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Donation of used car gives young mom job security, renewed hope

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Editor's note: The Time is Now to Help was founded by a local businessman who knew extreme poverty as a child. With the help of donations from the community, The Time is Now is able to help local residents in need.

Dear W.C.,

I am a single mother of a wonderful 10-year-old daughter. My car broke down last fall and I have been riding my bike to work five days a week since then. Rain, shine, sleet, snow, I am riding my bike. I am only able to grocery shop by bike with a backpack on my back. I really can’t afford to buy any more food than will fit in a backpack, anyway.

I am continually afraid my daughter will become sick, and not only do we not have health insurance, I could not even bring her to the doctor on my bicycle.

I know there are many people reaching out to you for help right now. It breaks my heart to ask for help with a car, but I do not know any other way to help my daughter and me survive this. I cannot risk losing my job and believe me, when I show up for work soaking wet or half frozen, I am not making a very good impression on my boss.

I was only late for work once since my car broke down and that was because of a lightning storm last fall. I was afraid I would be struck by lightning and tried to wait out the storm before peddling to work. The storm did not stop, so I had to ride through it anyway. Not one person stopped to ask how I was as they drove by dry and safe in their cars.

Our world seems to have become such a cold place. I guess I am looking for a ray of hope and faith. Please help.

Carless mom

Dear readers,

What reached out to me immediately, besides this mother’s amazing strength and resourcefulness, was the mother’s feeling of desperation while struggling alone with her daughter. She was not asking for any help other than a desperately needed car. As anyone knows, it is nearly impossible to navigate in life without some form of transportation. Public transportation is not readily available. Most people have to travel some distance to and from their jobs, if they are lucky enough to have a job.

This mother was no different, since her job was a very long bike ride, each direction. That may be nice on a summer morning but not something you want to do on a dangerous highway during the winter or during a rainstorm.

When I arrived to a small apartment complex, I saw a young girl watching out the window for me. She jumped up and ran to open the door with the mother before I could even knock. After introductions, they invited me in. The first thing I saw was an older bicycle standing just inside the door. The mother said she kept it inside so it would not be stolen or frozen in a snow pile. She could not risk losing her only mode of transportation.

After talking with them for a while, the mother asked the daughter to go to their shared bedroom to read her book so we could talk. The daughter gave her mother a loving hug and left the room.

The mother began to tell me about herself. She was married young to her high school sweetheart. They were managing fine on their own until he began to drink after work with his work friends. She noticed his personality changing and soon he became verbally abusive. He lost his job and then became physically abusive. She could no longer tolerate his behavior toward her or their daughter, so she moved out. He has since moved out of state and they have divorced. The last she heard from him, he was still drinking and did not have a job. He does not pay any child support. She said she still grieves for the man he was before he became an alcoholic.

She managed to keep her job through all this and was able to live a very simple life with her daughter before her old car broke down for good. This put a terrible financial and physical strain on their lives. She has to get up extra early in the morning to ride her bike to work. She does not get home until later, due to the extra time spent riding a bike on dark streets. She lives in fear of sickness or injuries due to the strain on her body and lack of health insurance.

I really felt The Time Is Now to Help needed to provide this hard-working mother with a safe, reliable car.

I left her apartment inspired to help her. I contacted her boss. He confessed to seeing her arrive at work either drenched from the rain or half-frozen, and he knew she was riding a bicycle to work. A friend of The Time Is Now to Help said they had a car to donate. The car was a very clean, good-running car, perfect for this mother and daughter. It needed a very minor repair.

I called the mother to give her the good news. She broke into tears on the phone. She asked me to hold on and I could hear her crying and calling out to her daughter. I then heard both of them crying and talking with excitement. The mother got back on the phone, repeatedly saying in a trembling voice, “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

When I arrived the next day, the mother and daughter both ran to the vehicle and were as excited as could be. They hugged each other and cried happy tears. The car would change their lives so much for the better. We got the vehicle registered and filled the tank with gas for them. They were unaware more assistance was to come.

The next day in the mail, she received a check for her rent. We also provided her with some clothing and gas vouchers. She called and left us a wonderful message of thanks. Then several days later a heartfelt thank-you letter arrived. Her words were full of sincere thanks and appreciation. She said, “Since the moment The Time Is Now stepped into our lives, I have felt a peace and calm come over us. We now know there are people in the world that are compassionate, caring and warm. Thank you to everyone at The Time Is Now to Help for your caring and sharing hearts. God bless you all.”

I could not have said it any better. Together, we are doing our part to make our world a better place. Thank you.

Health and happiness, God bless everyone, W.C.

Thank you to: Larry and Vern Magee, Bill and Lois McEssy, MLH, Eye Physicians & Surgeons, Dr. Mark Brower and staff, Jim Bozich and Lake Geneva GM Super Center, Paul Ziegler HS, Mark and Natalie Reno, Paper Dolls, Leather Lips Watersports, Dennis and Christine Haak, Martin O’Brien, Elaine Voss, Marcia Madaus, Randy Christenson, Ron and Carolyn Bloch, Terry Savage, John and Roberta Hunt, Richard and Dianne Dunham, the Taylor family, Paul and Audrey Rauhut, Richard and Karen Granahan, Les and Pauline Malsch, Frank and Anna Guske, Lake Geneva Lioness Club, Jan Stubbs, Cindy Lombardi, Lynn Jeka, Cheryl and Autumn Spruce in honor of their family and friends, Nicole Holt in honor of Barb Kayser, Francine Pease and Thomas Grotelueschen, Donna and Wilburn Harding Jr., Marcie Hollmann, Thomas and Susan Stelling, Bemis Company Foundation, Stephen and Janice Timmerman, Jeff and Jan Beardsley, James and Mary Johnson, the tenants of Jackson Creek Apartments, Karl Terpstra, Kenneth Terpstra, Agnes Terpstra, Judy Hellenga, W.C. Family Resource Center/Food Pantry volunteers, all of you who support The Time Is Now to Help donation boxes, and the businesses that allow our donation boxes.

Anyone who would like a Time Is Now donation box in your business, please call (262) 249-7000.