A panorama showing the new house which Casa Hogar would like to purchase in blue, and the original house in green.

The house Casa Hogar rents but is so close to purchasing, as seen from the original building.

Greetings from Expand Casa Hogar!

As stated in the previous report, the total funds raised to date by Expand Casa Hogar have now been sent to Oaxaca (with the exception of recent donations within the last few weeks). We are excited to announce that after raising $65,000 US dollars towards the purchase of the two-story house next to Casa Hogar, only $4,050 of the total price are missing!

This feels like such a small amount when compared to the total, yet it will enable Casa Hogar Hijos de la Luna to close the gap on purchasing the two-story house and property adjacent to their original building.

This two-story home provides housing for twenty children on ten beds. This is a large percentage of the 52 children currently residing at Casa Hogar! The bottom floor of the house shelters their water purifier and provides much-needed storage space.

Casa Hogar currently rents the house they would like to buy at about $120 per month, so the purchase would relieve substantial stress on their budget every month.

The lot on which the house sits also contains a play area and basketball court. In the ideal future, Casa Hogar would add on to this building over the cement basketball court.

As our final days of fund raising for this large and exciting purchase coincide with tax time, many of you may find it helpful to donate to Expand Casa Hogar through Global Giving.

With your support, Casa Hogar can continue to provide safety, shelter, education, nourishment and a loving family environment to 52 of the most deserving, bright, hopeful and charming children I have been blessed with the opportunity to spend time around.

Thank you for your support.

Sophia

Room on the top floor of the building Casa Hogar currently rents but would like to purchase.

Hope this message finds you well!

Today marks an exciting moment for Expand Casa Hogar. The last of the funds raised by Expand Casa Hogar up to this moment have been wired to Oaxaca. In a matter of days, it will be clear just how close we have come to raising the entire price of the two-story house next door to Casa Hogar, our goal! Hopefully, the gap is very small. Doña Coco and everyone at Casa Hogar are very excited to complete the purchase and are prepared to dig deep for the rest of the money needed!

This additional building provides beds for about half of the fifty-plus children at Casa Hogar Hijos de la Luna, a bathroom, room for the water purification system and extended kitchen storage. The property also contains a cement area currently used for basketball and general play which might serve as the foundation for more indoor space in the future. Casa Hogar currently rents the property, thus, the purchase will provide financial relief by removing those rental payments from the Hijos de la Luna budget!

As always, thank you so much for your support. I encourage you to consider helping Casa Hogar close the gap on the purchase (how large that gap is to be announced) by donating on GlobalGiving. Visit our Facebook page or blog for more information!

Peace and love,

Sophia

Estos últimos días han sido una montaña rusa de nervios y emoción. Finalmente, gracias a nuestros votantes maravillosos (ustedes!) ganamos $120,000 MEX para Casa Hogar el primero de noviembre!

Después de 6 semanas largas y duras de campaña por votos y de bombardear nuestro apoyo en las redes sociales con recordatorios, ustedes respondieron con 5,520 votos. Estos 5,520 votos ganaron $120,000 para Casa Hogar en la competencia aquí: www.cultivatewines.com/give!!

La jornada hacia éxito empezó cuando Alex Garcia Kastellanos, un hombre sumamente generoso con su tiempo como voluntario en Casa Hogar y sus ideas para recaudar fondos, contactó Expand Casa Hogar con su idea de entrar en la competencia de CultivateWines.com! Felizmente, tomamos su sugerencia. Fuimos seleccionada con 29 otras organizaciones sin fines de lucro para entrar a la competencia, y tuvimos éxito en ganar el dinero! Pero no hubiera pasado sin la participación bondadosa de unas personas que tendrán que ser sinceramente agradecidas, incluso a muchas otras personas cuyos nombres no caben aquí.

Primero—Andrew Conte! Un hombre tan dedicado a ganar los $120,000 para Casa Hogar como brillante en recaudar votos. Andrew cultivo votos uno por uno y no dejo ni un dia pasar en cual no recordó su fiel grupo de votantes a votar!

