SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - It was a tragedy that changed a Santa Barbara woman’s life forever.
A traffic accident killed her fiancé and landed her in the hospital.
When asked what she was left with following the accident, Leslie Salazar replied:
“Nothing… nothing.”
The accident happened on August 9th, 2016, when Salazar was a passenger in a car driving through the Santa Barbara Mesa.
“I was in the car with my fiancé. The car was speeding. I jumped out of the vehicle," said Salazar.
20 minutes later, her fiancé who was driving under the influence crashed into a power pole, at more than 90 miles an hour, killing all three people in the car.
Robin Unander-Laberge, founder of Mothers' Helpers in Santa Barbara found out about the triple fatal crash before Salazar.
“… I didn’t know how to tell her… I didn’t think it was right for me to tell her because I just barely knew her through Mothers’ Helpers… and we had connected because she was pregnant," said Unander-Laberge.
Salazar, with a baby on the way, felt lost.
“Feeling inadequate as a mother… just being another stereotype… it’s hard," said Salazar.
But she didn’t give up.
Salazar turned to an organization called Mothers’ Helpers, a Santa Barbara non-profit focused on helping families in need.
She received a car seat, shoes and clothes for her baby. But more importantly, a sense of hope.
“Leaving the trauma behind… giving moms hope that you can overcome anything between addiction, jails, hospitals… you can overcome it," said Salazar.
Now, side by side with her 8-year-old daughter Genisys, Salazar volunteers for the non-profit that helped rebuild her shattered life.
“I like to volunteer here because I get to help other children. It helps other families that they don’t have diapers. They don’t have cribs. They don’t have anything, and we can help them by giving it to them," said Salazar's daughter, Genisys Flores.
While Salazar stays busy at Mothers' Helpers, she’s hoping more people will volunteer to help mothers in need.
“People are having trouble just making rent and food for their families… let alone baby essentials that can cost $2,500 in the first six months for your baby… if you want a bassinet for them if you want blankets clothing, diapers those are all really big expenses," said Mothers' Helper executive director, Michelle Erickson.
The demand for Mothers’ Helpers services is increasing by a record amount.
In the last three years, the organization has gone from helping 400 families to almost 700 families a year.
Today, Salazar no longer considers herself a victim. Now she’s an advocate for other mothers in need. And she has a message for them:
“It’s okay … to ask for help."
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