Wysocki Benefit Fund

Dave Pacella

My name is Dave Pacella. I’m making this GoFundMe appeal on behalf of my friend and former Maryland Football teammate Charlie Wysocki.

In 2013 Dr. Mark Sobel, the late Dave D’Addio and myself formed the Charlie Wysocki Benefit Fund for the express purpose to assist Charlie Wysocki, a former Maryland Football great, who has suffered from severe mental illness.

Shortly after attending the University of Maryland Charlie’s mental health declined rapidly and he was unable to function on his own. He struggled with everyday life and his normal was a constant cycle of stays in mental hospitals and personal care facilities. With no one to advocate for him, Charlie was helpless to stop the vicious cycle of hospitalizations. Charlie’s prospects for a successful and productive life were dim. That was until Charlie was reunited with the Maryland football family in 2013. Since making his plight known to former teammates, coaches and fans the Charlie Wysocki Benefit Fund was able to successfully raise the necessary resources to help Charlie achieve a quality of life that he was unable to attain on his own. We’re very grateful for everyone who supported that effort.

Charlie’s mental and physical health remains delicate. After several years of maintaining a good quality of mental and physical health, Charlie has slipped back into a deep depression. Presently, Charlie is being treated at Clarks Summit State Hospital in Wilkes Barre, PA with no scheduled release date. Charlie still desires to live a full life filled with hopes and dreams, but he needs assistance.

So the fight for Charlie continues! Dr. Sobel and I remain committed in our efforts to help Charlie. We are asking, once again, for others to join us. Please consider contributing to the Charlie Wysocki Benefit Fund and help Charlie regain the quality of life he so desires.

"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.' Matthew 25:37-40

Thank you,

Dr. Mark Sobel (82)
Dave Pacella (83)

Terps TV - Maryland Football Legend Charlie Wysocki: www.youtu.be/AKfTpi8W50k produced by 3 Penny Films & Jess Atkinson


11th Feb, 2015

To Maryland Football Family,

In the spring of 2013, the Charlie Wysocki Benefit Fund was established for the sole purpose to help Charlie Wysocki who was suffering from severe bipolar disorder. He was not doing well physically, his living conditions were horrible and he could not function on a daily basis by himself.  He was in desperate need of help. We made an appeal to the Maryland Football family asking for that help and your response was overwhelming.  The Charlie Wysocki Benefit Fund had three main goals. One, get Charlie compliant and stable on all of his medications. Two, take care of his immediate basic needs. And three, provide Charlie with dental implants. If you remember, all his teeth were pulled out in one of his hospitalizations.

It gives us great joy to announce that not only did we reach our goals, we surpassed them. Charlie is stable and compliant on his medications, his basic needs are being met and his living conditions are vastly improved. On February 6th of this year he received his dental implants.

For everyone that contributed to the Charlie Wysocki Benefit Fund this is a time to celebrate with Charlie. Your willingness to help Charlie literally saved his life. His story is an inspiration and represents hope for all of us. We could not be more proud of each and every one of you. We would like to recognize Dr. Mitchell A. Stark, DDS, Dr. David Rothkopf, DDS PC and Steve Beardmore of Zimmer for donating their time and professional services to provide Charlie with his dental implants. Words cannot express the overwhelming gratitude we have for every one of you. We also acknowledge the help of Kevin Glover who invited Charlie back to UMD as an Honorary Captain and then, supported his nomination as a Hall of Fame Inductee and is now assisting Charlie with obtaining his degree.

Charlie is enjoying a quality of life that he hasn’t had since 1982. He is a fully functioning member of his community.  We have encouraged Charlie to give back in the same way people have given to him. Charlie routinely volunteers for different community events and has been invited to give motivational speeches by telling his story in churches, schools and prisons. It’s amazing how well he’s doing but we still need to monitor him closely.  His condition is stable but delicate, and he will require help for the rest of his life. Dr. Sobel and I are committed to helping him. Our hope is Charlie will continue to do well but we need to prepare for the unknown. So with this mind-set, we will continue our fundraising efforts to insure that the Charlie Wysocki Benefit Fund will have the necessary resources to help Charlie’s continuing care. More information about those fundraising efforts will follow.