Ariana Zaia y Carmen Bolaños! Mi hermana (fundadora y co-directora de Expand Casa Hogar) y mi mamá! Esas dos sucedieron a recaudar votos incontables con sus recordatorios en Facebook y sus campañas apasionadas entre sus amigos y parientes!

Ana Odermatt, quien ha recaudado mas que $120,000 para Casa Hogar, fue líder de la campaña para votos suizos!

Ana, su amiga Saskia, Marilyn Schwartz, mi padre, mi hermanita Mia, y mi madre tuvieron el valor para mantenerse en una puente llena de personas ansiosas para entrar a una festival de música, explicarles la causa y competencia en 10 segundos y tratar de hacerlos aceptar a un collar de recordatorio para votar! Tuvimos éxito 900 veces en 6 horas.

Hector Cesar y Enrique Castillo compartieron su bella fotografía en múltiples ocasiones, fotos que fueron instrumentales en esmerar a nuestros recordatorios.

Cathy Stone, Tina Odermatt, Teri Shaw, Carrie Zadrazil, Gisella Santa Cruz of ¡Ahora Si!, mi padre, Elaine y Eileen Zaia, Ian, Gareth and Wendy Pollard, Rosa Vela Sachs, Giannina Guarda-Hayes, Sonia Carolina Trevino, Robbie Ausley, Reid Gilbert, John Fox, Linda Taylor, Nancy Stafford Griesinger, Edelmiro José, Anthonio Medrano, Erin y Sue Cozart, Linda Day, Deb Leech, Gabriela Aragon, Carlos Coutiño, Cinthia Santiago, Felix Andres Villalobos Cabrera, Carlos Ramon Barrera, Melquizedeth Reyes Bautista, Hassan Parvaiz, Maria Victoria Reyes Cheng, Carolina Vargas Loranca, José Miguel Candelaria Palafox, Sergio Eliseo Candelaria Santiago, Pearl Kilwosz y Ian Green fueron votantes particularmente generosos (estoy segura de que alguien se me olvidó o no mas no me dio cuenta de como nos estaba ayudando! Pero les agradezco profundamente).

Y, claramente, nada de esto hubiera pasado sin nuestras mentores maravillosas, Cynthia y Lydia Perez! Por no mencionar a CASA HOGAR, HIJOS DE LA LUNA!!!!

(por favor, perdonen mi español!)

These last few days have been a rollercoaster of nervousness and excitement. Ultimately, thanks to our wonderful supporters (you!) we won $10,000 US for Casa Hogar on November 1^st!!

After six long, hard weeks of campaigning for votes and bombarding our social media support with reminders, you all responded with 5,520 votes. Those 5,520 won Casa Hogar $10,000 in the voting competition at www.cultivatewines.com/give!!

The journey towards success began when Alex Garcia Kastellanos, a man exceedingly generous with both his time spent volunteering at Casa Hogar and his ideas for fundraising, contacted Expand Casa Hogar with the suggestion that we enter the competition at CultivateWines.com! Luckily, I took him up on his suggestion. We were selected along with 29 other nonprofits to enter the competition, and low and behold, succeeded in winning a money prize! But not without the generous participation of a few people who must be warmly thanked, along with many others whose names simply would not fit.

First off—Andrew Conte! A man as dedicated to winning the $10,000 for Casa Hogar as he was brilliant in raising votes. Andrew threw himself tirelessly into the process of cultivating votes one by one, not letting a day pass during which his loyal core of voters were not reminded to vote!

Ariana Zaia and Carmen Bolanos! My sister (founder and co-director of Expand Casa Hogar) and mother! These two succeeded in raising countless votes with their Facebook posts and shares, sending reminders out from ECH whenever I was unable, and passionately campaigning among their friends and family members.

Ana Odermatt, who has raised over $10,000 for Expand Casa Hogar herself in the past, who headed the campaign for Swiss votes!

