"After everything that has happened, on paper we look awful," she wrote. In the email, she asked for help in financing a car or help figuring out a payment plan explaining the family couldn't afford a large down payment. The Gillespies thought they were coming to the dealership on Friday to work out a plan.
Instead, the family was handed the keys to their new van.
"We wanted to do something special for a family who touched our hearts," said Rick Williams general manager for Landers McLarty Chevrolet.
Wrenne and her family returned their thanks with tears and hugs Friday.
"It feels good to know we'll be safe," she said. "I just didn't expect this."
With only one car, she was taking her husband to work and traveling alone to St. Jude in the older van. She said she always worried about their safety while traveling.
"I didn't think we'd ever have a new car again," she said. Since Ehrren's cancer diagnosis two years ago, the family has struggled, losing two cars in the process of their financial hardship.
"This family's story is so meaningful to us," said Tonya Davis, customer relations manager at Landers-McLarty. "This mother is made of steel and after meeting them, this is just tremendous."
Source
Wrenne Gillespie, center, hugs Landers McLarty Chevrolet General Manager Rick Williams, left, and Frank Williams, right, General Manager - Landers McClarty Dodge Chrysler, Jeep, Subaru.(The Huntsville Times/Glenn Baeske)
