ALTON – Ten-year-old Alex Gory recently moved to Alton from Blue Mound, Illinois, which is a suburb of Decatur, with his mother, Nicole Gory.
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On his last day of school in his former home, Alex Gory was told his favorite possession – a Sony Playstation 4 – had been stolen from his new home while his mother was on vacation with her significant other. Nicole Gory said the video gaming console was a present to her son on Christmas 2017, and he even bought accessories with his own money he received from birthdays, Christmases and even doing chores. While the culprit has not been caught and the original machine is still missing, Alex Gory's new community read about the crime and decided to do something about it to make sure the young man felt welcome in Alton.
Nicole Gory said her friend, Tommy Corrigan, a musician from North St. Louis County, delivered around $250 collected from several friends through a drop-off at Lighthouse Sounds. Coupled with money she had from selling furniture her children outgrew, Nicole Gory said she easily had enough to get her son a new gaming system.
“At first, I'm pretty sure we were outraged,” Nicole Gory said when asked about the theft.
“But, now I feel pretty good about Alton,” Alex Gory said from the backseat. “I mean, it's at least half good, but I still miss Blue Mound.”
“That's my son, he's an optimist,” Nicole Gory said. “That's why I love him.”
In an effort to show the love and generosity of the people of Alton, Nicole Gory told her son about the community's donations to help them. He will be starting in the Alton School District this fall, and his first experience in Alton was getting robbed. Otherwise, he said he enjoys the town's history – especially the Piasa Bird – and is looking into getting into acting.
The two went to the Game Stop located inside the Alton Square Mall to purchase the new Playstation 4. With the money, she was able to get a new system, one of the games stolen and a charging station for the controllers. A second controller for the system and other stolen games were still outside of the price range, Nicole Gory said, but she said she would be able to get them soon as she just started a new position as a nurse in a local assisted living center.
When asked about starting his summer vacation without his beloved Playstation 4, Alex Gory said it was weird. He said his favorite game was Fortnight, and his mother recently bought him something called a “Battle Pass” for it. Once the new system is connected to the internet, Alex Gory said his entire profile, including packages and saved games, will be accessible to him.
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