Well, they say a picture is worth a thousand words…in this case it’s an extreme understatement.

God Bless You!

Dave Pacella (83)
Dr. Mark Sobel (82)


TERPSTV: Charlie Wysocki Fundraiser

A thank you from Charlie…

Terp Nation,

I would like to thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart for everything you have done for me. I recently received my dental implants and it is truly a blessing to have them.
This would not have been possible if not for the generosity of all of you. I will never forget what you have done and will be forever grateful.

Sincerely,
Charlie


TERPSTV: Charlie Wysocki Fundraiser

TERPSTV: Charlie Wysocki Fundraiser

Maryland football alumni helped organize the second fundraiser for the Charlie Wysocki Benefit Fund. Teammates of former running back Charlie Wysocki have spearheaded the initiative to help Charlie overcome hardships attributed to his life-long battle against bipolar disorder.

To The Maryland Football Family :

I would like to provide an update on Charlie Wysocki and the Charlie Wysocki Benefit Fund.

Our first goal was to stabilize Charlie's mental health by providing a layer of support: monitoring his life’s activities, counseling sessions and his medications. We also wanted to create a safety net to insure that if Charlie’s mental health started to diminish in any way, we would catch him before he had any major setbacks. This type of oversight was lacking in Charlie’s life, and we believe that if this kind of care had been available to him sooner, much of the misfortune he suffered in his adult life would have been prevented. I am very happy to report Charlie is doing extremely well. He is stable on his medications and is compliant with all his therapies. He is enjoying a good quality of life and is starting to contribute to others in his community. We have accomplished this goal and will continue to monitor Charlie on a regular basis.

The second goal was to take care of Charlie's basic needs deemed appropriate by the CWBF. We have given careful consideration to every expense being very cautious and respectful of donor dollars. Charlie no longer has to worry about food, clothing or a decent bed to sleep in. The CWBF helps him enjoy a quality of life that Charlie says, “Is the best ever”.

The third goal was to provide Charlie with dental implants. His diabetic condition and his obesity presented an enormous challenge to accomplishing this goal. Charlie's blood sugar was too high to perform the implant surgery. We had to help Charlie eat right and exercise. Not an easy task for anyone, especially Charlie. I'm thrilled to report that Charlie accepted the challenge, rose to the occasion and got it done! After months of hard work, Charlie’s blood sugar is under control. Dr. Mitchell Stark (Oral Surgeon) and Dr. Dave Rothkopf (Dentist) have generously volunteered their professional services to provide Charlie with the necessary care for his dental implants. Dr. Stark and Dr. Rothkopf are both Maryland graduates and Maryland Football supporters. We can’t thank them enough! They have begun the process of preparing Charlie for his implant surgery and, if all goes well, Charlie will eat his first apple in twenty plus years by late spring or early summer. When this process is complete it will be a moment for all of us to celebrate.

Under the direction of Dr. Mark Sobel, we have also created a website for Charlie, www.charliewysocki.com. Charlie’s passion is to inspire others by telling his life’s story. Charlie has been invited to speak at schools, church groups and prisons. This has given Charlie a sense of purpose and worth. He has been able to encourage others with his story. The website was created to help promote his public speaking efforts and to tell his remarkable story of survival. It also includes game highlights, pictures, testimonials, his book and much more. Please visit www.charliewysocki.com.

On behalf of Charlie, Dr. Mark Sobel, Dave D’Addio and myself, we would like to thank everyone who has contributed to helping Charlie. He truly was in desperate need. We asked for help and you responded overwhelmingly. I am very proud to be a part of the Maryland Football Family, and you should be too. Go Terps!

Sincerely,

Dave Pacella (82)