Ceci's Tijuana Service Mission Fundraiser 2023

Hello Friends and Family,

I hope your summer is off to a good start. In a few weeks, I will again be joining St. Simon Parish’s Immersion Service Mission to Tijuana, Mexico to help build three homes, complete with electricity and plumbing, for families currently living in very unsafe conditions. This mission is enabled by a team of 31 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 St. Simon Parish for years. Due to pauses during the pandemic, last year was my first opportunity to volunteer on-site. The minimum each volunteer is required to contribute is $900 of which $500 goes toward building material expenses. 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 last year was wonderful! Working side-by-side with fellow volunteers and with 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 blazing 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 evening time to draw images of “Our Lady of Guadalupe” (the Patron Saint of the Americas who is beloved in Mexico) and the “Sacred Heart of Jesus.” Another volunteer made frames for them and they were gifted to the owners of the two 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 organized a collection of gently-used gear from families across the club. The support was amazing. I was able to deliver a large amount of very good gear to the youth in Tijuana where we volunteer. It was provided to the community at a local soccer event weeks later and I was told it brought huge smiles to the children’s faces. I am again collecting gently-used soccer gear for the local youth. If you have any you’d like to contribute, I'd be grateful if you'd drop it to the box on our porch at 980 St. Joseph Ave., Los Altos by Thursday, 6/29.

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

Saint Francis High School (rising-Senior, Class of ’24)