It takes remarkable strength to survive hardship and even more to rise above it with purpose. Trauma can pull a person into silence, or shadow hope with doubt and pain. However, there are some who refuse to let those memories define their futures. They push forward, fueled by perseverance and love for their families.
Raquel Tait and Micaela Rojo embody that resilience as survivors of physical and psychological abuse, respectively. This week, Harris County Department of Education’s (HCDE) Head Start division and its community partner, Bates Collision Center, honored their unwavering determination to provide for the daughters of these two mothers.
With tear-filled eyes and smiles to signal the space station, Tait and Rojo were each gifted keys to rehabbed vehicles as the 2025 recipients of the Responsible Parenting Award, which honors Head Start parents actively participating in their children’s lives and education. Both were nominated by Head Start staff and selected by a committee of Bates employees at the Baytown and Channelview locations.
“Parenting is the most important job we have in this life and we recognize that these moms are tackling a lot and providing for their kids without transportation, so with these vehicles, we hope to give them a little helping hand, a little boost in life, and we can’t wait to see how far they will go,” said Bates Collision Center co-owner Leila Bates.
Throughout the year, Bates Collision staff search for salvaged or donated vehicles that can be repaired and gifted to deserving parents during the holiday season.
“Winning this car feels like God is telling me, ‘It’s your time, and it’s going to be okay. I got you,’” an emotional Tait said while receiving keys to a 2015 Nissan Altima on Dec. 10 at Bates Collision Center in Baytown.
The moment was more than keys for Tait. It was the first time she could picture a future for herself and her 2-year-old daughter, Zen, that didn’t require asking someone else for permission to get there. Tait moved to Houston with the hope of a fresh start but didn’t have family to fall back on or a familiar safety net. What she found was a community that refused to let her struggle alone.
Staff at HCDE’s John G. Jones Early Head Start partner became her support system, while her neighbor has consistently offered his car when Tait needs to get Zen to school, volunteer or pick up a shift as a part-time caregiver at Heavenly Touch Caregiving Services.
“It’s been a blessing, but it’s hard because I’m one of those people who try to do everything for themselves and often times, my pride didn’t want to accept the help,” she described. “This car means I don’t have to feel like I’m a burden. I can take my baby to the park when she gets out of school or go to McDonald’s to let her play in the jungle gym. We are going to have so much freedom and won’t be forced to stay in the house all the time, because I know that’s not healthy for kids.”
Tait recently passed qualification exams to become a certified trauma life coach to help adults, like her, who are survivors of childhood sexual assault. After being abused by a family member from the ages of 2-7, Tait began therapy at 9 to evaluate her emotions and heal from the experience. Those sessions shaped her desire to help others work through similar trauma. With the keys to her Altima, she plans to start traveling the county to meet with clients and work on the next steps to start her own business.
“Even if I just help guide one person to be successful, I feel like that’s what my destiny is,” Tait said. “I feel like that’s what God wants me to do. That’s what’s going to continue to change me because I can say the journey from my healing and growth has helped another woman or child see that we are not victims. We are survivors who are able to conquer all the things that we go through in life.”
Micaela Rojo’s life changed when her partner, who once created a safe and loving home, became verbally and psychologically abusive. She was prepared to endure the situation but made a different choice when her in-laws sought custody of her 3-year-old daughter, Kailey. The stay-at-home mother was forced to leave the home she helped build and moved in with her sister to keep her daughter safe.
“I try to be strong for my daughter, but it’s not easy,” an emotional Rojo said. “I try to fight and work hard for my daughter because I don’t want what happened to me to happen to my daughter.”
For the past eight months, Rojo has relied on her family for support and borrowed her sister’s car when she needs to take Kailey to school or attend parent-teacher meetings at Fonwood Early Head Start. However, even that has become uncertain as the vehicle fell into disrepair, limiting her ability to stay active in her daughter’s education.
“I told the HCDE family services provider a little bit about my story, and she said, ‘Oh, we can help you,’” Rojo recalled about being nominated for the parenting award. “I’ve relied on my siblings, but I don’t like to bother them because I know they have their own families. I want to be able to take my daughter to school and the doctor without having to worry.”
The giveaways, now in their 27th year, marked a milestone Dec. 11 as the Channelview location awarded Bates Collision Center’s 50th vehicle to a Head Start parent working to create stability for his or her children. Superintendent James Colbert Jr. emphasized that each car represents a family with a unique story and a shared determination to move forward.
“This program is more than a car giveaway. Think about the people who are receiving this gift,” he said, addressing the nearly 75 attendees on Dec. 10. “That’s 50 families who are riding the bus or getting a ride, asking someone to take them grocery shopping. We have over 1,000 parents in our Head Start program, but these families were hand-picked and this will be a critical turning point in your lives.”
Leila Bates described how her family has also experienced personal challenges this year but remained steadfast in its mission to continue the annual tradition, choosing not to scale it back or place the program on hold.
“Everyone experiences hard times, but just because we are also going through a tough season, we did not want to short anybody their opportunity to be blessed this year,” she said.
Lee Bates added: “We faced this decision during the COVID-19 pandemic as well, but I feel like as long as we’re in business, we’re going to continue this initiative.”
Rojo became emotional as she received the keys to her refurbished 2017 Ford Escape, which Bates employees volunteered their time and skills to fix before filling it with presents. The award is also an opportunity for the Baytown and Channelview communities to give back as residents and businesses donate gas, insurance and materials needed to restore the cars.
“I’m so grateful because with my own car, I can be more independent and put more effort into being with my daughter,” Rojo smiled. “That’s all I want, is to be happy with Kailey.”
For Tait and Rojo, the vehicles are more than just a means of transportation. The Responsible Parenting Award represents an opportunity to reclaim control of their stories and demonstrate to their daughters that survival is not the end of the journey, but the beginning of a new one, where strength and resilience lead the way.
“You don’t understand how much y’all are changing people’s lives,” Tait said to HCDE leaders and the Bates Collision Center co-owners. “That’s what I want to do someday – help change lives and be a part of something bigger than myself because that’s what life should be all about. Thank you for giving me a head start.”