Progin, PR and Communications Coordinator
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ONLINE SILENT AUCTION TO GIVE HOPE TO CHILD WITH COMPLEX PTSD
“Jason Wants to Heal—He Wants to Live Life Instead of Just Surviving It”
HARTLAND, Mich.—On February 10, from 10 a.m. to midnight, proceeds from an online auction by Rustic Creations USA will support a critical cause: hope and healing for 13-year-old Jason Teagarden, who is living with complex PTSD. Funds raised through auction activities and online donations will be collected through the trusted national nonprofit Help Hope Live.
“Jason was adopted through the foster care system, with his younger brother, when he was 6 years old,” said his mother, Janine. “He was in the foster care system for four years of his young life, and many traumatic things happened to him that were completely terrifying, that no one should ever have to witness or experience. Jason is now safe and sound, however; the effects of the trauma have stuck with him. Some wounds and illnesses cannot be seen. Our son has such wounds.”
Jason and his brother Jonah (by birth and adoption) both have special needs, and were managing well with service dogs, therapies, and at-home treatments until the COVID pandemic destroyed their routines.
“Jason’s daily struggles became worse,” Janine said, “including being dysregulated and hypervigilant, meltdowns and flashbacks, difficulty sleeping, fear, guilt, and worry.”
Jason now requires a higher level of care and is being treated at an exceptional mental health therapeutic residential center. The treatment center costs more than $15,000 per month and Jason’s anticipated stay is 18 months. Janine and her husband, Jay, have already re-mortgaged their home, maxed out their credit cards, cashed in their retirement and college savings, and taken out loans on their life-insurance, as Jason’s treatment is not covered by insurance or adoption subsidies.
That’s why the Teagardens turned to the trusted national nonprofit Help Hope Live. See Jason’s Campaign Page at: https://helphopelive.org/campaign/21165/
Chris Perkins, owner of Rustic Creations USA, was approached about making some of his hand-poured, scented, soy candles as a fundraiser for Jason. “I wanted to help,” said Perkins, “so I reached out to some organizations in both the Pittsburgh area, where Jason’s dad is originally from, as well as Michigan, where the family currently lives, for donations. I started receiving items from several organizations when they couldn’t donate monetarily. I decided to host a silent auction on the last day of our candle fundraiser.”
The auction has over two-dozen items already available for preview. Bids will be accepted starting on February 10. Items include Tupperware, hand-drawn celebrity portraits, tickets to attractions in both Pennsylvania and Michigan, among others.
“Every dollar helps,” Perkins said. “Strangers helping strangers is a step in the direction of showing more kindness towards others in and out of our own communities.”
Shop the silent auction on February 10: www.rusticcreationsusa.com/silent-auction-for-jason-teagarden/
Or place a candle order through February 10: www.rusticcreationsusa.com/jasons-fundraiser
Donate directly through Help Hope Live: https://helphopelive.org/campaign/21165/
Donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law, and all funds raised will be managed by the nonprofit to cover verified medical and related expenses. Help Hope Live verifies medical and financial need for every patient.
Help Hope Live is a national nonprofit that specializes in engaging communities in secure, tax-deductible fundraising campaigns for people who need a transplant or are affected by a catastrophic injury or illness. Since 1983, campaigns organized by Help Hope Live have raised over $165 million to pay patient expenses. ###
Written by Emily Progin
