Twenty-four-year-old Rachel Chavez was brought to tears at Arrowhead BMW last month.
“Oh my gosh, guys, look at our car,” said Chavez in a video walking alongside her three younger brothers.
On this day, she was shocked to learn she’d been given a new car after sharing her story with a nonprofit called the Homeless Engagement Lift Partnership.
“They told us we were going to help wrap presents for other families, so we had no idea what was happening,” said Chavez. “Seeing it, that first view, I thought I was in a dream, I was like, 'someone pinch me, because this can’t be real.'”
For the past year and a half, Chavez has housed and cared for her three younger brothers — ages 17, 15, and 9. Last September, she gained legal custody after their parents could no longer care for them due to health and financial issues.
“I’m caring for them to give them a better future, to provide them with what they need, a roof over their head, food,” said Chavez. “Our parents still see them, but they are working on their own health. I just wanted my brothers to have a stable household.”
It’s an incredible responsibility that didn’t go unnoticed by HELP who began assisting her family last year, donating presents for the holidays and supplying other resources as well.
“It is tough on me but I’m a soldier,” said Chavez with a laugh. “My childhood was very tough, and I just wanted to break the cycle.”
She tells ABC15 she went to school to become a pharmacy tech and worked full time while making sure her brothers, Johnny, Daniel, and Michael, could leave their worries at the door.
“For somebody that’s 24 years old, to take on that kind of responsibility, and to know and have that ambition to keep going, it’s incredible,” said Dawn Marie Rapaport, Founder of Homeless Engagement Lift Partnership.
Rapaport says they interviewed nearly 100 families they are currently assisting, learning their stories and hoping to choose one to receive this gift.
When they learned Chavez had been doing it all without a vehicle, it was time to give her a hand up.
“We just want to be there for her, we want to help her along her journey and help the boys and help lift her up,” said Rapaport. “She’s been taking the bus to work and school. Now she’ll save a lot more time and spend that with her family.”
Thanks to a donation by Arrowhead BMW, Volvo Cars Arrowhead, and Jaguar Land Rover Arrowhead, HELP gave Chavez a pristine 2015 Honda Accord.
“I like how it has seat warmers — you need it in this type of weather,” said Chavez, showing us around the car Wednesday.
“When we can give back, especially in such a great light with Rachel and her siblings and it’s local, it’s impactful, that’s a big deal for us,” said Nathan Schwan, General Sales Manager with Arrowhead BMW.
For Chavez, it’s a life-changing gift surely to open up new adventures for her family.
“My younger brother Daniel was talking about getting into football and I was like, oh my gosh, that would be awesome, I’ll be able to take him and go to the games,” said Chavez, gushing over their plans. “I’m really excited because we’ll be able to do anything we want and I’m really looking forward to bonding with them in a new way.”