Ridgewood Comes Together To Help Middle School Teacher's Son

The Ridgewood community is being asked to come together to help a village family.

A GoFundMe page has been set up for Owen Betrus. Betrus, 6, is a quadriplegic with cerebral palsy and intractable epilepsy. His father, Rob, a teacher at George Washington Middle School, tries to take his son out as much as possible, NorthJersey.com.

A friend of the Betrus family, Chris Watkins, and several teachers at the school, started a GoFundMe campaign called Gear Up For Owen. The fundraiser is designed to help the family purchase a rear entry ramp for their minivan so Owen can be transported to various outdoor activities easier.

More than $19,500 has been donated so far; the goal is to raise $25,000.

“This is the nature of people,” Grasso told The Record. “Teaching at George Washington is special, the camaraderie makes people feel like a second family, so helping a colleague is paramount.”