Looking for an illustration of “hard work”? You will find none better than OnRamp’s most recent client, LaTisha. This single mom raises four young children, eleven and younger, on her own while working ⅔ time at Walmart to pay the bills and taking a full load of classes at Sam Houston State, a 45-mile journey each way. She must balance getting the kids to school and doctors appointments, working evenings, getting to Huntsville three days a week for classes, and somehow finishing all her homework whenever her kids finally fall asleep. I cannot fathom the amount of effort this woman expends to provide for her family!
Unfortunately, this hard working woman’s success depended on a worn out fifteen-year-old, high-mileage Trailblazer that simply wasn’t up to hundreds of miles per week. It was in terrible shape and destined for the scrap yard. LaTisha was in desperate need for a new vehicle.
Fortunately, she was part of Tanisha Pickney’s amazing Pathway of Hope Program at the Salvation Army. According to Tanisha, “LaTisha is motivated and always seeking ways to be better and be an example for her children. She has and still is continually meeting all her goals.” So yesterday our OnRamp team donated this lovely blue 2007 Honda Odyssey to LaTisha and her delightful children. Rain couldn’t keep them from dancing with joy as they climbed in their new vehicle. Now LaTisha and her kids have the transportation they need to stay on their trajectory towards a better life!
Thank you so much to the Salvation Army for investing in the people of our town! You all are heroes. Thank you Joey Dewolf, Rami Cerone and Chip Jennings for getting us this vehicle, our generous donors for paying for it, CBA for fixing it up, and Emily Myers for the great pics (shared with client’s permission).
Two important last things. First, since this is client #90, we are closing in on client #100 VERY fast. That milestone will call for a celebration! When we started, I hoped God would let me give away 100 vehicles by the time I reached retirement. Instead, we’re hitting it in less than five years. So we need to celebrate His goodness with a full-on shindig later this semester when we cross that 100 client line. We’ll be inviting former clients, volunteers, donors, partners, advocates… anyone and everyone who has been part of our success! Keep an eye out for details to come (and if you’re super good or super connected at throwing huge parties, let me know! Surprise to no one who knows me: I am not! We’ve got a team coming together, but would love more help to make this event incredible.)
Second, now that we’ve got two months of this blog under our belt, I would LOVE feedback on frequency. Are 2-posts and email per week (Tues and Thurs) the right amount? Too many? Wrong days? How can we do better? Please let me know!