Updates
Annie's update on Jenny's car search: Apr 26, 2012
Jenny is in the process of looking for a car. I will let you know the good news that she was able to purchase one with the help she received from Benevolent as soon as possible.
Annie's update on Jenny's need Apr 10, 2012
I talked to Jenny today and she was sooooo excited to hear this. The car she was driving has totally broke down which had her really struggling with all of her commitments! But she said she can now use this money along with some money she has saved up from working a lot of extra hours these past few months to buy a new to her (used) car;-). I will keep you updated with more details as they come in.
Overview
I have to take my sister to work and to her doctors' appointments, take my kids to school, and get to work on time, and my car needs work.
I was on unemployment, but then they dropped me and my sister was taking care of me and my children. She took care of everything for me--my kids' school uniforms, gas for my car, everything. Then I got a job and was working. But then, my sister went into the hospital. With everything she had done for me, now I have to take her to her dialysis appointments 3 times a week, and to her work 2 times a week. I've also been taking her to her chemo appointments and all her doctors' appointments. Last week when my car broke down it was crucial to get it working because she had dialysis the next day.
The school gives me bus passes but the kids get off at different times so it's difficult to pick them all up and get my sister to her appointments. It's important to me to not have to worry about if something else is going to break down on my car. It's a '99 Caravan.
I also have to get my kids to school at different times. On Wednesdays my daughter does basketball in a whole other building, and my son does boy scouts way up north.
With the car fixed, I'd be able to save my money to do other things, to see about stuff for school. I wouldn't have to worry about so much stuff. I could do stuff with the kids, extra things. I wouldn't have to worry about if I did have school and my car broke down, how to get to school on time, how to get the kids to school on time, or how to get to work on time. It takes an hour and a half to get to work on the bus, while it takes me 20 minutes if I have a car, and I have to get the kids to school before going to work.
What's wrong with my car now is the back breaks. There's a leak in the break line. I had the front brakes replaced a year and a half ago, and now I need the back ones done. Also two of the tires need to be replaced. I had a flat on the back tire, and got it fixed. I used the spare and had to leave work for an emergency for my sister, so I went fast and got a flat on the donut and I had to get someone to take me home and leave my car, to go to my sister in the hospital. Then I had another flat later because I had bought a used tire, so my dad bought me a brand new tire. So the tires on one side are new, but on the other side I need 2 tires and I don't have a donut anymore. I've already gotten a new battery, so the tires and back brakes are all I need now.
The funds from meeting this need will cover:
- parts and labor for fixing my back brakes
- 2 new tires and labor for installing them
Right before I had my fourth baby, a month before I was due, I was laid off of work, so I was on unemployment, and my kids' father was very abusive. That following year I left and went to go live in my mom's building, where my sister lives also. The apartment's very small, so the two little ones stay downstairs with me, and my other two children stay upstairs with my sister and her husband.
Someday I want to go back to school. I might go to the Northwest Business College, and that's kind of up north, to do paralegal training. Every time I want to go back to school, something happens. The last time was with my kids' father, and I was on the run from him. This time it's my sister's illness, and the car needing repairs.
Validated
Validated by Annie from Erie Elementary Charter School (What does this mean?)
Each need is validated by a nonprofit that knows the person and can verify that the help is necessary. Funds flow from Benevolent to the nonprofit, which then gets them to the person in need and lets us know how it went.
Learn more »I have known Jenny for 2 years as a committed parent in this school, as a volunteer. She is a very active parent in the school. Meeting this need is crucial to her daily life. She is the mother of 4 children and also a caregiver/supporter for her sister who is taking chemo and is on dialysis for kidney failure. Her sister was also a big volunteer for the school before she got sick. The family is very giving and has provided the school with their own resources. They help out with fundraising. There is not money for fixing their car right now, and it will provide safety for the family and take one of many weights off of Jenny's back. There is no other option for the family to get around.
Jenny is on the right track and they are a very serious family about education. It is a priority in the household. No matter what, her kids are on time, attentive, they volunteer, and are active and engaged. She shows hard work and dedication to family. She is committed to education and to her family being good members of society.