Last September, Shelly Roche wrote to this newspaper that she needed a very fast $1,500.She was broke, divorced, living on charity and government aid. She wanted to set up a child care business and become financially independent.

Setting up a child care takes money. You need a license, equipment, background tests and more. Those things take time. She had four months of free rent in the house she was borrowing. No government program could loan her $1,500 that fast.

She needed someone to take a chance.

I don’t normally print individual pleas. There are agencies much better at charity than I am. But Shelly’s letter had already run in the paper, and her situation was unique.

We chatted. She seemed nice.

“I’m not a lazy person. I’m not ignorant. I’m not looking for a handout,” she told me. “I’m looking for advice, for a hand up.”

So I asked my readers if anyone could tell Shelly where she could get $1,500, but I also covered my butt.

Anyone who loaned her money did so at their peril, I said. I could not guarantee Shelly would ever pay the money back.

That’s me, of little faith. But someone had lots.

Shelly, who lives in West Haven, said an older gentleman who wasn’t making any interest on his savings anyway was willing to take a chance. He loaned her $1,500 and gave her two years to pay it back.

Then, Shelly said, a woman phoned and said, “I’m supposed to help you.”

Shelly said, “Thanks, I’m helped.” The woman insisted: “No! I’m going to be at Harmons at noon, and I’m going to help you out.”

Shelly met her at noon. The woman handed her $1,500, cash. No name, no phone number, just money.

$3,000 is a lot of faith. Did Shelly deserve it?

Thursday, I found this message on my phone:

“I’m calling about Shelly Roche. I loaned her $1,500, and she has repaid every penny of it. She paid the balance of it today, and she’s getting along very well.

“I think that might be newsworthy. I’m not sure.”

Yeah, that’s newsworthy.

I called Shelly and heard squealing children in the background.

“The weather’s so lovely, they’re setting up a lemonade stand,” she said amid interruptions to direct children this way or that.

So her child care business is set up?

“All full blast. Oh yeah, it’s going real good. A lot of people want me. I’ve got a waiting list.”

She also got married again, but that hasn’t changed her determination to make it on her own.

“I’ve got early morning, day and evening shifts. I have enough business, I was able to hire an assistant.”

She had two years to repay her loan. How’d she do it in six months?

“I was going to pay him $300 at a time, but I just saved up and put it away, and one day I said, ‘You know what? I’m there.’ I took it over to him and gave him a big hug and told him how grateful I was.

“And the money from that lady in Harmons? I’m paying it forward, too,” helping others with their financial needs.

Shelly wanted to do for herself, and is. She didn’t want to depend on others, and doesn’t. She wanted a chance, and got one.

And, she admits, having people give her that chance spurred her efforts. She didn’t want to disappoint.

“It was because of that chance. It made me work harder. It was someone having faith in me.”

The Wasatch Rambler is the opinion of Charles Trentelman. He can be reached at 801-625-4232 or ctrentelman@standard.net. He also blogs at www.standard.net.