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Like many in the Hope community, the Linzy family has a lot going on. Caitlyn and her husband, Durrell, both work full-time and their kiddos – Olivia, Xavier and Judah – who range in age from 10 to two years old – keep them hoppin’, 30-year-old Caitlyn Linzy says. And the family is set to welcome the blessing of a baby girl shortly after the first of the year.  

However, as is part and parcel with things, life happens.

And when life happens, that is when communities band together – as the Linzy family found out firsthand this past weekend.

When one of their two vehicles – a Chevy Traverse – unexpectedly broke down earlier this summer it understandably put a strain on the family. However, the Linzys were determined to make it work.

Linzy, who is a program therapist with Columbus Behavioral Center, serves on the Student’s Fund of Hope board and volunteers to counsel local youth several evenings each week at the SFOH Hub. With her husband’s 7 a.m. clock-in at the CBC, where he also works as a mental health technician, a nearly 6 a.m. wake up time was going to make an early start for their middle child, Xavier, and a long day at Hope Elementary for the kindergartener.

“I was talking about [how] I would just walk him to school and then I could walk to the Hub and it would be OK,” Linzy says.

When the vehicle first broke down, Linzy says Whitney Budd, founder of the SFOH, immediately offered help.

“Whitney said, ‘Let us get you a vehicle,’” Linzy recalls. “I said, ‘Whitney, you can’t get me a vehicle. We will figure out how to fix the one we have. There are plenty of people in this community who need help. Durrell and I both work full-time, we will figure it out.’”

The Fund helped the couple get the Traverse’s busted radiator fixed. However, the SUV still had issues that would likely need attention sooner rather than later.

Unbeknownst to the Linzy family, Budd and her staff at the Fund set in motion the makings of a very unexpected holiday blessing.

Ahead of welcoming their fourth child, the family gathered at the SFOH Hub this past weekend for a baby shower surrounded by family and friends.

“We just thought, what a perfect moment,” Budd says.

Once the festivities were nearly over, Budd told the couple there was yet one more gift, but there were two conditions.

“‘Now that you are done, we have something for you, but you are going to have to close your eyes and trust us,’” Linzy recalls Budd saying.

Trust wasn’t an issue. However, closing her eyes? That was odd.

“I was a bit confused,” Linzy adds.  

The couple was carefully escorted outside both with eyes closed.

Once they were in position, Budd said, “OK, now open ‘em!”

Immediately following the shock, tears and gratitude was pure disbelief and joy.

[Watch the Big Reveal HERE]

“I still feel like it was a dream,” Linzy says. “I think we are still trying to wrap our head around it a little bit.”

Gustav Lopez, owner of Hill Auto Sales and Service in Hope, was the man behind the scenes whose due diligence paid off in what ended up a tri-state area search for a vehicle that would fit the family’s needs.

Despite the gravity of the gesture and effort, Lopez says, “It is no big deal; Whenever we can help people, we help.”  

The van needed a new thermostat and brakes, but the short list of repairs was nothing, Lopez says.

“The main thing was making sure everything was in good condition,” he says.  

Lopez is no stranger to the SFOH as he regularly helps out when the need arises, Budd says.

“Gustavo is just a good, good guy,” Bud says. “There are so many times we contact him for help with vehicles.”

Though the Fund offered to pay Lopez at least for the work completed to make the vehicle road-worthy – since he refused payment for the van itself – he declined, Budd says.

“It has a lot of miles on it, but it will get them through until they can get their next vehicle,” Budd says.

The gifting of the vehicle was a big deal for many reasons, Budd adds. Overarchingly, was the ripple of blessings that would be felt throughout the Hope community as a natural consequence of this tremendous act of kindness, she says.

“This doesn’t just affect the Linzy family – she is counseling these kids and mentoring parents every night for free,” Budd says. “She’s constantly pouring into other people and working with them.”

Admittedly, Linzy says her husband is still in a bit of shock “like the rest of us.”

As Linzy looks forward to continuing her work with the Fund and deepening her existing Hope ties, she says she is “all in.”

The former Hartsville resident says Hope has always been an important part of her life.

“It has always been home,” she says. “It is one of those little towns who rallies together.”

Though small, the community’s ability to rally support and garner such an impact as felt by the Linzy family is far greater than many imagine, Linzy says.

“If you have a need and you are here in our community, just let us know,” Linzy says. “Whitney and the Fund have a way of figuring things out and even if they don’t have the solution, there’s people in our corner. Whether we realize that we had a village behind us or not, the Fund is everyone’s village. They are going to do what they can to help.”