Changing Lives Through Training

In the past couple of weeks we have sought to give you reasons and evidence concerning the importance of our existence. At the very core of what we do is a passion for serving others; Through training we have been able to impact peoples lives by assisting them in improvement. At the same time, we have been able to improve and learn so much from our client- base. If you were to ask anyone what the reward is for what they do you would probably receive a variety of answers. In life results can be analyzed in many forms. For us Commercial Drivers License training is not about monetary gains- for us; rather its much deeper. Its about the lives of the people who train with us and the rate of their success. We have trained over 2,000 CDL drivers in the past 10+ years; Along with that success comes storys. Today we would like to share one with you:

Its the story of a female who had the courage and ambition to actually go after what she felt she wanted. All too often you see people dream, but not actualize. Here at Red Hook on the Road we are about a couple of things: Commitment, Effort, Responsibility, Initiative, and Discipline. Enhancement can be synonomous with change in some instances. That Change may become a complete overhaul. If thats what it takes, then thats what is done- and WE WILL HELP! Just ask Marisol Gonzalez....

Marisol Gonzalez is a single mother of three children ages 17, 14, and 7 came to Red Hook on The Road because she wanted to get off of public assistance, get a good paying job and provide for her children. “I know that people may think that I might not be able to do it because I’m only 4ft 9 inches tall, but I know that I will make an excellent bus driver. After being a homemaker for the past few years I know that it is time for me to go back to work since my children are now all in school. For the past few years I’ve been an in home child care provider and even worked part time as a teacher’s assistant so I know how to deal with kids. I think that I’ll make a great school bus driver.”

Little did Marisol know that after getting her “BP” license her driving career would head in a whole new direction. Shortly after completing the training RHOR Director Julio Perez received a call from Gate Gourmet, a trucking company that delivers foods to the airlines out at JFK Airport. They were looking for a truck driver with a clean class “B” CDL. Mr. Perez spoke with Marisol about the job. Based on the fact that the starting salary was $12.20 an hour and that she would be eligible for full benefits after passing her probationary period the job really appealed to her. It didn’t matter that it was truck instead of bus. The interview was set up for a Saturday and Mr. Perez personally took her down. After being interviewed Marisol took a road test on one of their trucks. She passed with flying colors. She was offered the job and she gladly accepted. “I thought that I was going to drive a bus but this is great.” Due to a family emergency Marisol had to rush to Puerto Rico. She was gone for 3 weeks. With all hope lost Marisol contacted Mr. Perez after she returned to NY. Mr. Perez advocated on behalf of Marisol to Gate Gourmet; explaining to them that it was a family emergency that kept her from starting. They agreed to the original offer that was made and gave her a shot.

Since starting, Marisol has received a raise which makes her present salary $13.20 an hour. “I love my job. Thank you so much Red Hook on The Road.”