CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Receiving keys to a brand new car Tuesday felt like “Christmas” for Shayla Leftridge with the Aspiring for a Better Community Foundation.
“It’s also really nice to be recognized for doing something that you didn’t expect to be recognized for,” Leftridge, of Institute, told reporters outside the West Virginia Association for Justice building in Charleston.
Attorneys with the WVAJ presented a 2007 Acura to Leftridge Tuesday for her community service. In September, Leftridge sold her car to cover expenses for a Community Unity event she organized in the city.
“I was willing to sacrifice the car,” she said. “It’s a thing. It’s something that you can replace. It’s something that is not necessary to my survival, but if that one sacrifice could change relations here in any way, it was worth it.”
Leftridge has been working to build better relationships between the community and police in wake of nationwide protests over police brutality.
“Talking about it on Facebook is not going to change people’s minds. It’s definitely going to take people coming together,” she said.
More than 100 WVAJ attorneys donated $100 each to purchase the car of Leftridge’s choice.
“We allowed Shayla to pick it out herself and then the dealership Tim Short worked with us to get the price down to where we could afford to get that car for her,” said Jane Peak, WVAJ president.
Charleston attorney and WVAJ member Tim DiPiero coordinated the effort for the association. He said he was happy to help Leftridge so she can continue helping the community.
“I’m really proud of her, for her to step up just on her own to do something very positive in the community,” DiPerio said. “We try to promote justice ourselves and for her to be trying to do something to promote justice between the community and the police meant a lot.”
Leftridge said she stepped up because she didn’t want to see violence in the county. She’s encouraging everyone to get involved in some way.
“Whatever it is in your community that you can do to help make it better, do that,” she said.