Those nerve-wracking trips ended for Troilynn Wicked Friday when she received a reliable car through the Wheels To Work program.

That program is a partnership of the Fort Dodge Community Foundation and United Way and Fort Dodge Ford Lincoln Toyota. It donates older cars in good working order to struggling people who need reliable wheels in order to be able to work and provide for their families.

Wicked became the latest beneficiary of the program Friday when she received a Ford Taurus at the dealership on Fifth Avenue South.

She was moved to tears as she held the keys to her vehicle.

-Messenger photo by Bill Shea
Matt Johnson, of Fort Dodge Ford Lincoln Toyota, left, hands the keys to a Ford Taurus to Troilynn Wicked, of Fort Dodge, Friday. The car was given to her through Wheels To Work, a program of the Fort Dodge Community Foundation and United Way and Fort Dodge Ford Lincoln Toyota. They were joined Friday by Trish Winninger, from the United Way; Casey Johnson from Fort Dodge Ford Lincoln Toyota and Stacey Nelson, from the United Way.

“It’s too exciting,” she said. “It’s too amazing.”

“I’m not used to good things happening to me,” she added.

Her childhood, she said, consisted of stints in foster care and residential facilities. She added that a divorce last year left her homeless and broke.

“I’ve worked so hard to provide,” she said.

Wicked works for Optimae Life Services in Webster City. That agency helps disabled people living in the community by teaching them life skills

Her 3-year-old son and 1-year-old daughter attend Eagle Wings Preschool in Eagle Grove.

Until Friday, she was going to Webster City, Eagle Grove and anywhere else she needed to be in a car she said had no brakes, no windshield wipers and lots of other problems.

She said getting the Taurus “takes my life from a five to a 95.”

Matt Johnson, a co-owner of Fort Dodge Ford Lincoln Toyota, handed Wicked the keys. Minutes later, Casey Johnson, another co-owner of the dealership, put the new license plates on.

Wheels To Work started about 15 years ago.

“It’s been hugely successful,” Casey Johnson said.

The Johnson family also owns Ames Ford in Ames and has started a Wheels To Work program there. Between the two dealerships more than 150 cars have been donated, according to Casey Johnson.

The local United Way identifies people who would benefit from the program. The dealership takes care of the vehicles, many of which are donated to the program. The mechanics give the vehicles a thorough workup, getting them into good working condition.