Hello, my name is Demetreis Thornton, a 22-year-old who moved to Austin, TX to pursue my dream of a life as a jazz musician. It has been, up to now, nothing short of a life-changing experience for me. From the talented cats I’ve met on the scene to the guiding professors at the University of Texas at Austin, everyone I’ve met so far and continue to meet has shaped my life and has truly defined the community we as jazz musicians strive to build.

As of lately, I’ve been in quite the bind financially. This year, it has truly been one thing after another. Although it’s getting my car broken into (twice now) and completely cleaned out, stealing everything including the horn pictured (Got it back, at the cost of major repairs); helping my single mom of four out with her monthly bills (and I’d do it again); as well as my car breaking down majorly and having to fix it myself, that have really set me back the most. So much so that I had to pull out of the long-awaited UT Jazz Orchestra Japan Tour, just to pick up a 9-5 to keep my head above water.

The real kicker is despite my complex’s word of giving me grace to fix my car at my apartment, knowing I couldn’t afford to take it anywhere else, they decided to tow my car anyway. Easily costing me over 1k just to release it from the tow yard, towing it somewhere else, and paying to store it. Let alone fixing it.

It honestly breaks my heart knowing I’m forced at this point to turn to the community for help, knowing there are much less fortunate people than me who need the help more than I do. But with a wave of bills approaching as well as the price to get my car back going up every day, I’m left with no choice. To meet my goal would mean getting my car back, stored, and eventually fixed, and helping me with my monthly bills to prioritize saving to move to a hopefully less expensive apartment. But even just enough to get my car out of the tow yard would be nothing short of a huge blessing and relief.

Thank you so much for reading. And may God bless us all.