OnRamp

Most of us take reliable transportation for granted. With the turn of a key, we can get to work, the store, or the doctor with little worry. Yet for so many families in our community, reliable transportation is simply out of reach, which severely limits access to jobs, stores, medical care, and social and religious services, and can trap people in a poverty cycle.

OnRamp works with advocates from local charitable, government, and religious organizations to identify people in need who are already taking significant steps towards self-sufficiency, but who need a vehicle to continue that journey. OnRamp finds reliable vehicles through purchase or donation and gifts these vehicles to our clients so they can get back on the road without having to turn to predatory lenders. We provide maintenance support for their first year of care post donation to help families progress towards their financial goals.

As of August 2026, OnRamp has donated reliable vehicles to 288 local families!

Testimonials

Aliyah, Client 256

Aliyah is currently ranked 7th in her class at Bryan Collegiate High School and will graduate with 60 college hours already complete. While that alone is amazing, it means more when you learn that six months ago, she was homeless. Yet rather than make excuses, she doubled her efforts at school because she recognized that education was her only path to escape her harsh and insecure world. She woke at 5am to catch public transit to Blinn or Bryan Collegiate. As soon as school dismissed, she would walk 3 to 4 miles miles to HEB to catch a bus to her job at Jersey Mike's, not returning home until 11pm, only to repeat the cycle the next day. And she did all of this while maintaining straight A's and receiving no support.

By God’s grace and the attentive staff at BISD’s Project Hope, Aliyah was introduced to Katie Ruffino. Katie nominated Aliyah to OnRamp and, no surprise, our interview team was stunned by her. We accepted her into the program expecting to gift her a 100,000+ mile car, like in most cases. God had other plans. He led our team to an 18,000 miles perfect-as-new Mazda2 just for her. We washed it, fueled it, and delivered it to her, expecting this to be the highlight of her week if not year. But we were wrong. The highlight of the week was the letter she got from Brown University. She had been accepted to Brown to study Neuroscience on a FULL RIDE SCHOLARSHIP worth $400,000!!

Chyna, Client 285

At 18, Chyna aged out of the foster care system and, like so many in her situation, immediately became homeless. Yet she did not let that stop her from finishing high school. That determination caught the attention of Our Daughters' House in Brenham, a residential and mentoring ministry devoted to young women like Chyna who age out of foster care with courage but without the safety net most of us take for granted. With that support, Chyna has thrived! 

But she faced a common hurdle: getting to work. When Our Daughters' House nominated Chyna to OnRamp, we knew immediately that this young woman deserved a partner on the road ahead. We gifted Chyna a reliable Honda Civic, and for the first time in her life, she has something that's truly hers.

Here is why young adults like Chyna matter to us. The statistics are stark. Approximately 50% of young people who age out of foster care end up homeless, incarcerated, or dead within their first year. Only 1 in 2 will have gainful employment by age 24. These aren't just numbers; these are children of God facing brutal hardships. Chyna is now well on her way to a bright, self-sufficient future. And she got there because people like you believed that young adults aging out of foster care deserve a second chance, and a reliable car to get there.

Rocky, Client 257

We were honored to gift a vehicle to a local Army veteran, Rocky, who served eight years as a Combat Engineer in Iraq, earning two Purple Hearts after surviving multiple bombings. Today he works full-time for the City of College Station in irrigation, but his commitment to service hasn't dimmed.

Rocky's dedication extends to providing for his children, but two years ago that battle intensified when his transportation collapsed. He'd financed a used truck from a small dealership. Two months later, the transmission failed, wires shorted out, and the AC broke down. A mechanic looked at the vehicle and concluded it was likely flooded but then sold as “clean.” Even worse, the dealership had already filed bankruptcy and disappeared, leaving Rocky with no recourse and no remedy.

Enter Pamela Edwards from TAMU Agrilife Extension who'd been helping Rocky with rides and nominated him to OnRamp. We knew immediately he deserved assistance and began searching for an SUV. But how would we pay for it? Fortunately, our wonderful partners at Brazos Valley Cares, a local veterans assistance group, heard Rocky's story and committed immediately to pay the bill!