Tulsa Woman Receives New Car As Gift From Non-Profit

A Tulsa woman now has her own car thanks to a nonprofit dedicated to helping citizens with transportation issues.

As soon as the brand new car pulled up with a big red bow, you could feel the excitement. And for Jessica Castillo, it's a gift she couldn't wait one more second to use.  

"I was thinking I want to go to QuikTrip and grab a snack, but then I got a call like, 'hey, don't leave!' and so I was like, 'okay, I'll just turn back around.'," Castillo said.

But the car is more than just a way to get around. Jessica can't help but think about how this will change her life for the better.

"How many things I'm going to be able to get done in the course of fewer than 24 hours. Everything is going to be much easier," said Castillo.

That freedom of mobility will help her achieve her goals.

Jessica just graduated from a transitional living program through Youth Services and got a job, which will be much easier to maintain with a way to get there. 

"20 percent of our population in Tulsa can't get to their services and appointments and opportunities that they need to thrive and to succeed, because they lack reliable transportation," says Leslie Neal-Emery.

She’s the executive director of Modus, a nonprofit that gives rides to people who need them. She says Jessica used the service so much, she was the perfect person to kick off the new program of giving cars to their clients.

"She's used us over 180 times or something to get to all different types of services," Leslie said.

Modus plans to give away cars every year now, helping people just like Jessica, who says her goal is to get a degree in sociology to help people the way she's been helped.

"I'm very very inspired by what everybody here now does, they all like to help," Jessica said.