I’d like to take a moment to Introduce myself. My name is Tammy Castle. I am a stage 3c colorectal cancer survivor, 1 year NED. I have a permanent ostomy and I am also battling Multiple Myeloma, a terminal blood cancer. I will continue to receive lifelong monitoring & maintenance at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo. My journey has not been easy, but it has made me evermore grateful for each day.

While I now live in Allegany County, I was born and raised in Erie County, Buffalo proud, from the streets of South Buffalo to the fields & forest of Clarence, NY. Allegany County is a very underserved, rural region, that somehow falls under the WNY blanket, but is often forgotten. As much as I love the place that I have called home for the past 15 years, my roots & family will always be in Buffalo.

I am reaching out to you today, not on my own behalf, but I never imagined I would have been dealt a more devastating blow than I was already dealing with. My sweet, young, nephew, Quinn, drowned in a swimming accident last summer in Akron, NY. While he was my sister’s child, he could not have been any dearer to my heart. I was only blessed with one miracle baby, my son William, who was raised right up along with Quinn & his surviving, 16-year-old sister, Zoey. Needless to say, we have all been devastated by this sudden & tragic loss. Getting through the Holidays was so very heartbreaking for us all, especially his mother, my sister, Diana.

It has been heavy on my heart how we can find away to honor Quinn's life & remember the joy he brought to others, while respectfully honoring Diana & Zoey’s need for privacy. Quinn, 17, was an avid sneaker collector. Every penny of his birthday money, Christmas cash & the funds he earned doing landscaping with his Grandfather went to purchasing shoes. He had a collection of nearly 50 pairs of amazing shoes & sneakers, from classic Adidas to Air Jordan's & more. I am sure my sister could have probably sold these shoes for a pretty penny, but instead she chose to give the shoes to Quinn’s family, friends & the kids in the neighborhood who did not have new shoes for the upcoming school season. It is that very act of generosity that has inspired me to create “Quinn’s Kicks 4 Kidz”.

Any sort of assistance, advice or awareness you could bring to “Quinn’s Kicks 4 Kidz” would be greatly appreciated. It is my humble goal to be able to start small. I would Like to raise $1500 to purchase 15, $100 gift cards, to give to 15 children to purchase new shoes (&clothes) for the 2026/27 school year. 5 for the Akron School District, 5 for BOCES Harkness, where Quinn was enrolled & 5 for Allegany County where I live & Quinn spent so many holidays & summer vacations. I also, have this fantasy of getting Eric Jones to do a Pokémon sculpture out front of Akron Central School in honor of Quinn. Quinn won't graduate with his classmates this year, Quinn never got to “Make a Wish”, Quinn never got to do a lot of things.

I had to give up my own business pursuits at our family property, due to my own health issues. I still want to have purpose & live with passion, but furthermore I want Quinn’s life to be remembered & celebrated. He was a kind soul, who always, always had a smile on his face. He was taken from us far too soon, but we will never forget him. Starting a 501c3 sounds intimidating right now, so I am starting with a “Go Fund Me” account. I also plan to have a few fundraising activities throughout the summer months. Let’s see what we can achieve together in honor of Quinn.

Humbly & respectfully yours,

Tammy L Castle