Dear Gabriel,

I wish every young man were as determined as you. Although I cannot help you financially, I can offer information that may help.

Try ways to work - they may be able to help you.  I wish you the best... I have no doubts that you will succeed! 

Im a 20 yr. old dancer, in need of some serious help. See I've been through every possible way to get money that this is literally my last resort. Right now what I need money for is so I can get a wrinky dinky car to get me from point A to point B. I guess I'll just start from the beigining...this might take a little while. I've been dancing since I was in the sixth grade. I went to a performing arts middle school as well as a performing arts highschool. I graduated in 2005. But through my highschool years I made some poor decisions with money. Somehow a credit card showed up at my house when I was 17yrs. old. And to make a long story short I shot myself in the foot with that one. Then cell phone bills went through the roof. So by the time I graduated my credit was horrible. So horrible that I couldn't even get a loan for $3,000 to get to college.Everyone said I needed a co-signer. Now I have a mother, a father, and five little brothers. I am the oldest. Being that my mother and father both struggle very hard and our family is poor, they had filed for bankruptcy. Making it that they could not co-sign on a loan for me for another 6yrs. from this date. I got accepted into the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. They gave me a little scholarship...and when I say little I mean little. for a $35,000 a year school. Since I didn't have a co-signer  and my credit was so bad. I did not got to college right out of highschool. But I was determined. So all I did was work, work, work, and dance my heart out. I did Showtime at the Apollo and won twice. and got money from that. Worked two jobs and asked for help so much. By the Spring term of 2006 I went to the University of the Arts. I actually went for two semesters hoping to get a full scholarship but I did not recieve one. Causing me to have to leave school my this past semester. And all I thought I was doing was coming home for winter break. Did not know I would not be going back. After that I just continued to work where I was working during winter break and started saving again. I even got moved up to Assistant Manager. But I was not dancing anymore, and its my life. You name it I've done it. So I went and layed it all out on the line. Took my savings and went and auditioned for FOX NETWORKS "SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE" The TV show. Hoping to change my life with this competition/show. And I thought  I was going to do just that. Out of 5,000 people only 186 people made it to the semi-finals in Las Vegas and I was one of them. From Vegas they take the top 40. 20 guys and 20 girls. I made it to the top 23 guys. then I was cut. So now I'm stuck... And I'm honestly despreate. I need help. My savings is gone. I no longer have my job because they did not want to even support me when I went the audition so they fired me.

  If anyone doesn't believe any thing that I've written so far I have proof of it all. The "SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE"  premiers on May 24 on Fox at 8pm. You will see me on that international show for about 3 maybe 4 weeks. I will be posting pictures and the newspaper articles of the Showtime At the Apollo performances. Just so no one thinks I'm lying.

 I just need some help honestly. Im about $3,500 in debt. My credit score is 515. Even Prosper.com said my credit isn't good enough for them. If don't know what Prosper.com is you should really, really, really, check it out. It might just be able to help even you. I totally recommend it. Even tho they turn me away.But Im not even asking for some one to come and take care of my debt. I plan on fixing that and getting back to school with the gameplan that I've come up with. And that is why I'm on here today because this is my last resort.

I need at the most $1,000. So that I can get a car. Why? Because This summer I plan on putting together my own dance show for my city. And hopefully after both nights of the show I will have created enough profit to get back to school. Because I must finish.i should be a junior, but I will just be starting my sophmore year. If I get back. But the car comes as my savior, because I've been getting request from dance schools around my city to come to their studios and teach master classes, and set choreography. That instructors are offering my hundreds of dollars to just come and work with their dancers. this would not only help me get back to school, fix my debt, but also get the theatre I want to put my show on at and get the things I really need to put a great show on. There is money out there for me to get in my city because I have become a known dancer in my city but I have no way of getting to it. I need reliable transportation so I can do this. It will honestly be the first step to me getting my life back and correcting the mistakes I made when I was younger. I'm trying to be a man that my brothers who range ina age from 2yrs. old - 12yrs. old.I need this this will help me so much. Every studio is just to far away and public transportation is unreliable, and don't even go to some of the places that want me to come. There like 45 min. - a hour away. Plus they just cut back on public transportation in my city which is Pittsburgh.

So if there is anyone reading this who can help me please...Im begging you. All I need is at the most $1,000 just to get me on the road. So I can do what I need to do to make it happen. So please. And  promise once I make the first $1,000 back I will give it back. Just because you took a chance on me.

~Gabriel Ash

These are some pics. from Showtime at the Apollo. The newspaper article on it. And a pic. of me and 4 out of five my bros.The fifth was a baby-baby when that pic. was taken.