Brothers And Sisters In Community Service

Hello Family, Friends, and Neighbors,

I hope you are enjoying your summer thus far. I wanted to share that l'm again joining St. Simon Parish’s Immersion Service Mission to Tijuana, Mexico to help build four homes, complete with electricity and plumbing, for families currently living in very unsafe and challenging conditions. This mission is enabled by a team of 50+ volunteers from across the Diocese of San Jose along with a non-profit known as Brothers and Sisters in Community Service (BASICS).

My family has been supporting this mission through our parish for many years. The minimum each volunteer is required to contribute is $900. Of that, $500 goes toward construction materials and the rest goes to rudimentary lodging (bunk beds, barracks style) and meals. I'm reaching out to see if you can contribute $5 or $10 to help me reach my goal. I don’t want this to be burdensome to anyone so I'm seeking lots of low-dollar contributions. My parents have asked me to fund-raise as much as I can and they'll cover the difference.

My experience helping the past two years has been wonderful! Working alongside fellow volunteers and the local Tijuana team, constructing homes for 10 - 12 hours each day, allowed us to get to know one another well. We built a strong sense of community and had a lot of fun despite the long days in the hot sun.

Our nights were used for communal dinners, learning about one another’s life experiences, pick-up soccer games, prayer, and other spiritual services. Because I like to draw and paint, I used some of my "free" evening time to draw images of “Our Lady of Guadalupe” (the patron saint of the Americas who is beloved in Mexico), "Saint Francis" (patron saint of animals), and the “Sacred Heart of Jesus.”

Another volunteer made frames for them and they were gifted to the owners of the three homes built last year.

Additionally, as you probably know, soccer is the most popular sport in Mexico. Since I have been a member of the MVLA Soccer Club since first grade, I also organize a collection of gently-used gear from families across the club each year. As in the past, the support this year has been amazing. As a result, I will again be able to deliver a large amount of very good gear to the local youth. Seeing the pictures that were forwarded afterwards of the huge smiles on the children’s faces when they received their gear, which is distributed when soccer season later kicks off, was very fulfilling. I am grateful for everyone's support to make that possible.

I am super excited about serving in Tijuana again this year. I truly appreciate any contribution you can provide to make my service mission trip possible.

Sincerely,

Ceci Montgomery-Eder

Pitzer College (rising-Freshman, Class of ’28)

Hello family and friends,

We are excited to share with you that we will be traveling to Tijuana, Mexico this summer with our church on a mission trip. For seven days, we will be building homes there for 4 families in need. This is our first mission trip and we are grateful for an opportunity to serve others in this way. Through this mission, we hope to strengthen our faith and grow in compassion.

This mission trip is sponsored by Brothers and Sisters in Community Service (BASICS), a nonprofit organization that has been serving the needs of families in Tijuana for the past 20 years. They run programs that provide housing for people who would not otherwise have safe places to live. Tijuana is one of the fastest growing cities in Mexico, and also has some of the highest poverty in North America. Many people live without potable water, electricity, sanitary sewers, and adequate housing.

The total cost of this mission will be $2,700. Our parents will be helping to subsidize the travel and lodging portion of the trip. We are hoping to raise the additional $1,700 that will cover the cost of building materials.

We are asking for your support in helping us reach our fundraising goal. Any amount, big or small, will make a difference. Your donation will go directly to BASICS and is 100% tax deductible. Thank you for your generosity and prayers.

Best,

Dominic and Marissa Chao

“Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:39-41