This Saturday, October 4, the Ryan Shelor Fund will hold its first annual Luau at the Salem Civic Center from 6 to 10 p.m. in the community room. Bands include “The Kings,” “The Elderly Brothers” and special guest Joe Yeatts. The night will feature “fine friends, heavy hors d’ouvres, and dancing.” Tickets are $30 per person and can be purchased at Blue Ridge Floors (next to Wendy’s on West Main in Salem,) by calling 520-3439, or at the door. The nonprofit organization’s purpose is “serving others with special needs.”

For more information, visit www.ryanshelorfund.org or keep reading the press release below:

“Ryan Shelor’s family and the Fund’s newly elected Board of Directors are pleased to announce the incorporation of the nonprofit Ryan Shelor Fund. The Fund will be used to carry out Ryan’s mission of expanding opportunities and enhancing the quality of life of children and young adults with physical, cognitive, and emotional challenges and their families who reside in the Roanoke Valley and surrounding areas.

Facing chronic and terminal illness in September of 2005, Ryan Shelor requested that the fund be established to assist children with special needs and used his 21st birthday as an event to launch his fund. Ryan passed away August 10, 2006 and the fund has continued to grow and make a difference in the lives of area children with special needs.

Ryan was an IEP graduate of Glenvar High School, where he was active in Choir, Band and Cheerleading. Ryan, who was born with severe quadriplegic cerebral palsy, was chronically ill with severe gastro intestinal distress, but lived life to his fullest with the care and comfort of his family, friends, fellow members of his local churches, Bethel Baptist and Fellowship Community Church.

“Ryan was always more concerned for others and wanted to start the Ryan Shelor Fund as an ongoing opportunity to help children with special needs,” said his father, Steve Shelor. “Nonprofit incorporation now provides the fund with the ability to move forward in a structured environment to grow and create additional opportunities to improve the quality of life of the area’s children with special needs under the leadership of a very capable all volunteer Board of Directors.”

It is an exciting time for the family as we put our grief into a positive thrust to keep Ryan’s legacy and memory in the forefront of his many friends’ thoughts. His website is being renovated to be interactive as well as many positive upcoming fund raising events planned to include an “annual Luau”, “special needs pageant” for kids to participate in, (of course everyone is a winner), sporting events plus a quarterly newsletter will be emailed as well as becoming available on the website currently under development at www.RyanShelorFund.org.

Individuals interested in making a tax deductible donation should make checks out to the RYAN SHELOR FUND and mail to PO Box 1145 Salem, VA 24153. Families with special needs children interested in funding assistance should contact Cindy Shelor at 540-520-3439 or jesshokie@aol.com for an application.”