After my first Home for a Home build trip back in March 2024 I didn’t think I’d ever experience something more enlightening. But somehow, this second trip in October filled my heart even more. As soon as the van from Guatemala City hit the cobblestone streets of Antigua, a feeling of calm peace washed over me. It felt like I was coming home. That feeling followed me every morning, driving to our build site through those bumpy, loud, brain-rattling roads, filled with excitement for what the day would bring. We were doing something we’d never done before: building two homes in one week for two sisters: Maria, single mom of two, and one for her sister Carla and her family. On site we lugged cement bags and cinderblocks, shoveled gravel, and helped lay bricks under the patient guidance of incredible local masons (some of whom spoke in Mayan dialect which I thought was SO cool). Keeping close watch alongside them were the kids of the family, their friends, and, not to be left out, the neighborhood dogs — all growing increasingly more curious as the days passed. Covered in cement and sweat I loved every minute.

Both trips gave me more memories than I could ever fit into one GoFundMe page, but two moments have stayed with me more than anything else, and capture exactly why this work matters and why I created this campaign:

On April 22nd, our Executive Director, Joel Vendette heads to Guatemala for our annual spring build trip to do exactly this for another family. We want to send him off knowing we have the fuel to keep this mission going. And that's where you come in.

I won't sugarcoat it: like a lot of small nonprofits right now, we're at a moment where finances really matter. The current climate has hit organizations like ours hard, and the next few months are genuinely critical. We need your help as we look to raise $30,000 between now and when Joel returns from his build trip on May 3; every dollar counts.

I am on the board of this organization because I believe in it completely. We’re SO close to funding our 600th home and since 2012 we've served over 1,685 family members — 1,476 of them children, 250 under the age of two. I've seen the impact Home for a Home has firsthand and am deeply passionate about its mission. If you've ever wanted to do something that makes a tangible, real difference in a family's life, this is it. Any amount helps and I know I speak for Maria, Carla, Daniel and the hundreds of families we hope to serve in the future when I say we would be grateful for any amount you’re willing to give.

Thank you so much for reading this far, for caring, and for your support.