Brenda Turner-Gonzales has been a Creative Dining employee at Hope College in the Kletz café for 21 years.  While not a Creative Dining employee, her husband, Louie Gonzales, works at Hope also, in the custodial department in Phelps Hall, where the main dining hall is located.  This year three of their grandchildren have been diagnosed with an eye disorder called Stargardt’s Disease.  The disease is a form of macular degeneration and will result in the legal blindness of all three children.  Brenda and Louie’s daughter, Beatrice, is a divorced, single mother of four.  Obviously, there are numerous challenges just dealing with the overwhelming diagnosis, not to mention financial challenges; Beatrice is working but has had to cut down her hours to care for the children, who are all younger than 13.

A local news station, Fox 17, in partnership with Pizza Hut, recently offered a chance for 12 people to Pay-it-Forward.  Sandy Collins, another Creative Dining employee at the Kletz and at Hope Concessions, was chosen to participate in the program.  She won her entry into the contest by stating she would like to help Beatrice and her family. Sandy received $200 and a flip camera to tape what she did with the money.

An activity the children miss is bicycling.  Sandy’s plan was to use the money towards two tandem bikes.  Even though Cross Country Cycle in Holland agreed to sell the bikes at cost to Sandy, needless to say, the cost of the bikes was much greater than $200.  Once word got out of Sandy’s mission to Pay-It-Forward, the Hope College community got involved.  Students began leaving change at the Kletz Snack bar; faculty and staff, as well as other Creative Dining Employees, began to bring in donations.  Soon, enough money was raised to purchase two tandem bikes and a tag along, so that the entire family can bike ride together.  Extra funds left over are going to help pay the costs to transport the children to Ann Arbor for their doctor appointments.  Below is the initial news story:

Last night Fox 17 announced the winners of the Pay-It-Forward challenge, and we are pleased to let you know that Sandy Collins came in second place!  She is donating her winnings of $3,000.00 to Lakeshore Habitat for Humanity, in the hopes that Beatrice and her children will one day be able to have a home of their own.