Gunshot-Paralyzed 56-Year-Old Seeks Business Grant To Open Clothing Business
by Steven Schindler
Me on the left
I was working my way through college during the summer as a laborer for an insulation company. I was loading trucks that morning when someone yelled, "They're coming and they got guns!" Everyone in the warehouse scattered. I was confused and scared but ran and hid like everyone else. Some went to the front office to lock themselves in. The rest of us hid behind bales of insulation throughout the long, narrow warehouse. But we could clearly hear them. "Come on out of there. We need keys or we're gonna kill somebody!" My senses were heightened and it sounded like they saw me hide. I stepped out holding up my keys and to my surprise they were in front of the warehouse and even though I was in the back they sounded as if they were on top of me. Two men, dark and sinister, small and desperate, had just robbed an adjacent supply store, set off a silent alarm and drew local police when they had fled up a single access road to our warehouse. They wanted keys and wanted to get away. The made me come up front. They put a gun to my head and told me to get in my car and grabbed another hostage too. I had a 1967 Volkswagen Bug. They made me get in and ready to drive while one slithered under the dash on the passenger side and put a gun to the other hostage. One crawled in the back seat and put a gun to my head and said simply, "DRIVE!" We came upon a roadblock immediately where a shotgun was pointed at my head. Luckily the other hostage knew the officer and he withdrew. After 15 miles of chase and being shot at to the point where there were 52 rounds in the car, with the back window blown out by shotgun, I was forced into the curb and was shot by the police before I could get out of the car. Paralyzed immediately and for life I would never be the same. I managed to continue my education and would graduate with a master's in rehabilitation. I work as a vocational rehabilitation counselor but seeing my retirement around the bend I am faced with too little pension because of a late start with the state of Pennsylvania. I would like to open a small clothing and shoe store locally, a business that is lacking in my area. I'm educated enough. I have computer skills and can deal with people. Please consider my proposal. I am very analytical and good with numbers. I'm very friendly. I live near a small town area where there are grocery stores and a few restaurants and service businesses but no clothing. The nearest quality clothing and shoes are 10-15 miles away. I believe there is potential to provide a service people need.
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