New Custom Accessible Van for Ernestina Saldana

Dear friends,

Some of you know our beloved friend Ernestina Saldaña as a shitkicking activist with an MS in Environmental Engineering and a Ph.D. in wastewater reuse, or maybe you know her as a warm and funny, effervescent mother and community-builder.  Story from Voices of Monterey Bay  If you don't know her yet, you will fall in love when you meet her. 

However it is that you may know her, what you know that she is always in motion. 

Unfortunately, this winter, Ernestina's specialized  van with hand controls, a Captain's chair and a side ramp  stopped working, severely limiting her ability to get around.  

"We rode on a bus with her last night, first I'd heard about her van's untimely demise. Can't imagine when she was able to finally get home, given the bus irregularity."
                                  - Michael Gasser, 2020

A new van would cost her $50k. We have started this campaign to try to raise half the money for the van. We figure that we should be able to round up a couple hundred people to chip in a hundred bucks each (or a little more from a few less of us, or a little less from a few more) to get near that goal. 

"I have the strong belief that we can all make a difference. Even if it’s a small grain of sand that you put into the balance, that eventually will add up with the others."
                                      - Ernestina Saldaña, 2018

This campaign may sound crazy, but it seems worth a try.  Maybe it is the kind of crazy that will make us all a little less crazy if it works. 

Please help out if you can.