Women with Drive Foundation

It’s an honor to be a part of their journey. Twenty-five years ago, I was a single mom on welfare. I didn’t have a car, but I had drive. …and the help of friends and a community that helped me build a better life for my children.

Using the lessons from my struggles, Women With Drive Foundation provides women with the means to literally help them move forward to brighter futures. The number one reason welfare to work programs fail is lack of reliable transportation.

We provide cars to women in transition. Our community partners provide the training and education to those we serve, helping them develop capacity-building skills. Working together, we’re able to give them a firm foundation for lasting success.

Here’s a brief recap about our progress to date:

• Named one of three UberVENTURE award winners for TechweekCHI 2015
• Featured in CNN, the Chicago Tribune, the Shriver Report, the Christian Science Monitor and WGN Radio
• Current partners include the Jane Addams Resources Corporation, the Chicago Women in Trades, the Berwyn Development Corporation, the Metropolitan YWCA of Chicago
• Automotive support and sponsorship from Grossinger’s Auto Group

Our pilot program participant was orphaned at age 13. Now a successful graduate of the Chicago Women in Trades, she is not only the first female welder in her shop, but the car we awarded immediately doubled her income. Since she has autonomous transportation, she not only has a safer commute from her Humboldt Park neighborhood, but she can accept jobs that fall outside the range of public transportation.

We’re expanding ~ 2016 will be our breakout year, but we’ll need your help. We’ll be introducing our next participants at our February 21st Gala and awarding cars on March 8, 2016, as part of an annual event to celebrate International Women’s Day.

If you would like to know how you can make a donation of cash, a car or volunteer, please send us an email at [email protected], using “aChicagoThing” as the subject line.

Working together with our partners, we couldn’t be more proud of being part of changing the lives of women and children. We moved to Chicago because it’s not only a global hub for transportation, but because it’s a place where pragmatic people make magical things possible.

It’s aChicagoThing…Molly Cantrell-Kraig