After recently moving to Phoenix for a fresh start, thirty-one-year-old Keeonna Wright was having a hard time making ends meet – that is, until neighbors came together on Nextdoor to give her a lending hand.
Between taking care of her 18-month-old daughter and working part-time, Keeonna was strapped for time. On top of that, she was living without a car, which meant that Keeonna had to walk four miles to drop her daughter off at child care, in addition to an hour-long bus ride to get to work. For this reason, she had to miss valuable hours at work when there was a delay or change in schedule.
“That’s a big hit when you’re working part time,” Keeonna said. She set out to buy a used car to cut down on her commute time and take on more hours at work.
After hearing that Keeonna was looking to buy a used car, Dotti Wojckicki, a neighbor and retired high school counselor, posted on her neighborhood’s Nextdoor website asking if anyone had a car within Keeonna’s $1,000 budget.
Just one day later, Dotti said she had over 53 responses. “It’s been a beautiful experience to see what neighbors can do for neighbors,” Dotti said “I don’t know any of these people that have responded.”
One of the neighbors who responded, Marybeth Guess, offered her car to Keeonna for just $200. After hearing her story, Marybeth said that Keeonna “needed it more than I did.”
“This is one of those situations where you say this is a miracle,” Keeonna said after learning of her neighbor’s generosity. “I still feel like it’s a dream. It feels unreal, like I hit the lottery.”
To top it all off, a high school senior who lives in the neighborhood and knows how to fix cars has volunteered his time to service Keeonna’s car to ensure it works properly – for free.
Inspired by Dotti and Marybeth’s generosity,neighbors have created a Wells Fargo account called The Foundation of Keeonna Wright to continue supporting their neighbor.
Keeonna was extremely grateful for her neighbors’ generosity.
“Without a car, I wouldn’t be able to keep this job,” she said.
As reported by azfamily.com
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