I'm raising money for basic needs so I can watch him grow as a young athlete and succeed as a person, on and off the court, while witnessing his dreams come true..

Why I'm using HandUp for my basic needs.

Last year my son, Lamar Williams Jr, had the opportunity to play for an AAU traveling basketball team after Compass SF provided the total cost of the program ($775). He got the chance to experience tournaments in Seattle, Los Angeles, Las Vegas & the surrounding Bay Area cities & played against over 50 AAU basketball teams. Him & his other 9U teammates finished the season w/ a record of 42-12, won 10 championships & ranked number 4 overall on the West Coast Rankings! Lamar had so much fun making new friends, learning new skills & gaining more confidence in basketball during those 7 months (January through August) that he tried out again for the 2018 Season during opening tryouts on December 16, 17 and 20, 2017. After three days of hard work and determination, he successfully made the AAU 10U traveling basketball team! This year we will only be traveling to the Coca Cola Nationals in Garden Grove, CA on June 15-18, 2018 and the Las Vegas Classic in Las Vegas, NV on July 24-30, 2018. Flights, hotels, car rentals, gas, food and tournament entry fees will cost about $2000 out of pocket. Due to my monthly expenses like rent, groceries and other bills exceeding my current monthly income, I am unable to afford this season's traveling cost. I am hoping that Compass SF, HandUp and other members from the San Francisco Bay Area community can help support myself and Lamar in achieving his dreams and having another memorable season. Below is a link to a video of some of our favorite moments from last year. https://flipagram.com/f/1KhnO7SLVw1

Thank you for your time & consideration,

Taryn (Lamar's mom)

About me.

I was originally born and raised in San Francisco's Western Addition neighborhood and have been here for over 32 years. I am a fun, loving, motivated, single mother of two and currently work as a professional shuttle driver for people with disabilities and special needs. Whenever I am not working, I am always supporting my children at school and with other extracurricular ctivities. I also love taking advantage of spending quality time with family and making new, long lasting memories with close friends.

My backstory.

I lost my Section 8 in San Mateo County due to a domestic dispute with my partner at the time. That dispute affected my life tremendously so I went back to school to try to change my situation and make things better for my family and I. Shortly after graduating from Everest College with my diploma in Medical Assisting, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma and had to receive six months of intravenous chemotherapy. By the grace of God, encouragement from family and the wonderful doctors at San Francisco General Hospital, I won the battle and beat cancer! I am almost three years in remission and couldn't be more thankful to be alive and well after all I have been through. During all of this, I stayed place to place and in shelters in order to figure out where I could go next that was best for me and my family. Before all these serious turn of events in my life occurred, I was working as a Medical Assistant for a Cosmetic Surgeon but the position was only temporary so I applied for an open position as a driver to continue working while seeking employment in the field of my expertise. It’s been over 2 years now in my current driving position but due to no paid time off or paid holidays, I am beginning to struggle financially. Although I appreciate the opportunity my employer has given me, I don't see any growth for me within the company & my search for a better employment has already begun. My children and I have lived in our current one bedroom apartment in San Leandro since August 2017 and we are very grateful to have a home but due to work and school being in San Francisco, the commute adds to my expenses as well. Last year before we had rent and other essential financial obligations to pay, I was able to afford my children's extracurricular activities but now there is no room in our budget for us to do anything fun and it would be devastating for me to have them give up the things they both really love.

My goals, moving forward.

I am hoping to return to school soon and I look forward towards graduating with my Bachelor of Science in Nursing so that I can finally pursue the career of my dreams, become financially stable enough to pay my rent and other financial obligations on time and have the opportunity to save money for a promising and rewarding future for my children. It would also be a blessing to be able to give back to all of the organizations who have helped us throughout our difficult times. My goal is to be a walking example for my children and show them that they can do anything they put their minds, hearts, souls, sweat, blood and tears into. I want them to know that anything in this world is possible if they're willing to work hard to get it. Already at the age of ten, Lamar hopes to one day attend and graduate from Archbishop Riordan High School in San Francisco, be accepted into and graduate from a HBSU and eventually get drafted and start a career in the NBA. With prayer and persistence, the sky is the limit!

Other things I'd like to share about myself.

Seeing my children happy is the best feeling in the world. It makes me proud and brings me great joy to see them doing what they love and being successful at it. I strive to give them opportunities that I never had or my mother couldn't afford and I'm going to continue to push them to their full potential so that they can achieve their dreams and be the best people they can be!