Ana, her friend Saskia, Marilyn Schwartz, my father, sister Mia, and mother were courageous enough to stand with me on a bridge swarming with people anxious to attend a music festival, explain the cause and contest in about 10 seconds and try to get them to accept a bracelet reminding them to vote! We were successful 900 times in 6 hours.

Hector Cesar and Enrique Castillo shared their beautiful photography on multiple occasions which was instrumental in brightening up our daily reminders.

Cathy Stone, Tina Odermatt, Teri Shaw, Carrie Zadrazil, Gisella Santa Cruz of ¡Ahora Si!, my dad, Elaine and Eileen Zaia, Ian, Gareth and Wendy Pollard, Rosa Vela Sachs, Giannina Guarda-Hayes, Robbie Ausley, Reid Gilbert, John Fox, Linda Taylor, Nancy Stafford Griesinger, Edelmiro José, Anthonio Medrano, Erin and Sue Cozart, Sonia Carolina Trevino, Linda Day, Deb Leech, Gabriela Aragon, Felix Andres Villalobos Cabrera, Hassan Parvais, Carlos Ramon Barrera, Melquizedeth Reyes Bautista, Carlos Coutiño, Jose Miguel Candelaria Palafox, Sergio Eliseo Candelaria Santiago, Maria Victoria Reyes Cheng, Pearl Kilwosz and Ian Green were particularly generous supporters (I’m sure I am forgetting or just unaware of many of you! But I thank you from the bottom of my heart).

And of course, none of this would be possible without our wonderful mentors, Cynthia and Lydia Perez! Not to mention, everyone at CASA HOGAR, HIJOS DE LA LUNA!!!!

Thanks to your awesome work, we are in seventh place right now with 647 votes, but only 18 votes behind the current fifth place holder! Please help us out with a share if you would like

Gracias a ustedes estamos en el septimo lugar con 647 votos, solo 18 menos que el proyecto que esta en el quinto lugar! Por favor comparta la causa si quieres

http://www.cultivatewines.com/cause/49258/

During this past week, something truly unexpected and exceptional happened at Expand Casa Hogar.

I, Sophia, current project leader in the shadow of ECH’s great founder, Ariana Zaia, received the opportunity to speak about the project on a local news show here in Austin, Texas called YNN. To read the article posted on their website: http://austin.ynn.com/content/top_stories/288381/student-hopes-to-change-generation-with-compassion.

This is not the highlight of the week, however.

I was very grateful to the news show for their generosity. I was pretty nervous during the early morning interview, but the reporter, Jess Mitchell, was very friendly and made me feel at ease. I wished my sister Ariana could have been there but she is currently in Minnesota at college (Macalester College). I didn’t expect that much would come of the appearance. Maybe a few Facebook likes or shares.

That night my ideas were confirmed as the article on their website received about 80 Facebook shares, but no one made it from the YNN website to our Facebook page or blog, as far as I could tell.

I sat down to dinner around 7 o’clock with my dad, Mia and Ana Odermatt when I received a call from my sister Ariana who was in tears. “Did you see the email?” she asked me.

“No,” I said. “What is it? Is it good or bad?”

“Go look!!” she told me and cried into my ear as I ran upstairs, logged slowly into my laptop and pressed Send/Receive.

And what did my wondering eyes behold but an email from one of the most generous women in the world saying “I would like to donate $30,000 to Expand Casa Hogar.”

Quite clearly, this number was very difficult to process. Up to that moment, a year of extremely hard work from my sister, Ana Odermatt, Alex Garcia Kastellanos and many other friends and family members had yielded $23,000. Two months of hard campaigning myself and I only had $4,760 to add to that number. “Write it on a post-it and stick it on your closet door, you should be very proud” our project mentor and co-owner of La Pena, Cynthia Perez had told me. Whenever I looked at that number, I felt gratitude towards our generous donors but mild disappointment in myself. My campaign goal had been $24,000, which was going to enable Casa Hogar to buy the piece of the land they needed (finally!) with a 20% discount, if raised by the 15^th of September. I had not met this goal, although a loan from a volunteer, money raised by Casa Hogar and a time extension until the end of the month were going to allow Casa Hogar to reach the discount.

