Long Beach community rallies, sending Olympian's family to Rio

A fully packed red, white, and blue Team USA bag inside a Signal Hill apartment Thursday morning sat ready to be picked up and carried to the airport. It belonged to 11-year-old Gabe Tyler, the younger brother of Long Beach native and Oympian Ariana Washington.

Thanks to the generosity of the Long Beach community, Gabe, along with Ariana’s mother, Euna, were headed to Rio on Thursday to watch Ariana run with Team USA.

The money will pay for travel and lodging, as well as additional arrangements for Gabe, who has cerebral palsy.

“It means so much knowing that we come from a community that supports her and supports us and always has,” said Euna, a single mother who works as a nurse at Long Beach Memorial. “It’s really special.”

After a friend heard Euna mention what a struggle traveling Brazil would be to watch Ariana’s unexpected Olympic turn, she started a GoFundMe page on Euna’s behalf. And after the Press-Telegram reported the single mother’s hope to make the trip, the story was widely shared on social media and appeared on KTLA.

The members of the Long Beach Century Club donated $1,100 with a surprise pass-the-hat that followed Euna speaking to the club about her experiences at the Olympic Trials. Local politicians, including L.A. County Supervisor Don Knabe and Long Beach’s state assemblyman Patrick O’Doell, shared the story through social media, along with hundreds of other local sports fans and community members.

Among the 200 people who donated via the GoFundMe page were supporters from rival schools and dozens of Poly alums and a few mothers who, like Euna, worked as nurses.

Gleis Seldon, coach of Lakewood’s cross country and track programs (and a Wilson alum) chipped in, as did former Wilson pitcher Chase DeJong, now a pro baseball player in the Dodgers system. DeJong and Washington met at a Century Club banquet where they were honored together, and DeJong contributed $250 to help Euna and Gabe get to Rio.

The families of several of Gabe’s school friends also donated money to help him see his sister in the Olympics.

“We just can’t say thank you enough,” said Euna. “I just don’t have the words for it. Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone.”

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Gabe, who has seen his sister run much closer to home, said he’s excited watch her compete in Rio. He also is looking forward to giving her a stuffed animal he got for her on a recent camp field trip.

“He spent all week telling everyone ‘Wednesday is my last day at camp, and then I get to go see my sister in the Olympics,’” said Euna. “He’s so excited.”

Washington is a part of the Team USA 4x100 meter relay—prelims for that event will begin on Aug. 18.