Casas de Luz Newsletter
Happy February and welcome to the month of love! During this month of love, think about who and what you love and how you can bring out that love not this month but every month! We are only one month away from beginning our build season but being in the off-season reminds us of all the other activities we love to do. Check out what we've been up to in January and our upcoming events in February!
Love is in the air!
Faro de Luz Weddings
It's the season of love and we are getting ready for a beautiful wedding. Six couples at Faro de Luz are getting married on February 23. Our last wedding in December 2018 was a huge success with 5 couples getting happily married. To make it an unforgettable day we need your help! Faro de Luz is looking for any donations of wedding dresses, suits, and the most important - wedding decorations. We are looking forward to spending a special day with these six couples as they embark on a new journey together.
Years of Dedication
Sua Ayala
Sua has been volunteering with Casas de Luz for over 10 years and still loves it just as much as the day she started. You might know her as the lady who asks you if you want a chicken, cheese, or pineapple tamale, but she does much more than deliver lunch! Over the years she has gained more responsibility, becoming an essential component to CDL. Sua interviews and follows up with all families we build for on the Western side of Tijuana. She spends her free time ensuring we have amazing families who will stay in line with our goal of sustainability. Not only is she the head of the family selection process, she loves showing off her building skills! When she has the time, Sua loves to join us on builds and learn more about building. From her dedication and love for CDL, Sua received her own hammer this past November. She has been waiting for this hammer for years and is so excited to use it! Congratulations Sua, and thank you for everything you do!
A Surprise for Faro!
Brand New Shoes
Last December, the UUFSD congregation ran a very successful shoe drive, receiving over 75 pairs of shoes! On January 26, kids at our Faro de Luz community center was given a pair of brand new shoes. Most of the kids wear the same shoes every day for months on end until the bottom gives out or there is a toe sticking out the front! They were so excited to receive such cool shoes, Hector on the right is showing off his new shoes that light up. He has never owned a pair of shoes like these and says he is going to take very good care of them. Thank you UUFSD!
Despensas de Luz
Program Change
After a huge success of the holiday despensas in December, we have decided to maintain this form as a permanent change to the program. Instead of a family by family sponsorship, we are asking for support to provide groceries to the entire community center. Each month, the money that has been donated to this program will be used to buy groceries for every family at the community center. We still ask for a 6 month commitment to ensure some form of stability and we would love an up-front donation of $90 or $15 per month, or $150 or $25 per month. If you would like to participate, we welcome donations through Venmo @casasdeluz, our online donation on our website or cash/ check in person. We hope to support more families this way and hopefully make less of a commitment to our sponsors! If you would like to create a relationship with a family, please let us know and we will get it sorted. Thank you for your support!
Want to go on more builds?
Build Waitlist
Do you want to go on more builds but don't know how? Sign up to be on our waitlist where you will be the first to be asked to attend a build in the event a sponsor needs help filling in spots. We always give sponsors priority in creating their build team and filling in the spots, but sometimes last minute things come up and spots open up on our builds. If you sign up for the waitlist, we will email everyone two weeks before the build and those who reply first will be able to attend the build. We would love to see you on the build site! To sign up for the waitlist, scroll to the bottom of our home page.
Upcoming Builds
March 7/ 8
University City High School
March 15/ 16
Tijuana Home Build Project at SDSU
March 28/ 29
Grauer School
Hear from Past Builders
What I love most about this organization is that the actual house is secondary to what it represents; ie relationship, community, and most importantly love. - Builder December 2016
Donations
Donation Spotlight: Wedding Decorations
We would love to make the wedding on February 23 one the couples would never have dreamed of! We would love any donations of artificial flowers, vases, and any other decorations that can be used for a wedding. Thank you for your support!
Donation Sheds at St. James Catholic Church
Sheds are at the end of the parking lot of the church if coming from the North. If you are coming from the South, take Via de la Valle and drive towards the ocean. On Del Mar Downs Road, turn right and continue until the end of the road where you will turn left. Drive left up the hill and the sheds will be on your left! There is a rope protecting our sheds from being a dump zone, so feel free to drop off your usable   donations right there! Please contact us so we know to expect it!
Casas de Luz