MISSION To empower disadvantaged youth with education and life skills, enabling them to break cycles of poverty |
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Landmark Trip to Mexico City!
Drew Vogt with a student's response
February, Vol.18, 2022
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In January, just a couple weeks ago, for the first time ever Casa de Kids journeyed with 8 of our students to Mexico City. The 8 were chosen from our student body by lottery and were comprised of 4 female and 4 male students.
The trip was six days and we traveled to Mexico City in a van. Most of the students had never been to the country's capital city, and many had never left their state of Oaxaca. So, this was a huge deal for them, on many levels.
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At Casa de Kids, we feel strongly that becoming a healthy and strong adult in society requires a strong sense of self and this includes positive self-esteem and personal identity. Most of our students come from tiny rural villages and most have little concept of the world beyond their village or town, apart from television, nor an understanding of their country's origins, apart from textbooks.
None of them had ever been in a skyscraper, ridden a subway, or toured the ancient Aztec ruins which helped launch their country over a thousand years ago. As they experienced the pyramids of Teotihuacan, saw the National Cathedral, the Museum of Anthropology, and saw the historic national buildings, they gained a broader sense of their home country and how they fit into it.
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One highlight of the trip for many was to view the city from the Latino America Tower's 42nd floor. Another highlight was attending an evening folkloric dance performance at the Castle overlooking the city (El Castillo de Chapultepec). Thank you to our donors who made this trip possible!
CdK student, Jesus, 20, who attended the trip, has been in our program since 2016. He is now enrolled in Law at La Salle University. He gave us this feedback:
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Casa de Kids has been given a $5,000 USD grant from Rainbow World Fund, to continue our life-changing work. RWF is a California non-profit of LGBTQ persons who sponsor positive changes in the world. Through CdK they helped us bring earthquake relief to many devastated families after the 8.2 earthquake in southern Oaxaca state in 2017.
Recently RWF Director Yew-Hoe Tan came to Oaxaca to learn more about our program. The luncheon was hosted by CdK with President Drew Vogt, and three students.
In the photo, back row, left to right: Josue and Jesus; front, left to right: Yew-Hoe Tan, and Leticia. Leticia is now a CdK graduate and working as an elementary school teacher.
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New Law School graduate is thriving!
We are thrilled to announce the graduation of Danny, who just passed his final Bar exam and is now a licensed lawyer. Danny has been in our program for four years. He is without parents or family and has worked in restaurants to support his education, and make his dream come true to work in social justice. Casa de Kids has helped him in many ways, such as transportation fees, school fees, and groceries.
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The donation of a used e-notebook, has been passed to a 7-year-old in our program!
Our two youngest students are Eithan (5) and Moriah (7).
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Drew attended a local benefit concert with two Casa de Kids students, Mayra and Luis. Proceeds went to The Oaxaca Learning Center, which provides free or low cost classes to local students, including some of our kids. |
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We are celebrating staff member Pamela Vazquez' 3rd year anniversary working with Casa de Kids! We are HUGELY grateful for her hard work, patience and care of our students! She excels in public relations, and is a firm believer in education as a tool to change the world. |
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We’re excited to share that our organization has earned a 2022 Gold Seal of Transparency with Candid! As in the past few years, you can support our work with trust and confidence by viewing our #NonprofitProfile: Click Here
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Upcoming Event
Cinco de Mayo Fundraiser
Soon we will hold our 9th Annual Cinco de Mayo event in-person in Sarasota, FL. (following safety protocols), in the last week of April. Date TBA.
Volunteers needed: We are looking for volunteers to help in easy ways. If you can help us, send an email to Pam at pam@casadekids.org
Gracias!
Pam
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Amazon Users - You can help our students while shopping by selecting Casa de Kids as your charity of choice. AmazonSmile is available at smile.amazon.com. With each purchase, AmazonSmile will donate 0.5% of your eligible purchases to CdK.
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Why Oaxaca? Oaxaca City is the capital of the state of Oaxaca (pronounced wah-ha-kah). While our state is famous for native and culinary arts, it ranks as the country's third poorest and has one of the highest illiteracy rates. Its mountainous terrain makes commerce and education difficult, attracting many seeking a better life to Oaxaca City.
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MISSION
To empower disadvantaged youth with education and life skills, enabling them to break cycles of poverty.
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VISION
A world where youth are treated with respect and empowered through education, thriving in equality, integrity and freedom, creating the life of their dreams, while giving back to their community.
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If you know someone who would like to learn about our work |
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Casa de Kids |
EIN #83-0774465
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