Hello Everyone! My name is Chinelle Flavaney (but you all can call me Chi (Shy)) & I am coming to you all on behalf of The Flavaney Tribe.

Our family consists of 9 members, stemming from a couple of collegiate athletes from Fresno Pacific University who believed that anything was possible with God. 18 years later, we still stand with 7 beautiful, energetic children ranging between the ages of 1 to 16 and a plethora of stories that will last beyond my lifetime.

At the beginning of 2023, our family endured a series of misfortunate events that spiraled us into positions that my husband (Shurnon) and I never thought we’d face. We lost almost everything, including my husband to heat exhaustion and 4 broken ribs that resulted in him losing both of his jobs.

No worries, “Mommy has got this!” Well, at least that’s what I thought. Having to dive headfirst into the workforce and finding out that I was pregnant simultaneously made me laugh & cry. We were forced to grab a storage unit, pack up our home & move into a homeless shelter for families that only allowed us 2 bags per family member in the unit.

While Shurnon recovered, I took a clerical position working for a private hospital’s revenue team. I saved everything I could and within 6 months, I had a healed husband & enough money to find a suitable home.

We searched everywhere. The only homes that seemed to fit our budget were almost an hour from where we worked. Not to mention, the shelter where we stayed would soon close for renovations and had nowhere for us to go. So we weighed our options and decided that a commute would be better than being on the streets of Phoenix, Arizona.

We found a reasonable home in Buckeye, AZ within our budget that also had enough space for us all. We were excited and once we finally moved in, it felt like all of our prayers had been answered as we had a pretty rough year.

A short time later, our car decided that its transmission was not enjoying all of the extra miles and we just didn’t have the capital to manage a $4000 bill unexpectedly. In losing our car, we turned to Uber and Lyft to get to our jobs but between the travel time and the extra expense, we were working against ourselves.

It became so difficult trying to keep up at work and at home because Shurnon and I were simply exhausted all the while having a newborn. We both were released from our positions in Tempe due to late time clock punches or missed days. It was such a sad relief because although we didn’t have the stress of getting to and from work, sleep schedules or our children being without either of us for too many hours of the day, we now had to find new jobs to support our large family.

With the help of our savings, family, friends & the City of Buckeye, we have managed to stay afloat up until now. We thought finding a new source of income would have been easy yet without transportation and living on the outskirts of the city, it proved to be a great challenge.

Just when we had run out of resources and favor, (how it felt) God blessed Shurnon with 2 job offers that he gladly accepted but due to the timing, our bills had already started going into the red.

On the same day Shurnon began his first job, our water was shut off. They explained that $514.00 was due in order to reconnect. Minutes later, I received a text message from the owner of the home we live in that stated we needed to pay our rent or else he would begin the eviction process. It was definitely pouring that day and I cannot say that I did not feel a sense of hopelessness.

We have been without water for a few days now and still owe a balance of $1199 to our landlord by this Friday, July 25th at 3 pm or else he will begin the eviction process at 3:01 pm. I explained to him all that had been happening and also gave him a timeframe of expected pay dates. Nonetheless, we will continue to be in the position to pay one or the other (water or rent) for the next few paychecks Shurnon will get if we continue on this path.

I am coming before you all the most humble way I know how asking for help in this matter. If we could raise $2200 to cover our rent, water bill & fees associated with transactions; it would put our family right side up as we are so close to once again being a self sufficient family.

Thank you so much in advance as your donations will not only bless our family during this time but also inspire the larger families watching us to continue to do the right thing in knowing that God will provide if we keep pushing towards the mark.

Kindly,

Chi ❤️