Help us reclaim our car
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Campaign Title
“From the City That Made Us: Help Us Reclaim Our Car and Our Ground”
Full Campaign Story
We’re not just another couple trying to survive in New York City.
We’re from here.
Jonathan from the Bronx. Riva from Brooklyn.
This city made us-its pace, its grit, its truth shaped who we are. And after years apart, years surviving everything from homelessness to injury to law school, we came back to NYC with a shared dream:
- To build a life together.
- To heal, to serve, to grow-and to give back to the place that raised us.
What We’ve Built
Between us, we’ve overcome more than most people ever know.
Jonathan (The Strategist, Systems Builder, Resilient Creator)
- Grew up in foster care. Survived chronic homelessness in NYC and Florida.
- Put himself through design school while homeless.
- Launched a consulting practice and helped his client DriveLine secure $1M in venture capital.
- Built multiple systems and tools-like Sentinel-16, a GPT-powered clarity coaching model used by real clients to navigate major life and career shifts.
- Founded Barlo, a barter-based startup model prototyped at Bronx Native.
❤️ Riva (The Grounded Advocate, Immigration Attorney, First-Gen Dreamer)
- Graduated with over a 4.0 GPA from a Florida IB program.
- Earned degrees in International Studies and Political Science.
- Graduated law school (University of Miami) with zero safety net. Took the NY bar with limited resources.
- Became a trauma-informed immigration attorney, securing legal status for dozens of clients.
- Has built a reputation as The Grounded Advocate-leading with empathy, strategy, and cultural fluency.
We’ve shown up. For our communities. For each other. For the city.
Even without coming from a wealthy background and having limited resources.
⚠️ What We’ve Been Up Against
Since 2023, it’s been an avalanche:
- Jonathan’s consulting contract was lost to tech layoffs.
- Riva’s legal job was eliminated due to shifts in federal funding under Project 2025.
- Our landlord priced us out of our apartment in the midst of Jonathan’s layoff-we’ve been in Airbnb’s across the Bronx and Brooklyn for almost 6 months.
- We relied on cash advance apps (like EarnIn and MoneyLion) just to survive due to back to back financial emergencies.
- And now, our only car has been repossessed.
Why This Car Matters
This isn’t about getting to court hearings.
This is about real life in New York-the kind that doesn’t exist in a Manhattan bubble.
Our car was:
- How we moved between boroughs for work, errands, laundry, and groceries
- How we transported gear and belongings during housing transitions – and we will likely be transitioning again at the end of this month.
- How we made life work when the subway didn’t cut it –living in two fare zones where MTA service is very unreliable.
And if we can raise $9,000 by May 29, we will:
- Recover the car (repo + recovery cost = $7,700)
- Cover gas, insurance, and basic essentials during this transitional moment
- Fully own the car, with no more payments or debt attached
This is one tangible win we can secure-and it would mean everything.
Why We’re Asking Now
We’re not used to asking for help.
We’ve built our lives off of showing up, working hard, figuring it out.
But even the strongest people break without support.
We’ve carried the weight.
Now, we’re asking: please help us carry this next stretch.
This campaign isn’t about charity.
It’s about shared humanity. About saying:
“Look at what we’ve built with nothing. Imagine what we could do with some breathing room.”
How You Can Support
- Donate - any amount helps
- Share - especially with a personal note about why you believe in us
- Send a quote or message - we’ll share these publicly as a thread of support
We’re not asking for pity.
We’re asking to be seen.
To be supported.
To reclaim one thing-our car-that lets us keep going with some dignity.
Thank you for reading.
Thank you for helping us protect what we’ve worked so hard to build.
With love,
Jonathan & Riva
Organizer and beneficiary
Jonathan Martinez
Organizer
Brooklyn, NY
Riva Ryan
Beneficiary