her wallet two weeks before that. After all of this happened, we heard there’s been an unusual amount of car theft going on in the area. Even though they have lived in Southwest Little Rock for over 30 years, it wasn’t until recently that they’ve experienced any problems.
They only had one car - 2012 Toyota RAV4 – with about 20,000 miles on it, which would have lasted them many more years. My mom absolutely LOVED her SUV! While they have car insurance, it will basically just pay off that car – there will not be enough to buy another one, too. This is a major loss to them! We are still hopeful it will be found in decent shape, but also aware it would be a miracle at this point. I hate the thought of someone taking advantage of them & getting away with these horrible crimes!
On February 3rd - my Dad's 73rd birthday - one of my Mom's dear friends of 50+ years, had heard enough. Judy Porter was saddened by the tough situation her friend was in and felt compelled to find a way to help her. While trying to figure out what to do, she remembered donating to a local family in need using their GoFundMe page. She realized that would be the perfect way to help my parents, so she set it up GoFundMe.com/PriscillaCar to collect donations for their car purchase. This was an answered prayer for us, because we literally had NO idea how we would replace her car.
We sure appreciate Judy’s generous heart for doing this. Our family is very humbled and grateful for every prayer, share, & donation we receive. Every dollar will be used to buy their car, and I know they will think of everyone’s kindness & generosity every time they drive it. I really didn't mean to write a book, but I felt you should know a bit more about my parent’s story to see the positive difference you will make in their life & in mine. Thank You & God Bless You!!! “ - Tina Skarda Downey
Organizer and beneficiary
Judy Porter
Organizer
Conway, AR
Priscilla Skarda
Beneficiary