As a charity trying hard to help low-income homeowners with minor home repair. It is important to help you understand why we do what we do, who we try to help first and why we need help from the general public to do more. Today we are being called upon to provide more help than just with the repair of a leaky faucet or to secure windows and doors. Today we are being asked for help with food and Utilites.

For those of you who are kind enough to follow my posts you know that I tell stories to ultimately earn a small donation of support for what we do at HPLA Charities. Officially we are registered with the Federal Government and the state of Kansas as Habitaciones Para Latinos Association a 501c3 non-profit. That is an awful lot to write on a check, so our bank has accepted HPLA Charities as a verifiable name to deposit to our account. Our website donate page has a link connected to PayPal for donations which in turn sends donations electronically to Community America Credit Union in Kansas City where our account is located.

As a kid growing up in Texas, I remember times of jubilation and times of hardship. I am the third generation as native-born American Citizens. But, without going into the story of my grandparents on both sides of family just know they were hard working folks who lived paycheck to paycheck and always found second & third revenue streams to pay the bills. My story today centers on my mother. She was the best mom I ever had, and I feel she could easily complete with any women as the best mom in the world. (I hope each of you can tell your mother how much she means to you). For me I tried to tell her and to show her how much she meant to me. She got called to heaven on January 15, 2006. She would have celebrated her 108th birthday on August 14, of this year. I want to tell each of you my readers why it is that I now do what I do.

I had a great life for my time. I was the 7th of 9 kids and was the youngest for nearly 10 years. I was spoiled and never had to help pick cotton for extra money like my older siblings. The year was 1950 and the war had long been over. The support of the war machine of the second world war had come to an end and dad was no longer needed at the Naval base in Corpus Christi, Texas. Dad worked there as a contractor in the motor pool. His brother Uncle Vicente returned from three years away from home while in the Army in Germany, Aunt Lilly kept their fires burning in his absence. Dad was in the middle of two brothers from a second family of Grandma Maria Trevino Flores. Grandma had been married originally to a Flores who pasted. They had four children together. When Grandma married again it just so happened it was to another Flores. No need to change names with the DMV. In those days that would have been handled by the Texas Department of Transportaion.

Previously Dads older brother Joe from the second marriage had made his way to San Antonio, Texas and established a welding shop as well as did car repairs. It would make for a great partnership for Uncle Joe and Dad to work together. Mom & Dad sold the only house my parents ever owned and moved to San Antionio. To have time to look for housing for seven kids and two adults was hard so we moved in with Uncle Joe. He had three kids but a relatively large home. Needless to say, some friction was inevitable. Since Uncle Joe and Aunt Lola were supporting us for a few days the grocery bill got out of hand quickly and the living accommodations got cramped. Within a few weeks we were asked to leave and had not found a place to live as of yet. Plan A was to live in the welding shop for a while. So, we did. At the end of the day all the cars in for repair were towed out and cardboard boxes cut to serve as a flooring. Fortunately, a very successful couple of color had just build a new two-bedroom house to rent and was next door to them. The had a dog named fluffy and Mom helped her with domestic duties as well as hair styles. They were one street over from Uncle Joe so Joe and Dad could commute but Dad like to go have a beer after work and so he took the family car every day. It wasn’t like Mom could drive anyway. The downside is much like today there was not enough money to pay all the bills. We were able to stay with Mr. & Mrs. Mercy for quite a while but by January 1952 we moved to another house, and it is there where I started grade school. It was not far from the welding shop but in another school than the one I would spend most of time attending. We had been in town a couple of years and this neighborhood was upscale, so it was very comfortable.

Fast forward to 1958 and four more moves later I was ready to start 6th grade. From depression or alcoholism and the birth of child number eight two years prior, Dad lost his life. Apparently, a fight broke out or there was a disturbance, or Dad had a bad dream or depression. Whatever, but just up the ally from our house Dad was found face down and declared dead from stab wounds. The coroner suggested self-inflicted wounds. We never have agreed that that is what happened but for the local police it was just another poor latino. Brother Sam, Sister Elli and Sister Beatrice had all been married by then. It was five of us at home. Brother Bull was two years old. Needless to say, we lost Dad’s income and because he owed his boss money they confiscated most of his tools. At eleven my brother Vince 2 1/2 years my senior had already found a job and soon after I got one too. He and I, at the advice of my mother got shovels and covered the blood stains left from the crime scene with dirt. Big Brother Leonard stepped up as the patriarch and kept us together.

