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Light One Candle Struggling mom lacks transport By SUSAN JAY It's been a real squeeze trying to make ends meet since her divorce last summer. That's when this 23-year-old found herself a single mom of three kids all under the age of 6. She worked at a variety of jobs to add to her $637 monthly state assistance check, but the Eagle Point woman could only find part-time and temporary work. So she started job training at the Job Council, and taking classes to complete a GED. But two months ago, the engine in her 1988 Toyota Tercel blew out, the result of a bad oil leak. Now, transportation is a logistical nightmare. Relatives and friends help when they can, driving her from Eagle Point to White City for her classes at the Veteran's Administration Domiciliary. If she can get a ride to White City, then she can take the bus to Medford to the Job Council. For last-minute shopping, she uses the baby's stroller to carry groceries from the nearby store. A new engine for her car would mean she could get to class and to job training without having to depend on family members and the bus. But repairing the engine will cost about six times what she pays in rent. There's no way she can afford that. "It's really hard to get by," says the woman, who stretches her dollars by buying at bargains and using coupons. Leslie Ann Carson, a family advocate from the Rogue Family Center in White City, calls the single mom a success despite her hardships. "She is making healthy choices to gain an education and she takes excellent care of her children," Carson says. This struggling mom works on her GED, often for long hours at a time, because she wants to get ahead, Carson says. Her motivation shows in the very few times she has missed her Medford appointments. "If she had a car, there's no stopping how far this young woman would go toward improving her life for herself and her kids," Carson said. Anyone interested in helping this mom with car repairs, a new engine or a used car, can contact Carson, family advocate at the Rogue Family Center in White City at 830-7012. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1998, Medford, Oregon USA