'Blown away': Family living in an RV spends the night in Driskill hotel suite

"I love the high ceilings," said Roland Kemokai, looking around the Cattle Baron Suite at the Driskill hotel in downtown Austin. "It's very majestic."

The Kemokai family — Roland, wife Christine and sons Ben and Clement — looked at the beds, the spacious bathrooms, the dining room and living room, and even the robes and little touches in the suite.

"I consider this a home," Christine Kemokai said. "Look at that door. There's even a doorbell."

It has been more than a year since the family slept in a regular bed, rather than the beds in their RV or in a motel when the RV was broken down.

The Kemokais are part of the Statesman's Season for Caring program, which highlights the needs of 11 featured families and helps hundreds of others through local nonprofits. Health Alliance for Austin Musicians nominated the family.

Since 2015, the Driskill has hosted one Season for Caring family each year and invited its members to be its official tree lighters.

It also has held a fundraiser called Cookies for Caring. For $50, people can buy tins of cookies from some of Austin's best bakeries. All of the proceeds are donated to Season for Caring.

This year, the bakeries are 1886 Café & Bakery, Hank's Austin, Cold Cookie Co., the Bearded Baking Co., Hyatt Regency Lost Pines, Hyatt Regency Austin and Thompson Austin. Tins can be reserved at exploretock.com/thedriskillaustin.

Cookies for Caring is reminiscent of the bake sale the community held in 1969 to save the Driskill from demolition.

Ways to give support: Driskill Cookies for Caring, P. Terry's Giving Back Day return to help Season for Caring

Outside the Cattle Baron Suite as the Kemokais began to make their way down the stairs to light the tree, Roland Kemokai said of the hotel, "It's like Waldorf Astoria of Austin."

"We're loving it," Christine Kemokai said. "We're blown away."

Markus Puereschitz, general manager of the hotel, asked the family, "Is everything to your liking?"

"It would be hard not to be," 15-year-old Ben Kemokai said.

Read more: Season for Caring, Roland Kemokai: Amid struggles, music gives life to family in RV

When the Kemokais moved to Texas in 2010 from North Carolina, they were starting over, but there was more opportunity here for Christine, who provides balloon art and face-painting for children's parties, and Roland, who is a musician.

"We were making it, but then COVID hit," Roland said.

Their rent in Round Rock doubled, and they couldn't afford it. They moved to a motel, which had a fire. Then they found an RV that didn't even run and got it fixed up.

They moved the RV from park to park before settling in Granger. At one of the parks, their dog, Millie, wandered up and chose them. She had been abandoned, as best as they could tell.

On Thursday, though, the whole family, including Millie, got to take a break and enjoy a night of luxury. After lighting the tree, they planned on snacks at the bar, then a room service dinner, followed by a family movie night. It's been more than a year since they were in their apartment and had a movie night. It used to be their Sunday night tradition.

"When you're in the struggle, it changes what your regular is," Roland Kemokai said, but staying at the Driskill, "this gives you a view of the possibilities."

The Kemokais again and again expressed gratitude for the evening and for Season for Caring.

"It's very special what you guys are doing," Christine Kemokai said, getting teary.

The Kemokais have big dreams and hope that Season for Caring can be the launching pad. They would like to have land for a home.

At least, they would like a better place to live. They've fixed up the RV as best as they can, including adding insulation, but it's cold in winter. They sleep with multiple layers on and blankets. And it's cramped, especially for the boys, who now tower over their parents.

Roland Kemokai would like a music mentor and a manager to grow his music career.

Christine Kemokai has always dreamed of taking her children to Disney World but has never been able to do so.

"When I have the money to take all of you, we're going to go to Disney World," she told them. "We're going to ride the tea cups and It's a Small World."

She knows that dream is far off, but she would love to take the boys to Six Flags.

Clement, 17, loves working on computers and could use an RTX 3070 TI graphics card to increase his software work abilities.

Ben would love a Nintendo Switch and games.

Millie needs some dog toys and a water bowl.

The family also needs a new or gently used car, help with medical bills from a car accident, and gift cards for clothes and food at H-E-B and Walmart.

To find out more about the Kemokai family or to give an item on their wish list, contact HAAM, 512-541-4226 or myhaam.org.

How to donate to Season for Caring

Find the daily coupon in print on Page 2B or go to statesman.com/seasonforcaring.

Now through Christmas Day, $500,000 in donations will be matched by the Sheth family.

P. Terry's Giving Back Day, with all profits going to Season for Caring, is Dec. 10.

The Driskill hotel's Cookies for Caring cookie tins are on sale at exploretock.com/thedriskillaustin.

To donate:Use the form below or click here: https://statesmansfc.kimbia.com/statesmanseasonforcaring.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Statesman Season for Caring family spends night in Driskill suite