'We Were Blessed': 12 Single Moms Gifted New Cars Just In Time For Christmas

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Twelve single mothers were gifted new cars in time for the holidays Wednesday.

For the third consecutive year, Newgate School's Wheels for Women program partnered with local auto dealerships to provide the cars, which were awarded to a dozen women who were chosen through an application process.

"The relief and the joy is immeasurable," said Blythe Severson, executive director at Newgate School.

In addition, all of the cars were presented to the moms and their families full of gifts and other items.

"They reached out to the communities and they got donations, they got coffee, gas cards, massages, photo sessions for these mothers," said Richard Herod of White Bear Mitsubishi, who participated in the event.

"Most people take having a car for granted," said Falen Gotler, who helped to organize donations for the event. "It's part of your life. You have to go to work every day, you have to go to school. I don't think twice about my car. I can't imagine not having a car. I can't imagine calling people each day, having to deal with public transit, paying for cars every day. The simple things that the majority of people take for granted."

For Tylashay Sallis, the gift of a car offers much needed flexibility.

"With me being a single mom working two jobs, and I'm in school, so I just thought about how helpful it'd be for me to get around," she said. "I'll be saving money because I'm always using Uber and Lyft. I just thought this is going to be good for me."

Sallis was joined by her daughters Carmen and Leemaya when their family was presented with a Honda Odyssey.

"I was expecting not something as big as this vehicle as well. Just a getabout car. We were blessed. We got more than we expected and asked for," she said. "There wasn't a gimmick, there wasn't expectations, this and that. We just appreciate everything you guys have done for us."