KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A woman is proving women entangled in domestic abuse can get a fresh start if they take that first step. It may not be easy, but Rosie, a domestic abuse survivor, says it’s worth it.
The mother of three, who was once without a car, received one from Hope House and expressed her gratitude on Tuesday.
“Now I got my own place, my own car, two jobs, so it’s going to be a lot easier getting around.
For two years, Rosie has worked hard, waking up at 5:30 a.m. to catch the bus to get her to her first job by 9.
“You can’t get everywhere you need catching two buses, working two jobs,” she said. “You can’t do it because some people don’t want to hire you.”
But now, Rosie has her own wheels, a 95 Ford Escort. After a quick lesson on driving a stick-shift, Rosie is ready to start a new chapter in her life.
The car was donated to Hope House, a domestic abuse shelter in Lee’s Summit and Independence. Staff at Hope House said they knew Rosie was the right person to receive the car.
“She’s really one of those cases where everyone says, “Why doesn’t someone leave?” Well, she did. And she’s doing everything everyone expects her to do — even though she didn’t have transportation,” Ilene Shehan said.
Sci-Tech Automotive in Raytown did some work to get Rosie’s car in good driving condition.
“This is why I hope that people will see this and decide to donate cars,” John Schupp with Sci-Tech said. “They may have a car that doesn’t mean anything to them, but it could mean a lot to a needy family.”
Rosie remembers her old situation and offered advice for others in an abusive relationship.
“You’ve got to get fed up of getting abused verbally, physically, mentally, everything,” she said. “You have to get tired of it. Once you’re tired of it, you got to go.”
This is the first car donated to Hope House. John at Sci-Tech Automotive said he’ll fix up more cars for more clients if people would just donate them.
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