Later that night, when I entered my closet to put on my pajamas, I saw the post-it stuck to my door and my gratitude towards the $30,000 donor increased a thousand fold. To think, all the hours that went in to that small amount, how impossible the real goal had seemed…and our joint $27,000 total had been more than doubled, literally over night. We have the land for Casa Hogar. We have more than $20,000 extra to put towards the construction of the house! What joy.

Between jumping up and down and running around the house, I called everyone I could think of and gushed about the news. About an hour later, I called Ariana back and she was still crying. I walked back into my closet stared at my post-it note. The idea that the universe conspires to help one reach their dreams had never felt so tangible. This gift truly fell from heaven into the lives of the children, founder and caretakers of Casa Hogar, and my sister and Ana and Alex and Ian Pollard and family and friends and donors and I were lucky enough to witness it. Thank you so much to everyone involved, for all of your help.

YNN interviewed me again on Saturday since they were equally astonished by the news.

Thank you thank you thank you.

On a separate note—we are still campaigning for the amount needed to construct! We have the opportunity to win $50,000 or $10,000 for Casa Hogar, so please use this chance to donate $50,000 without losing a cent from your own pocket! You can vote every day. Voting only takes 30 seconds and can be done here: http://www.cultivatewines.com/cause/49258

HELP US WIN $50,000 on CULTIVATEWINES.COM!

-all it takes is your votes-

Hi there!

We have an incredible opportunity to win a $50,000 grant but we’re competing against 29 other causes, so we need your vote to help us win. It only takes a minute and every vote puts us one step closer to making a difference.

WHO is Cultivate? A new wine brand that believes that a company can both make a profit and make a positive difference in the world.

WHAT is the GIVE? The GIVE is Cultivate’s program of donating 10% of their sales to non-profits selected by voters — non-profits apply on the website, and then YOU vote. The cause with the most votes will get $50,000 and the 5 runners-up each receive $10,000. Here is a video explaining how it works: http://youtu.be/hv-jx3zBx4g

WHERE do I vote? Here is the direct link to our voting page: www.cultivatewines.com/cause/49258

WHEN do I vote? Now…and once every day until October 31st.

WHY should I vote? With $50,000, we could expand Casa Hogar Hijos de la Luna, a home providing 55 at-risk youth with a safe living and learning environment until their independence.

For 10 years Casa Hogar Hijos de la Luna, Oaxaca, MX, has given a safe home to children of single mothers who work at night. Many are sex workers. Now Casa Hogar finds themselves with 55 children in a 3 bedroom space. This project is raising funds so that Casa Hogar may purchase the adjoining land to build a new building and continue to serve these kids. This cause is urgent. Without more space the older kids must return to their homes – sometimes places such as brothels or strip clubs which are completely inappropriate for adolescents. With more space, Casa Hogar could provide these children with safety, education, nutrition, love and support until their independence!

HOW can I do MORE? Spread the word by forwarding this page The Give flyer or posting to Facebook.

Thank you for supporting Expand Casa Hogar. Let the voting begin! 

AYÚDANOS A GANAR $636,000 MEX en CULTIVATEWINES.COM!

-solo necesitamos tus votos-

¡Saludos!

Tenemos la oportunidad increíble de ganar $636,000 MEX pero estamos compitiendo contra 29 otras causas entonces necesitamos tu voto para ayudarnos a ganar. Solo toma un momento y cada voto nos lleva un paso mas cerca a hacer cambios positivos en el mundo.

¿QUIÉN es Cultivate? Una nueva marca de vino que cree que una compañía puede obtener beneficios y hacer una diferencia en el mundo.

