OUR MISSION: To empower disadvantaged youth with education and life skills, enabling them to

break cycles of poverty

From Drew/Andres Vogt, President, Casa de Kids

Hello Dear Readers & Donors,

We are thrilled to be able to share so much good news!

We want you to get to know the students we support better and connect with their success stories. Over the past few months, we have spoken with some of them to share their stories, studies, aspirations, and some interesting facts with you. In this December newsletter, you can hear a little more from Dr. Alberto Ramírez Cruz, the first student supported by Casa de Kids and Marlen López Hernández, a culinary student who joined the program this year. See their stories and photos below. In addition, we have excellent news about Jesús, one of our law school graduates, who has recently received an important new appointment. Find out more below! 

Also, in Oaxaca, last month was the Day of the Dead, and some of our students shared photos of how they celebrated this important moment in Mexican culture (photos below). Finally, another year has come to an end, and we had another Christmas dinner with the students. Below, we will tell you the details and share some photos of our gathering.

Students Stories

Día de Muertos

As you probably know, the Day of the Dead celebration is extremely important for Mexican families as a way to honor and remember their loved ones who are no longer with us. In Oaxaca, this holiday has deep cultural significance, which is why we encourage students to share photos of their altars. Below you can see some of them.  

We want to share some wonderful news with you!

Eight years ago, Jesús Eduardo Aragón Canseco joined the Casa de Kids program with the intention of achieving his dreams. In December 2024, he became a lawyer, graduating from La Salle University, a goal that would have been very difficult to achieve without the support of CdK, as he recently mentioned to us in an interview.

At 23 years old, he works for the government of Oaxaca as head of transparency for Monte de Piedad (A charitable institution that grants loans primarily to vulnerable individuals). And we want to share some great news with you: he was recently invited to become a member of the citizen advisory council of the political party “Movimiento Ciudadano”. In the photo, we can see Jesús with Salomón Chertorivski, the national president of the council, who has held various positions at the federal level, such as secretary of health in the government of former President Felipe Calderón.

We are very happy with the success Jesús has had since he earned his college degree.

Thank you to the donors for making the dreams of Oaxacan youth come true!

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.