Help Daniel's Dreams Come True

Like everyone, Daniel Fonseca has his own hopes and dreams for the future. He wants to contribute to society just as other people do. He also dreams of having experiences that most of us take for granted. This is his story …

THE ORIGINS OF ADVERSITY

Daniel, as was true for other kids his age, dreamed of a future of happiness and personal fulfillment. However, because of the existence of significant mental health and intellectual disabilities, combined with a difficult home life due to no fault of his own, he ended up on the streets, especially after his grandparents passed away, losing their home. Then later hit by a vehicle, causing some physical disabilities. With nowhere else to turn, Daniel saw no real hope for the future, and that journey of homelessness would dominate his existence for the better part of the next few years.

THE BEGINNING OF A TURN-AROUND

The year was 2018, living for a few months on the bus stop at the corner of Sunset and Merced, here in West Covina, Daniel sought to survive on the good will of strangers, who did what they could. Most ignored him, passively casting judgment as they walked or drove past him, coldly acting as if he neither existed nor mattered.

But, little could Daniel have realized that things were about to take a turn for the better at long last.

One late evening, while going to sleep on the bus stop, he met a woman who stopped not only to give him food and modest financial support but truly to SEE him. She asked him to share his life story so that she could better understand how he ended up where he was. She then decided to step in to help in a longer-term way by contacting social service agencies to get him some help, mediating and advocating on his behalf, identifying and securing further assistance from folks she knew, and ultimately just treating him with kindness, humanity, and respect. Her name was Letty Lopez Viado, who then was just barely running for City Council, but has continued to stay in contact with him for the next few years

THE TRANSFORMATION

Just as West Covina’s residents are boundless in their compassion, various individuals rallied to support Daniel. This included Former LAPD Officer Tom and his wife Debra who paid for shelter several years ago, Kiwanis Club of West Covina President Brad Manning who also happens to be Daniel’s former Principal from Workman High School a quarter century ago, and a whole host of others who served as silent guardian angels to help lift Daniel out of the ravages of homelessness and into stable and more permanent housing. That has all now happened, thanks to the incredible community of caring that is at the very heart and soul of who we are as a city.

Today, Daniel envisions doing his part to help the public feel safe just as his buddy Tom did. For him, that means getting to serve as a security guard. The sheer pride of wearing the uniform, the good feelings that come with being a productive and contributing member of the community, and the real sense of achievement by doing a great job that really matters.

YOUR CHANCE TO HELP DANIEL ALONG HIS JOURNEY

For Daniel, getting to serve as a security guard would mean the world to him. He thinks about it every day, and he looks forward to gaining that chance. The best part is that Daniel has set this goal firmly in mind AND is willing and eager to WORK for it.

Toward that end, as we celebrate the Holidays and in a spirit of true community, we all get to join together to help show the world what is truly possible for those with disabilities. We get to hold high expectations for him just as he now holds for himself.

With YOUR help, financial resources raised through Go Fund Me would cover a variety of security trainings that include subjects such as baton, arrest, loss prevention, and more. Even more excitedly, depending on possibilities that open up based on the total amount raised, Daniel will be able to attend local security conferences. Plus, we would be able to purchase the clothing and gear that a security guard needs such as security jackets, pants, beanie, hats, boots, gloves, walkie talkie, flashlight, and business cards.

Aside from this, we would like to be able to do something truly special. Never in his life has he had a birthday party to celebrate and acknowledge him the way most of us have had the fortune of experiencing. Just imagine how he would feel if we all organized a surprise party for him on his next birthday in February!

And, to top it all off, just think of his reaction when, as a wonderful memory of a lifetime, we could give him a ticket for Daniel and a guest to go to Disneyland, literally the Happiest Place on Earth, somewhere he has NEVER gotten to visit in his LIFE.

GIVE TODAY, AND SPREAD THE WORD