Getting Back on the Road - May/June 2021 Newsletter
|
Cars presented
since 2003:
867 Vehicles through Wheels of Success and
718 Car-related services, and
256 Cars sold through our ABC program with
178 Car-related services provided.
Sometimes
the Key to Success is Simply... a
Key! |
|
We're Moving and
Expanding! |
|
|
We’d
like to welcome Lauren Siegal as our new Marketing Assistant at Wheels of
Success! ?Lauren is a rising senior at University of South Florida studying Mass
Communications in the Zimmerman School of Advertising and Communications.
From
the suburbs of San Antonio to New York City to now living in Tampa, Lauren has
seen and experienced the importance of having reliable transportation. She is
excited to help get the word out about Wheels of Success as we move
forward. | |
|
|
Our
new home will be at 13116 N Florida Avenue just south of Fletcher. We will now
have our office and a lot for 60 cars all in one place. Thanks to a generous
three-year donation, we are able to remodel the entire property, inside and out.
We hope it will be ready to move into by mid-July (depending on current supply
chain issues).
This
is transformative in every way: services and space! Watch this transformation on
our social media as we keep
rolling. | |
| |
May - Military Appreciation
Month |
|
KS is a Veteran who served in the Marine
Corps for four years. He hit the road in his new-to-him Toyota Corolla in May
and is embracing the doors that have opened up for him now that he has his own
vehicle.
KS is going to be able to begin working at a
new job and will no longer have to rely on public transportation to get to where
he needs to go. What was once up to an hour commute on the bus now will only
take him 20 minutes. Waiting for the bus in the rain and humidity will no longer
be worries on his list and he will be able to show up ready to work with his
best foot forward.
Rays Baseball Foundation generously provided
a grant to provide funding to repair two vehicles for Veterans and KS is one of
them.
?
This is one of many stories about how the key
to success is simply… a
key. | |
May - National Foster Care
Month |
|
Growing up in the foster system, AD bounced
around from place to place so much that she has lived in nearly half of the
cities in Florida. She aged out of the system at the age of 18 and was placed on
her own, bringing a new set of challenges as she learned how to survive in the
world as an independent adult.
Trying to find transportation to get to
school and work seemed impossible until Ready for Life referred her to Wheels.
Within a month, Wheels was able to get her into a Toyota Camry thanks to funding
from the Baer Family Foundation for the repair.
During this time, she also found employment
at another nonprofit, which she would not have been able to accept had she not
had a vehicle. She is now in the driver’s seat of her own future.
This is the third youth through our Wheels to
the Future Program that we have been able to put into a vehicle since we
partnered with Ready for Life in November 2020.
| |
Save the Date: Wine Pairing Dinner at The
Battery |
|
|
Monday, December 6, 2021
6:00 - 10:00 p.m.
More details coming
soon! | | |
Partnerships - National Homeownership
Month |
|
|
June is National Home Ownership
Month |
President Joe Biden
marks the month of June as National Home Ownership Month.
"Today, for people across the United States,
the desire to own a home burns as brightly as it ever has. Yet the stark reality
is that, for too many, the dream of homeownership is becoming more difficult to
realize and sustain. This is especially true in the wake of the economic
devastation inflicted by the COVID-19 pandemic."
| | |
Patty
Campbell, VP of Outreach with our partner Habitat for Humanity Hillsborough
shares a story about how collaboration is the key to success.
“Habitat
services those who are at or below 80% area median income. The family that
earned a place in our program was homeless when I first met them, they worked
very hard, performed their sweat equity, did everything required to maintain
good standing in our program, and very close to the end, when their home was
almost complete, their vehicle broke down, needed thousands of dollars in
repairs. Had it not been for Wheels of Success they never would have been able
to close their home, they would not be able to get to work, they would not
receive an income, they would no longer qualify for the home. We are so pleased
to say that this family has been in their home for over a year now, with the
help and ability to maintain their income, thanks to the presentation of a van
for the family from Wheels of Success.”
This
is just one of several families that were able to get into a home because of a
partnership with Wheels of
Success! | | | |
Veteran
RW is no stranger to sacrifice. He served our country in the U.S. Air Force for
10 ½ years in the Military Police. During the COVID-19 pandemic he and his
family lost their car in September and also lost their home. They have been
living out of AIRBNBs on a month to month basis, giving up the comfort and
privacy that comes with having your own home. RW has been working hard to make
money but not having his own car presents a series of additional challenges. He
works the night shift in a warehouse which is from 1:20 a.m.- 11:00 a.m. He and
his wife have been relying on Lyft to get places, and the cost of these rides
adds up, but even more challenging, RW sometimes has to wait up to an hour to
find a driver during the odd hours of the night.
His
wife is experiencing stage five renal failure, so a car would allow him to get
to her dialysis and transplant appointments and would provide him with a
reliable way to get to and from work. With two children, the stress of being
able to take the family places is a heavy burden on his wife who is already
dealing with the stress of medical treatment.
RW
has been approved for our program but we currently do not have a vehicle
available for him and his family. Do you possibly have one to donate?
Thank
you to the Rotary Club of Tampa for
their grant to repair two vehicles for Veterans who are waiting for
wheels.
| |
You Can Help
Working Families get their "Keys to Success" By Donating Today to Help
Build-A-Car! |
|
|
CALLING
ALL CARS...
Running or Not
Donate
your car to Wheels of
Success | |
You receive the greatest tax advantage for
your donation because we try not to sell your car at auction but present it to a
family so you can deduct the fair market value of the
vehicle. | |
Call (813) 995-5040 to learn
more.
| |
2020
- 2021 SPONSORS
Helping
us make a difference in our
community. | |
|
Contact Us
(813)
995-5040 | |
A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND
FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY
CALLING TOLL-FREE (800-435-7352) WITHIN THE STATE. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY
ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE
STATE. | | | | | | |
|
|
|
|