Homeless Comedian Needs a (Finished) Van!
My name is AJ Wilkerson, I'm a 32 year old Standup comedian, native Floridian, Service-Connected Disabled Army Veteran, and an Autistic person!
I was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder in early 2019, and a few weeks later started trying standup when my therapist recommended it. I had reached the end of my rope mentally, and comedy was suggested as a pressure relief valve, a way to share and expel my creativity.
Well surprise, not only did standup do wonders for my mental health, I fell in love with it, became addicted to it, and now it's what I do for a living!
I'd had jobs that I liked before, but standup was the first time I LOVED something, and was good enough at it that someone told me I could do it for a living. Off I went!
March of 2020 was supposed to be the beginning of my first real tour as a comedian. I signed a contract with a company, myself and the other artists moved to Tallahassee to a house provided by the tour, and we started rehearsing and preparing for our dreams to come true!
The next day Covid lockdown started. The tour was postponed, then canceled. We had four months left to stay in the house, then we had to find new places to live and new ways to support ourselves. During a pandemic. During a National Health, Resource, and Economic Crisis.
So I used my stimulus to by a piece of shit van for $1000 (a 1987 GMC Safari short passenger wheelchair van) converted it into a camper, and I've been living on the road as a comedian ever since!
In the last year, I won the Portland Comedy Festival, was a finalist in the US Comedy Contest, and won a contest to open for Jay Mewes (Clerks, Chasing Amy, Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back), who I impressed so much I'm now his touring feature act!
Now though, I've reached an impasse. Tour shows during Covid are few and far between, so it's keeping me going, but barely. I can't currently afford to upgrade my van, and that loveable piece of shit can't provide me adequate shelter anymore. It's had a leak in the roof that I've repaired several times, but still every time it rains, I get soaked. I've had to start tarping the roof whenever it rains, leaving me fully immobile until the weather clears.
I've lost food, clothing, bedding, and electronic devices to water damage. I've gotten the flu, pnuemonia, a sleep disorder, and more mental health issues than I can count just dealing with how terrible this van is. I've been stranded for days at a time four times now!
It's time to replace this temporary reaction to homelessness with a more reliable version. I love the freedom of living life on the road, chasing my dream career. I love the grind of sleeping in rest areas and truck stops, always headed for the next show or adventure. I want to keep living this life, but I need your help to do it.
Any and all funds raised will go towards the purchase of a camper van, bus, or RV that I can live in full time and pursue my comedy career.
Although I didn't know I was Autistic until a few years ago, my entire life I never really fit in. I could pretend for short bursts, but it consumed so much energy, and then when I was alone again, I still didn't fit in, but now I was also exhausted.
Comedy is the first time in my life I've ever felt like I BELONGED. I'm not just out here chasing a dream, I'm pursuing my purpose. I'm trying to find where I belong, trying to connect with people now that I'm learning how, and I'm trying to spread joy.
If any of that sounds like a journey you can get behind, I could really use your help! Thank you, I love you, and see you on the road!