| What is the Vehicle Fund?
Original Letter to Friends and Family Updates The Goal
Goal = $30,000 Received = $9,057 Need = $21,943 |
What is the Vehicle Fund?
The Vehicle Fund is one of the many methods being used to raise money to assist me with purchasing a van. This van will be extremely high-tech. The adaptations alone are going to cost over $80,000. I’ve been working hard to obtain funding for the adaptations, and I believe I have met my goal. However, now I need the vehicle to adapt. After this goal is met, the funds will be used to assist other people with disabilities with their transportation needs. Why support the fund? First, the initial vehicle purchased with the fund, for me, will enable me to continue working with members of the disability community. My primary job will be to assist individuals with disabilities to increase or maintain their independence through the use of service animals. Secondly, I will also be subcontracting with our local Independent Living Center, DIRECT Center for Independence. I have been a staff member with DIRECT for the past six years. As my career takes me to Handi-Dogs, I will be continuing to work on special projects for DIRECT. Some of the projects I will be doing it will be to assist people who are in nursing homes with reintegrating into the community. I am a locally recognized advocate in Tucson and will continue to share my expertise in this field. I will also be trying to join the Board of Directors of the DIRECT Center for Independence within the coming year. I’m also an expert on our local laws pertaining to in home care and any funding that is available to assist people with disabilities so that they can remain active in the community. So many times these people have so much to give, they just need the means to remain in their own homes so that they can remain active participants in life. My name is Laura, and like Martin Luther King Jr., I have a dream. My dream is to be as independent and self-sufficient as I possibly can be. I was born in 1961 with Spinal Muscular Atrophy. The doctors told my parents that I would not live past the age of 3. I had other plans. To the casual observer, I’m a woman with a severe disability. I’m only able to move my arms from my elbows to my fingertips. The rest of my body has degenerated to the point where it is immobile. I like to consider myself decorative! I need assistance getting in an out of my wheelchair. I also need assistance with bathing, dressing, grooming, meal preparation, housekeeping, laundry, etc. Most people would consider me very dependent on others for my very existence, and in many ways they would be correct. On the other hand, I consider myself to be very independent. I left home at the age of 18 and moved across the country to attend the University of Arizona. I have lived on my own since that time. I hire people to assist me with the things I cannot do for myself. Recently, I was offered my dream job. I’ve been offered a position at Handi-Dogs. This is an organization that assists individuals with disabilities with training service animals to help increase their independence. One of the functions of this job is to assist with outreach. To be able to do this job, I need to drive. I have taken several driving lessons. It is possible for someone with my degree of ability to be able to drive safely. I’ve done it. The equipment is very specialized and very, very expensive. My driving lessons were an incredibly emotional experience for me. I had never experienced that sort of freedom before in my life. The realization dawned on me that once I’m able to drive, I will be truly independent. I will not have to ask anyone for permission to go anywhere. I will be free! I would love to offer you the opportunity to help me make my dreams come true. I will need at least $30,000 in order to drive. I plan to purchase a 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan. Why don’t you take out a car loan like anybody else? I plan to take out a car loan like everybody else. Unfortunately, my job will only be a part-time job, 20 hours per week. My pay will be $8.50 per hour to start. I do expect to receive pay raises in the future, but this money barely helps me meet my current expenses, much less the expense of a vehicle loan. Please remember that on top of the normal expenses that you would incur, such as rent, utilities, food, etc. I have the added expenditures of medications, medical supplies and paying for someone to assist me with my daily needs. I do have some sources of assistance. However, the sources are not designed to cover my needs, only to mitigate them. What will you do if you receive funds over the amount you need to purchase a vehicle? I. I sincerely doubt that I will receive $30,000 in donations. God does move in mysterious ways, though, so if I receive more then I need I plan to do the following: The first $5000 will be spent toward creating a safe environment in which to park the vehicle. I want to build a carport on the side of the house next to my kitchen. I want to have a gate surrounding the kitchen doorway and carport area that has a mechanical gate opener. This way the vehicle can be kept locked up at night and I will have the ability to push a button to open the gate so that I can drive in and out of the carport safely. II. Any money received after that will be used at the discretion of the donor. I will be asking donor’s to indicate whether they want me to use the money for my own selfish purposes, i.e. mortgage payments, etc. or whether they would like this money to go toward a nonprofit fund that I would like to create. The purpose of this fund would be to assist other people with disabilities with transportation needs. There are many people with disabilities who simply cannot afford to repair vehicles that they already own. Without reliable transportation it is difficult to maintain employment. I would like to use any funds donated above my needs to help those people. Electronic Transfer: Paypal Enter "Serepion@cox.net" for the Recipient's Email. How to Contact Me: vehiclefund@cox.net |
