By Hannah Citron
Campus News
As America leans farther and farther into a dependency on cars, especially outside of urban areas, many of us may not even realize how crucial these vehicles are to our everyday lives. A trip to the grocery store, then church, then home, can be a long haul when you own your own car, but without one, running errands and attending social gatherings can seem like a costly, and almost insurmountable endeavor.
Micheal Finlay, a 36 year old Engineering Science student at Rockland Community College, is also a single father of two, as well as a veteran of the U.S. Navy. He joined the Navy fresh out of high school, and after retiring ten years ago began to juggle the time demands of civilian life.
“I’m a single father of two kids, and taking care of them and working whatever job I could, took up most of the last ten years,” he said.
After being introduced to Jonathan Barnwell, through a connection at the Veterans Hospital, Finlay decided he wanted to pursue an associate’s degree at RCC. With his children approaching adolescence, he decided to shift his life focus once more, in the direction of higher education.
“He [Barnwell] was so helpful, I felt it would be stupid to pass up the oppurtunity,” Finlay added.
Finlay is currently in his second year of his degree, and in 2023, after a total brake line failure of his old car with repair costs being exorbitant, he was left without a mode of transportation. He struggled as he searched for a replacement car, and when he finally found one in his price range, a major part broke two days after the purchase. Finlay was left with one choice: He was forced to use Uber to run errands, to bring his children to appointments, and to attend school.
Ubers are pricey, and the added costs of transportation quickly began to chip into Finlay’s savings account. That’s when the VFW stepped in, and veteran Thomas Preston, a member of the organization, donated a Toyota, which had been refurbished with the help of fellow VFW members.
The car provides Finlay with a way to take care of personal responsibilities, but is also crucial to him gaining his associate’s degree, because while Finlay is able to take most of his classes online, RCC requires in-person attendance for core curriculum classes.
“This car the VFW has gifted me, is honestly a godsend… [this is] absolutely going to be the thing that allows me to finish my degree.”
With the donation providing so much help, Finlay is on track to graduate with his degree next year.
Finlay describes a feeling of overwhelming anxiety prior to receiving the vehicle, worrying about how to balance the many demands of his life, while still being able to spend time with his children, and complete his schoolwork.
“Without this gift, I feel like I would still be in a really rough place, and honestly, I don’t know how I would dig myself out.”
He told this reporter about the relief he felt from the kindness of the veterans, and all that their donation has done for him.
“Life as an adult can get lonely… and it can seem like you’re really in it alone. To find a group of people who you don’t even know… to reach out their hands to help you. That’s reassuring, that there are people in this community who will come together, to help even perfect strangers. Just people helping people.”
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