The last few months have been a whirlwind of emotions and drastic changes for our very own cheerleader Katie Collins.  At the young age of 16 she has endured loss and devastation that is unimaginable and difficult to process even as an adult. Katie's grandparents that have raised her and been her rock and solid ground through some tough times, have both passed away in a short period of time from each other. Her grandfather Phil passed away in August after a short battle with Leukemia, leaving Katie and her sweet grandma, Carol behind. It was a very difficult time for Katie watching him go through so much, but she had Carol to help her be strong, when little did we know Carol had her own battle going on.   Carol was in and out of the hospital the whole time Phil was fighting his illness, with various medical issues.  After Phil passed away, Carol became ill again and was diagnosed with COPD.  Katie drove Carol to the hospital right before Thanksgiving, She gave Katie some money to take care of herself and her chickens while she wasn't able to be home and little did we know Katie spent Thanksgiving at home all alone. A time when family is the focus of most people lives, this sweet 16 year old was home... By herself.  Just two days later and 4 short months after Phil's passing Carol joined her childhood love.

Katie has been displaced from her home and taken out of her comfort zone, with no immediate family able to step up to take her in.  A caring ICE family has taken Katie in and welcomed her as one of their own with open arms. Unfortunately, with the cost of cheerleading, they can not afford to cover all of her expenses for the sport she loves. Katie's two favorite things in life are her animals and cheerleading.  She is a member of ICE All-Stars of Barrington on the Senior 4 team and her dedication and drive for her team is immeasurable. Katie finds comfort, normalcy, and feels at home when she is at the gym with her cheer family.  With so much loss in such a short period of time it would be heartbreaking to see one more thing taken from her. Cheer is her life!

It is our hope to raise enough funds to help Katie continue to cheer the remainder of this season and have the opportunity to cheer next season as well. Tuition, competition fees, travel fees, and Summit fees are something that will need to be covered for this to be possible. Her team has currently received a bid to the Summit in Orlando in May and this will be her first time experiencing Disney World.   

A donation of any amount would be greatly appreciated. All funds will go into an account and be directly managed by the gym to cover her cheerleading expenses.

We appreciate your kindness.