¿QUÉ es el GIVE? El GIVE es un programa de Cultivate en que donan 10% de sus lucros a organizaciones sin fines de lucro seleccionadas por votantes como TÚ. La causa que recibe mas votos gana $636,000 MEX y los 5 subcampeones recibirán $10,000 cada uno. Aquí hay un video explicando como funciona: http://youtu.be/hv-jx3zBx4g

¿EN DÓNDE puedo votar? Aquí hay un enlace directo a nuestra página en el sitio Web: www.cultivatewines.com/cause/49258

¿CUÁNDO voto? Ahora…y una vez por día hasta el 31 de octubre.

¿POR QUÉ debo votar? Con $636,000 MEX, podríamos expandir Casa Hogar Hijos de la Luna, un hogar que albergue a 55 niños que vienen de situaciones de riesgo en un ambiente seguro de vivir y aprender hasta su independencia.

Por 10 años, Casa Hogar Hijos de la Luna en Oaxaca, Oaxaca, México han proporcionado un hogar seguro a niños de madres solteras. Muchas trabajan de noche. Ahora Casa Hogar está albergando a 55 niños en un espacio de 3 recamaras. Expand Casa Hogar está recaudando fondos para que Casa Hogar pueda comprar el terreno al lado y construir un nuevo edificio para que puedan seguir ayudando a estos niños. La causa es muy urgente. Si no logran expandir los niños mas grandes tendrán que regresar a sus casas—a veces lugares muy peligrosos para adolescentes. Con mas espacio, Casa Hogar puede proveer estos niños con seguridad, educación, nutrición, apoyo y amor hasta su independencia.

¿CÓMO puedo hacer MÁS? ¡Riega la noticia compartiendo esa página The Give Spanish flyer por email o en Facebook!

Gracias por apoyar a Expand Casa Hogar. ¡¡Que empiece la votación!!

Hi All!

We have fantastic news. Casa Hogar will be able to buy the land with the discount, thanks to all your help!!

The owner of the land offered an extension until the end of the month. The money we have raised on Indiegogo, added to the $23,000 US raised by my sister Ariana during the first year of Expand Casa Hogar as well as money raised by Coco and with help from a 0% loan offered by a generous volunteer at Casa Hogar combined should enable Coco to purchase the land!

This is exactly the dream we have been fighting for during the last month (and long before I became part of the project!). Thank you for your incredible generosity; you have made all this possible.

Any funds donated in the last 8 hours we have on Indiegogo (the campaign closes tonight at midnight) will go to paying off the loan! The fight isn’t over yet.

Warmly,
Sophia

Saludos a Todos!

Tenemos noticias fantásticas. Casa Hogar va a poder comprar el terreno con el descuento de 20%, gracias a todo su ayuda!

La dueña del terreno nos va a dejar pagar hasta el fin del mes (en vez de el 15). El dinero que hemos recaudado en Indiegogo, junto con los $23,000 EU recaudado por mi hermana Ariana durante el primer año de Expand Casa Hogar, dinero recaudado por Dona Coco y con el ayuda de un préstamo que ofreció un voluntario generoso de Casa Hogar con 0% de interés combinados van a ser suficiente para que Dona Coco pueda comprar el terreno!

Eso es el sueno por cual hemos luchado durante el mes pasado (y por mucho tiempo antes de que yo empeze a ayudar con el proyecto!). Gracias a todos ustedes por su generosidad increíble; es gracias a ustedes que todo esto es posible.

Donativos a Indiegogo durante las ultimas 8 horas que nos quedan antes de que la campana se cierra van a ir a pagar el préstamo! Y luego al construcción de la casa. Seguiremos luchando.

Sinceramente,

Sophia

Hoy me gustaría escribirles sobre unos hermanos que están viviendo en Casa Hogar: Ulises, Cinthia y Daniel, anteriormente conocido como “Luis.” Cinthia cumplió siete años hace poco (está muy orgullosa de las chanclas y la Barbie que recibió) y Daniel tiene un año de edad. Su hermano mayor, Ulises, tiene ocho o nueve años. Es delgado y un poco callado. Me gustaría describírselos porque son tres de los niños mas inteligentes y cariñosos que he encontrado. Siento que esta historia ejemplifica la intensidad del amor y cariño. Siento que esta historia es un gran ejemplo de las fuerzas de amor y cariño que, dentro de Casa Hogar, nos sirven para unir a todas las personas en una tapicería familiar.

