Support Gwen's Journey to Stability and Mobility

Hello, my name is Gwen Organa. I really need to raise some money in order to fix my Jeep. It is a six-speed manual with four-wheel drive, perfect for the Minnesota winters.

I was let go from my job on September 30th and have been doing everything I can to keep money in my pocket ever since. I've been receiving unemployment, and I have been supplementing my unemployment by DoorDashing.

Also, I live in Ulen, Minnesota, which is 45 minutes out of town, so I really cannot go without a vehicle. Because of my vehicle, I could DoorDash, as well as have visitation with my 17-year-old son.

Recently, I found that my Jeep would not gain speed very easily. If I babied it, I could get it up to speed, but it was really slow going. I was hoping that it was only transmission fluid, but I brought it to the mechanic shop, and they told me the clutch had gone out.

So now my bad situation is much worse. Without a vehicle, I cannot travel between my home and town where my son lives, and I cannot continue to DoorDash, which is my supplemental income. Also, I would not be able to apply to any temp agencies to supplement my income either.

I know the amount I ask for is a little more than what a clutch would cost. I'm asking for a little more because my reserves are getting low as well to keep my bills going and my mortgage paid.

I have updated my goal to $10,000 because after doing more research, the mechanic said the entire bill will be $8800 which is more than what the Jeep is worth, so I need a new vehicle.

To let you know what efforts I have made to get assistance. My vehicle is being fixed by a mechanic shop called Fix it Forward, which is a charity that assists people with vehicles. They told me that my vehicle is being serviced by the mechanic side and that I need to get my caseworker to contact the Fix it Forward ministry in order to get assistance on fixing my Jeep or getting a new car.

I had previously applied for snap as well as financial assistance so I thought that the person who reviewed my application would be the caseworker. Apparently she isn't. She said she is not the one to contact fix it forward. She gave me a phone number to call and when I called it they said they do not do anything with financial assistance.

They referred me to 211, who I called saying that I need a caseworker and they gave me a few phone numbers and I got a voicemail. So right now I am waiting on a return phone call which is probably not going to happen tonight since they closed 45 minutes ago.

On a positive note, I have a second interview with the hospital for a part-time job that pays $17.50 per hour transporting patients from one part of the hospital to another.

I will keep you posted here on my progress for financial assistance and possible jobs.

Update: Good news! I did some calling around at other mechanics and I got an estimate of $3,200 from one mechanic and $4,400 from another mechanic to repair the Jeep. So there is actually some hope that I could get mobile without getting a new vehicle. For that reason I'm going to reduce my goal to $6,000. On the job front, I had an interview yesterday to start working part-time overnights at the hospital moving patients around. Cross my fingers hope I get it!