Archive for April 14th, 2012
Free van for homeless
TV station CBS13 recently carried a story about a homeless family from Sacramento – out-of-work single mother Diane Williams, 46, and her two children, Lamonte and Lashelle Franks, aged 14 and 11, respectively.
Since losing her job, and then her apartment, Ms Williams and her family had been living in a homeless shelter run by the St John’s Shelter Program, with their day beginning at 5.30 a.m., so that the children could get to school on time. When asked what her dreams were, Lashelle was reported to have said “A house, money and a dog… and a car, too.”
And it seems that their situation is all too common. The number of homeless schoolchildren in that area is on the increase: second-grade teacher Nanci Gilbert has been quoted as saying that some kids from her school live in cars, while others are in temporary accommodation without heat, electricity or running water.
A kind-hearted viewer was apparently so touched by the plight of the Williams-Franks family that he/she has now taken the unusual and very generous step of donating a van to them – see video below. Diane Williams was almost lost for words, as she thanked the anonymous donor repeatedly, explaining how she couldn’t otherwise have afforded a vehicle to take Lamonte and Lashelle to school: now, they’ll no longer be exposed to the dangers of travelling alone on public transport systems. Meanwhile, Ms Williams is said to be continuing to look for work, while filling much of her day (while the children are at school) helping in the shelter’s restaurant and learning a trade.
NOTE: If you encounter buffering problems, either pause the video until fully loaded, or download to your own PC (see “Download” link at top of live video screen, when you hover over it).
