Carlos's
Story
 Carlos is a strong, proud man--proud of his
wife and two children, proud of his job with
the St. Petersburg Police Department, and proud
to serve his country in both Afghanistan and
Iraq. Carlos is an Army reservist who
was called away from his family and his job
to serve his country for two separate tours
of duty, totaling 2 1/2 years. During
his service, he suffered a gunshot wound to
his arm and partial hearing loss from an IED
that exploded too close for comfort. Yet
Carlos returned to his family and his job with
his positive outlook and his sense of humor
intact. Carlos has been receiving medical
treatments from the Department of Veterans
Affairs and says, “The V.A. has been
taking very, very good care of me.”
Because the family is on a tight budget, they
have been sharing one vehicle, a 1993 Geo Tracker,
which is in serious need of repairs: the
oil is leaking, the windshield is broken, there
is no air conditioning, the canvas roof leaks
when it rains, and the tires need to be replaced. Carlos
tried to get a loan for another car, but because
of some credit problems, he was not successful. Frustrated,
Carlos felt his sunny disposition starting
to fade.
At a recent visit to the V.A., Carlos was
asked if there was any other assistance the
V.A. could offer to him. He jokingly
said, “Sure! Can you help me get
a car?” He was astounded when he
was told that yes, they might be able to help
him do just that--and he was told about the
new Vehicles for Veterans program offered through
Wheels of Success. He said he immediately “saw
light at the end of the tunnel and knew his
future was looking bright.”
Now Carlos is smiling again. This week,
he will be one of three recipients of vehicles
being presented at Wheels of Success’s
Biggest Aquarian Birthday Bash, and the second
veteran to be awarded a car through WOS’s
Vehicles for Veterans program.
Carlos is delighted with all the V.A. has
done for him and is also very grateful to Wheels
of Success. Carlos’s new-to-him
car will provide much-needed reliable transportation
for him to get to work, to his V.A. appointments
and to St. Pete College, where he is currently
studying for his degree in Criminal Justice. With
WOS’s help, Carlos is on the road to
achieving his goal of “getting out from
behind a desk and working as a law enforcement
officer out on the street” where he believes
he can make a real difference in his community.
We kicked off the program Vehicles for
Veterans with a partnership with State Farm
Insurance. Then we approached the Rotary
Club of Tampa, who gave us a grant to continue
the program for three additional vehicles. Carlos
is the first recipient to benefit from the
Rotary Club grant. We are collaborating
with the Department of Veterans Affairs and
other veteran organizations to help select
future recipients. We are hoping to
receive more funding so that we can expand
the Vehicles for Veterans program to one
vehicle every month. |
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.