Client 77: A Future Worth Fighting For
When Nicole, our most recent client, came to DFW a few years ago, she was looking for something many of us take for granted: a safe place to begin again.
After fleeing domestic violence and trafficking, Nicole arrived carrying the weight of experiences that could have easily convinced her that her circumstances would always define her. Instead, she began the difficult work of rebuilding her life and imagining a future that looked very different from her past.
1) She is steadily making her way through school with the goal of eventually working in the paralegal field, where she hopes to use her own experiences to help other women who have found themselves in situations like hers.
2) She is also working toward the kind of financial stability that can change what everyday life feels like. Like everyone, she wants to be able to afford her rent and monthly bills & have enough left over to put money into savings and build a financial cushion for herself. These may sound like ordinary goals, but for someone rebuilding a life after trauma and instability, they represent something much bigger: security, independence, and the freedom to plan for tomorrow.
3) Nicole has also faced significant health challenges, including a cancer diagnosis last fall + major surgeries that followed. Through it all, she has continued moving forward. Her advocates, Claudia and Nikki with New Friends New Life, have watched her grow in confidence and determination as she works toward her educational, financial, counseling, and personal goals.
Reliable transportation became an important part of making those goals possible. Nicole needs a dependable vehicle to get to medical appointments, get to work, continue attending school, and handle the everyday responsibilities that come with building an independent life. Without reliable transportation, even the best plans can quickly become much harder to achieve.
That is where we at OnRamp DFW were honored to come alongside her. We gifted Nicole a beautiful, low mileage Toyota Corolla, giving her a reliable way to keep moving toward the future she has worked so hard to create.
When Nicole saw the Corolla and realized it was hers, she was overcome with emotion. We were all misty-eyed, and it was clear that this moment meant far more than simply receiving a set of keys.
It was a tangible reminder that her life is moving in a new direction. That Nicole is not longer surround by people that want to harm her, but that she is surrounded by people who love her, love Jesus, and want what’s best for her.
Nicole has already done the hard work of getting out of an unsafe situation and beginning to rebuild… And now she has a vehicle to take her to even more new road and opportunities!
Praise God!
