MISSION To empower disadvantaged youth with education and life skills, enabling them to break cycles of poverty
July Updates with Photos & Good News
July, 2023, Vol.24
Dear Friends and Movers-n-Shakers,

How We Work - A Message from Drew Vogt, CdK President

It has been a little while since our last newsletter because we've been so busy making advances for Casa de Kids. 

We are so grateful for your care and interest! It really encourages us to go on. While most non-profits have an online-newsletter "open rate" of 1 to 5%, CdK averages about 35%! Now, for more good news. 

Influencing our work here for years is the Mexican citizenship status of myself and our Program Coordinator Pamela Vazquez. This lengthy process over the last two years is finally being completed! 

How? Our students' successes continue to inspire us. While our work is kind of like parenting and social work combined, each week can bring surprises. Each week is different than the previous one. We respond to their various medical needs, university entrance exams, groceries, graduation details, you name it, the list is long. Pamela and I do some work remotely thanks to the internet, but also complement each other depending on our schedules and locations for appointments. Usually, if I am obligated to be in one location, she can meet a student somewhere else. 
Since Pamela and I are very flexible, we can often respond in the same day, including on weekends, to a need. Pamela has been such an effective CdK associate, she will be on our new board here when we achieve Mexican non-profit status. 

Activity Center-Home We have found a facility to serve as a CdK activity center and office! Financially we run a very lean organization and have never rented an office or center. The local Episcopal Church has been generous enough to donate the use of their downtown space to us for many years, gratis! We owe them a huge thank you! As CdK's activities and needs continue to grow, so does our need for a permanent space. So, we've found a home and signed a lease! We will share more news on this in the next newsletter. For those in the Oaxaca area, we are looking for donations of furniture and utilitarian items. If you have items to donate, please contact Drew: Drew@casadekids.org  
Who?   The most often asked question we receive is, how do you get new students? It is all by word of mouth. With our type of program here in the 2nd most economically challenged state in Mexico, we cannot walk around saying "free help"...it wouldn't work here. But, folks who are economically challenged know others in similar circumstances. That's how our students find us.  

Educational & Cultural Trips    Since many of our enrollees are from economically challenged circumstances, and/or are from families without much education, many are not accustomed to travel. They are not accustomed to museums, or seeing sites of historical importance. Even short day trips are rare for various reasons. Recently I took four local students to a local site of national importance that they'd never been to---and it's only 20 minutes away!

So, part of what CdK does is provide cultural learning opportunities they would not normally receive. In February, we took some of our youth to a fascinating nature preserve 1.5 hours from Oaxaca city. They learned about the area's flora and fauna and native traditions. Our next planned trip is to take 8 students in August to the historic city of Puebla for four days. It is the capital of our closest neighboring state of Puebla, a 4 hour bus ride from here in Oaxaca. While now famous for auto manufacturing, it was on the route Hernan Cortez took from Veracruz to conquer the people in what is now Mexico City. It became the first haven for Spanish arts and crafts, and boasts the world's largest pyramid by volume (Cholula). Eight of our students will revel in this amazing place.
Exciting News About CdK Students 
There's always more going on than we can report on, but here are highlights.
  • Our newest student in our program is Frida (see photo above); she just graduated from high school, but has been accepted into a university here to study chemical engineering.
  • Our newest graduate is Liborio Hernandez (see photo left), who I've known since 2009 when I was assisting a location orphanage. He's one of 8 siblings, and is graduating this summer from a local law university.
  • The recently widowed mom of our two youngest students in elementary school, has been accepted into a local university to study law. CdK will be assisting her with her education.
  • Her two children needed speech therapy, and we are making that possible.
  • Four other students are now preparing for diplomas and certifications. One is Maatsa with a degree in Physical Rehabilitation Therapy, whom we've reported on several times; the second is Emanuel, with a two year degree in Culinary Arts. The third is Amayrani, graduated with a degree in Law; fourth is Nancy, has just graduated with a degree in Marketing. (It is important to note that these young people studying Law are doing so to impact local issues on human rights.)
  • Eraclio, our recent January graduate, in Mechanical Engineering, is adjusting well in his new career located in the State of Monterrey, Mexico.
  • Dr. Alberto, our recent graduate in 2022, is adjusting well in his new career at a state-run medical clinic in Istmo de Tehuantepec, in Oaxaca State, and will be getting married in December. His long term goal to impact his community is to open a clinic with classes on maintaining health and disease prevention.
  • Our application to gain Mexican non-profit status is now in process! This is about a 6-month process.

Diversity.  Our higher education students are preparing for careers as diverse as orthodontics, dentistry, culinary arts, saxophone, piano, accounting, pastry arts, law, teaching bilingually in a native Zapotec school, and elementary education.

Thank you for your ongoing support of our many programs impacting local communities!

In gratitude,

Drew Vogt, Pamela Vazquez, Loren Rice, Jim Fralin & Volunteers
CdK Monthly Donor List - Thank you!
Peter & Tracey, Guillermina, Fred, Denise, Brian & Carol, Patricia, Loren,
David, Nigel & Alan, Jim, Harold & Mona, Julia + 5 Anonymous
Are you a Monthly Donor but your name doesn't appear? Please let us know at:  info@casadekids.org . We solicit donor's permission to post their first name, so if we can place your name here, thank you for letting us know. All others will be listed as "anonymous". 
Did you know? Oaxaca ranks the second poorest state among the 31 states of Mexico, despite possessing a wealth of biodiversity and benefitting from tourism; it is particularly significant that Oaxaca is home to 33% of the country’s indigenous population. Of 3.5 million inhabitants, over a third speak one of the 90 dialects within fourteen indigenous languages.
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.
MISSION
To empower disadvantaged youth with education and life skills, enabling them to break cycles of poverty.
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.
If you know someone who would like to learn about our work
Casa de Kids |
EIN #83-0774465