Tonya Swapped Six Hours of Transit for the Fast Lane
Client #41’s daily grind was replaced with a gift.
One of the misconceptions about living and getting around in DFW is that public transportation should be able to replace owning a vehicle for those who suddenly find themselves without a car.
Though this is theoretically true, it’s far from being practically realistic. Over the last few years, we’ve heard many stories that displayed the unsustainability of relying on public transportation, but Tonya’s story took the cake for how much of her day she was willing to sacrifice on public transportation for the sake of her son. That number = 6 hours.
Tonya and her son Courtney getting a look at their new car
It would be reasonable to ask, “Why couldn’t she just find a job that was closer to where she lived?” but that’s part of the problem. In Dallas, the majority of the jobs that can provide a sustainable living are outside of the areas where people live. This is one of the reasons why Dallas is the sixth hardest large city in the USA to live in without a car. Tonya had already spent a season of homelessness and deprivation from being underemployed, so when she found a job that would provide for her family, she did whatever it took to keep that job. Whatever it took meant three hours each way of waiting at bus stops, switching from a bus to a train, and back to another bus in order to get to work and back home on time.
Take a moment to imagine what it would be like to spend this much time each day just to get to work and back. How many activities and appointments would you have to say “no” to? Most people in this situation talk about having to regularly miss doctor appointments, school information meetings, social gatherings, and any of their children’s extra-curricular activities.
As I write this, it’s 97 degrees outside. Yesterday it poured rain for about 30 minutes. When you are dependent on public transportation, the weather plays a huge role in your day. Can you imagine having to wait outside for a bus or train in the heat of August?
This conundrum is well documented in Dallas, and we were grateful to have a NBC5 news crew join us that giveaway morning to help tell Tonya’s story. Watch the news story here
Giveaway Day
On the morning of the giveaway, Tonya couldn’t stop smiling. Her advocate, Darius from Life Skool, a youth empowerment organization, spoke about Tonya’s amazing resilience and character. Darius had witnessed the hardship this family had been through and was at the point of raising money himself to help them purchase a car when he found OnRamp DFW. He said the days between submitting an application and receiving final approval were agonizing, and they didn’t dare hope that somehow she would receive a vehicle.
Our team spoke about how inspired we were by Tonya, and we gave her a gift that she was already well-acquainted with: a Bible. In case there’s ever any confusion about why we do what we do or where the actual strength of the gift lies, we make a point to tell that we are representatives of a good and loving God who cares about each of our situations.
Tonya was already talking about her aspirations to go to school to realize her dream of owning a business, and how great it would be to have more time with her son. We Google-mapped her drive to work and it was 30 minutes, so she just gained five hours a day back. 😮
Special Thanks
We want to say a huge thank you to the donors of this Infiniti, who could have sold this car, but instead decided to give it away to change the lives of this DFW family.
Thank you to Golden Rule Auto Care who donated a significant amount of work and parts to get the Infiniti into donatable condition.
Thank you to NBC 5 who represented our’s and Tonya’s stories so well and who are actively working to make life better for our vulnerable neighbors in DFW.
Thank you to recent and long-time donors, who have entrusted us with the financial ability to give vehicles to families like Tonya’s.
Photography by Clint Brewer
Client photos and story used with permission
