I was born into a family shaped by poverty and addiction — the kind of start that decides too much before you ever get a say. The state stepped in, and I ended up in foster care. When I aged out, I was handed my independence without ever being handed the tools to actually use it: nobody taught me how to budget, how to build credit, how to fix a flat tire, how to ask for help without shame. I’ve been building a life from scratch ever since, with no floor under me if I fall.

And I keep falling. Every time I get one step forward, something pushes me ten steps back. Right now it’s transportation. I live on the edge of [Town/County]; there’s no bus, no rideshare, nothing within walking distance. I’m actively job hunting, but I can’t get to an interview without a car, and I can’t get a car without a job — it’s a loop that resets itself every time I try to break out of it.

I’m not asking for anything fancy. Just a simple, reliable car that can get me from A to Z — to interviews, to work once I land it, to the grocery store, to appointments. Something basic that runs is all I need to stop the cycle from resetting.

Goal: $[amount] — enough for a basic used car

I’m not asking for a handout to stay stuck — I’m asking for a hand up so I can keep moving forward. If I make it through this, I’m paying it forward to the next person caught in the same cycle I was born into. I just need someone to show me there’s still good out here, because right now, I could use a reason to believe that myself.

If you can’t give, a share means just as much. And if you happen to have an old car sitting unused that runs — even a rough one — I’d take that over money any day.

Thank you for reading this far.

-Sierra