Brooke, Rainn, and Tai Sheppard live in a homeless shelter in Brooklyn with their mother, Tonia Handy, but the struggle hasnโt stopped them from making it into the Junior Olympics.
โThe first time we got there, there was just roaches everywhere,โ Tai, 11,ย told the Associated Press. โEvery time I looked on the floor, a roach. And every time I looked on the ceiling there was a roach. It was horrible.โ
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Her sisters Brooke, 8, and Rainn, 10, have been top qualifiers in track and field andย the sport has changed their lives.
The three girls got into track because their babysitter wanted to find an activity for them to do that didnโt require fees. They performed so well that each girl was recruited, separately, by Jean Bell, the founder ofย the Jeuness Track Club, which keeps its members primed and focused on college scholarships. Bell had no idea at the time that all three were related.
The girls continued to show promise until each had qualified for multiple events at the Junior Olympics. They will all be going to Houston, though unfortunately, their motherย will not be joining them.
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โIโm not going because the shelter has a curfew and I still have to work,โ Handy explained. โItโs not that kind of job where you can take time off. You donโt go, you donโt get paid.โ
The sisters set up aย GoFundMe pageย to help raise funds for the trip, and while their goal has been reached, you can still donate to the page.
