Maritza's
Story
 When Maritza made the decision to end an abusive
relationship, she needed to leave quickly to
protect herself and her three sons. Homeless
and jobless, she turned to the non-profit agency
Starting Right, Now for support. They
were able to help Maritza find a home and a
job, and then they referred her to Wheels of
Success.
In December, AutoWay partnered with Wheels
of Success to present 13 families with 13 new-to-them
vehicles .Maritza was the recipient of
a minivan from AutoWay Nissan of Brandon—perfect
for this single mother of three active boys,
ages 9, 11 and 15. In less than a month,
Maritza's minivan has provided the family
with more than independence and convenience,
it has improved their quality of life dramatically.
Before Maritza had her van, her employment
choices were severely limited, but she was
willing to do whatever it took to support her
family, including walking 40 minutes each way
to a job that wasn't ideal. "You
can do nothing when you do not have a car.
Getting to the store, to school, and to work
is very hard. Sometimes you have to walk
in the rain or it's very cold," Maritza
said.
Her minivan allowed her to expand her job
search, and she recently found a new job with
better pay, better hours and very supportive
co-workers. Maritza said, "My life
has changed so much. I feel like I really
want to go to work every day. I'm
excited and happy." Another benefit
is that she is able to be home every day to
greet her children when they get home from
school. She is grateful for the extra
time she has each day to spend with her sons,
helping them with their homework and having
dinner together as a family.
Maritza loves her minivan and appreciates
the options it has given to her and her children,
things that many people take for granted. She
can now take her sons to the library, and she
just signed up her oldest son for soccer—things
she could not do before because she didn't
have her own transportation. She is looking
forward to someday soon when her boys will
also be able to play football. |
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.