Keys to a New Beginning

June 22nd, 2026
by Real Life Center Staff

How a Community Partnership Changed Everything for One Young Mother

Catelynn is 25 years old and a mother of two little boys, ages 3 and almost 5. She is navigating the transition to single motherhood, and she is doing it with remarkable determination. Each day, she drives for DoorDash, Grubhub, and Uber while her boys are in school, picks them up in the afternoon, and keeps going. Her older son has special needs, and getting him to his ABA therapy program every day is not optional. Neither is paying rent. Neither is keeping the lights on.

All of it depended on one thing: a reliable vehicle.

Someone to Walk Alongside Her

Catelynn first came to the Real Life Center not for food or financial assistance, but because she felt stuck. “I’m just stuck,” she told RLC staff. “I need someone to help me get unstuck.”
That’s how she was connected with Susan De la Cruz, a long-time RLC volunteer with a background in special education. Susan began meeting with Catelynn as a mentor, and their time together was not about telling Catelynn what to do. It was about listening, exploring options, and walking with her through each next step. One of those steps was helping Catelynn navigate the public school system to secure a full-day special education program for her older son. That was a huge burden lifted.

“She just really needed someone to walk with her,” Susan shared. “We all have seasons of giving and receiving. This was her season to receive. Not judgment, not a checklist, just someone to say, here are your options. Where do you want to be?”

Through it all, Catelynn kept hustling. She kept showing up. When her vehicle situation became critical, and the car payments were no longer affordable, Susan brought the need to the RLC staff. They knew exactly who to call.

A Car That Arrived by Grace

Christian Brothers Automotive in Sharpsburg has been a faithful partner to the Real Life Center. They have generously donated refurbished vehicles to clients who are in critical need of reliable transportation. What makes this partnership even more remarkable is that each donated vehicle comes with 12 months of free bumper-to-bumper service. For an entire year, recipients do not have to worry about unexpected repair costs. That is an extraordinary gift.

When RLC reached out to owner Dave Shuford about Catelynn’s need, the timing was nothing short of remarkable. A Jeep had arrived at Christian Brothers by accident. A tow truck company had delivered it to the wrong shop. When Dave’s team inspected it, they found the damage was primarily cosmetic: bumper repairs and light body work, with no significant mechanical issues. They took the vehicle in, put 200 miles on it to make sure it drove well, and prepared it for donation.

“We never get cars that way,” Dave explained. “We normally wait until someone donates one. This one just… showed up.”

It is difficult to call that a coincidence.

“I Fell to the Ground in Tears”

Catelynn describes the moment she found out in her own words:

“I was on my way to pick Remi up from daycare, and I had been checking in with Susan, my wonderful mentor, for any updates. I shot her a quick text, ‘Hey Susan, you haven’t heard any updates from Greg, have you?’ About an hour later, I received a response that I was going to be receiving a vehicle! I had just gotten Maverick out of the daycare. I fell to the ground in tears! I couldn’t believe that it was actually going to be a vehicle for me! I remember feeling this overwhelming weight had been lifted.”

After the handoff, she sent Susan a photo of her boys buckled into the back seat, grinning from ear to ear. “They’re usually on top of each other,” she laughed. “Now they have space.”
At the presentation, Catelynn spoke simply and from the heart: “This would not have been possible… This is going to make a world of difference for me and my boys.”

This Is What Partnership Looks Like

Catelynn’s story is one of resilience, but it is also a story of community. It took a mentor who listened without judgment, a staff that paid attention, and a business owner willing to let a Jeep that arrived by accident become a lifeline for a young family.

The Real Life Center exists right at the intersection of those kinds of moments. We are so grateful for partners like Christian Brothers Automotive, who see generosity not as a transaction, but as a calling. And we are grateful for donors like you, whose support makes it possible for us to identify neighbors in need and connect them with exactly the right help at exactly the right time.

Catelynn told Susan that she hopes to one day mentor another young woman walking through a hard season. She wants to be the person who shows up and says, “You’re not stuck. Here are your options. Where do you want to be?” We think she will be wonderful at it.

That’s how grace works. It moves through people. It moves through partnerships. And sometimes, it arrives at the right shop by accident.