By Shelly Miles
Think about how many times you use your car each day. You use it to drive the kids to school, use it to get to work. You use your car to grab lunch or pick up medication from the pharmacy during your lunch break. You use your car to pick the kids up after school and to get them to their extracurricular activities. You use your car to take the kids to your mom’s house, where they stay while you use your car to get to and from your second job working in a restaurant. Now, imagine doing all that without a car.
“A single parent without transportation faces a wide range of hardships that can impact nearly every area of life. Without a reliable vehicle, something as basic as getting to work becomes a daily challenge, which can lead to job instability or lost income,” says Cindy Witteman, the founder of Driving Single Parents, a local nonprofit that aims to help single parents with access to reliable transportation.
Cindy started Driving Single Parents after reflecting on her own journey as a single parent and domestic violence survivor. Cindy realized that without access to transportation, she would not be where she is today. “Lack of transportation limits access to better job opportunities, continuing education, and vital resources like childcare or counseling,” said Witteman.
Driving Single Parents awarded their first car to a local single father who became a single dad overnight. He was struck by a drunk driver in an accident that not only left him without a car but also caused him to lose his wife and his leg. Driving Single Parents stepped in with an SUV to help this newly single dad provide for his family. “It made me incredibly proud to be able to provide this vehicle to this single dad. It showed me that even one person can make a huge impact on someone’s life.” Said Witteman.
Today, Driving Single Parents continues to help local single parents with transportation, hoping that the ripple effect of giving someone a car extends beyond the individual and promotes future success.
To donate or learn more about Driving Single Parents, visit www.DrivingSingleParents.org
