Help Buy a Wheelchair Friendly Van!

My name is Joe Rivas.  I am a person with severe cerebral palsy that lives in Denton, Texas.  I am requesting financial contributions for my Gofundme Van Funding Drive in hopes for raising funds to purchase a 2007 Honda Odyssey with an adaptable wheelchair friendly ramp at the price of $5,000.00.

This vehicle is specifically designed to my wheelchair needs.  My current plan would be to cover the cost for a van with a loan.  I would sell my current vehicle at the value of $1500-$1000 and use those funds to get ahead of the loan payments.  I would also use other financial resources to make additional payments while using my personal income as a back-up to contribute to the loan costs.  My goal is to stay ahead of the loan payments until the vehicle is completely paid off.

As a wheelchair user, I can firmly testify that it is extremely difficult to use vehicles that are not specifically adaptive to disability needs.  My van is over 20 years old with a worn-out aluminum ramp.  The ramp is unsafe to hold 350lbs. of weight.  On the other hand, the newer van is much lower to the ground with a stronger and smaller ramp.  Most aluminum ramps are unsafe because they are too narrow and have a low edge or siding, plus, they tend to be very slippery when wet or covered with ice/snow.  In my situation, I am fortunate to be an excellent scooter driver.  I have only fallen off my ramp once in the 20+ years of ownership. 

My Van Use Needs:

Medical appointments.
Work demands.
Community market attendance and storage of equipment & supplies for booth.
Shopping needs.
Church attendance.
Volunteer activities including food distribution to local pantries.
Leisure activities such as fishing trips & outdoor recreation.

I may not get another opportunity to purchase a vehicle this low in cost.  Most vehicles with disability modifications exceed $15,000.00 or more. 

Below you can see the difference in vehicles:

Thank you for your contributions

Joe Rivas