Business owner donates car to PTC student

A North Little Rock woman has a lot to be thankful for this holiday season.  A Conway business owner gave single mother and Pulaski Tech Student, Mary Bradley, a better way to get around.  It's all part of the "Recycled Rides" program.

"I'd just like to thank everyone for helping me, this has really been a hard time," says Bradley.

The road ahead for Bradley will be much smoother. Until Monday, the mother had no car and either rode with a friend or took the city bus to get to and from classes at Pulaski Tech.

"You know not really having good transportation to get places it's been hard, it’s been a struggle."

Late buses and long routes kept her from getting to her classes on time. "It was really hard not only going to school, you got to go to the grocery store, then you got to put your groceries on the bus, then you got to get home," says Bradley.

Despite these obstacles Bradley has a "B" average and her hard work got her noticed. "If you can imagine the dedication this lady has shown six days a week using public transportation to come and get an education," says Donald Cook with the Pulaski Tech Foundation.

Thanks to a program called "Recycled Rides" she's now in the driver’s seat of her very own car. Jody Gatchell with A & J Collision repair refurbished this Ford Taurus and donated it to Bradley. "With the dependability we have on cars to be able to have somebody change their live by having transportation makes me feel really good that we're giving back to somebody that really needs a vehicle," says Gatchell.

"I always wanted my girls to be involved in different activities and it was hard for me to get transportation and take them there but now I can get them involved," says Bradley.

Pulaski Tech has agreed to pay Bradley’s car insurance for six months. School officials picked Bradley out of a group of five students. Monday's donation coincided with 48 other "Recycled Rides" car give-a-ways across the United States.