Pierson Gossett Fundraiser Aims for The Big Apple
By D. Gatekeeper
Hello Readers!
This is a new column for AroundWellington.com. We’re going to be profiling people making a difference and making dreams come true for themselves and others. Please submit inspiring stories (for possible use) to stories@stateofdreams.com.
In life, we all face challenges and obstacles. Sometimes they are beyond our control to overcome, leaving our hopes and dreams to occasionally fall by the wayside. This is when we need an outside force to intervene and make a little magic for us.
This month’s story brings us to Wellington, FL. We meet Pierson
Gossett. He is a vibrant 15- year-old who has a wish to go to NYC to be with family and visit his beloved grandfather’s burial site. Normally, such a wish is easier said than done, but in Pierson’s case he has special needs. At 6 years old, he was diagnosed with Duchenne/Becker Muscular Dystrophy.
Unknown to Pierson, a dream team came together to make his wish come true. Pierson’s Dream Team (Ilyse August, Diane Brockway, Bedonna Flesher, Krista Martinelli and Patti Overpeck) came together to strategize. They shared a few thoughts with me:
“I can’t believe how everything has taken off. It all started with a question I raised at a chamber event. Before I knew it, this event had come to life and become a reality,” Diane Brockway said. “I have known Pierson all his life. He’s just one of the sweetest kids. It would be wonderful for him to go on this trip. He could get away from everyday living and be carried away in the moment with pure happiness.”
“It feels like one big happy effort and what a feeling when your head hits the pillow at night to know you are helping a friend help make a difference in somebody else’s life,” Ilyse August of August Events said. ”I wish I had little groups set up all over who can just sell tickets to these Comedy FUNdraisers everytime I hear of a family or cause in need of raising dollars. For those groups who have volunteers in place, it is such a win/win atmosphere!”
“This comedy fundraiser for Pierson Gossett is a great way of coming together as a community and making one young man’s dream come true, which otherwise might not be realized to its fullest,” Krista Martinelli of AroundWellington.com said. “Pierson is a sweet boy with one simple wish, so we are looking for sponsors and donated raffle prizes, as well as selling tickets for the Jan. 12th event – to make sure he gets to New York City.” (Tickets are $20 per person for this special comedy fundraiser event to be held at Madison Green on Thursday, Jan. 12th, 2012. See the link to the flyer).
With social media ever-present in our lives today’s we are constantly meeting, adding, and adjusting people to our own networks. It should make us think and question. Who in our personal networks can we extend ourselves to, so a dream can come true?
Here’s what Pierson’s mother Barbara had to say about him. “Pierson, aka ‘Goldenboy’ is my son – he is the world to me. Pierson is your average teenage guy in many ways – he loves cars, football, Playstation and Sharks. He is very attentive to what he wears and how he looks. Pierson excels in school and I am very proud of him and love him with all my heart!”
We also checked in with Patti Overpeck, who is related to Pierson, for a little more info about this amazing young man (her nephew) and how his dream came about.
“Pierce is very special person to his entire family, not just because of his illness, but because through his illness, he has shown us all that you need to live life everyday. Not to fear the future or regret the past, but to live in the here and now. God has plans for all of us – especially Pierson! God handed him something that is so difficult to deal with, but he has taken it on like a champ. He ran and played until he couldn’t anymore. In all these years since his diagnosis and all he has gone through, he has always kept on smiling. I am sure he has his moments – he wouldn’t be human if he didn’t. His diagnosis was devastating to all of us and as much as we wished the doctors were wrong, you could not deny the signs. Pierce is now 15 years old and is wheelchair-bound, but he still attends school where he maintains an A/B average in his honor classes. He is also very artistic, loves history, is extremely smart and is very close with his two sisters Carrissa and Chelby.
Pierson’s is very much into football and his favorite team in the Pittsburg Steelers. He enjoys watching Nascar, playing Xbox & PlayStation games. He loves his pitbull Check – (she is a big part of the Gossett family) and he believes the breed should be protected. He enjoys watching his sister Chelby show horses and he loves joking with people. His family nicknamed him “Golden Boy” and he is known as the Piersonaitor in the cyber world. He enjoys playing with all of his cousins and teasing his uncles about their choice of football teams. Most of all ~ he loves is family…all of his family,” says Patti, who is also actively working on the “dream team” to make Pierson’s dream come true.
How the “Make A Wish Come True” got started for Pierson
By Patti Overpeck
This all started when my nephew Pierson Gossett saw some pictures
on Facebook of his aunt, uncles and cousins in New York back in June of 2010. In January, 2010, my father Patrick A. Zaccheo passed away and his request was to be cremated and buried in his families plot in New York. A few of us made the trip, but Pierson and his family were unable to make the trip, due to the expense and accommodations.
Later in the year when Pierson was allowed to have a Facebook page, he saw the pictures from the trip to NY and made a comment that “he wished he could have gone.” Pierson, along with all the grandkids adored my father (their grandfather). His comment sparked an idea and ever since then, we have been diligently been working to raise money so that we could make his wish come true. We started collecting donations from family and friends and so far have $2000.00. I was talking with Diane Brockway, and she mentioned what I was doing – they were so excited to help and started this fundraiser, which is truly a blessing. People do not realize the expenses of traveling with someone who has Pierson’s disability. We have to drive because Pierson’s chair locks into a lift in his mother’s van. There are no tourist vans in NY to accommodate that. Also, he will need to stay in a hotel – in all of our families’ homes, you either have to go up stairs to enter the house and/or they have very narrow hallways, so he cannot maneuver his powered wheelchair around. Hotels in NY are very costly and in calling them, I have found out there are only 4 hotels that can accommodate Pierson and his needs. We estimate this wish to cost between $8000.00 – $10,000.00 but are determined to make it happen as it is a dream of a lifetime….his lifetime!! We also plan to take some video and share it on YouTube with all of the generous sponsor and people who have helped out with this fundraiser.
We want his to experience all of what New York has to offer…it will be a week he will never forget, a week he will forget about any hurts or pains for him and his family…it will be the perfect week!
Thank you and God Bless to all who have helped to make this dream a reality.
Special thanks to our sponsors so far!
Big Apple Sponsor
Kirms Communications
Gotham City Sponsors
AroundWellington.com
Hi-Tech Plumbing
Keyes Realty
Kids Cuts on Wheels
Picasso’s Paint-Your-Own Pottery
Your Computer Guy, Inc.
For more information regarding sponsorships, raffle item donations or tickets, please contact Diane Brockway (561-596-3017). See more info about the fundraiser event on January 12th at Madison Green Golf Club.
D. Gatekeeper is the curator of the blog State of Dreams. State of Dreams explores the universe of dreams and the power they contain. Through them we can imagine and create. State of Dreams will premiere in January 2012. D. Gatekeeper can be reached at dgatekeeper@stateofdreams.com. © 2011 State of Dreams.