A Kansas City grandmother, and disabled veteran, was given the surprise of a lifetime after a group of teenagers stole, and totaled, her 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Premier Mazda of Overland Park rewarded Sheridin Jones with a 2007 Volkswagen Passat to thank her for her time in the service.
She couldn’t hold back her emotions when the general manager at Premier Mazda, Tim Smith, told her she was about to be the proud owner of a new Passat.
“One of the best days of my life!” Jones laughed as she sat in her new car for the first time. “I wasn’t expecting anything like this. It’s just a little overwhelming right now.”
Jones, a disabled veteran, was distraught to hear that her vehicle was used to carry out a variety of crimes before being used as a battering ram to damage other vehicles. She was even more upset when she realized that insurance wouldn’t allocate enough money for the vehicle to be replaced, leaving her with no way to attend weekly doctor appointments.
“I felt violated,” she told FOX 4 Monday, “because it was like someone coming in your house and taking everything that you have.”
Jones doesn’t own her own home and claims that the Jeep was everything she had. Her fixed income and physical disabilities left her with no way to purchase a new vehicle. She was forced to rely on friends and family to make sure she could address her health issues. Smith and the dealership’s owner decided they couldn’t sit back while a such an upstanding citizen was victimized.
“There’s a lot going on in the world right now that isn’t the best, but for us, to be in a position to actually help someone out who is in need, really meant a lot to all of us,” Smith said.
Jones is grateful for the car and feels the need to give back to the community for this unexpected gift. She and her daughter, Cherae Freeman, are currently brainstorming ways they can give back to community that has shown so much support.
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