Help Stabilize The Sweeneys

Hi. My name is Gailen and I am a long-time family friend of The Sweeneys. I am organizing this fundraiser to assist my dear friend, Samantha Sweeney, and her mom Cheryl. Samantha has done so much community work in the last five years, fundraising for others and giving freely; it is important to me that we wrap around her and her family at this time.

As many of you know, Ben Sweeney passed away on August 21, 2022 due to his battle with cancer. He had recently started a new therapy which they were told may extend his life 1-2 years. Unfortunately, things turned quickly and circumstances have left both daughter Samantha and wife Cheryl needing community support at this time. For the last 10 weeks, Samantha has been on an unpaid personal leave from work to give care to both her parents and advocate for Ben during his cancer battle.

The funds requested here will be used to pay for the Celebration of Life Service, to help stabilize Samantha and Cheryl financially, and to cover costs for Samantha to travel down to Southern California at the end of September to attend the Fly-In. 

Ben's last wish and primary goal was getting well enough to get to the airport to fly his plane. He talked about it every day for months. During his last week of life in the hospital, he shared with Samantha that every morning, just before he opened his eyes, he swore they were at the airport together. If enough funds are raised, Samantha will visit Uncle Kenny, Ben's best friend of 40+ years, to have a ceremony at the airport in Ben's honor.

The Sweeneys appreciate the community support that has collectively paid for Ben's cremation. They share, "we thank you who have contributed, who are offering support and those who are holding us in your hearts during this unprecedented time."