Hello! Dona Evans has asked for assistance in raising money for a reliable vehicle:

"Hello, let me introduce myself. My name is Dona Evans and I have worked in mental health for 59 years.

I am requesting $28,000.00 to purchase a 2016 Toyota Corolla. I choose this car because the life expectancy is longer than other brands and visits to the mechanic are low. I will use the car to transport myself to my group's location and carry my supplies and equipment to facilitate my group. I am a grandmother of five, three are still in school and I’m often called into service when one or both parents cannot pick up the children from school and sometimes, I would take one or more to after-school extra curriculum activities.

I started working in mental health as a Nursing Aid in General Hospital Mental Health Unit in Los Angeles, CA. I started in 1963 at age 21. Now I am an MSW, LICSW since 1992.

Most of the people I have provided mental health services have been Black, People of Color(BPOC) and female. All of the people that I have provided therapy have experienced trauma through domestic violence, sexual assault, violence by police, war (some people have relocated to Minneapolis from war torn countries in Africa), racism and sexism. Other issues have impacted some of the people that I have treated; poverty, unemployment; especially for ex-felons, inadequate education and housing.

When I worked at Tubman with Resmaa Menakem, MSW, LICSW, SEP, he was my supervisor and he introduced innovative interventions with people who have experienced domestic violence.

I continued to study with him after he wrote ‘My Grandmother’s Hands’. The book is a powerful tool in dealing with trauma caused by racism on both Black and White bodies. I will use the interventions I learned from Resmaa to treat my clients.

You may wonder why I don’t use Uber or Lyft to conduct my errands. For the past two years I have used Lyft with mixed results. For the past year it has been necessary for me to write a description of what I’m wearing and where I am located for the driver arrives in the correct location to pick me up. This has proved to be somewhat successful. At times the driver arrives at the incorrect location, for this mistake made by Lyft I’m charged $5.00 for not being at the erroneous location. I’ve written Lyft two emails describing my disappointment with their inconsistent service without any improvement.

Thank you for your generous donations."