Support after an unthinkable accident
On a bright sunny day in July 2020, the unthinkable happened. While out on an afternoon motorcycle ride, my husband was killed by an impaired driver in a multi-car accident. I spent the days and months that followed this tragically unexpected event in shock and faced with having to deal with a host of activities and obligations for which I was completely unprepared.
Very soon after the accident happened, I was approached by my Manager about applying for assistance from the Anderson Assistance Foundation. It came as a surprise to me, as I honestly hadn’t even considered doing so. I didn’t think I needed it. I thought, “That’s for someone else, not for me.” But after helping me understand that this unexpected hardship is precisely what the Foundation is for, I agreed. And I’m so glad that I did. Sometimes when a hardship like mine occurs, its true impacts may not be fully realized until later. While the second paycheck in our family stopped coming, the bills and other obligations still continued. This was when I realized how important the Foundation’s support was.
The gift from the Anderson Assistance Foundation helped take the pressure off of me during an extremely tough time in my life. It helped me pay for funeral expenses and monthly bills and took the worry away so I could focus on handling other important things following my husband’s death.
Thanks to my Manager, the Foundation application process was easy. Once I agreed to apply, she took care of the application submission. The process of providing expense information and receiving the assistance was easy as well. And the process was fast, allowing me to pay the bills I needed to without delay. I am not typically good at asking for help. But having gone through it and experiencing the weight the support has lifted for me, I would absolutely recommend that others in our ATS family apply if they face a hardship.
There are no words strong enough to express how humbled and truly, truly grateful I am for both the Anderson Assistance Foundation and the assistance it provided. But also for the support and strength shown to me by the people of ATS. My Manager, my coworkers and the leadership at ATS have all been amazing to me during this very difficult time. I could not be luckier than to have been working at ATS when this happened. I cannot imagine how people that don’t have this kind of support from their work family get through something like this. I would like to say thank you and convey my most heartfelt gratitude to the people of ATS and the Foundation for helping me through this.