A Car Crash Interrupted Sam’s Success Story. Building Value Is Racing to Get It Back On Track.
Sam was driving home when the other driver pulled into his lane unexpectedly, veering into his side in the middle of the intersection.
“I was surprised the airbag didn’t pop out,” Sam insisted. “She hit me pretty hard.”
After the accident Sam felt numb, and his side hurt. He was shaken up, but he was okay. His car was another story.
“It messed it all up pretty much. To the point that,” Sam sighs. “I couldn’t even drive it.”
One week into his pre-apprenticeship with CinFab, through no fault of his own, Sam was in danger of losing his job.
With his car gone, Sam didn’t have many options for getting to work. Taking the bus would require Sam to leave the house by 3AM, a full two hours before his shift started. With no car he could borrow, he had no choice but to depend on ride share services if he wanted to get to work. The costs quickly added up, and before long Sam was running out of money.
When David Daniels, Workforce Development Manager for Building Value, found out about Sam’s situation, he stepped in to help. He started picking Sam up for work, and Messer chipped in by paying for his Uber rides. Sam was able to get to work, but the situation wasn’t sustainable. He needed a car.
Serendipitously, David Daniels discovered that a vehicle from Wheels Transportation Inc. had suddenly become available. Wheels Transportation Inc. is a local nonprofit that reconditions donated cars for people facing critical transportation issues. Reggie, another Building Value trainee, was next in line to receive a vehicle, but determined the truck, a Dodge Dakota, was too big for him. So he decided not to go through with the deal. It was one of Wheels’ nicer vehicles, it wouldn’t be long before someone else took it.
Building Value leadership reached out to Wheels Transportation Inc. and told them about Sam’s situation. They knew this was an essential opportunity for Sam. Because transportation issues are so prevalent in Cincinnati, this high demand creates a backlog for these essential services. With any luck, they hope to have the details sorted out by May 20th.
“Normally he would have time to figure it out. He’s not in that situation, so we’re going to do something to help him out,” affirmed David Daniels. He is also looking into contingency funds to help with the cost of ownership. Whatever they need to do, Sam’s success story is going to get back on track.
As of publication, Building Value’s leadership team is anticipating they will have the car secured for Sam within the next week. Subscribe to Building Value Bulletin to receive updates on Sam’s story.