Mom of Valley Olympic qualifier raisings money to watch her son in Paris

McALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The mother of Shaine Casas, a Valley native who secured his spot on Team USA for the 2024 Paris Olympics, is looking to raise funds to watch her son compete.

Casas took second place in the Men’s 200M Individual Medley on Friday with a time of 1:55.83.

Monica Epling, Casas mom, told ValleyCentral she was not going to be able to make the trip to Paris. She said she saw prices skyrocket as the days went by.

However, after an overwhelming amount of support from the community, she has decided to start a fundraiser to sponsor her trip.

Epling's sisters Laura Alvarez and Ana Spencer want her to be able to go and are selling T-shirts and yard signs in hopes they will raise enough money to send her to Paris.

“We just all got together and decided that we have to get her there and to make it happen because she has worked so hard, and she has been a single mom for almost forever, and she has raised her boys and they are remarkable young men, and we are so proud of them," said Laura Alvarez, aunt of Shaine Casas. "We just feel that it is really important that she goes and be there for him.”

The sisters say the trip will cost anywhere from 10 to 20 thousand dollars.

T-shirts are selling for $25 and yard signs are selling for $100.

Eling said she is grateful for the support and says it is amazing how family, friends and the community gather when others are facing difficult times.

If you would like to help send Eling to Paris to see her son compete in the Olympics click, here.