A community driven effort is underway to help a 91大黄鸭 man whose life was irrevocably changed by a random assault just a year ago.

James Summers-颅Gill was attacked April 1, 2016 by a mentally ill man on a violent rampage while walking his daughter to school through the downtown core.

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During the nine-minute assault, his young daughter was forced to watch as her dad was pummeled and forever changed. Nobody stepped in to help back then, but there are people rallying around him now.

Heather Ormiston is part of a team that has organized a June 14 fundraiser that will include live music, a silent auction, a beer and burger special and hopefully lift some of the financial burden that鈥檚 weighing down Summers-Gill as he attempts to recover from the attack.

She is currently looking for auction items to raise money and is hoping business owners around 91大黄鸭 can help by donating items or services for the silent auction.

鈥淛ames Summers-颅Gill is a good man with little family and could really use help from the community,鈥� Ormiston said, in a press release.

鈥淚f you would like to help by donating an item or gift certificate please contact me鈥� With little financial assistance James treads water while trying to find a path forward.鈥�

Summers-颅Gill doesn鈥檛 bear the physical scars of his attack, but that doesn鈥檛 mean he鈥檚 OK. In fact, surface level normalcy is almost a disadvantage.

鈥淚 cry a lot. I get emotional easy,鈥� he said, in an earlier interview with the Capital News.

He鈥檚 overwhelmed by the volume of tasks his brain has to sort through to do the simplest of things, like making coffee.

In the time since his injury he鈥檚 created plans that allow him to function, but if something goes awry it鈥檚 hard to recover.

He has a counsellor funded through victim services limited, but there鈥檚 been little to help with the life expenses that have piled up since the incident.

He didn鈥檛 have a job at the time, so he can鈥檛 get any wage loss supplement. Also, it will take a couple of years before it鈥檚 clear whether his brain injury is permanent, so he can鈥檛 get any assistance from that. He could get social assistance, but then he鈥檇 lose his rental assistance. While he treads water, he鈥檚 having a hard time finding a path forward let alone pay the bills that are stacking up.

鈥淭he attitude of service providers is, 鈥榠f you don鈥檛 come to us we鈥檙e not coming to you,鈥欌�� he said.

Trouble is, he doesn鈥檛 know where to go because he鈥檚 starting life anew.

鈥淧eople think, 鈥榦h, he looks normal,鈥� so I must be high-functioning,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he less normal I look the more help I鈥檇 get, but then you get treated like that and I鈥檓 never going to get any help in that way.鈥�

If you can chip in to help, call (250) 826颅-3409 to reach Ormiston or Mark Greenhalgh at 250-463颅-3110, Andy Bowie at 250-859颅-2639 or Brad Krauza at 250-899-颅2112.