Nov 25th we gave our first recipient a vehicle at the CD 105.9 radio station: We received this request:

I have a family advocate, Dani, who I hired on in May 2008. This lady has worked diligently and has provided some creative and truly helpful services to the families she serves. She has done a wonderful job since the day I hired her on. This lady has been through her own trials and tribulations, and has come up on the other side of that with a strong will and a very generous heart. She has been homeless, had her kids taken away, drug addicted, resistant to treatment, and about to lose her kids forever. She wasn’t getting much support or encouragement from anywhere. Her case manager referred her to our organization, and with the help of a family advocate, Dani now has a home to live in, is clean and sober, has her kids at home, and has employment with us. She works 28 hours a week (I wish I could get her going full time!), which is not much for a person who has teenage kids at home. When Dani came to us, she said she did have reliable transportation. After hiring her on, we discovered that the car Dani drives has two broken windows. That was back in May. Remember how much it poured? Dani would come in to work sometimes soaked, but never complained. She would just go in the bathroom and change her clothes, and get right to work. Sometimes, she would have an appointment out in the community and have to drive that car in the pouring rain to the appointment. When she has parked her car at night, the people have come along and stolen the radio out of the car. She has had everything stolen from her car, even her appointment book. Who would want an appointment book? Anyway, Dani saved money, and did get two car doors for the car, with windows, but they were stolen out of her yard before they could be installed. The car is getting moldy, and it really affects her health. She comes in to work with her allergies flaring, but she comes in to work! Well last week she was in a accident and the car is now gone . This lady has had some bad things happen to her lately, with the rains flooding her basement three times, her son’s truck being stolen, not having enough food in the house at times. Yet, through all that, this lady has come to work with her mind being in her work and showing up for and with her families in a very effective way. She doesn’t show the signs of stress that I would be showing. She doesn’t panic like anyone else would. She is just trying to survive from day to day, and now, it seems like to me, that enough is enough for this lady.She has a big heart, and she wants to continue to help those that need her. She fits in this arena, and I want and need her here. If this could happen for her, I’m sure she would be most grateful, and so would I.. I’m sure my other family partners feel the same way, because we all like Dani, she has shown us some impressive growth during the short time that she has been with us. She always comes in to work with a smile on her face, no matter what crisis she is facing. We love her.

Frann Huse, Program Manager

Nebraska Family Support Network

Dani drove away in a Dodge Grand Caravan that morning...