Today we celebrate our 173rd client to receive a vehicle from OnRamp, and the first of 2024. LaRiya was nominated by a close friend and mentor at her church, Spirit of Faith, after the engine went out in her previous vehicle leaving her without any transportation. LaRiya works as an Assistant Special Needs Instructor at BISD, and is also the primary caretaker for her mother who has a number of health challenges. So why did LaRiya want a vehicle? In her own words, “A reliable vehicle could help me in so many ways like getting to and from work, doctor, church and multiple other places, and make it easier for me to obtain secondary employment. Also, it would make it easier for me to utilize local resources like going to the workforce and signing up for different work and education programs available in my area.” We love gifting vehicles to individuals who are already highly motivated, hard working, and committed to serving others! She was an easy ‘yes’! Thankfully, a family in Corpus Christi heard about OnRamp and decided to donate this mint 2015 Toyota Rav4. What a perfect gift for LaRiya, and what a tangible expression of Jesus’ love for His people!
In addition to celebrating LaRiya, we are also delighted to share that our Executive Director, Blake Jennings, will be an honoree at the Brazos Valley African American Museum’s 23rd Annual Appreciation Banquet. Throughout OnRamp’s history, we have remained deeply committed to celebrating diversity and supporting minority families. Half of the 172 local clients that have received vehicles from OnRamp are African American. The BVAAM has been an incredible asset to the Brazos Valley and to OnRamp, by providing community awareness, education, and deep respect for our African American community. We invite you to join us at this year’s banquet. Tickets and table sponsorships are for sale and details can be found HERE. Note that ALL proceeds go to keeping the lights on since there's no staff, just volunteers. Purchase of a table keeps the museum operational for about a week. And for context of WHY we need the BVAAM in our community, here's a picture of one of their exhibits: the sale documents of a 13-year-old African American girl named Margaret to a Robertson County man for $800. This is our history and it's essential that we face it.
Finally, we are opening up sponsorships for our 2nd annual "Drive with OnRamp" event the evening of March 23rd at BigShots. If you, your family, or your business would like to join us, you can buy a bay for up to 8 people for $1100 and it includes free dinner. Most of that money goes straight to OnRamp to help continue this ministry. Sponsors will receive publicity on our website, in socials, in our newsletter, and at the event. Please email us if you're interested!
Also, we're gathering silent auction items for this event. If you have gift certificates to fun restaurants, places and experiences, athletic-signed paraphernalia, fun household items, fancy drinks, jewelry type stuff, credits/certificates for services, etc. that you could donate to our auction, please email me!