A VFC Recipient Counts Her Blessings

Before being awarded a car from Vehicles for Change, Tammie Smith’s typical day included waking up early and preparing herself for a three-mile walk to work. Tammie has since learned that she has arthritis in her hip and will need hip surgery, but with a car, that’s a condition that is much more manageable. With a 1996 Toyota Tercel, Smith is able to make it to her doctor’s appointments with ease.

So far, Smith has loved her VFC experience: “They are ready to help as long as somebody is willing to help themselves.”

Speaking with Smith, you get the impression that she is a spiritual woman. It is very important to her that her car is a blessing to others as well as herself. She vividly recalls how it felt not to have access to transportation and wants to assist those in her community who are in the same predicament.

Smith’s car has had an unexpected impact on her family – she jokes that her grandson was acting up in his grade-school class until she told him that, with a car, she can get to him swiftly. Now he quickly volunteers that he has been good in class.

“It’s amazing how program like this makes a difference in people’s life,” said Smith, “It really made a difference in my life.”