Eva's Story

Waters from Hurricane Harvey flooded her school. The office building where her mom worked was inaccessible for two weeks. Her dad couldn’t go to work at the bakery because it was damaged too. Twelve-year-old Eva* knew her family needed help, even though her parents tried to keep it from her. Everyone seemed worried, quiet, and sad. One afternoon their neighbor brought over some fresh-baked cookies and Eva heard her mom say that they didn’t know if they would be able to pay the rent that month. Eva ran to her room and hid under her covers – why couldn’t her life just get back to normal?

What Eva didn’t hear was the neighbor telling her mom about Memorial Assistance Ministries and how they might be able to help the family out. Eva’s mom called to make an appointment with a MAM case worker. While Eva was playing at a friend’s house, her parents went to MAM, quite nervous but determined to explain the situation to their case worker.

That afternoon, Eva came home and her mom was smiling! She didn’t know what was going on, but her parents sat her down to have a family discussion about how things were going to change. With help from MAM, they were going to be able to pay their rent, her dad was working with someone to find a new job, and they even had a voucher for a new school clothes for Eva. Eva’s mom turned to her and said, “I know you have been very worried about us. I’ve been worried about you, too. You haven’t been acting like yourself since the hurricane – you’ve been lashing out when your dad or I leave, you hardly ever want to see your friends, and sometimes I hear you cry at night. What would you think about talking with a counselor?” Eva considered it and thought talking to someone who wasn’t her parent might be nice – she knew something was going on with herself, but she didn’t even know how to explain it.

* Clients’ names have been changed