Wheels of Independence

Five months ago, Adrianna Boyer’s life changed when she got behind the wheel of her vehicle for the first time,

her kids strapped into the row behind her. 

“This car is not just a mode of transportation; it’s a lifeline,” Boyer said at the time. “Now, with the joyous addition of a car to our lives, I can foresee a positive shift. The ability to go to the grocery store, attend doctor appointments and respond swiftly to emergencies is a game-changer.” 

Boyer was one of four local families to receive vehicles at NADA headquarters on March 19, 2024, through a partnership with Vehicles for Change (VFC) and four area automotive dealerships. She paid $950 for her 2013 Kia Rio vehicle and received a 12-month loan through Sandy Spring Bank, along with a 6-month/6,000-mile warranty.

In addition to sourcing the donated vehicles, the NADA Foundation donated $5,000 per vehicle to cover the costs associated with awarding these cars, including refurbishing the vehicles and making necessary repairs. Carter Myers Automotive Group based in Charlottesville, Va.,

awarded the Kia to Boyer. The other participating dealerships included Sport Automotive Group in Silver Spring, Md., Nissan of Bowie in Bowie, Md., and Rosenthal Automotive Group based in Reston, Va. 

Now, months later, Boyer does not take for granted the independence a vehicle has provides her and her family. 

“Obviously, life always has stressors. But when you don’t have transportation, it just adds on so much,” Boyer says. “If I forgot I need eggs for breakfast in the morning, I can just go get them. Now I can do that.”

A single mother to a 2-year-old daughter and 11-year-old son, Boyer said one of the highlights of independent mobility has been increased opportunities for her children. Her son has started football practice and spends more times with friends, and Boyer saves hundreds of dollars a week on rideshare expenses transporting her daughter to daycare. 

The family travels to Maryland where Boyer has relatives frequently now for cookouts, birthday parties and other family events. They are even planning a trip to visit Boyer’s mother in New Jersey. Though only a three-hour drive away, the mother

and daughter have been unable to see each other because neither had a vehicle to make the trip. 

When Boyer’s daughter turns three in October, Boyer plans to take her kids to the Baltimore Aquarium, a special place from her own childhood, to celebrate. 

“The fact that I can plan ahead because I have my own car, it’s amazing,” she says. “It’s something I never want to take for granted.” 

Boyer, a sales administrator, works from home most days. But there have been opportunities in the past she’s had to turn down because she did not have transportation to her company’s office. Now she can easily go to the office to work on projects with her

coworkers as needed. 

“I feel like I have my freedom back. I don’t have to rely on anybody,” Boyer says. “It’s changed my life.” 

Boyer is applying her personal experience to help others in similar positions. A former foster child herself,

she is launching a nonprofit to help former foster youth between the ages of 21-35 get access to transportation services. 

“There are not a lot of resources for foster children when they age out of care,” Boyer says. “We’re trying to help people get to work and just live life. Having a car is a blessing.”