Keisha's Story

Keisha, a soft-spoken single mother of four, was in trouble. She had no home, no car, and no job, but she never lost her faith. Her prayers were answered when she found help from the non-profit organizations Starting Right, Now and Wheels of Success.

Starting Right, Now assisted Keisha with finding a new apartment and securing a full-time job.  Then she was referred to Wheels of Success.  WOS collaborates with local businesses and agencies to provide reliable transportation to help keep people working. 

Keisha takes the bus to work and must leave her home two hours before her shift begins in order to make it to work on time.  She relies on her sister to pick up her children from daycare.  By the time Keisha gets home, there is little time left to spend with her children doing the things she wants to do, like helping with homework and preparing nutritious meals.

Keisha was thrilled to find out that this week she will be receiving a new-to-her vehicle at a Wheels of Success fundraiser, the Biggest Aquarian Birthday Bash. 

Keisha’s car will enable her to spend more time with her children, ages 6, 11, 14 and 17.  Having four children at three different schools is challenging, and she is looking forward to driving home from work and spending some unrushed time each evening with them to prepare for the next day.  Her kids are also looking forward to being able to participate in extra-curricular activities, like football and soccer, as soon as the family has a car.

Keisha would like to express her sincere thanks to everyone who has made these live-changing events possible, and she has hope for even better things in the future.  She is working toward getting her GED and is planning to attend cosmetology school to get a better job.  With Starting Right, Now as her mentor, Keisha will be able to get to a place
where she says, “I can manage myself on my own and find a way out without anyone assisting me.  That’s my goal.”

When asked about her thoughts on what Starting Right, Now and Wheels of Success have done for her, Keisha said, “I encourage others to hang on and not give up, especially single moms like myself.  This, for me, is a miracle.  I was not expecting this.  God has worked a miracle through these people.”

The mission of Starting Right, Now (“SRN”) is to help non-chronic homeless families re-establish a stable home, improve parental employment and maintain the continuity of the younger generation’s education through an active mentor relationship. While the initial goal is to end homelessness for the family as a whole, the primary goal is to stop the cycle of homelessness for the younger generation in the family by helping the youth reach their highest level of education potential --college, military or vocational training. The program was initially spear-headed by Joel and Vicki Sokolik. Now, the program is recognized throughout the City with a strong board that includes the Mayor, Pam Iorio; Superintendent of Hillsborough County Public Schools, MaryEllen Elia; School Board Member - Hillsborough County Public Schools, Candy Olson; News Channel 8 Anchor, Stacie Schaible and President of Tampa Bay Rays, Matthew Silverman.

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For more information, call Susan Jacobs at 813-417-1090

Proceeds to benefit Wheels of Success