Melissa
and Nicole's Story
Coming of age in the foster care system with
no family standing by to provide support when
starting life on your own is challenging--especially
without reliable transportation. To help
steer these teens down the right road, Wheels
of Success partnered with Connected by 25,
Hillsborough Kids, Inc., Camelot Community
Care and Ready for Life to implement Wheels
to the Future, a program to assist youth
aging out of foster care with their transportation
needs.
Recognizing that personal transportation
is vital to independence and self-sufficiency,
the Eckerd Family Foundation provided the initial
funding for this innovative program, and the
program has continued to be successful thanks
to additional funding from the Rotary Club
of Tampa, DeBartolo Foundation, Community Foundation
of St. Petersburg and most recently from the
Rays Baseball Foundation. Several
young adults have been given keys to their
future, including Nicole and Melissa, sisters
who were raised in the local foster care system--and
who were our special guest speakers at our
5th annual R.A.C.E. awards luncheon.
Nicole
shared her inspiring story of triumph over
hardships. Although her
childhood was difficult, Nicole’s future
is looking bright. She just
finished an internship and is working on her
Master’s degree in Social
Work and Public Policy Administration. Nicole
was joined by her younger sister, Melissa,
who received a car through the Wheels to
the Future program
last year. Melissa has successfully completed
the program by “paying
it forward” and received the title to
her car at the luncheon, along with the pride
and responsibility of car ownership. |
Wheels
of Success is Tampa Bay's only 501(c)3 nonprofit organization
providing a full range of transportation solutions, including
vehicle replacement; car repair; and licensing, car payment and
down payment assistance to low and moderate income working families.