Help Seymour and Brad Start Over
Donation protected
My name is Julia. A few months ago I, like many other people, met Seymour the Squirrel and his human, Brad, through Instagram. Between the demands of college, work and caring for three other pets, Brad somehow made the time to hand raise an orphaned squirrel who unexpectedly fell into his life. He shared their journey in pictures and videos on Instagram, posting moments from their life at home and delighting viewers during their visits to the park where Seymour plays. The emotional bond between animal-loving Brad and Seymour, an eastern gray squirrel with a completely captivating personality, is remarkable; together, they have brought simple, quiet joy to thousands of people around the world at a time when, frankly, things on our planet often seem chaotic and cruel.
Now Brad and Seymour have hit a major sinkhole in life—the kind that is absolutely overwhelming. A few weeks ago Brad abruptly discovered that he will soon be evicted from his home. For seven years, he’d been making mortgage payments to his father, the co-signer, but after his parents divorced, his father began spending Brad’s payments on other things, driving the home into foreclosure. Brad only learned about this when he was served with a court summons. Faced with total uncertainty about where he would be living, Brad had to leave school, where he was working toward a demanding Electrical Engineering degree. The job he had at the university was part of his work-study scholarship, and he could not keep it if no longer attending classes.
Because he moved to Tampa, Florida for school, Brad has no family or friends nearby to support him through these drastic circumstances. His mother lives 90 miles away and currently owns a house, but health and income challenges she faces have made it necessary for her to move out and list her home for sale, leaving left her currently unable to assist Brad as much as she’d like to. But there is a way that both of them could help each other. If Brad can rent his mom’s house, she can once again make her mortgage payments and Brad, Seymour and the other animals can have a place to live.
This is an urgent two-tier fundraising effort to get Brad through this crisis and on to rebuilding his life. In Tier 1, we need to raise $8,500 as soon as possible for Brad to cover moving costs, pay several months of rent, and provide food and supplies for Seymour and the other pets, Bella, Honey and Toto, while leaving a small safety net to protect all of them while he looks for a job.
If we are fortunate enough to raise the Tier 1 funds, then we can try to help Brad address other pressing financial needs in Tier 2, $6,500 for tuition repayment, replacement of his laptop computer that was recently stolen at the park, and funds to assist his mother in paying her back property taxes. Brad has to start over on every level. Please help me help him.
Fifteen thousand dollars is a lot of money, but all of it is critical. If I could write the whole check myself, I would, because I understand the sudden setbacks we can hit in life. I've experienced them; I think many of us have. I can't write the whole check, but I can sincerely ask for help for Brad and Seymour because I am desperate to help them. I feel in my heart that I have to ask, and it is with deep gratitude that I thank you for considering my request.
I'll be adding updates right here, writing about their progress as Brad and Seymour begin to start over, hoping that with help from all of us, they can find their way out of this sinkhole swiftly.
Click here to Meet Seymour and Brad
Why am I asking? I know what it's like to have your heart go out to an animal, even when it's not practical, and I know the commitment we make when we bring them into our lives. They are not disposable, even when misfortune strikes, and often they help us more than we can ever help them, sometimes becoming crucial to our wellbeing, as they are for Brad. I have cats and a horse and have struggled to be able to keep them. The only difference between Brad and me is that I have had help.
Now Brad and Seymour have hit a major sinkhole in life—the kind that is absolutely overwhelming. A few weeks ago Brad abruptly discovered that he will soon be evicted from his home. For seven years, he’d been making mortgage payments to his father, the co-signer, but after his parents divorced, his father began spending Brad’s payments on other things, driving the home into foreclosure. Brad only learned about this when he was served with a court summons. Faced with total uncertainty about where he would be living, Brad had to leave school, where he was working toward a demanding Electrical Engineering degree. The job he had at the university was part of his work-study scholarship, and he could not keep it if no longer attending classes.
Because he moved to Tampa, Florida for school, Brad has no family or friends nearby to support him through these drastic circumstances. His mother lives 90 miles away and currently owns a house, but health and income challenges she faces have made it necessary for her to move out and list her home for sale, leaving left her currently unable to assist Brad as much as she’d like to. But there is a way that both of them could help each other. If Brad can rent his mom’s house, she can once again make her mortgage payments and Brad, Seymour and the other animals can have a place to live.
This is an urgent two-tier fundraising effort to get Brad through this crisis and on to rebuilding his life. In Tier 1, we need to raise $8,500 as soon as possible for Brad to cover moving costs, pay several months of rent, and provide food and supplies for Seymour and the other pets, Bella, Honey and Toto, while leaving a small safety net to protect all of them while he looks for a job. If we are fortunate enough to raise the Tier 1 funds, then we can try to help Brad address other pressing financial needs in Tier 2, $6,500 for tuition repayment, replacement of his laptop computer that was recently stolen at the park, and funds to assist his mother in paying her back property taxes. Brad has to start over on every level. Please help me help him.
Fifteen thousand dollars is a lot of money, but all of it is critical. If I could write the whole check myself, I would, because I understand the sudden setbacks we can hit in life. I've experienced them; I think many of us have. I can't write the whole check, but I can sincerely ask for help for Brad and Seymour because I am desperate to help them. I feel in my heart that I have to ask, and it is with deep gratitude that I thank you for considering my request.
I'll be adding updates right here, writing about their progress as Brad and Seymour begin to start over, hoping that with help from all of us, they can find their way out of this sinkhole swiftly.
Click here to Meet Seymour and Brad
Why am I asking? I know what it's like to have your heart go out to an animal, even when it's not practical, and I know the commitment we make when we bring them into our lives. They are not disposable, even when misfortune strikes, and often they help us more than we can ever help them, sometimes becoming crucial to our wellbeing, as they are for Brad. I have cats and a horse and have struggled to be able to keep them. The only difference between Brad and me is that I have had help.
Organizer
Bradley Gene
Organizer
Crystal River, FL