High School Students Work Together To Give A Single Mom Of 6 A Gift To Change Her Life For The Better
This mom will never forget the kindness of these teens.
View Apart / Shutterstock Being a single mom certainly isn’t easy. Doing the work of two parents all while keeping up with regular life responsibilities is a challenge. Single moms can use all the help they can get.
One organization teamed up with a group of high school automotive tech students to make sure that happened in Charlottesville, Virginia.
High school students worked together to give a single mom of six kids the gift of transportation.
Michelle Mendez is a mom of six who has struggled financially. Mendez was homeless and living out of hotels before getting help from the organization The Journey Home, a nonprofit that provides a faith-centered solution to helping people recover from homelessness.
After all of the help Mendez received from The Journey Home, another nonprofit stepped in to lend a hand. Giving Words, founded by former single dad Eddie Brown, along with his wife, Ginny, focuses on multiple charitable endeavors, including helping single mothers.
“We have consistently noticed how much easier child-rearing has been with two parents and the necessary resources,” Ginny said. “We have an abundance of experience, connections, and love; we want to share our resources with those who don’t.”
“They’ve really been helping me,” Mendez said of the organizations.
Recently, Giving Words took their help one step further. After receiving a $10,200 grant from local company Rappahannock Electric Cooperative, the nonprofit teamed up with high schoolers from a Louisa County, Virginia school to get Mendez a car.
The students worked on restoring the car throughout the year so it would be ready for Mendez, and both the single mom and teens benefitted from their gift.
“To get this car is just a blessing,” she said. “It’s just been hard as a single mom, and I really appreciate everything everybody’s done to make this happen.”
As is often the case, giving was just as important as receiving. One of the students who worked on the car told the local news station, “We changed someone’s life. It’s just a great feeling, to give someone a car.”
While any school project that took a year to complete would leave a lasting impression on students, one that is done for such a good cause is sure to leave an even deeper mark.
When asked about the importance of this gift, Mendez pointed out the ability “to be able to, you know, take the kids where they need to go, and, you know, to be able to get back and forth to work so I can do the things that I need to do.” This is something that is essential for any mom, especially a single mom taking on the role of two parents.
The car was presented to Mendez in a ceremony that included the high school students who worked so hard to get the car ready for her. Also present were Eddie Brown, as well as Casey Hollins, a representative from Rappahannock Electric Cooperative.
While getting choked up, Hollins told reporters, “I was also a single mom, so I can completely relate to what this mom’s needs are, and it’s a really rewarding experience.”
There are countless single parents who are struggling to take on the responsibilities of both parents. Each has a unique story and could use some help.
Mendez’s message for the high schoolers is simple yet profound. “I hope that they, you know, are happy about what they’ve done,” she says, “and, you know, grateful that it gets to go to somebody who’s really going to appreciate it and use it.”
While Mendez will surely never forget this act of kindness, the high school students who made it happen are also unlikely to forget what they did to make life for one single mom just a little bit easier.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer for YourTango who covers entertainment, news, and human interest topics.