Angel Russo - Our Angel without wings.It’s been awhile since I’ve posted, folks, and for that I apologize. With this entry, I want to change gears for a little while. I have been dedicating this webpage to my fund raising for the Wounded Warrior Project, but I recently received a request from a very good friend asking if I could help another very good friend in need. As I read the request, I began to think about how easy it would be for me to change the appearance of my webpage in order to raise a few dollars, but more importantly, a great amount of awareness for an epidemic.
I’d like to give you a little background on a wonderful young lady, named, appropriately…Angel. Angel is the younger sister of a friend, Jimmy, that I first met during our times together at West Point from 1998 to 2002. Jimmy and I played on the Army Football team together, so we had an immediate “brother” bond. After graduation from West Point, we went on to serve along side each other in combat in the defense of this wonderful country of ours. Jimmy is and always will be a brother and a friend.
I made contact with Jimmy’s mother, Denise, and she and I began to toss around ideas about how I could help Angel in her efforts. As our timelines could not mesh for the main fundraising effort during the weekend of October 10th, 2009 in Cleveland, Ohio, I have been faced with finding an event where I could do my own part to raise some funds for Angel’s cause.
As for Angel’s story, Denise gave me a brief introduction to Angel, a young lady that struggles each and every day to have a “normal” and “ordinary” life like most of us that take those days for granted. The information that follows has been used with the full knowledge and agreement of Denise.
“My Angel is 23 years old and the most precious young lady in the world. She is beautiful, talented, naive and suffers from the missing puzzle piece in her brain - commonly known as autism. We are so lucky that our girl talks, works and is functional. I have way too many friends who are raising children who have never said Mommy or Daddy...can you imagine? I have friends with children who aren't potty trained in their teens and who will take their clothes off at the drop of a hat! Some can't go in public places for fear of offending other people. It can paralyze an entire family!
It is an epidemic and now that I have grandchildren I am even more afraid than ever. Thank God for celebrities like Jenny McCarthy and Rodney Pete's wife who have brought autism to the forefront. Our politicians are starting to listen to us, too! Angel and I received a standing ovation from 600 people after we did our little speech. People were crying and hugging us. Most of those parents in the audience that evening have young children recently diagnosed with autism. It was a breath of fresh air for them to meet Angel and hear our story. The diagnosis of autism is often something that just stops your world. You don't know how to or where to go. Research and education are pertinent. I pray that we will have a cure in my lifetime.
I so appreciate you offering to help with our cause. Let me know what else I can give you. Our website is http://www.angelsarmy.org/. Angel chose the camo t-shirts and named our team Angel's Army in honor of her oldest brother, Captain Jimmy.”
At my request, Denise mailed me an Angel’s Army t-shirt that I plan to wear during my solo fund raising event. On the morning of Saturday, October 10, 2009, I’m going to wake up at 4:30 am, grab my Ipod and wear that shirt with pride as I run about 20 miles to raise money for Angel and her efforts. It’s the least that I can do. I wake up every morning, and when my feet hit the floor, I thank my God for my healthy children, Sammy and Joey. I thank him that my entire family is healthy and safe, and I know for some families, this is not the case. And I feel like I need to do something outside of my own petty comfort zone in order to give back to those who suffer each and every day.
Folks, if you feel like you can spare $1…$5…$10 or whatever your situation allows….please take time to give back out of the blessings that you are reaping. As with any charity, every single red cent matters, and no donation is too small. Please do not hesitate to give $1 if $1 is all you can afford. That $1 will be used wisely to fund research and education to confront autism.
To the right of this entry, you will see a link entitled “DONATE NOW”. If you click on that link, it will take you directly to Angel’s webpage. On that page, you will see a link entitled “Click Here to go to team page and make a donation”. Click on that link, and it will take you to the main donation page. Here you can browse their donation page and find out more about their cause. When you are ready to donate, click on the donate tab that runs along the top main tabs. As I will not be a registered walker for their Cleveland event, you will need to click on the link entitled “If you wish to make a general donation instead, please click here.” It is located right above the “Walker Search and Donate”.
Thanks for your help, folks. Every little bit helps, and I know that we can make a difference in the life of a wonderful person. Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to send them my way (garybartels1975@yahoo.com), and I will see that they are addressed by the appropriate person(s).
Thanks Again!
Gary