Hace unas semanas, mi hermanita Mia y yo pasamos un día en Casa Hogar. Eran las tres de la tarde cuando Mia despertó a Daniel de su siesta y lo cargo al salón que se encuentra en el patio que también funciona como comedor. Sirvieron el almuerzo. Mia y yo nos encargamos de darle de comer a Daniel. Mientras Mia lo sentó en su silla y trató de darle arroz que había preparado Doña Ale, a Daniel le ganó el sentimiento y lloró con mucha intensidad. Cada que le limpie la nariz, lo cual necesitaba muchas veces por minuto (casi no lograba mantener suficiente papel conmigo), el no paraba de llorar. Todo ese tiempo, Mia y yo nos manteníamos ahí sin poder ayudarlo. Estábamos a cuatro pasos del escritorio donde se sentaban comiendo la hermana de Daniel y su amiga Emily.  Cinthia, después de mirarnos preocupadamente con sus enormes y brillantes ojos, finalmente se nos acercó. Nos sugirió, con mucha gentileza para alguien de su edad, que moviéramos a Daniel cerca de ella para que el la pudiera ver mientras ambos comían.

Al principio me quedé perpleja, no queriendo cambiar el orden establecido de las sillas. Sin embargo, decidimos mover la silla cuidadosamente frente a Cinthia, lo más cerca posible al escritorio, y las lágrimas de Daniel cesaron como si alguna llave en su alma hubiera sido ajustada.

Su llanto continuó de vez en cuando mientras le alimentaba su plato de arroz, pero la presencia de su hermana mantenía un efecto de tranquilidad innegable sobre él. Ese efecto se volvió mas claro en su ausencia, porque justo cuando Cinthia se fue a limpiar los trastes, Daniel se volvió inconsolable una vez más.

Limpié el arroz del frente a la camisa de Daniel y seque su cara llorosa, deseando que Cinthia regresara pero no queriendo distraerla de sus juegos. Usualmente, Daniel es increíblemente tranquilo y fácil de consolar. Es conocido por su sonrisa de nariz-arrugada la cual adquiere por encoger su nariz y respirar pesadamente hacia dentro y hacia afuera en una media-risa, medio-gruñido. A la vez, Daniel siempre nos muestra sus dientes nuevos y blancos como perlas. Sin embargo, ese día probó una gran excepción como les he descrito. Ver a Daniel con a sus ojos irritados, entre lagos de lágrimas, fue insoportable para mí.

Cargué a Daniel a donde estaba sentada su hermana con otra niña en una resbaladilla plástica Fisher-Price acostada en el suelo. Esperé que pasando tiempo cerca de Cinthia lo alegraría. No tenía la intención de abrumarla con el cuidado de su hermano pequeño,  pero justo cuando escuchó su llanto, Cinthia abrió sus brazos para tomarlo y se lo pasé gustosamente. Ella se recostó de nuevo en la resbaladilla y levantó a Daniel para recostarlo en su estomago, en una posición que usualmente lo hubiera hecho irritarse, pero el efecto calmante de la proximidad de su hermana cobijó a Daniel como una sabana. Él recostó el lado de su cabeza en el pecho de Cinthia y dejó salir un suspiro que pareció liberar cualquier residuo de sentimiento de su pecho cansado. Así se mantuvieron por un largo tiempo.

Read this blog in English here: http://expandcasahogar.com/2012/08/24/cinthia-and-daniel-an-observation/

Who loves classical guitar? And who loves Thales Smith? You’ll be able to enjoy an evening listening to Thales and doing good for Expand Casa Hogar.

Thales is offering a benefit concert on September 7 at First United Methodist Church in Austin in honor of the kids at Casa Hogar. The concert will run from about 7-8 PM.

Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for students and $5 for children under 10.

If you haven’t yet heard Thales, I encourage you to listen to him at: http://thalessmith.com/audio/