NORTH PROVIDENCE – Months after North Providence teenager AJ Quetta suffered a severe spinal injury during a high school hockey game, the community has continued to rally around him.
North Providence school employee and friend of the Quetta family, Karen Bourke, says members of the community have raised more than $15,000 toward AJ’s recovery, bringing the total funds raised for Quetta to close to $1 million.
“We’re trying. They need it. The care he’s going to need is not cheap. It can cost millions of dollars, and this type of injury comes with lifelong costs,” she said.
There’s a fundraiser in the works for May 1 from 4 to 10 p.m. at The Duke in North Providence, featuring food and drinks, a mechanical bull, live entertainment and raffle prizes. The rain date is May 8.
The signs say “North Providence, a community that cares. AJ’s Army. Get well soon.
“We just want them to know that all residents of town are soldiers in AJ’s army for a full recovery,” said Lombardi. “We needed to let this family know that North Providence is a community that cares.”
The mayor told The Breeze his daughter also had the idea to have window signs made for businesses. In addition to the 10 already made, he plans to have another 25 or so available to businesses as of this Thursday, Feb. 18, with business owners able to pick them up at his office.