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Jan 08 2005-12:53pm
A friend in need.....
In early August of 2005, our friend Shane Beard - infamously known as "Campingdad" throughout the Four Wheel Drive community, was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. Shane is only 34 years old and the cancer wasn’t found until vary late in its development.
Shane is not only a member of our community; he has been one of its greatest leaders, and proponents for organized and responsible wheeling, especially throughout New England. He was the first Vice-President of the North East Willys Jeeps Organization (www.newjo.org) and served two consecutive terms. He was also elected Vice-President of the Northeast Association of 4wd Clubs, Inc. (www.nea4wd.org) and his latest term just ended this past year. He also was a driving force in creating the web-based forum North East Online Wheelers (www.neow.org). Over the past four years, NEOW has grown to be the largest and most active four-wheeling message board in the New England area, with over 1,600 members strong.
Through these endeavors he has touched countless lives and informed many 4x4 enthusiasts on the facts of legal four wheeling, and encouraged others to get involved with his understanding and easy going manner,. I am one of those people, among many others. Beyond his substantial contributions to the 4x4 community, he is very active in many other realms as well. Currently, he is a Cub Scout pack leader, a Certified Master Trainer for Tread Lightly®, and an avid outdoorsmen spending time camping, hiking, and canoeing with his loving wife of 11 years, Vicki, and his two children Savannah, 7, and Jacob, 10.
Faced with some major medical bills and lost income while not being able to work, Shane has decided that it is best if he sells his wheeling rig, a 1997 Jeep TJ, affectionately known as the “Egg” for its bright colors and striking resemblance to an Easter egg. The Beard Family's home is in dire need of help as well. His extended family is trying to come up with enough funds to tear down the converted camp that they currently live in and replace it with a much more modern manufactured home. This is so that he can face his fight full on and not have to worry about frozen pipes and a leaking roof.
Members of nearly all of the North East's Clubs are trying in every way to help out Shane and his family! It has been a truly wonderful sight to see! A few have taken his TJ and are freshening it up a bit with donated parts and labor in hopes it will bring in some more money than it would in it's current state. There was the thought of contacting the television show “Extreme Home Makeover” to help with Shane’s housing plight. But production and planning are over 6 months out after your application is even seen, and Shane might not have that time to wait. We are beginning plans to embark on our own grassroots version of an extreme home makeover with the help of everyone in the northeast four wheeling community. There have been members stepping up from all of the construction trades offering their time and expertise. If the Beard family is able to swing a new home (with our help) there will be no lack of skilled labor to get it done by first snow fall.
We have big plans, but we have big hearts and a lot of determination. We want to give back to this man and his family what he has given to us over the past many years he has been a leader in our community. A fund has been set up in his name for his current needs as well as his future medical bills. Freedom TrailRiders is asking its members and friends to donate what you can afford to help the Beard Family in their time of need. FTR is donating $100 from its funds, and will add this to whatever funds you may be able to donate! Even a donation of ONE dollar will help All donations collected will go to the Beard Family Trust as "With Deepest Respect and Gratitude from The Members and Friends of Freedom TrailRiders." If you’re able please donate through the PayPal symbol on our site and PM Mark Dupont or Roger Blank so we may account for your donation. Or if you’d like to volunteer time and labor to one of the many initiatives, please don’t hesitate to contact us as well.
A web log at http://www.shanesfight.com is his own place to expound on his experience. Please check it out.
If in the future you should decide to donate further or in the future a PayPal account has been set up for the Trust at shanesfight@hotmail.com. Or checks can be sent to:
Peter Beard /for Shane Beard Trust.
C/o TD Banknorth
11 School St
Hillsboro, NH 03244
Attn: Linda Blake
I am hoping that the powers of this community can reach beyond the differences of make and model, rocks or mud, and help this truly wonderful person and his family in their time of dire need.
In early August of 2005, our friend Shane Beard - infamously known as "Campingdad" throughout the Four Wheel Drive community, was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. Shane is only 34 years old and the cancer wasn’t found until vary late in its development.
Shane is not only a member of our community; he has been one of its greatest leaders, and proponents for organized and responsible wheeling, especially throughout New England. He was the first Vice-President of the North East Willys Jeeps Organization (www.newjo.org) and served two consecutive terms. He was also elected Vice-President of the Northeast Association of 4wd Clubs, Inc. (www.nea4wd.org) and his latest term just ended this past year. He also was a driving force in creating the web-based forum North East Online Wheelers (www.neow.org). Over the past four years, NEOW has grown to be the largest and most active four-wheeling message board in the New England area, with over 1,600 members strong.
Through these endeavors he has touched countless lives and informed many 4x4 enthusiasts on the facts of legal four wheeling, and encouraged others to get involved with his understanding and easy going manner,. I am one of those people, among many others. Beyond his substantial contributions to the 4x4 community, he is very active in many other realms as well. Currently, he is a Cub Scout pack leader, a Certified Master Trainer for Tread Lightly®, and an avid outdoorsmen spending time camping, hiking, and canoeing with his loving wife of 11 years, Vicki, and his two children Savannah, 7, and Jacob, 10.
Faced with some major medical bills and lost income while not being able to work, Shane has decided that it is best if he sells his wheeling rig, a 1997 Jeep TJ, affectionately known as the “Egg” for its bright colors and striking resemblance to an Easter egg. The Beard Family's home is in dire need of help as well. His extended family is trying to come up with enough funds to tear down the converted camp that they currently live in and replace it with a much more modern manufactured home. This is so that he can face his fight full on and not have to worry about frozen pipes and a leaking roof.
Members of nearly all of the North East's Clubs are trying in every way to help out Shane and his family! It has been a truly wonderful sight to see! A few have taken his TJ and are freshening it up a bit with donated parts and labor in hopes it will bring in some more money than it would in it's current state. There was the thought of contacting the television show “Extreme Home Makeover” to help with Shane’s housing plight. But production and planning are over 6 months out after your application is even seen, and Shane might not have that time to wait. We are beginning plans to embark on our own grassroots version of an extreme home makeover with the help of everyone in the northeast four wheeling community. There have been members stepping up from all of the construction trades offering their time and expertise. If the Beard family is able to swing a new home (with our help) there will be no lack of skilled labor to get it done by first snow fall.
We have big plans, but we have big hearts and a lot of determination. We want to give back to this man and his family what he has given to us over the past many years he has been a leader in our community. A fund has been set up in his name for his current needs as well as his future medical bills. Freedom TrailRiders is asking its members and friends to donate what you can afford to help the Beard Family in their time of need. FTR is donating $100 from its funds, and will add this to whatever funds you may be able to donate! Even a donation of ONE dollar will help All donations collected will go to the Beard Family Trust as "With Deepest Respect and Gratitude from The Members and Friends of Freedom TrailRiders." If you’re able please donate through the PayPal symbol on our site and PM Mark Dupont or Roger Blank so we may account for your donation. Or if you’d like to volunteer time and labor to one of the many initiatives, please don’t hesitate to contact us as well.
A web log at http://www.shanesfight.com is his own place to expound on his experience. Please check it out.
If in the future you should decide to donate further or in the future a PayPal account has been set up for the Trust at shanesfight@hotmail.com. Or checks can be sent to:
Peter Beard /for Shane Beard Trust.
C/o TD Banknorth
11 School St
Hillsboro, NH 03244
Attn: Linda Blake
I am hoping that the powers of this community can reach beyond the differences of make and model, rocks or mud, and help this truly wonderful person and his family in their time of dire need.