Survivors to Thrivers: Two Stories Still Being Written
Meet Fernanda & Jamie
This week we present you two stories from two different giveaways over the last few weeks. Both of these women are survivors of domestic violence, but neither has let that define their life! Meet clients 46 & 47, and praise God with us for the incredible work that He is doing in DFW.
Fernanda Finds Friends in a Foreign Land
Fernanda, a single mother, is not from Texas. And while many reading this blog probably believe Texas is the best country state to live in, being alone here can be incredibly difficult! Fernanda grew up & spent most of her life in Canada. However after her son was born, she found herself in Texas without any community after fleeing a dangerous relationship.
Fernanda was doing everything she could to provide for herself and her son, but a lack of reliable personal & public transportation forced her to rely on Uber/Lyft to get them around to most places. While these methods of transportation are great every once-in-a-while for vacationing or emergencies, they are not financially sustainable for day to day family travel.
And yet she kept on fighting for something better. Fernanda’s advocate, Shalanda from Genesis Women’s Shelter, described her to us as “one of the most resilient women she has seen come through their program.” Fernanda did not let her past or her current situation hold her back from pursuing dignity for herself and her son.
On the day of the giveaway, Fernanda showed up beaming! When she saw her beautiful Rav4, a car that was donated to OnRamp DFW by someone in our city, she knew & felt that although she is thousands of miles away from home, that there are people in this community that love her.
Jamie Does It All and Then Some!
Sitting in the waiting room at the Tax office after the giveaway, waiting to turn the car title over to Jamie, we got to talking about all the things she has going on in life right now. Jamie is not only a single parent, but is also working full time and going to school full time for her associate’s degree in construction management! There are only 168 hours in a week and we’re all pretty sure that Jamie somehow crams 200 hours into them.
Talking to Jamie, you would never know the hardships she has faced over the last few year. She is upbeat, joyful, and hopeful for what lies ahead for her and her son. Jamie’s advocate, BK from Shiloh Place McKinney, spoke so highly of her drive and hardworking attitude, mentioning that Jamie takes on new challenges with an entirely different mindset than she did when they first met. It’s wonderful relationships like Jamie’s and BK’s that make it exciting to gift cars to people in our city. Strong advocates like Shiloh Place McKinney have proven time and again that helping people take the next step to self-sufficiency is a community-wide partnership. And just like with Fernanda’s car, Jamie’s Nissan Sentra was also donated to us by a wonderful couple in the metroplex.
Community Partnerships
Speaking of community partnerships, we wanted to take a moment to highlight Dawn Foods, who came to Fernanda’s giveaway and gave a grant of $5000 to OnRamp DFW. We are incredibly thankful for companies and organizations that believe in the mission of OnRamp, and are excited to partner with us to give more cars to more people in need in our community.
SUMMER GIVING UPDATE
At the beginning of the summer we set a goal of $6000/month in new giving. Through the incredible generosity of many people, we are currently at 88% of that goal! That means we still looking for ~$730/month in new giving.
Would you help us meet this goal by the end of the month of August? Every donation, no matter how small, helps.
Photography by Jon Dunlop
Client story used with permission
