Valarie and her aging father had a busy life shuffling kids from school to sports practice to games and home again for homework and dinner. Rinse and repeat. With five kids they were busy! Life was good until unforeseen financial difficulties hit and caused them to lose their home. A terrifying prospect.
Elk Grove HART and the City of Elk Grove helped them to stabilize until a subsidized apartment became available. Mom was so good at keeping her spirits up in front of the kids all the while concerned about what their future looked like.
Just before Christmas, the family got word that an apartment was available. HART sprang into action purchasing beds and coordinating with an area church to outfit their apartment with gently used furniture. One of the California state departments adopted them for Christmas and lavished them with a tree and Christmas presents stacked
underneath it.
On Christmas Eve they were all tucked in their new beds, safe from the streets and well fed. No Santa, but several caring people helping to make this Christmas the most memorable of all.