Donate to "Project Petey!

"Project Petey" is an ongoing effort to help this young man overcome some obstacles in his life; some very obvious, some not so. Pete Bruce is currently homeless, living in a weekly hotel situation which is not safe and considerably more expensive than a monthly apartment setting. Due to circumstances beyond his control, Pete found himself homeless in a matter of days. What seemed to be an equitable and affordable living arrangement suddenly turned south. We, an informal social group of "pickleball players" in Central Florida, met Pete when he showed up to play one day. Imagine seeing this young man trying to affix a pickleball paddle to his arms with Velcro! As you can clearly see has no hands and one usable leg due to birth defects. The pickleball group at Cady Way Park in Winter Park soon took him under their wings and helped him enjoy the sport while looking for stable housing and job searches.

As we learned more about him the more we became close friends. We found Pete to be smart, driven, and motivated to reach past the disabilities and challenges he faces on a day-to-day basis. Please don't think Pete is wasting his time playing pickleball. He is currently waiting on phone calls from employers in hopes of finding steady employment. One job would be working part-time at a Publix grocery store and the other as a forklift operator for a national firm. Yes, he has skills as a forklift operator and he owns a car and drives!

Until those job offers come thru Pete is strapped for cash and is looking for a stable place to live in a tough rental market. Assistance from the Go Fund Me account would be used for temporary and hopefully, permanent housing until he lands a solid job (and he is not opposed to working two jobs), assuring that his car is in top running condition, food and the usual essentials needed to get by day to day. A food pantry is also being established in his name at a nearby business.

Pete and his friends are also hoping on making a trip to Georgia in the next few months to be fitted with a more current and advanced prosthetic leg to replace the 13-year-old fiberglass prosthetic he is currently using. We found an organization that will fabricate, fit, and replaces his current prosthetic at no charge! Pete will still need the resources for travel, food, and lodging for the week-long trip.

Several folks in the Cady Way Pickleball Group are assisting him to become even more independent than he already is yet recognize that he needs just a little bit of help. His Go Fund Me account will be closely monitored by several trusted people in the community with the ability for accountable for the funds spent at any time.