Fundraiser Will Assist Injured Jerry Colgate

By LIBBY CUDMORE • The Freeman’s Journal

Edition of Thursday, Nov. 27, 2014

As Jerry Colgate continues his recovery at the University of Virginia Medical Center following a hit-and-run accident, he continues to touch lives.

“I was standing in my kitchen, making Thanksgiving dinner, and I got thinking about him,” said Mikal Sky-Shrewsberry, the former CCS board member. “I met him a few times, and he’s a very nice man.”

She knew she had to do something to help raise money for his recovery, and began to make some associations. “I knew Amanda Braswell used to work with Jerry at Danny’s Market, and she runs Jerry’s Place in Hartwick – it all just clicked.”

So 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 3, the #LiveLikeJerry campaign will be the focus of the “Give Back Wednesdays” event that Jerry’s Place has begun hosting weekly. Each week focuses on a different local charity, and next week, 10 percent of the proceeds, whether from an ice cream cone or a burger and fries, will go towards Colgate’s ongoing medical care.

Though Colgate remains in serious condition, last week, doctors at UVA began bringing him out of the medically induced coma he’d been in since he was struck by a car while walking home in the early hours of Sunday, Nov. 9.

But he continues to improve daily, his friend Kari Gaviria reported. “He opens his eyes on occasion and squeezes your hand,” she said. “He’s making strides every day towards recovery.”