Uncle Joe hired me for a few weeks at a dollar a day to watch the shop as he ran for parts or to bring a car to fix. Fortunately, Brother Sam got me on at the grocery store he was hired to manage. He was a phenomenal artist and painted the windows of the grocery store with the weekly specials. He, like most of my family were workaholics. I started at $12.50 for the week. Downside was I worked 60 hours a week compared to Uncle Joes job of 40 hours a week. I was still happy and blessed. I remember the grocery store owners taking pennies in Social Security deductions off the $12.50 work week paycheck.

It was Social Security that saved our existence as intime mom got a social security check for her and a second check for us kids. Uncle Vince gave us a loan and Uncle Joe provided reworked toys and tricycles for us kids. None of us older siblings stopped working and have not stopped since. We were able to stay in that same house for many years as a result and it was 1964 after having spent a few months is low-income housing that Brother Sam got us into a home he owned after he divorced. I left to the Air Force from there as did brother Vince. It was the Vietnam Conflict in full swing. But I would like to reflect on what Mother went through and what she did to keep us all thriving and surviving through all the heart ache and tragedy. While we worked to supplement the Social Secuity check Brother Leonard my oldest Brother got married and left home as did Sister Bertha. We were down to three, but dad was gracious enough to bless us with David Lee who was born just short of nine months since Dad’s death. Mom, Brother Vince, Raul, David Lee and I provided for one and other. Brother Vince graduated high School and joined the Air Force. In 1964 I followed him, and Brother Leonard was still connected to the Air national guard but married and with child. He was good to help us as was all of my siblings.

Mom was home with Raul (Bull) and David Lee. They were 8 and 5 years old. I think Dave was going on six years old. Vince and I sent money home while deployed and mother took in laundry and ironing until the youngsters got into school. Brother Sam helped a lot as did all the other of my siblings as I mentioned. It was not long that mother got a job as a cafeteria worker and managed to get close to a GED. She managed to raise the two youngest until they graduated high school and left home. She retired with honors from the San Antonio school district as a cafeteria server from the same high school as David and Raul graduated.

All nine of us kids have had successful careers good marriages and have always supported Mom in any way we could. Mom was a great inspiration to us and loved to party and dance. She would dress the house up for all the annual calibrations and always had food and drink if anyone stopped by unexpectedly. My cousin Texas Sentor Carlos Truan would go out of his way to have a sleep over when he was in San Antionio. Serving as Governor for a day he was sure to have mom by his side as he celebrated in the Governor’s Mansion in Austin, Texas. Every opportunity the family had to entertain and support Mother they did as she had ensured our survival and mourned Dad’s death all of her life. She never re-marreid or even had a guy-friend. She was faithful to our God and more importantly to her children. Aside Senator Carlos Truan’s sister Nena frequently invited Mom to California and included a trip to Las Vegas. Nena was quoted as saying “Estella is my lucky charm”

Today and for the last 10 years I have managed the charity Habitaciones Para Latinos Association. I have seen and worked hard to help families who are struggling with tragedy and hard times as we did. Once a family on welfare shared powdered eggs, they qualified to receive, with us. That was a gift from God for us at the time. We have helped keep families in their home and recently fulfilled a promise that we would do all we could to keep a beautiful sole, in Burnice Clarke of KCK, in her home so she would never have to go to a nursing home as a ward of the state. She passed happy and in the care of hospice for just a few days away from home. She was 90 years old. Over the years we have helped many widows and families stay in their homes. All of these folks’ greatest prayer was to die at home. It benefits us a taxpayers to keep these low-income folks out of the nursing homes

The demand is greater today, not just for home repair but for help with utilites and food. We recently bought propane for a family that can only use propane for cooking and heating of hot water. We have built a wheelchair ramp for a disabled lady who has fallen several times due to no rails out of her front door of her home. That is true of another women in Wichita who just needed a handrail and a ceiling fan installed to stay cool. We also recently sent money to a family to help with school supplies and another to buy special diet foods not available at the local food pantry. While going back to the struggles my mother and family went through; the bottom line is we had the skills and the good health to work our way through it. My Mother was up early and went to bed late, although very tired, but blessed with the good health to do that. Oh yes, heart desease and diabetis runs wild in our family as does other aliments but thank God there are charities available today to help that were not available back then. It is because times are so much better today and our ability to help others who don’t have the good health that my family had that more folks are self-sufficient. The support that we give is why, with your help, we can keep folks safe and, in their homes, instead of in a hospital, nursing home or under short or long-term hospice care. The needs are much greater and folks’ ability to help themselves is diminished. I pray for your support and thank those who send us their support every month.

Happy Birthday to Mom, Mrs. Estella Lopez Flores (August 14, 2025). The greatest Mother I could ever have. It is because of your generosity and love for others Mom that I try to perpetuate your legacy. I love you, Mom. RIP

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