Community raises $11K to replace stolen dorm supplies, clothes of Goldey-Beacom freshman

Ty'Shawn Ewings woke up Monday morning to the sound of his mother crying.

The two had stayed overnight at a hotel in Christiana ahead of his move-in day at Goldey-Beacom College, where he was set to begin his freshman year majoring in criminal justice. They had packed all of his things – clothes, dorm room items and school supplies – into his mom's car before making the drive from Harrisburg.

Then Ewings' mother got a call from the hotel with devastating news: Someone had broken into the car and stolen all of her son's things. The two rushed outside, Ewings said, only to find the car door wide open and the window smashed. All of Ewings' supplies that his mother had worked overtime to afford were gone.

The 18-year-old said he was upset about his missing things, but more than that, seeing his mother crying "really broke (him)."

They called the police and then reached out to his aunt, January Payne. She assured Ewings and his mom that things would be OK and made sure they had enough money to purchase basic items like sheets and a comforter that Ewings would need to move in.

Then she started a GoFundMe with a goal of $4,000 in the hopes of raising enough money to replace Ewings' missing supplies. As of Friday morning, Ewings has received over $11,000 in donations.

It wasn't just monetary donations, either. Payne said people have been bringing things to campus for Ewings all week and have bought him nearly everything on the Amazon Wishlist he created, including a new pair of track shoes so that he could participate in the sport that earned him a scholarship to attend school.

Goldey-Beacom College also pitched in to help, providing food and clothes and promoting awareness upon learning of Ewings' situation. The college also maintains its own Students Needs Fund , which is used to help students with emergency needs.

"We always have students who have emergency needs because in everyone’s life, ‘life happens,'" said Goldey-Beacom College President Colleen Perry Keith in a press release.

A Goldey-Beacom College spokesperson said the GoFundMe was created and had taken off before the college received word of the incident and was able to reach out. But if there hadn't been a fundraiser already in progress, the spokesperson said Goldey-Beacom College "would have done the same thing."

"Knowing that people were so caring and so generous allows us as a family and his mother to better support (Ewings) when he's in school," Payne said.

Ewings is the first person in his immediate family to attend college, Payne said, and she "wasn't gonna let him end up back in Harrisburg simply because of money."

And despite the rough start, Ewings said his college experience has been great so far. He said he's particularly excited about the start of the indoor track season. His favorite event is the high jump, which he won awards for in high school and was recruited by Goldey-Beacom College to compete in.

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The coaches and team have already shown their support for Ewings, even before the start of the season.

"Coming here, seeing all those people come to my rescue, to help me out, knowing that there are other people, other students, who are going through their own issues ... it just made me feel like I have found exactly what I was looking for: a family."

Send story tips or ideas to Hannah Edelman at hedelman@delawareonline.com. For more reporting, follow them on X at @h_edelman.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Community raises $11K to replace stolen dorm supplies, clothes of Goldey-Beacom freshman