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Help me Fund my family. Mark & Tristan Lucke

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Pictures # 1. Recent picture of Mark and Tristan at the radio station while being interviewed. Link to LONESOME WILCOX DOCUMENTARY  ...(current interview in The Atlantic).Mark also has his website at willcoxradio.com    "Lonesome Willco x  "  is a documentary film that is winning the hearts of people all across the world. It is the story of my family. My former husband  Mark Lucke and our son Tristan Lucke and their life in the small town of Willcox, Arizona and the classic country music Mark plays on the radio. Our family was ripped apart in a divorce and we went through very hard times after alot of music success as a family. We both sadly started over. It was along time ago. My family means everything to me. I want to help them. This "miraculous" to my family "beautiful hearted film"  Lonesome Willcox is the story of what happened 'after' our very sad divorce and how Mark put his heart and  soul into the radio stations and his side of raising  our son and his dedication to his work and its about his humble character. The documentary film makers, Zack and Ryan, drove through and by the town of Willcox, Arizona on their way to Texas heading to South by Southwest Film Festival to show one of their films and "heard the music" on the KHIL  radio station. They stopped to find out who was playing it and where it was coming from. Someone in town directed them to the Mark's radio station. They found Mark and Tristan . Lonesome Willcox  began then. ( I am forever grateful to Zack and Ryan)...when l heard what happened l knew God had blessed them.......the opportunity of him being part owner of the station KHIL, that he had worked for about 15 years was a miracle to me ..to all of us...but "really good:  turned  into " really bad and the ugly". He was just given the opportunity to be part owner of the station KHIL  he rebuilt all by himself and it was a happy and successful time for a  very brief moment and the new main owner changed the direction from great  to bad to worse. Mark has had a terrible time since this was documentary filmed. First  he had his income cut in third, on Thanksgiving 2017 when KZLZ fired him after he completed the sale of KHIL for them. He had worked several months on the sale just as they asked him to do. It was just taken away, KHIL then decided to only pay him $1,000 a month instead of the agreed amount and then the new main owner of the station KHIL  stopped paying him completely in April 2018. Devastating! He went from making a good income for working seven days a week over eight hours a day to nothing. Tristan and Mark endured the entire summer in Arizona with no AC (the HVAC has been broken in the studio since December 2017) l was there so many times during summer and temperatures inside the studio over 110 degrees every day (to keep the expensive radio gear safe from the heat Mark uses every fan he owns trying to keep the gear cool),so, no money and they barely got by on $150 in food stamps a month. Thats why lm raising money as well because summer is almost here again and they need an AC..Mark still kept it going in spite of all of this....Mark survived on one bean burrito a day, half for lunch and half for dinner and when he couldn't get that he ate only lettuce each day and made sure Tristan ate. As l began to find out about all of this l gave as much to aid in support each week that l could. He ..they..endured and stayed to keep keep our son in his radio station home. This is the place Tristan has called home while with his dad . l have been helping Mark and  Tristan the best l can to survive as all these challenges. In late September 2018 Mark's Dad passed away in the VA hospital. Mark was tasked with the burial costs even though he had no income, zero money. Mark was able to follow his father's wishes and at least have him cremated but has not been able to bury him in the town of his birth because the money ran out. There has been a series of events l will call betrayal. The cruelest betrayal happened in early October only a few days after Mark's Dad died, this caused Mark's severe Childhood PTSD to trigger and he has been coping with the horrible PTSD affects since, on top of everything else. And still he goes on. Still he helps whenever he is asked and asks nothing in return. Ask many of the people in town and they can tell you how Mark has helped, including those that have betrayed him, if they were to be honest.      Here is an example of an actual call Mark received. This is who he is and what he does. "Hi Mark, I had to call you and tell you thank you for everything that you do for us. No one plays the old music for us like you do on KHIL. I felt like the world had forgotten about us until I discovered KHIL. Thank you for taking care of us, the senior citizens. I feel like I’m a part of the world again. I don’t feel so alone anymore." Margaret People have asked why does Mark stay in a job that treats him so badly and refuses to pay him for his work. It's a complicated answer. For Mark to manage the five radio stations broadcasting out of the studio he has to be on site, in the studio 24/7, so in 2007 he and Tristan moved into the studio to make Tristan's life easier. Mark made a room for Tristan and their life began again inside the studio. Mark living at the studio allows him to deal with any off air emergency or EAS problem that may arise after hours and keep watch on the 204' KHIL tower that is only blocks from the hospital emergency helicopter landing pad. Once living inside the studio, sleeping on cots or sleeping on the floor Mark was asked to leave the home he built and he no longer had a home. So one reason they stay is because the studio is their home and they have no where else to go. Second reason is the FCC. Mark's name is attached to the radio station and he is liable for any off air issues or fines that may incur if he were to leave. FCC fines start around $50,000.00 for each instant, so leaving the radio stations is impossible. So, if you also consider the threats Mark has received and all of the above then you can see how he is trapped in a terrible situation.  I just recently heard of Go Fund Me. Im reaching out to help them. Mark and Tristan are good and loving people. They are my family . Everywhere we try to get help there is none and it is extremely hard .. All the while kind amazing people across the world are watching Lonesome Willcox  and listening to the radio station he manages for free and are taking moments out of their busy life and and writing and sending so many wonderful messages to Mark  about the film and about KHIL and how much they love what he stands for and what he is accomplishing with his music on the radio and helping the people that listen in the town feel happy . Im so proud of him. He was always my hero. He was always the one who told me follow your dreams and believe in yourself when no one else did and he is the greatest dad to my children and now everyone is seeing this. Mark needs help financially. He is just to humble to ask. Mark wont tell anyone his problems or about the stress so l decided to tell the story. To help find way to make things better. He wants so much to rebuid his dream and the station to be renewed and make a good life for our son and for his future . To bring good things to good people .To bring hope through music and art. I am hoping this will help them. THANK YOU! Bless you. Mercedez..... 3-12-19.. Last words... It has come to my attention that there are someme people in the town of Willcox that are into making cruel remarks about my family. A very small minded human does things like that. My former husband Mark and my son Tristan have hearts of gold and this is made clear by the good people that are responding to the film Lonesome Willcox and the kind hearted towns folk that care about what is occuring and are seeing that news is traveling all over the country about Mark and KHIL. Evil always tries to stop the light only this time that is not going to be possible. Thank you to the kind, loving generous folks that have helped. Thank you God for listening....Mercedez

Organizer and beneficiary

Mercedez Lucke Benedict
Organizer
Willcox, AZ
Mark Lucke
Beneficiary

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