DON’T BE AFRAID
Due to economic hardship, I’ve strongly considered and have decided to change things up a bit. Ticket prices have gone down to a more affordable price. The Health & Beauty product basket, blue raffle ticket, will now be available for $15.00. The new iPad red raffle ticket will now available for $25.00 (accessories will no longer be included with this new price). Please remember that this is for a good cause, and with the new change in pricing I hope more people will be involved. If you are still unable to participate, a simple tweet, retweet, or reblog will suffice. You can purchase tickets at: http://bit.ly/sponsorpedro or if you’d like to personally purchase your ticket, since this is a mobile campaign, I will be updating my location on Twitter (@pedroloo). So, if you happen to be near me you can purchase it at that time. Thank you ever so. -Sponsor Pedro Team.
P.S.
We are still looking for a location to host our Fundraiser. If you happen to know of a location please contact the Sponsor Pedro Team at sponsorpedro@me.com
We’re working on making a raffle happen with three awesome prizes! all the money collected will be used towards helping Pedro attend college. We’re hoping you can all be a part of this event and helping this campaign grow so it can one day help other students like Pedro. For now please donate to the cause at http://bit.ly/sponsorpedro And in the meantime enjoy Pedro planking for your enjoyment! All you have to do is donate and request a plank! Do it now!! -Sp.
I’m asking all of my friends, family, and the community to pitch in at least one dollar to help me attend college. I’m hoping to attend college at The University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. All the money that is raised will be spent on academic needs and expenses traveling there only. I’m not just asking for help. I’m also setting aside money myself. So with your help I hope to raise at least $1,500.00 or as much as we can. I’d really appreciated if you’d help out either by donating or spreading the word. Thanks ever so. -Pedro.
Donate here:
http://bit.ly/sponsorpedro
In the past few days the universe has taught me something. And that is to take risks. It’s better to have tried and failed than to have never tried at all. #thankyou
Alicia Torres Don knows how to fight. In the ring she is known as La Aguila Dorada, or the Golden Eagle, a luchadora character she developed around her fight for justice. However, outside the ring, she is best known for another fight: for the rights of undocumented youth living in fear and uncertainty inside the U.S.
Backstory
The story of Alicia Torres Don is one of struggle. It is about her fight to be equal in a society that treats her as something less. She came to the United States at the age of six, clutched in the arms of her parents who left Mexico for a better life. Despite not knowing English, Alicia quickly acclimated to a new culture in Austin, Texas, earned high marks throughout school, and went to college to study nursing. “I was privileged,” she says, pointing out that most states do not offer in-state tuition to undocumented students. She had yet to experience such limitations.
Her final semester in college, however, Alicia was forced to confront her status when a Social Security number requirement prevented her from completing required clinical exams. “It was one of the worst days of my life, she said. “I felt like I had failed.”
Refusing to accept this reality, Alicia searched and found a community college where she could complete her degree. But despite having earned her high school diploma and college degree in the United States, she could not work as a nurse. She did not have a Social Security number.
Alicia remained in Austin with her family, earning money translating and babysitting. But everything changed when her mother was diagnosed with kidney failure. Alicia panicked. Doctors in Austin were unable to treat her mother because of her status, forcing Alicia to confront her undocumented identity again.
Alicia searched across the country for a hospital or clinic that would treat her mother. A U.S. citizen with health insurance in this situation would receive treatment in an outpatient dialysis clinic, paying a standard deductible and co-pay. But for undocumented immigrants, who typically work in low-wage jobs with no benefits, there is not system for treatment. Alicia and her family report their earnings and pay taxes, though they are ineligible for most benefits, including Social Security. Emergency Medicare funds helps pay for a significant portion of the dialysis treatment, however these funds are generally not accepted in outpatient clinics, resulting in thousands of dollars in additional costs every week.
When Alicia found a hospital in North Carolina with funding available to cover the ER costs, she dropped everything. She and her brother immediately moved their mother to North Carolina, leaving behind the family and the home they had known since they were children.
Alicia’s mother continues to receive treatment in North Carolina, though her health slowly deteriorates. Being apart from her family, Alicia says, is the most difficult part of her life right now. “My mom shouldn’t have to live through this situation,” she said.
