Helping Ian

Many of you may recall our son Lukas took off a year ago today, February 22, 2023. I thank the thousands of people who took the time to share my FB post and the many others who graciously offered support during that incredibly difficult and scary time. We are forever grateful for his safe return. What you may not know is that it was a homeless man, named Ian, who interacted with our son that day in Philly, set him straight and encouraged him to get help to return back home to us. There are approximately 1/2 a million homeless people currently living in USA. They walk among us, and they all have their own story of how they ended up on the streets. In Ian’s case, he had an abusive father, COVID hit and he was out of a job and home. Some believe homeless people are on the streets because they “use drugs”, they’re “lazy”, or they are just “mentally ill”. But there are so many contributing factors to becoming homeless- there are people who have experienced horrendous circumstances, terrible loss, and situations beyond their control. Many do work, but their wages can’t sustain them in this economy. There are layoffs and medical bills resulting in desperate circumstances. Unemployment benefits and savings run out. There are people who truly want to work, to turn their life around and to make changes for the better, but they are stuck and need an extra hand to catch a break. Obviously, our family feels forever indebted to Ian for what he did for our son. He took the time to care, to communicate with our son and to find out why he took off. They talked about what was weighing on my child’s mind. Ian handed my son a sleeve of cookies and a coke and convinced Lukas he had a family who was worried sick about him at home. That he had a “loving home” to return to. Ian, and many others just like him, don’t have that luxury that many of us take for granted. He doesn’t have a family who cares or a “home” to return to. When I had a chance to personally meet and thank Ian, I asked him what his goals are and what matters to him most. He said more than anything, “he hopes to start a non-profit for homeless people. His goal is to ensure grant money given to the homeless through an organization he’d like to start one day, goes to its intended use- to help homeless people get off the streets, get shelter, and be able to turn their lives around through working hard and obtaining a steady income.” Ian wants to make a difference in others’ lives and we want to help him to do just that. If you have just a few dollars to donate to help Ian get on his feet again, he, and we, will be incredibly grateful.

Thank you for your willingness to support a great cause and to take action to help make a change.

(Photo and excerpt of video were taken 2 weeks after the incident- our family was able to locate Ian in the city and bring him clothing, food and essentials as a way to start to repay him for what he did)