Hi everyone, my name is Sam Folks and I’m trying to raise emergency funds for my friend, Ray Harwell. Ray is having one of the hardest stretches of life imaginable, and the turbulence is only escalating. He is carrying most of his burdens alone, and we’re running out of time: Ray is now facing homelessness. I’m desperate to help my friend.

Ray is 55 years old, disabled, and a full-time caretaker for his older sister, Lori. Lori’s health has been steadily declining for several months. Because of her declining health and increasing need for support, Lori lost her job several months ago. This has placed greater financial strain on Ray, who now works 7 days a week to make ends meet. Unfortunately, ends simply aren’t meeting.

Lori’s increased need for support has forced Ray to miss a significant amount of work recently. His car broke down in October 2025, forcing him to buy a new car. However, due to the increasing financial strain and escalating personal costs, the car was repossessed in April 2026 and he lost his only mode of transportation. This has made getting to and from work even more difficult. He depends on a mix of ride-share apps and rides from friends. Uber/Lyfting to and from work costs $70 per day. This is more than half of his daily wages.

Ray is diabetic and depends on daily insulin injections. He recently shared with me that he goes without eating two days per week, because he just cannot afford to eat. This has only exasperated his unstable blood sugar levels, which directly impacts his ability to come into work. This vicious cycle is snowballing, with each factor worsening another as time goes on.

As if things couldn’t get any worse, on Tuesday, June 9th, Lori had a stroke. She remains in the hospital as we await answers about her long-term condition. Ray has been forced to look into long-term care facilities for her. To top it all off, within a few days of Lori’s stroke, Ray received an eviction notice.

Ray is a valued member of his community and a dependable friend. He works hard to maintain his responsibilities, but as we all know, sometimes the circumstances in our lives are beyond what we can conquer. He is involved in the gaming community of Akron, often hosting community tournaments at the game store he works at. He is a fierce ally of the LGBT community and goes out of his way to create safe spaces for his queer friends and coworkers. His community depends on him, and now he’s in a position where he needs to depend on his community.

Ray is out of time. We need help getting him back on his feet. All funds raised will go directly to Ray: paying off a few debts that are garnishing his wages, securing housing and saving him from homelessness, and giving him the opportunity to purchase a car. Any donations will help; no amount is too little. We really appreciate any help that our communities can give us in this.