Cruz Family of 5 Emergency Relief
Donation protected
The Cruz family is a lovely family of five, with three amazing kids (13-year-old, 9 year-old, and 3 year-old). Jerry Cruz works two jobs. Tanya has struggled finding a job because of childcare for her 3-year-old.
Tanya always has her kids in the forefront of her mind. Every decision revolves around them. She has been taking classes at our community college with the goal of becoming a teacher someday. For now, her goal is to get her AA so she can begin substitute teaching. She is a tremendously hard worker and has professors willing to help her once she receives the degree. This type of position would be a God-send for their family. They would be making more money than ever and would finally be able to get back on their feet.
In addition, Tanya's youngest son is finally able to attend the childcare provided by the college as long as Tanya keeps attending, which has been a huge relief.
About a year ago, their world was rocked when an event occured that caused their rent in their small apartment to double. The increased cost would have consumed over 75% of their income...making it impossible for them to pay bills and simply eat.
They tried sub-leasing a room. Unfortunately, when you have small kids, it's not always safe to house strangers, even if they do pay rent.
This event was the first of many that led to the Cruz family's current situation.
Let's fast-forward to the most recent event that has plagued the Cruz family and has led me to create this campaign.
As terrible as it is to think about a family of five (with a 13-year-old, 9 year-old, and 3 year-old) living in a car, trajedy struck again.
A few weeks ago, Tanya and her daughter were stopped at a stop sign, planning to make a simple right turn. Unbeknownst to Tanya, another nearby car was backing up from a parking space. The car was backing up at such a high speed, that when he hit them, the impact moved their car back 8 feet and deployed all of the airbags. Thankfully, there were only a few minor injuries. However, the car (the only thing they have left) was damaged significantly.
The man who hit them had the minimum required insurance which didn't even begin to cover the damage. To make matters worse, she recently had to lessen her insurance coverage because of the costs.
So for this accident that was absolutely no fault of her own (she was completely stopped at a stop sign), they needed to come up with the $1000 deductible. Then, they needed to come up with the cost beyond what insurance would cover to fix the car. The latest estimate which only included external damage and airbags is approximately $11,000 .
To make matters even worse, bad advice has led to actions that may lead to insurance repossessing their car...which will lead to their currently good credit score (over 700) being ruined...and no car...and no home.
We are asking for $2000 to help cover the cost of the deductible, additional costs to repair the car. We're hoping that this will help stop insurance from repossessing the car.
Second, we are asking for $2000 for a downpayment on an apartment. Finding something they can afford in Los Angeles could be difficult, but the downpayment is one less thing they would have to think about.
The Cruz family will make it through this. My family has opened our home to them. Though they spend time with their family after school, the older kids have dinner and sleep at my house. It's a safe place and a bit of stability in their unstable world. They are such great kids that shouldn't have to wonder about where they may have to sleep.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 states, "So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."
This verse describes the heart of my friend, Tanya Cruz. Last year, a series of unfortunate events lead to a downward spiral in life circumstances. It seems like each month her family met with another event that hurt them even more than the first. Through it all, however, Tanya has remained positive and hopeful--looking toward the future and geting her family back to a safe place. Her faith and stability on Jesus throughout this time in her life has been amazing and inspiring. Though their situation is nothing short of heart-breaking,
I believe God is preparing to do something extraordinary through her.
Tanya always has her kids in the forefront of her mind. Every decision revolves around them. She has been taking classes at our community college with the goal of becoming a teacher someday. For now, her goal is to get her AA so she can begin substitute teaching. She is a tremendously hard worker and has professors willing to help her once she receives the degree. This type of position would be a God-send for their family. They would be making more money than ever and would finally be able to get back on their feet.
In addition, Tanya's youngest son is finally able to attend the childcare provided by the college as long as Tanya keeps attending, which has been a huge relief.
About a year ago, their world was rocked when an event occured that caused their rent in their small apartment to double. The increased cost would have consumed over 75% of their income...making it impossible for them to pay bills and simply eat.
They tried sub-leasing a room. Unfortunately, when you have small kids, it's not always safe to house strangers, even if they do pay rent.
This event was the first of many that led to the Cruz family's current situation.
Let's fast-forward to the most recent event that has plagued the Cruz family and has led me to create this campaign.
As terrible as it is to think about a family of five (with a 13-year-old, 9 year-old, and 3 year-old) living in a car, trajedy struck again.
A few weeks ago, Tanya and her daughter were stopped at a stop sign, planning to make a simple right turn. Unbeknownst to Tanya, another nearby car was backing up from a parking space. The car was backing up at such a high speed, that when he hit them, the impact moved their car back 8 feet and deployed all of the airbags. Thankfully, there were only a few minor injuries. However, the car (the only thing they have left) was damaged significantly.
The man who hit them had the minimum required insurance which didn't even begin to cover the damage. To make matters worse, she recently had to lessen her insurance coverage because of the costs.
So for this accident that was absolutely no fault of her own (she was completely stopped at a stop sign), they needed to come up with the $1000 deductible. Then, they needed to come up with the cost beyond what insurance would cover to fix the car. The latest estimate which only included external damage and airbags is approximately $11,000 .
To make matters even worse, bad advice has led to actions that may lead to insurance repossessing their car...which will lead to their currently good credit score (over 700) being ruined...and no car...and no home.
We are asking for $2000 to help cover the cost of the deductible, additional costs to repair the car. We're hoping that this will help stop insurance from repossessing the car.
Second, we are asking for $2000 for a downpayment on an apartment. Finding something they can afford in Los Angeles could be difficult, but the downpayment is one less thing they would have to think about.
The Cruz family will make it through this. My family has opened our home to them. Though they spend time with their family after school, the older kids have dinner and sleep at my house. It's a safe place and a bit of stability in their unstable world. They are such great kids that shouldn't have to wonder about where they may have to sleep.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 states, "So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."
This verse describes the heart of my friend, Tanya Cruz. Last year, a series of unfortunate events lead to a downward spiral in life circumstances. It seems like each month her family met with another event that hurt them even more than the first. Through it all, however, Tanya has remained positive and hopeful--looking toward the future and geting her family back to a safe place. Her faith and stability on Jesus throughout this time in her life has been amazing and inspiring. Though their situation is nothing short of heart-breaking,
I believe God is preparing to do something extraordinary through her.
Organizer
Devin Waddle
Organizer
Los Angeles, CA
