On March 1, 2000, my stepfather, Steve Bostard survived a mass shooting that forever altered the course of his life. Although he was not fully disabled at the time, the injuries he sustained had lasting physical and emotional effects. Through sheer determination, Steve returned to work at McDonald’s and continued working there for 20 years after the shooting.
In April 2024, Steve suffered a devastating emotional setback when he unexpectedly learned through a news report that the man who shot him, Ronald Taylor, had died on death row of natural causes. Authorities notified the families of the other victims, but Steve—the last surviving victim—was never contacted. Encountering this news without warning triggered a severe resurgence of PTSD symptoms, including new flashbacks, night terrors, and daily anxiety that he continues to battle.
Known by everyone who knows him as the kind of person who would give you the shirt off his back, Steve has always put others before himself. For the last 13 years, he has also provided a home and daily coaching for an elderly family friend with intellectual disabilities who cannot live independently after his own family was no longer able to provide him with housing or care.
In more recent years, Steve’s condition has worsened, and he is now fully disabled and awaiting a total hip replacement related to the fall he suffered after being shot. In the meantime his home is deteriorating faster than he can manage. After the most recent snowstorm and extreme freezing temperatures ice dams caused severe water damage, leaving him in need of a new main roof along with interior wall and floor repairs. Several windows must be replaced, and the exterior siding is cracking, coming apart, and falling down.
This fundraiser is to help cover the urgent repairs needed to keep Steve’s home safe and livable, not only for him but for the vulnerable person he also cares for, so he can focus on healing, stability, and moving forward with dignity
Please help us get Steve's home back into good condition before the 26th anniversary of the shooting next month. All donations and shares are deeply appreciated, and in-kind donations of repair or construction help, materials, or professional services would also be incredibly welcome. Thank you so much and have a blessed day!