Tonya Howard became a client of Wilkinson Center in
November 2013. New to Texas, she had been working at
a warehouse through a temporary employment agency and was
waiting to start working at Walmart during the Christmas holidays.
Although working, she was still experiencing financial difficulty
because the income was not enough to sustain her. She came to
the pantry to request assistance with her rent but we could not
assist her financially at that time. Case Manager Myra Collins
referred her to CareerWorks where she received resume
assistance to prepare to seek a better job. Every month Tonya
visited the pantry and kept Myra updated. She began to work for
Walmart as well as for the temporary service with hopes of
finding one good job that could replace the two. She applied for a
job with the Dart Transit System and began to study for her CDL.
Months passed with no word from DART but she did not give
up. On December 17, 2014, Tonya came for her monthly visit to the
pantry and pulled out her badge. She had just taken her drivers
test with DART and had passed it! She now has her own route,
works 40 hours a week, with overtime if she likes, and will have
health benefits and a lifetime bus pass with the Dallas Rail
Terminal System. Tonya is proof that tenacity pays off!
