A Nevada man admits he wasn’t sure what to expect after flying across the country to attend a Saturday fundraiser for his teenage son. But he was amazed when he arrived at Paulding County park to find hundreds at the event benefiting Mitch Comer.
“I wasn’t expecting anything this huge,” Tony Wawrzynski told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “It helped me a lot, seeing how many people care.”
And the event will likely help his 18-year-old son, Mitch, even more. In addition to the emotional support, Mitch will benefit financially from the proceeds raised Saturday.
In September, Mitch Comer made national headlines after being put on a bus to California, where a former security guard spotted him and took him to police. At 5-feet-1 and weighing 87 pounds, Mitch was malnourished and ghostly white.
But the story he told investigators was horrifying. He said he had been locked away in a bathroom and then a bedroom and given little food, and his mother and step-father were responsible, police said.
The day after Mitch Comer was found wandering a Los Angeles bus station, Paul and Sheila Comer were arrested at their Paulding County home on child cruelty charges. The two have remained in jail since their arrests, and were denied bond Friday.
News of Mitch’s years of alleged abuse was too much for one Paulding resident, Karen Pace, who said she knew right away she had to do something. She enlisted the help of some of her closest friends and before long, a fund-raising festival-type event was in the works. Saturday’s event included live entertainment, vendors, an auction and plenty of activities for kids.
“Don’t under estimate the power of six mamas,” Cherie Clayton, another organizer, said Saturday.
After learning about the event on Facebook, Wawrzynski decided to make the trip from Reno, flying across the country Friday. Wawrzynski’s mother, sister and adult daughter also attended Saturday after driving from Indiana.
Wawrzynski said seeing the support shown for his son by strangers in a community he'd never heard of was uplifting. Mitch was 3 years old the day Wawrzynski says he came home from work and then-girlfriend Sheila Comer and his son were gone. His repeated efforts to find his son were never successful, until he got the call from an investigator with the Paulding County Sheriff's Office. Now, he vows to be reunited with his son, who has yet to make a public appearance and is living with a family arranged through the district attorney's office.
Event organizers weren’t certain how much money was raised, but were thrilled to see those in the community visit Taylor Farm Park to attend throughout the day. Bill Zeiss and Aundree Godbout, of Dallas, brought a neighbor, Michael Jordan, to the park after hearing about the fundraiser with hopes of helping the young man they’ve heard about in the news.
“I cannot understand how a mother could do that to her son,” Godbout said.
District Attorney Dick Donovan and some members of his staff also attended, included two investigators who have been involved with the criminal case. Jamie White, with the DA’s office, read a letter written by Mitch thanking those coming to his aid and explaining that he’s eager to get back in school. Investigators have said the teen only completed through the 8th grade, but is very intelligent and thriving in his new environment.
Hearing Mitch’s words was enough to bring a smile to Wawrzynski’s face, along with hope for new beginnings.
A fund has been established for those wishing to donate WestSide Bank in Hiram, P.O. Box 1810, Hiram, GA 30141.
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