Dear Friends and Family,

You have all made many wonderful things happen recently and I wanted to share all of it with you. First, on April 5, 2004, I purchased, because of your generosity, a 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan! Attached is a picture of the new van and me. You can go to my web site at members.cox.net/vehiclefund/ to see more pictures.

Purchasing the van was quite an adventure. Luckily, my brother Louis, rode in on his white horse and saved the day. I had been trying to deal with a few different dealers and I was getting nowhere quickly. Even though I thought I had a nice down payment through your generosity, I didn't seem to be able to negotiate a price that would make my monthly payments something I could handle. I couldn't understand why. Finally, in exasperation, I told my brother I couldn't handle it. He said, "call the dealer and arrange for a half-hour meeting". He met with the dealer and immediately after called to tell me that my payments would be $331 per month for the next seven years. I was so excited! These monthly payments are within my budget. It's the high end of my budget, but as long as I can continue to work, I can definitely handle the payments. Also, money from the fund is continuing to come in. Right now, we have enough in the bank to make the payments for the first three months. That is such a blessing!

Speaking of blessings, I wanted to let you all know how your generosity to me is starting to have a greater effect then you might have imagined. Have you seen the movie Pay It Forward? Well, that is exactly the type of opportunity I had because of your generosity. Let me tell you the story.

During the time I worked at DIRECT I met a man whom I admired very much. He is intelligent, kind and quite a straight shooter. He also trains service animals and assisted me several times with Synergy. We became friends. One day, about a month ago, I discovered that this friend needed a new power wheelchair. The wheelchair he had been using was about 30 years old and no longer met his needs. He was in need of a wheelchair that tilts back. He was developing pressure sores and was in great risk of being hospitalized because of them. Unfortunately, he does not have insurance to pay for the wheelchair.

Last year, July 5, 2003, I obtained a brand-new wheelchair through my insurance. It's a wonderful wheelchair. I have never been more comfortable in a wheelchair in all my life. It is very high tech and has made my life so much better! My old wheelchair, a beautiful chair that tilts back, has been gathering dust. I had intended to sell it on eBay to help raise money for the vehicle fund. I most likely would have been able to sell it for $1500-$2000. But, when I learned of my friends need, I knew this was an opportunity for all of us to pay it forward. I gave my friend my old wheelchair. I never would've been able to do this if it had not been for all of you! So in effect, not only have you given me a generous down payment toward my vehicle, you also purchased the wheelchair for a man in need! I am so grateful to all of you for your generosity. By the way, this man is enjoying the wheelchair, his skin is healing, and he is feeling much better. Thank you!

Well, that is about all the news for now. My beautiful new van is sitting in my backyard waiting for some paperwork to get signed. As soon as the paperwork is finished, the van will be shipped to Phoenix and adapted. It is possible that I could be on the road within two to three months! If any of you are in Tucson and want to ride in my van, I'd be happy to take you for a drive! I'll keep you updated on my progress. Please pass this letter on to anyone you feel may be interested. Take care and have a great day!

Laura

PS if any of you have any fund raising ideas, please feel free to e-mail me with your ideas. I am writing letters to all of the talkshow hosts in case one of them want to run the story. Thank you again for all of your help and support!