Grocery shopping for a good cause

The community’s continued effort to rally around Bremerton attorney De’Wayne Taylor is showing no signs of slowing down.

Taylor was diagnosed with cirhossis of the liver in 2000 and had to leave his private law practice. He is in need of a liver transplant. Although cirhossis of the liver is commonly associated with alcoholism, Taylor’s cirhossis was brought on by diabetes.

This Friday, the Garguiles Red Apple Market at 2901 Perry Ave. will donate 1 percent of the total sales to help Taylor with medical costs. The store is open from 6 a.m.- 10 p.m.

The employees of Burwell House, an arm of the Kitsap Mental Health Services, arranged the fund drive. The Burwell House employees will be out in front of the Red Apple from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. selling hot dogs and Cokes. Donations also will be accepted.

Steve Garguile, owner of the Red Apple, said his market will participate in a fund raiser of this type about once a year for good cause.

De’Wayne Taylor’s brother, Reggie Taylor, works at the Burwell House and said he is touched by his co-worker’s effort to help De’Wayne.

“When I heard about it I was very surprised to see my co-workers are willing to pitch in and help out,” Reggie Taylor said. He hadn’t been vocal in his workplace about his brother’s condition.

The fund drive at the Red Apple will go to help De’Wayne Taylor to pay off his medical bills, which are currently estimated at $30,000. In mid-November, Taylor was given a coupon from the local Department of Social and Health Services to cover his future doctor’s office visits and hospital stays.

Taylor is not yet on the liver donor list at the University of Washington’s transplant services department. Taylor is going to UW next week to get some lab work done that will determine his liver and kidney function, as well as blood clotting time. The results of that test will determine where Taylor will be put on the donor list.

In addition to the Red Apple fund drive, the community has donated more than $3,000 to a fund set up for Taylor at a local Bank of America Branch.

The religious community also has made a contribution to the cause. The local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People presented a Dec. 7 concert that raised more than $3,500.

A group of Bremerton-area churches — Faith Temple Church of God in Christ, Word of Life Fellowship Church, Sinclair Missionary Baptist Church, Mount Zion Baptist Church, Grace Pentecostal Holiness Church, House of Refuge Church and the host church, Emmanuel Apostolistic Church — all participated in the community benefit.

Local attorney Michael Nkosi is the legal guardian of the benevolent fund at Bank of America. To donate money, call (360) 479-0858.

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