Helping Dylan Get Through College

Hi, my name is Alexandria and I’m reaching out to raise money for Dylan, who’s been through quite an ordeal. Dylan and I met in seventh grade as orchestra stand partners, and we've been best friends ever since. Now, we're both in our first year of college, but Dylan's life was turned upside down from the drama he lived through in his home life. I witnessed the extreme verbal and mental abuse Dylan endured on a daily basis from a family member who also took his earnings from his job at Starbucks, where Dylan worked as a barista. After talking with trusted adults, including the school counselors at our high school, he finally built up the courage to leave the situation but quickly had to become financially independent. During the summer, he travelled to work via bike and worked any shift he could, which often meant waking up at 3 am, to afford a clunky 1990 Toyota Camry. Things were looking up as Dylan started KSU. He was out of an abusive situation, doing well in school and found a job working at PetSmart, which he absolutely loves. He's received a handful of customer service awards, two of which he received from helping a woman when she had a seizure in the store. He saved up and was finally able buy a safer and more reliable car, a 2002 Honda Civic. The Honda turned out to have a minor fuel leak, costing him an additional $650, but the repair ended up saving Dylan’s life. On October 30th, after having his Civic for only a month, Dylan collided with another vehicle on the highway. He was able to get out of the car only seconds before it exploded into flames, destroying the car and all of his possessions inside. When I arrived at the scene, I was amazed by the way he was handling it. He was listing the positives of his situation given the air bag saved his life. He wouldn’t have survived in the old Camry, and it’s scary to think what may have happened if the fuel leak in the Civic had not been fixed. Now, he's without transportation and can't afford to Uber everyday to work, and it's way too far to bike. Dylan is totally reliant on himself and is struggling to put himself through college. This is why I'm trying to help raise money for Dylan. No matter what's been thrown at him, he's always managed to look on the bright side of things and ALWAYS puts others before himself. Talking to him, you'd never guess his situation. He refuses to ask anyone for anything, so I'm asking for him. I'm trying to raise money to help him at the very least scrape by for the next few months to buy basic necessities and his medication which he hasn't been able to afford since he left home. No one is obligated to donate, but every little bit helps. Either way, please continue to share Dylan's story as he puts himself through college and battles his everyday challenges.