This inspiring client absolutely blew us away! In spring 2021, Vanessa was a senior at CSISD when her mom, her sole caregiver, died of Covid. That tragedy left Vanessa and her 13-year-old sister to navigate life on their own. Rather than surrender to grief, Vanessa stepped up to secure guardianship of her sister to raise her as her own. She then finished High School, the first in her family to do so. And she did so well that she was accepted into TAMU as a Regent Scholar on a full ride scholarship where she’s now in her 2nd year.
Unfortunately, the car that Vanessa inherited from her mom, which she and her sister relied upon to get to school, work, doctors appointments, and the store was hit by another driver and totaled. The entire insurance settlement went to pay off the debt that remained on her mom’s vehicle, leaving Vanessa with nothing to purchase a new car. Even more challenging, the Regent Scholarship rules stipulate that she cannot work more than a small number of hours per week or risk losing the scholarship and her chances at a degree. There was no hope to earn enough money to buy a car, but without a car, there was no way to get herself and her sister to school and essential appointments.
That’s when her former teacher, Grace, stepped in. Since Vanessa’s mom had passed, Grace had provided her and her sister multiple meals per week, helped them with laundry, and guided them through financial and legal challenges and questions. Grace was the kind of teacher we all idealize; one who goes far beyond the classroom to ensure her students have every opportunity to thrive. So without hesitation, Grace reached out to CSISD leadership, and when connected with us, nominated Vanessa for an OnRamp vehicle.
We debated her case for less than a second - how could we say ‘no’ to such an inspiring young woman! To make it even easier, a generous donor connected to the school district offered to cover $5000 of the car’s price. The pieces fell into place rapidly, allowing us to joyously give Vanessa this 2016 Mazda3 plus a full year of free maintenance support that should enable her and her sister to continue their educational journey and carve a stable and successful path forward in life. We cannot thank God enough for giving us the privilege of blessing this young woman who, according to CSISD leadership, is an absolute rockstar! We agree!
Tomorrow, November 29th, is Giving Tuesday, a globally recognized day of charitable giving. If Vanessa’s story has inspired you, we invite you to consider giving to OnRamp to help us continue to serve clients like her with the gift of reliable transportation. Your gifts enable us to not only donate a vehicle, but also a full year of maintenance so that our clients can continue to focus on their goals. We also provide ongoing encouragement, prayer, and connections to resources and churches to help our clients in all areas of life. We’ve been blessed to gift vehicles and support to 36 new client families so far in 2022 (124 since our inception 5 years ago), and would love your help to keep that momentum going! Simply visit our giving page HERE.
