Fresh Start for Kevin...It takes a Village
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Dear Friends and Family,
This past May, Kevin Harper, MHS, Class of 2018 and friend of my son Casey, successfully completed his freshman year at the University of Maryland and was looking forward to becoming a member of their top-ranked Engineering school upon returning to school this fall. Sadly, Kevin became homeless shortly after his return home this summer. He arrived at our door one night, we took in him, and he has been living with us ever since.
The extreme stress of his situation got the best of Kevin in July, when he suffered major seizures, resulting from extreme emotional stress. He was admitted, twice, to Bridgeport hospital, where he had two lengthy stays.
Following this, Kevin also faced an issue with the police, which sadly, has been explained as ‘typical’ and ‘follows the statistics’ for kids who have been abandoned at a late stage of adolescence. He has surfaced with an even stronger conviction to not become a statistic, and succeed in spite of his situation. In addition, Kevin, with the help of professionals, has been able to assure that his judicial convictions will not have a lasting impact on his future desires. To elaborate, all standing charges against him will be dismissed. His aspirations, both for the present and future, remain solid and equally achievable for an individual of his character.
Months later, Kevin is doing remarkably well. We helped him find an excellent multi faceted medical team to treat his conditions, and he recently accepted a job at Buck’s Transport, Inc. Unfortunately, even if he’d been healthy enough to return to pursue a degree in engineering, he would have been unable to as he no longer has the financial support to pay for it.
My boys and I love Kevin. He is, as many of you know, a smart, kind and good-natured young man and we are happy to open our home to him, where he has been a gracious guest and is now considered family. However, we know this is not an adequate long term solution as Kevin will need to get back to school.
Because he is still at risk of seizures, Kevin is unable to drive for the time being. With Casey back at school and only Aidan and me at home and both working full time Monday-Friday, we’ve at times struggled to get Kevin to and from his medical/therapy appointments, resorting occasionally to hiring Uber drivers. This will become more of a problem when he starts working next week. As a single mother working two jobs, I am not in a position to continue to pay for transportation.
Aside from a bit of financial assistance from Kevin’s mother’s family in Florida (who have stayed in contact with me since the beginning, are very appreciative, and have been loving and supportive to Kevin this entire time), I have not been receiving any sort of financial assistance for Kevin and know this will continue to be the case. That is why, as a last resort, I have created this page to reach out to you and our community for help on Kevin’s behalf.
Kevin has both short and long term needs (here are a few):
- He has immediate need for help paying for transportation to and from his job and numerous medical appointments. Once he is cleared to resume driving in a few months, he will need money to purchase a car.
- He needs funds to cover his out of network medical bills. By the end of this year, I estimate his medical debt will be ~4 thousand dollars.
- Looking ahead, Kev wants to resume his studies next year, as any earlier will be impossible. This will probably now be here in CT - ideally at UConn’s engineering school. I have an experienced family member who has offered to guide Kevin through the application and financial aid process, and accompany him to meet and negotiate with aid officers there. Kevin will need supplemental financial help as loans and scholarships will not cover his college expenses.
I have set up a distinct bank account to cover only Kevin’s expenses, as outlined above, and I ask you to please contribute what you can to the account, through this site, to help me help a fellow Panther who has fallen on hard times unimaginable to most of us. All contributions are greatly appreciated by both Kevin and Me.
Thank you endlessly...
This past May, Kevin Harper, MHS, Class of 2018 and friend of my son Casey, successfully completed his freshman year at the University of Maryland and was looking forward to becoming a member of their top-ranked Engineering school upon returning to school this fall. Sadly, Kevin became homeless shortly after his return home this summer. He arrived at our door one night, we took in him, and he has been living with us ever since.
The extreme stress of his situation got the best of Kevin in July, when he suffered major seizures, resulting from extreme emotional stress. He was admitted, twice, to Bridgeport hospital, where he had two lengthy stays.
Following this, Kevin also faced an issue with the police, which sadly, has been explained as ‘typical’ and ‘follows the statistics’ for kids who have been abandoned at a late stage of adolescence. He has surfaced with an even stronger conviction to not become a statistic, and succeed in spite of his situation. In addition, Kevin, with the help of professionals, has been able to assure that his judicial convictions will not have a lasting impact on his future desires. To elaborate, all standing charges against him will be dismissed. His aspirations, both for the present and future, remain solid and equally achievable for an individual of his character.
Months later, Kevin is doing remarkably well. We helped him find an excellent multi faceted medical team to treat his conditions, and he recently accepted a job at Buck’s Transport, Inc. Unfortunately, even if he’d been healthy enough to return to pursue a degree in engineering, he would have been unable to as he no longer has the financial support to pay for it.
My boys and I love Kevin. He is, as many of you know, a smart, kind and good-natured young man and we are happy to open our home to him, where he has been a gracious guest and is now considered family. However, we know this is not an adequate long term solution as Kevin will need to get back to school.
Because he is still at risk of seizures, Kevin is unable to drive for the time being. With Casey back at school and only Aidan and me at home and both working full time Monday-Friday, we’ve at times struggled to get Kevin to and from his medical/therapy appointments, resorting occasionally to hiring Uber drivers. This will become more of a problem when he starts working next week. As a single mother working two jobs, I am not in a position to continue to pay for transportation.
Aside from a bit of financial assistance from Kevin’s mother’s family in Florida (who have stayed in contact with me since the beginning, are very appreciative, and have been loving and supportive to Kevin this entire time), I have not been receiving any sort of financial assistance for Kevin and know this will continue to be the case. That is why, as a last resort, I have created this page to reach out to you and our community for help on Kevin’s behalf.
Kevin has both short and long term needs (here are a few):
- He has immediate need for help paying for transportation to and from his job and numerous medical appointments. Once he is cleared to resume driving in a few months, he will need money to purchase a car.
- He needs funds to cover his out of network medical bills. By the end of this year, I estimate his medical debt will be ~4 thousand dollars.
- Looking ahead, Kev wants to resume his studies next year, as any earlier will be impossible. This will probably now be here in CT - ideally at UConn’s engineering school. I have an experienced family member who has offered to guide Kevin through the application and financial aid process, and accompany him to meet and negotiate with aid officers there. Kevin will need supplemental financial help as loans and scholarships will not cover his college expenses.
I have set up a distinct bank account to cover only Kevin’s expenses, as outlined above, and I ask you to please contribute what you can to the account, through this site, to help me help a fellow Panther who has fallen on hard times unimaginable to most of us. All contributions are greatly appreciated by both Kevin and Me.
Thank you endlessly...
Organizer
Maureen Bowler
Organizer
Monroe, CT
