Good Morning Angels: Bringing relief to 'coffee angel' Rachel and her two sons

GOOD MORNING ANGELS: 26 JULY 2017 (RACHEL/SPAR/LITTLE ANNIE)

Helping "Coffee Angel” Rachel and her two young sons on their journey to independence.

REQUEST FROM: Karen van Heerden, Danielle Nagel, and Emmie Hoogedoorn

REQUEST FOR: Rachel and her sons, 12-year-old Kgotatso and eight-year-old Lefa

ANGEL 1: The Good Morning Angels Fund

SPONSORING: The Good Morning Angels Fund will help Rachel with school and transport fees for her sons, as well as her rent, for the rest of the year (TBC School Fees: R3 000, Transport: R2 450, Rent R4 200: Total R10 000)

ANGEL 2: Retha Ingenbleeck, Spar North Rand and Spar Woman’s Race Pretoria

SPONSORING: The Spar Woman’s Race takes place at SuperSport Park on Saturday, 5 August. A portion of entry fees go towards various charities and projects of upliftment. From these funds, Spar will give Rachel vouchers for groceries of R2,000 a month for 12 months. A total of R24,000 worth of groceries!

ANGEL 3: Jon-Marc Hill from “Little Annie”

SPONSORING: Jon-Marc and Mark Hill will take Rachel and her sons, Kgotatso and Lefa, for an unforgettable flip on their plane “Little Annie"

BACKGROUND: Rachel is a 34-year-old single mother of two sons, twelve-year-old Kgotatso and eight-year-old Lefa. They are her pride, joy, and inspiration. Rachel works as a barista at a company canteen in Braamfontein. Those who drink her coffee and work with her describe Rachel as their 'coffee angel'.

One of them, Karen, started to talk to Rachel and only then heard of the difficulties of her life. Kgotatso is autistic and her community has shunned them. Without support from her family and community, Rachel decided to move and live on her own with her sons. This never impacted the care and dedication she gives her customers at work. Karen wrote to Good Morning Angels asking for some help, to make the difficult transition to independence a little easier for Rachel.

Rachel and her son were also lucky enough to have their first flight. 

Watch the moment the news was given to Rachel below:

ORIGINAL REQUEST:

Good morning Angels

I would like to do a Virtual introduction today, If you will allow me 10 minutes of your time.

Meet Rachel Mahau, my “Coffee Angel” as I refer to her in my own capacity!

My Coffee Angel because she is the best Barista Operator you will ever find!!!

34-year old Rachel knows you by name, preference and sugars 1; 2; or 3! Literally. The Blacksmith Coffee Beans’ aroma is also filled with an extra dose of:

·       Charm, whit; enthusiasm and genuine care!!!

On a daily basis, never missing a beat or an opportunity to make you the best cuppa you ever had!

Her colleagues can make an equal good cuppa coffee but if Rachel is missing, everyone wants to know “Where is Rachel today”.

It’s still good, but not AS good, said with the utmost respect!  I am really serious about my first coffee and many times, my only coffee for the day.

I met Rachel last year April when I started my position I am currently employed in.

This friendly, smiling individual soon became a friend, and as time went by I got to understand a little more of the remarkable women and mother of two.

Struggling with severe depression, an autistic child she tries to support, defend and safe guard from society and cultural attacks to the best of her ability with very little or no support from her immediate family  – who simply refuse to understand and support her as a mother and the daily challenges faced with an autistic child.

·       Please can I ask if by all means possible if you can phone Emmie Hoogendoorn whom Rachel has a really close relationship with, who helped her through many personal struggles and possible knows Rachel’s personal circumstances best.

·       I added her cell number below.

Before Emmie left in May 2017 she assist Rachel with transport to get her to the hospital to get access to anti-depressants and therapy, she was in a serious suicidal state of mind.

However, if you did not know anything, you would have thought Rachel just had an off-day at work. We all have them from time to time…

Too my knowledge, Emmie [to confirm] helped Rachel to make contact with an organization so that she can learn more about Autism and how she can understand and better assist her son.

I personally assist her with reading material on depression so that she can make peace with the fact that nothing is ‘wrong’ with her to be ashamed of and that there are help out there – she is not alone.

I gave her a bangle I received as a going away present from a colleague at my previous employment, with an inscription about Friends; so that she can touch it and remember, she has friends out there when it feels like she cannot get out of that dark depth called depression – she needs to hang in there and trust the dr. and meds and the people who care for her.

Some months ago, bad influences lured her autistic son away … she had to search for 24 hours high and low to get him where his was hidden away… [I do not have the entire story, and in the event of going on air – please do not share details], but Kgotatso was severely traumatized and Rachel was back at work smiling because she understood now that no matter what disability her son is suffering or whatever it is that society is accusing her off, it’s her child and she will move mountains to protect him.

So the struggle continues but the anti-depressants start to do their job and with support at work from her colleagues, our coffee again was infused with her : Simply being Rachel - Always assisting you with a smile and some small talk,  knowing you by name, preference and sugars 1; 2; or 3! Literally.

Rachel made a life changing decision, she left her family & her kids and moved into a small room with nothing but the clothes on her back, her work uniform and her strong sense of survival.

Her aim is to provide a loving home for her kids but to enable her to do that, she had to move out, and get out of her current circumstances.

Frightened, alone, without her kids and her son whom needs daily care she is prepared to do what it takes, to provide for her and her kids.

The Request:

Personally, I am going to go through my house and whatever I don’t use or that might already be boxed away, will now go to Rachel.

This includes, a double bed mattress, pots/pans/cutlery/crockery, linen, curtains, towels, loos rugs etc. and

People here from work [those that knows] since Rachel is such a proud individual will also go through their houses.

We will also make sure that she has basic food items etc.

If we can please ask of the Good morning Angels, if there are any food chain out there that will be prepared to perhaps help her for 3 months or so [to get her on her feet] with

·       basic food, fruit and veggies and/or

·       as little as a R500 voucher for personal Hygiene items etc.

·       School fees for the remaining part of this year for her autistic son so that she can be assured he gets the help he needs and for Lefa, who after a school outing to OR Tambo, looking at the airplanes, told her afterwards, “Mommy, I want to be a Pilot when Im big!!”

·       Neither Rachel or any of her children ever had the opportunity to get on board an airplane to go anywhere…and whilst bubbling and telling me about the school outing and excitement - she end with : “

-   Kari, imagine that! A Pilot!” followed with her friendly laugh, making my coffee fix for the day.

If there is an Angel out there willing to help my Coffee Angel in any way possible with the above 3 requests, myself and the people close to her, will be forever in debt with Good morning Angels.

Thank you in advance,

Karen van Heerden