The Opportunity of a Lifetime

Although my sister and I were the athletic ones, my brother had a love for the stage. He began acting in plays a few years ago and, from what I've seen, I would never be able to do what he does in front of all of those people. This past summer, my brother, Jake, signed up for an audition at a local youth talent recruiting agency. Although he had received praise from all of his play directors, this was the time where we'd find out for sure whether or not he could compete with other kids. Out of about 30 kids, he was one of the five or six who were offered a spot. I could not be more excited for him. We are located in Ohio and, of course, the big talent scouts are located in NYC and LA. It has always been my brother's dream to go to LA. This trip would cost money that we didn't have. My father is a local firefighter and my mom quit her job a few years ago to take care of my grandmother who moved in with us. After she passed away in 2010, my mom began looking for work again. Until last month, she was unlucky. She has a job now thankfully but it's just not possible to pay for this trip. Our parents value education above everything else and therefore are sacrificing to send us to private, Catholic schools. We kind of broke ties with the lady from the local talent agency simply because we couldn't afford for Jake to travel to NYC for an acting "showcase," if you will. Well, my mom ran into her today. She remembered my brother and told her how his baby face and charming personality would attract lots of attention in NYC. This upset me because money was what was standing in the way of such an amazing opportunity for my brother. The agency takes these trips every summer. The reason my deadline date is May 20th is because my brother's birthday is the 26th of May. The thought of handing him a check for this kind of trip, on his birthday to boot, is amazing. I ask anyone willing to help us out to donate anything you can or feel comfortable with. I thank you for your time!