Two weeks ago, Michele and Kevin Traver were scrambling to raise $5,000 to obtain a service dog for their three-year-old son, Shane, who is suffering from autism.

The $5,000, a donation to the North Star Foundation (www.NorthStarDogs.com), which breeds and trains service dogs, would cover the cost of a golden retriever and the dog's training, routine vet care for the first year, spaying or neutering, and travel equipment.

Now, thanks to the generosity of family, friends, and complete strangers, including one Wareham family who donated $4,000 to the cause, the Travers were able to secure a service dog for Shane from a litter scheduled to be born this fall.

Michele received a call from East Wareham resident Megan Singleton shortly after a profile on Shane appeared in Wareham Week and on WarehamVillageSoup.com.

After the recent deaths of her parents, "we wanted to do something good that came out of something bad," Megan said. “To see that they only had three weeks to raise the money, it was outrageous to me."

Megan and her husband, Joe, have a three-year-old daughter. "My heart just sank for the family," Megan said, adding that if she were faced with a similar situation, she hoped people would help her, too.

"I just sat there and I cried my eyes out on the phone with this woman," Michele said, adding that she almost didn't want to accept such a large sum of money from one family. "She and her husband are guardian angels."

Michele said the family is thrilled and thankful to the community for helping them to raise the money so quickly. "We've gotten the most amazing responses," she said. "I just couldn't believe it."

But the work is not done.

Now that a dog has been secured for Shane, the Travers can begin the next leg of fundraising. Though Shane's dog will receive preliminary training through the North Star Foundation, the family is seeking to certify the dog for full public access, which will cost $10,000. That will provide therapy for Shane 24-hours-a-day, which would be extremely beneficial, because he has severe anxiety when faced with new situations and unfamiliar people, Michele said.

A benefit will be held at the Narrows Crossing Restaurant, located at 1 Narrows Road, on Thursday, October 21 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 at the door, which includes a buffet dinner. The event will also include various raffles. (If you would like to donate a raffle prize, please contact Michele Traver at 508-525-7080 or e-mail m_thompson88@hotmail.com.)

If you would like to help the family, but cannot attend the benefit, checks can be made out to "North Star Foundation" and mailed to the following address. (Please put "Shane Traver" on the memo line so the family receives the donation.) All donations are tax deductible.

Patty Dobbs Gross
North Star Foundation
20 Deerfield Lane
Storrs, CT 06268

'We hadn't even anticipated being able to fundraise for [the certification] at this point," Michele said. "Our community has really come together in support of our family."