Brenda got a car!

Well, it was actually a minivan, but you know what I mean.

Brenda (right) with her advocate Suzana

A little over a month ago, we sent a message to our subscribers that we were looking to raise around $15K for a vehicle for Brenda, a single mom who has been traveling over 2 hours by bus every day in order to get her large family everywhere they needed to go. Thank you to everyone who responded generously to this request!

Today, we are thrilled to update you that Brenda received a wonderfully clean Toyota Sienna in time for the week of Thanksgiving!

We knew it was going to be an emotional giveaway, but a downpour just minutes before made us wonder if more than just our faces were going to be damp that afternoon. Amazingly, the sky cleared as we arrived at Woodcreek Church and we had blue skies as we circled up to bless Brenda with encouragement, prayer, and the gift of a Bible.

Brenda shared with us some of her story and then she and Suzanna from Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center told us how they found OnRamp DFW and decided to apply for a vehicle, hoping that somehow Brenda would be chosen. She was still in disbelief that she would be leaving that afternoon with her own vehicle that would fit her whole family.

Lindsay + 1 & Brenda - Lindsay will be Brenda’s connection for our year of service to Brenda.

Then Tim took over with the presentation of Brenda’s vehicle. One of the hallmarks of our program, that we admired and adopted from the OnRamp founders in College Station, is that we don’t give away beaters. We do our very best to obtain vehicles for our clients that still have years of life left in them before Tim and the vehicle team detail every inch of each vehicle so they look as close as possible to new on giveaway day. Christian Brothers Automotive gives each vehicle a thorough inspection and generously offers us a discount on anything that needs to be fixed to make sure our clients’ vehicles are in safe and optimal driving condition.

Look how clean even the ceiling of the minivan is! 

It’s already December, but we are excited to have even more clients to help before we close out the year! A vehicle is an expensive gift to give someone, we know, but we continue to hear from all the organizations we partner with how necessary a vehicle is in DFW in order for someone to maintain employment and continue to take steps forward on their goals. We’ve also seen how life without a reliable vehicle can cause our neighbors to become trapped in poverty, loneliness, and despair.

As you make up your list of gifts to give this holiday season, don’t forget our neighbors who we can help with tangible gifts of hope and love, and with the good news about God’s love for them! Even if OnRamp DFW isn’t the place where you choose to donate your time and resources, we encourage and commend you for getting involved where you are and with the people God is placing in your life.

“the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” Matthew 4:16