Help Spencer Ward Get Back On The Road!

Dear Friends,

I never thought I’d find myself in this position, but I need your help. On the afternoon of June 29th, I walked out the front door of my home here in the Wallingford neighborhood of Seattle to head to work, only to find that my Silver 2010 Subaru Legacy (which I affectionately call Gianna) was stolen, along with much of my camping gear I had stored for emergencies out of sight in the trunk. I always make sure to double and triple check that I’ve locked and secured Gianna after I’ve parked her - especially after events last fall that forced me and my roommates to flee our previous residence out of fear for our safety - so to come outside and find her simply gone, with no sign of forced entry, was quite the shock to me. Despite my best efforts across a number of fronts over the past month - including reporting her theft to the Seattle Police Department, posting her info to various groups and platforms on social media, biking around my neighborhood in search of her, regularly looking online for posts offering her for sale, and even calling in to local taxi and garbage collection agencies offering a reward to their drivers for information leading to her return - there has been no sign of her since.

A package of state laws passed here in Washington last year aimed at reforming law enforcement tactics and use of force, while an overall positive for criminal justice reform, has unfortunately made it all but impossible for law enforcement to pursue and recover stolen vehicles, leading to a near doubling of the rate of car theft in the state since then. That, combined with the astronomical increase in value of used cars these days, as well as the fact that the Subaru Legacy is one of the most commonly stolen cars in the PNW, leads me to believe more and more with each passing day that I’ll likely never see Gianna returned to me, much less in working order. It has brought me much sadness to see her go.

To say that I need a car for my job is a massive understatement. My work as a behavioral therapist requires I have a personal vehicle on any given day to get me to and from the schools and homes of the children I work with, who have range of cognitive and developmental disabilities, and live all over the greater Seattle area. Any disruption to services - even for a short amount of time - can have a severe impact on their progress in learning such fundamental skills as interpersonal communication, hygiene, and emotional regulation. It’s not uncommon, and even expected in some high-impact cases, to come back from a break in therapy to find their skills have regressed significantly in as little as two weeks.

I am incredibly grateful for the amount of support I’ve received so far from those in my community who have been able to loan me their vehicles over the past month. Between their kindness, my trusty bike, and the lovely summer weather we’ve been having here in Seattle, I’ve largely been able to maintain my current work schedule with clients within the Seattle area without too much disruption to my income and daily routine.

My schedule is almost entirely dependent on the availability of my clients, however, which means that it changes as frequently as theirs do, and often without warning. Some of my clients live as far north as Everett, and as far south as Federal Way. In other words, I really need a personal vehicle to be able to see my existing clients and take on new ones in order to maintain a stable, livable income to survive.

I’m asking for your donations in helping me raise $7,500, which will be used in one of three ways, depending on how circumstances shake out:

1. If my vehicle is recovered and in working condition, your donation will be returned back to you, less any towing expenses that might be incurred.

2. If my vehicle is recovered, but in need of repairs to get her running again, your donation will be used to cover these, as well as any towing expenses that might be incurred.

3. If my vehicle is NOT recovered, or is found beyond repair, your donation will be used to help me purchase a used vehicle to help me get back on the road, and do the work I love.

This is an incredibly scary time for me. I’m unsure of how I’ll be able to recover without your help, so I just want to say in advance, from the bottom of my heart, how incredibly grateful I am for any help you can offer, and thank you for being there for me right now!

Every little bit helps, so PLEASE re-share with those in your community who are down with mutual aid and lucky enough to be in a position to give!