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Car will help woman who's helping others

December 19, 2007 12:36 am

By CATHY DYSON

Judy Rendon needed a vehicle, not just to get herself to work but also as part of her job helping abused women.

A Reston auto dealership made it possible for the woman--who others say deserved a free car more than anyone they know--to do both.

Rendon is the in-house manager of a shelter operated by the Rappahannock Council on Domestic Violence in Fredericksburg.

She drives women to court and doctors' appointments and makes sure they have food and personal items. "Sometimes, they come in and all they have are the clothes on their back," she said.

Rendon, 66, knows what that's like. She lived through an abusive relationship and didn't know where to turn for help. She also has been homeless.

Rendon moved to Fredericksburg from Texas in 2000 to be near her granddaughter. When the younger woman joined the military, Rendon ended up homeless, and living at the Thurman Brisben Center for three months.

That eventually led to her job at the women's shelter. She's "house mother" during the day and does the same job at night at a transitional program in Bealeton.

Rendon had been driving an old clunker that had problems, but at least got her to work each day.

Then, in mid-October, Rendon had surgery to put stents in her arteries for increased blood flow. She was driving herself home the next afternoon when she apparently passed out and flipped the car.

She totaled the vehicle and had no money to replace it.

As Rendon recovered, her co-workers wondered how they could help her and get her back to the job she loves.

Stephanie Horii, the council's support services coordinator, was getting dressed one morning when she heard about a special giveaway. This holiday, Easterns Automotive Group is working with Fox 5 Morning News in Washington to award new cars to eight people in need.

Horii brought up the idea at a staff meeting and asked those interested to write letters on Rendon's behalf.

"The staff agreed it was worth a shot but I don't think anyone knew that this could actually be a possibility," Horii said.

Less than a month later, Fox 5 called the council to arrange a surprise visit with Rendon.

When the Fox reporter told Rendon she'd won a 2008 Hyundai Accent, Rendon started crying.

She didn't stop--and neither did most around the conference table--the whole time the camera rolled.

"It's so awesome," Rendon said this week, when she was able to get through an interview without too many tears. "It just makes you love life."

Shelter coordinator Charisse Thornton says Rendon is loved by shelter staff and clients alike. She works well beyond the hours for which she's paid, and she keeps in touch with women who've moved on.

She brings the right mix of tough and tender, said Beth Anne Schwamberger, children's services coordinator.

"She can tell them when they need to get things done, but she can also be a great listener," she said.

Rendon lives at the transitional program in Bealeton, but she considers those associated with the women's shelter her family. "I feel like this is where I should have been for a long time," Rendon said. "This is where I want to be every day."