Empower Melvin's Drive for a Better Future

My name is Steve and I am a retired Middle School teacher in Schenectady, NY. In 2017 I came across a student in my building that was walking the halls, and when I asked him to go to class, he said, "I like to kick the &%$% out of people like you!" That's how I met Melvin. After several confrontational run-ins over the next year, things developed into a positive relationship. It started with bringing him to basketball practice and built up to me filing for joint custody so I could help him with medical and educational needs.

I was able to experience some new things with Melvin outside of Schenectady. We picked blueberries and rode a John Deere tractor at George's. He captained Tommy's 42' yacht on the Mohawk. We built a one-of-a-kind bookshelf. Things were going great, and then last minute, mom pulled the rug out and I was banned from helping him. He was 15 and lost a person that was a positive role model. Once he turned 18, I was allowed back into his life.

He'll be 21 next month and has a job working with troubled kids. He shares an apartment with his fiancé. When Rosa went into labor last month, he called me at 1:10 am to tell me - he was so excited. He's really trying to make a future for his son, for Rosa, and himself. He thought owning a car would help reach that goal.

Not many people in his life drove a car, let alone owned a car. In order to be able to take some control of his life, Melvin went out and got his license; you should have heard the excitement in his voice when he called to say he passed his road test. The next step was to buy a car. He has no credit, and no real credit rating. He has no family that would co-sign a loan. His cash flow is limited because of the new expenses with the baby. He went out and bought the only car he could afford. Herein lies the problem - the car is a piece of crap. Why is it a piece of crap you ask, because he could only afford a $1000 car. He's never had to purchase a car before, so what would he know about buying a car? Nothing! The car he bought had bad tires, bad brakes, and broken ball joints. Duct tape wouldn't even hold his car together. The odds have been stacked against him in the past, and I want to help him move forward.

This past Sunday morning I got a call at 7:00am from Melvin - he was stranded. He had a flat in Niskayuna and had no money for a tow truck, and didn't know what to do. I met him and we got it towed to the tire shop. This was an eye-opener for me. He was driving on the donut/spare, and it went flat (enjoy the picture). The other front tire had steel wires sticking out the sides, it would go flat soon too. The donut was on because the real tire went flat because it popped because of improper wear. We drove back to his apartment to get a spare that he had there. It was the wrong size - and when I asked Melvin how he got the wrong size, he said it was in a dumpster and he grabbed it. So now you are asking why are all these tires going flat. Oh, because it needs an alignment. No problem, except they can't do the alignment until the ball joints get fixed. Oh, and several of the bolts to hold the tires on were snapped, and of course you can see the brake pads were pitting. The list of problems goes on, but you get the idea. $$$$$

So just go get another car is the easy answer. Well, easy for most people The only thing he'd be able to buy is another piece of crap because he has no credit and no money for a down-payment. He can afford payments and insurance, but he needs some help getting there. I'd like to take him out and help him find a safe/reliable car.

Can you help Melvin take that next step towards independence? Can you help him break the cycle of poverty?