Terrance's Story

Terrance lives in Excelsior with his wife and adopted granddaughter and he was in tough spot. He and his wife are on a very limited budget and he called ResourceWest to find some help with finding funding to pay for a major car repair.  

Terrance’s wife has major medical issues and he was concerned about his ability to provide transportation for her frequent doctor appointments and in case of a medical emergency.  It was very important that he have reliable transportation because when you live in Excelsior public transportation (Metro Transit Bus) is not a viable option - especially in an emergency situation!

After calling around to several auto repair shops in his local area, Terrance was able to find a shop within “pushing” distance (he could not afford to have the vehicle towed and would need to push it to the shop) which gave him a very competitive price.  

While we were not able to pay the repair entire bill for Terrance, we were able to provide him with a $300 loan through Project Starfish to assist with the cost. In this situation we were able to improve access to regular medical care, ensure reliable transportation, and modify this family’s stress level.  This is just one example of ResourceWest’s work in the community. 

*not his real name

**Project Starfish has a very small amount of monetary assistance available to assist local community members with minor expenses that no other local non-profit assists with or when all other avenues have been exhausted. Some of these are in the form of a loan and others are considered grants. Our Starfish Coordinator determines who is assisted on a case by case process. These funds are very limited but in high demand – consider helping by giving a targeted gift directly to Project Starfish (www.resourcewest.org/content/donate)

Gloria's Story

Gloria was an emotional wreck the first time we saw her, and the second, and third time.  She lost two houses to foreclosure several years ago and was still angry and grieving that loss.  She had no source of income, though she worked diligently at finding a job.  Before the recession, she held well paying management positions. Through a church friend, Gloria found a free place to live with a senior citizen in the area.  While she really enjoyed that person, she felt bad that she was unable to pay her own way, something she had done all her life.  The reoccurring phrase we heard was "I just want my normal life back."

ResourceWest provided a listening ear, sympathy, the occasional emergency food bag, occasional gas card, Starfish funds to purchase a car battery and pay her phone bill (for  job searching for that job she finally landed), and a new car battery.  Over several months, Gloria was a frequent visitor to ResourceWest using the computer room and seeing the Relate counselor.  She gave and received hugs for the hope we gave her and she was always grateful for the little financial support we were able to help her with.   

Gloria now has a good job where her suggestions for doing things differently are well received.  She will begin repaying her Starfish loan to ResourceWest and will be moving into her own place after she gets back on her feet financially. But most importantly, she feels much better about herself.  Although life is not "normal" yet, it is getting there.  

Though Gloria's story is unique to her, we have seen many folks in similar situations. Thankfully ResourceWest is here to help folks over life’s major hurdles.  Our delight is helping them find their success.