A Comox Valley mom said she felt as though she had just won the lottery when she travelled to Victoria Saturday.Rather than picking up a cheque, Bobbi (who didn’t want her last name used), picked up a car — a car that she said restored not only her faith in people, but inspired her to pay it forward.”Every time I look outside, I smile when I see my car,” she said. “It’s such a good lesson for my kids.”Bobbi explained she was looking on Facebook when she saw a page for a woman in Victoria willing to donate a car to someone in need. “I have two special-needs boys and I travel to Victoria for appointments all the time,” she wrote in her short note on the page. “I was shortlisted, then the woman asked to meet up with me,” added Bobbi, who was initially unsure about the legitimacy of the offer. The donor spoke with her boss, and then Bobbi and her mother drove to Victoria to meet with her.”Four years ago, the woman told me she was in a bad place, but her life has since gotten better. She told me the reason for giving away her car was that sometimes on your way up, you have to reach down and help someone,” she noted.Bobbi said the donor had arranged through a local dealership to have the 2003 Chevy Cavalier completely detailed and had filled up the gas tank, but her generosity didn’t stop there.”She was overwhelmed on how many people wrote in. There was an older woman who needed a car to get to medical appointments. (The donor) spoke to Galaxy Motors who agreed to donate a car to her, too,” she added.The donor helped Bobbi through every step of ownership, she noted.”It was the first time I’ve ever insured a car,” she said.Bobbi admitted she is still feeling overwhelmed, and feels that since the week and a half has passed since she wrote her story on Facebook to the time she picked up the car, her life “feels like a movie.””(The donor) could have easily sold the car or traded it in,” she said. “It’s so much more than a car — it totally makes my life so much easier. It’s the craziest yet most selfless act that could have ever happened to me.”She added she has now forged a friendship with the donor, and hopes the next time she is in Victoria to meet up with her for dinner.But that’s not all the donor has done for Bobbi.”I’m inspired to continue to pay it forward,” she said. “She said she got more out of it than I did, but I walked away with a new faith in people and am totally inspired.”photos@comoxvalleyrecord.com

Comox Valley Record