Thanks to donors like you, Tina’s unexpected car repairs didn’t derail her family’s progress

Tina is a single mom striving to maintain a stable, nurturing home for her four young boys, one of whom has special needs. In addition to the daily responsibilities faced by most parents, Tina balances a busy schedule of appointments with occupational therapy, speech therapy, trauma therapy and counseling.

Last December, Tina discovered that her vehicle needed over $2,000 in repairs – money that Tina simply didn’t have. Without a reliable car, Tina struggled to ensure the safe and timely transportation of her children.

“Trying to schedule everything and make it there on a bus would have been almost impossible,” reflects Tina. Turning to her support network for help also proved challenging. “Family and friends are so great and wonderful, but it is hard to find somebody that has the room to pack us all in!”

Fortunately, Tina was working with a Family Advocate at Community Action. Knowing how critical a dependable source of transportation was for Tina and her children, her Family Advocate suggested that she apply for funds from our Family Development Fund to cover the cost of the car repairs. This Fund, which is wholly supported by generous donors like you, provides resources for clients who are working toward economic stability but facing unforeseen expenses that are holding them back. It wasn’t easy for Tina to ask for this kind of help, but she is so glad that she did.

When she received word that Community Action would help with the repairs, Tina was elated. “I have tears now when I think about it. If I hadn’t gotten that fund…I just don’t know what I would have done. Now we are safe on the road. We are able to get from point A to point B.”

But most importantly, these repairs enabled Tina to continue the therapies and services for her children that have been so critical to their health and development. Tina is so grateful to donors like you who made this possible!

“It’s hard to reach out. It’s hard to humble yourself. It’s hard to ask for help. But when you do, and people are so willing to help, it kind of breaks you and builds you back stronger than you were before.”