SAN DIEGO — This Hispanic Heritage month, we’re highlighting a non-profit organization that helps provides basic life-saving services for abandoned children south of the border.
Corazon de Vida not only helps transform the lives of so many children and young adults, but their work is felt across both sides of the border.
The nonprofit organization in Baja, Mexico is focusing on helping so many who come from broken backgrounds, find their voice in society.
Voices like Karen Areli who arrived at the orphanage as a young girl.
"That’s when my life changed. I had clothes, I had people to play with, I had friends, I was eating well -- it was a completely different childhood than what I had before," said Areli.
Like Karen, hundreds of other children and adults have gone through the same doors for the chance of having a better future.
The organization’s focus is to provide basic needs such as food, a home, education and medical care.
“Finding the consistent support to provide the basic needs for the homes – food, utilities… the every day costs that a family takes for granted, multiply that by ten times. so that is what the need is for these homes," said George Perez, board member.
Corazon de Vida’s doors have been open for nearly three decades, it now has more than 10 orphanages with more than $16 million in aid raised to date.
It all started because of founder, Hilda Pacheco-Taylor’s own experience of growing up in an a similar environment.
“For me, having gone through that having received the support of so many generous people, and feeling so thankful that i was provided that support that it led me to try to provide the support for children that were in the orphanages and initially started with trying to help the orphanage where I was raised." said Pacheco-Taylor.
Everything the organization does is thanks to the generous donations that are mainly raised in Los Angeles, San Diego and Orange counties.
“It takes a lot of effort from a lot of people standing by our side," added Perez.
The nonprofit helps the children until they complete their studies. In Karen’s case, who’s now a student, the nonprofit is helping her get through university.
She is set to graduate in December as an industrial engineer and says, without the unconditional support of the organization and the donors that make all of this possible, she wouldn’t be in the position that she’s in.
"Now we’re someone different and we can have our own testimony so that other children and other people can become someone in life and have a future," added Areli.
Pacheco-Taylor says there are countless of success stories just like Karen, and says seeing the children become responsible adults makes every challenge and sacrifice worth it.
“It's an amazing feeling it actually it makes us feel so proud and feel validated in the work that we do. in knowing that we're changing a child's life. when we see you know, someone that we met when they were five or six or seven years old, that came from a really difficult background, grow up in an orphanage and then we see them on to college, become a professional and serve their community. it just, it's amazing," added Pacheco-Taylor.
The nonprofit is hosting ‘Noche de Gala’ or gala night event coming up in November to raise funds that go directly to helping the children they serve.
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