Veteran's son needs help w/ college

Our middle son, Talon, and his two brothers grew up inside the walls of hospitals while his father recovered from a penetrating gunshot wound to the head during combat in 2004. He switched schools many times because of multiple moves, and essentially had to make up a lot of classes that accumulated from the chaos of our life. He miraculously graduated high school in Colorado with his class (he ended up taking two years of classes in his senior year!) and is now the proud owner of his high school diploma. 

To say we are proud of his resiliance and hard work is an understatement. 

Talon was accepted to University of Colorado, Denver. Last spring we did the college tour and decided that was where he ultimately wanted to attend school for his computer engineering degree.

Due to some delays and obstacles, enrolling in college last fall was bad timing for him and for us. This was right around the time the VA pay dropped significantly each month for both his father and I, so we were literally sinking fast financially.

Worst. Timing. Ever.

While the government does provide assistance for dependents of wounded warriors like Talon, it's not enough to cover all his expenses. We also rely on my husband's disability pay to make ends meet because I am his fulltime caregiver. If the pay drops, it can be catastrophic for families like ours. 

We had to look at Spring semester as Talon's next opening to get into college while I worked on the appeals for the drop in benefits and pay.

I got the VA dependency pay straightened out 2/3rds of the way after months of back-and-forth arguments to get people to do their jobs (our youngest son and I were added back on, but Talon was removed because he was NOT in college last fall!) I STILL was missing thousands of dollars in caregiver pay going back over the last six months.

The decision for my appeal for the reduction in caregiver benefits is way overdue (and I don't hold any hope it will be approved) and I am working with the media to expose the failures of this VA 'support' program. Meanwhile, I have literally cut every expense possible to absorb this drastic and arbitrary drop in benefits.

Friday I was in all-day meetings in downtown Denver to help a military widow friend of mine, so Talon took that opportunity to go out on his own and enroll and track down student housing and financial aid. Dorms were already full, so we were thinking it was going to be impossible to find an apartment in a downtown area that was affordable!

Come to find out, they do have some off-campus housing available. :)

While I wanted to go help him with the enrollment process (he 'adulted' on his own like a boss!).... my meetings took all day and created additional expenses for my widow friend and I to stay and eat in the business district overnight. Offices at the campus are closed on the weekends, so we brought home the paperwork that was still left to do (he did his orientation and other stuff) so now I have to go back to Denver to get this all finished.

As it stands, he SHOULD be able to start next week if we get everything turned in first thing on Monday. (Classes start Tuesday!) Then I will literally go on a wing and a prayer and bring him and his belongings up the day after a predicted snow storm to get him INTO a lease and moved into his apartment the same day as classes start.

Meanwhile.... financial aid still has to be finalized.

If you want to contribute to his transition into college and help offset his out of pocket expenses (and ours!) I have set up a link for a GoFundMe campaign for his books, deposits, and maybe even get a laptop if there is enough left over. <3 (Please see the breakdown of costs and where you can verify these costs on your own below.)

If we miss enrollment this semester, his college life will have literally been put on hold for a YEAR on top of all the other years that he had to hustle to keep up with the demands of being the child of a wounded veteran. I just can't bear to do that to him when he has so much going for him in his future.  He is a brilliant student who is going to make a difference in this world. We just have to get him out there to get that process started! 

Thanks for your support and encouragement! 

(PS. If you are reading this as a result of a share and are not familiar with our family or our story, you can visit www.torreyshannon.com to learn more about our journey). Thank you again!) 

Edited to add:

Because there seems to be some confusion about how expensive it is to go to college nowadays... Here is a list of up-front/out-of-pocket expenses I am specifically trying to cover:

Housing:

$400 deposit
$250 fees (application, administrative, etc)
$765 first month rent (cheapest room available)
(See: http://www.aurariastudentlofts.com/denver-co-apartments/auraria-student-lofts/) 

Books:

$500 (may be more) once we discover which books he will need

Food:

$360 meal plan for campus dining hall (60 meals per semester - will need to supplement with his own food in his dorm)

- https://campusvillagedining.sodexomyway.com/dining-plans/index.html) 

$200 other food and incidentals per month

Any amount raised over the above must-have items (to get him started with the bare minimum until financial aid kicks in) will go toward a laptop. As a computer engineering student, this will be a mandatory item.  

And, for those asking:

YES. He has a full FAFSA (Pell Grant). 

YES. He has been approved for Chapter 35 DEA benefits. 

YES. He knows how to apply for scholarships. 

YES. He got the Folds of Honor scholarship. 

YES. He knows how to get books at a discount.

YES. He knows how to eat frugally. 

YES. It will take time for ANY of the above items to be disbursed. The VA benefit alone takes at least 60-90 days AFTER the school sends in proof that he attended his courses that month. 

YES. There will still be student loans to cover the rest of what isn't covered by financial aid.

YES. He will be getting a job to offset his costs and repay his loans.

My thanks to those who have donated, and also for those who have verified that veteran's dependents have HOOPS to jump through and are often left with unmet needs for school. It's not as easy as people think to get everything processed. 

THANK YOU!!!!

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1/15/17 update:

I am launching my Energy Alchemy course in April, which is a digital course and group coaching program. The Energy Alchemy course teaches people how to leverage their energy and learn practical ways to calm their inner and outer chaos. Even though the course is not yet ready for the public, as a gesture of my thanks for your contributions, I have decided to offer a reward option for donors to not only contribute to this great cause, but to also get IN on the course at a DEEPLY discounted rate. 

Anyone who has previously donated will be notified of details about their reward level and will be retroactively distributed once the course goes into full launch mode. 

This is just my way of providing value for your generosity. <3