Max Gerall, a friend and a frequent advocate to OnRamp, coined a term that perfectly describes our 105th client: Essential Aggie. These are the men and women who serve the TAMU campus in food services, custodial, grounds-keeping, and similar professions. They keep TAMU running. Without them, the campus would rapidly become unlivable and unusable. Yet despite their essential service and hard work, most do not earn enough to afford the necessities of life, such as reliable transportation. This reality grows worse each month as inflation reduces their discretionary income even further. For many Essential Aggies, especially those who are single parents, assistance is needed to make ends meet.
Monica with her OnRamp interviewer, Jill Butler. Jill was so impressed by Monica’s hard work and dedication!
Enter Monica, our most recent car recipient. She’s a single mom of two boys who works at the TAMU Hotel and Conference Center. But when her twenty year old car began to break down, her biggest fear was missing work and losing this job. The car’s condition also kept her from visiting her mom in Brenham and hampered her ability to get her boys to community activities. So our good friend Johnny Martinez at MCH (Methodist Children’s Home), Monica’s case worker for the last year, nominated her to OnRamp. MCH has sent us many excellent clients over the years, and Monica is no exception. She was so qualified for OnRamp that our interviewers, Taylor and Jill, couldn’t think of a single Action Step to require of her to get a vehicle! She had already completed every suggestion Johnny had made during their year of coaching. She’s even giving back to the community by volunteering on occasion at SOS ministries. Her hard work paid off and we immediately accepted her into our program and blessed her with this truly exceptional 2012 Toyota Camry. I would gladly drive this car every day! Since it’s a Toyota with low miles, it should last her and her sons for many years to come. Now she is empowered to continue her journey forward.
One of my favorite moments is showing a new client all the features of their donated vehicle. In this Camry, that included leather, heated seats, a backup camera, and phone interface. This is a nice car!
For more information on Max Gerall’s incredible organization, The Reach Project, which serves these Essential Aggies, visit reach4home.org/about/#history. Huge thanks are due to the generous local family who sold us this vehicle at well below market value. Also thanks to Christian Brothers Automotive and Discount Tire on Fitch that helped prepare it for donation at greatly reduced prices. Thank you to MCH’s new local director, Jessycah, who attended this donation in Johnny’s place while he was out of town. Finally, thank you so much to our donors who make this all possible. With costs of used vehicles skyrocketing, our ministry would grind to a halt without your faithful support! To help us continue this vital work in the community, please visit onramptx.org/give to donate.