Founder of Corazon de Vida
Children’s Foundation

“It could have been the most devastating experience of my life, but being placed in the orphanage was a blessing.”

Mexico does not have a foster care system to support children in need due to neglect, abuse, or abandonment. There is no welfare system to help families with a single parent that is unable to provide for their children – the only way to support children in need is through a network of orphanages.

When I was seven or eight years old, my father left the family. Mom worked as a tortilla maker and could barely make enough money to care for us. So, I became the caretaker for my brothers and sisters.

One day, I was inside the house when I heard one of the kids yell for help. When I came out, he pointed to the family’s water reservoir. I jumped on the ledge and saw my brother Juan drowning in the water below. I remember feeling so helpless not knowing what to do. I remember thinking that my brother was going to die and it was all my fault… I was supposed to be watching him! Luckily, a neighbor came to help and pulled my brother out of the reservoir. This was the incident that caused my mother to re-consider placing us in an orphanage. She decided that we would be a lot safer there.

Life in an orphanage was great. I had an opportunity to be a child again and get an education, and visitors to the home gave me a glimpse of a much bigger world. At the age of 16, I left the orphanage to join my mother in the US and focused on bringing the family together again. Within two years, we had reunited our family.

Fourteen years after I left the orphanage I went to visit, expecting to see the beautiful thriving home I remembered. I was shocked to find that the home had lost most of their support, they were down to 35 kids, and they could hardly feed those that were left. The buildings were all in need of repair and the few staff that remained had not been paid in months. I asked the director what I could do to help. He had started a child sponsorship program and asked if I could help find some sponsors. I picked up the child sponsorship forms, and came back to the U.S. determined to help.

My first challenge was to share with people about my background. For years, I had worked very hard to assimilate into the U.S. culture, and make my way in the business world, so the last thing I wanted was for people to feel sorry for me. However, in order to find sponsors for my orphanage, I had to stop thinking about my own worries and concerns, and share about my background and why I needed their help.

I approached the owners of the company I work for and they decided to not only sponsor every child at the orphanage, but they also helped me start the foundation… and that is how Corazon de Vida was born!

At last count, there are approximately 50 orphanages in Baja California, Mexico. Most are located close to the border because most of their support comes from the US. Over the years Corazon de Vida has grown from supporting one home with 30 children to helping 14 homes and over 750 children.

Each month Corazon de Vida takes over 300 volunteers to Baja to visit and spend time at a home. The philosophy is that often people are just waiting for an opportunity to help, and visiting these children can completely transform them. Corazon de Vida believes that every child’s life is valued and holds the same potential, excitement and opportunity as any other life. Working together we can make sure that our care transforms into each child’s hope for the future.

The foundation focuses on the basics – moving homes out of survival mode – making sure there are funds for food, shelter, clean water and utilities. Once a home has moved from survival mode the foundation works with donors and sponsors to provide education assistance. This year some of Corazon de Vida’s children are entering college – which is a huge accomplishment.

Click here for more information on upcoming trips, or watch these videos of past trips.
To learn more about Corazon de Vida please click here or visit them on myspace.com

Corazon de Vida would also like to recognize their generous private and corporate sponsors.