The members of Grace Baptist Church are coming together to support one of their fellow parishioners who was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) last year.
Last June, Bristol resident Stuart Sherman was diagnosed with ALS, a motor neuron disease, and recently he received an assistance dog from National Education for Assistance Dog Services (NEADS). When Grace Baptist parishioner and friend of the Sherman family Tammy Crowley found out that the Sherman family had pledged to raise $9,500 to the NEADS organization, she said she had to do something to help them and started coming up with ideas for a fundraiser.
She and others decided to host a pasta dinner to benefit the family, and all proceeds will go to NEADS.
“I didn’t know that much about NEADS, but it is amazing to see the relationship between Stuart and Swanson (his NEADS dog),” Crowley said. “You can see the love they have for each other.”
On the NEADS website is a client-profile of Stuart Sherman and Swanson, his yellow lab service dog. He says on his page that while daily activities are becoming more and more challenging, Swanson is there to help with certain tasks, such as opening doors, retrieving, and fetching things and more. These dogs are trained to help individuals who are blind and disabled, and Sherman said on his webpage that in addition to her assistance, she has brought a “sense of peace and joy to our family.”
The pasta dinner will be held on Saturday, April 26 from 5 to 8 p.m. at Grace Baptist Church gymnasium, 736 King St., Bristol. There is a suggested donation of $10, and children under 10-years-old are $5. There will also be a silent auction, and Crowley said many individuals have been supportive already in donating items.
For more information, contact Tammy Crowley at (860)585-7976.
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Grace Baptist hosts fundraiser for fellow parishioner
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