Alvin Has No Arms or Legs and Needs Your Help

FOOD SIGN UP LINK Hi! My name is Dana Sharman and I’m fundraising on behalf of an incredible man named Alvin King, who was born with no arms or legs. He is 42 and when I met him in early October, he was on a sidewalk in Manassas struggling with a large suitcase that contained all of his belongings. He was steering his electric wheelchair to the social services office to ask for help.  He had been up all night alone in the parking lot of a shopping center after being dropped off from a bus he'd gotten himself on from Baltimore to escape an unbearable situation at a nursing home.  I took his suitcase and walked with him to the office where a woman directed him to fill out huge stacks of paperwork for food stamps and Medicaid, told him there wasn't anything they could do to help him immediately and that he'd be contacted when someone reviewed his application.  That was it.  He was turned away to fend for himself - completely alone and helpless.

 

As we talked I found out his mother passed away from cancer in March, leaving him homeless, even though he has three other siblings, one of which, lives in Manassas, and all have chosen not to help him.

 

Alvin is smart, kind, friendly and unbelievably positive! He wants to have a purpose, job skills, a place in this world where he can have an impact. His goal is to help others believe in their own possibilities by becoming a motivational speaker one day but right now, he needs your help to just get access to food, a permanent home and basic daily support/caregiving.

 

So, how will your donations help?

 

First and foremost, we need to find Alvin a permanent place to call home. He's currently staying in a Red Roof Inn but that is not a long term solution. Secondly, he needs supplemental caregiving. Alvin has a caregiver who helps from 7am to 3pm but from 3:00 on, he's completely on his own. Third, and equally as important, food: he doesn't have regular daily access to meals and that has to change.  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0A45A9AC28A5F94-alvin  FOOD SIGN UP LINK

 

Another goal is to supply him with an adaptive computer with voice typing software so he can take online classes, connect with the world and ultimately find a job.

 

Finally, if we could get him even one prosthetic arm, the improvement to his quality of life would be truly life-changing and give him a sense of freedom and independence that he has never had before.

 

As we emerge from a global pandemic, the number of stories about people in need is too numerous to count, but we can't overlook a man like Alvin, who has battled to survive every day of his life since birth. Most of us hope to make a difference in people's lives but don't know how -- here is a great opportunity to make a HUGE difference immediately. Your donations, in any amount, can literally change Alvin's life overnight.

 

Thank you so much for joining on this important and life-saving journey.

Here's a short CBS news segment about Alvin.  
https://www.wusa9.com/video/news/local/virginia/virginia-quadriplegic-homeless-man-receives-help-from-local-community/65-6cc5fe85-0510-4eff-a2e6-8019eacc1f5c?jwsource=cl 

FOOD SIGN UP LINK  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0A45A9AC28A5F94-alvin

Dana