The Short Version:

In June my daughter and I as well as several friends are going on a humanitarian trip to El Salvador. We will be volunteering in local schools, an orphanage, as well as the Children's Cancer Center. I'm raising money to cover some of the cost of the trip.

The Long Version:

Hello! My name is Naomi Berrios. I am a 35-year-old former teacher and mother of two living in Orlando, Florida. My daughter is Ilana, and she will be finishing her last year of middle school this May and will soon move on to High School.

We have both always had it in our hearts to help others and have made it our goal in recent months to do this. Our first event was participating in a food drive. We worked with our local church and through the event we helped feed over 300 families, providing food for Thanksgiving. It was amazing to see the joy and thankfulness on everyone’s faces as they received the food. Our family has also tried to give more to organizations raising funds for missions in other countries as well as here locally.

Our next step is to take a mission trip to El Salvador this June. We will be volunteering at local schools, an orphanage, and the children’s cancer center. We are both extremely excited. I’ve dreamed of doing this since I was very young and have never had the opportunity to go. I’ve had the pleasure to travel a lot in my life, and I’ve seen up close some of the living conditions of people in third world countries, and my desire to help has only increased. And I would love for my daughter to see this as well. I know this trip will not only help those in need in El Salvador, but also teach us some valuable lessons as well.

This is where you come in. Going on mission trips isn’t cheap. We will need $1,500 each as well as a passport for Ilana, who has never traveled to a place requiring one. We are working hard to put our own funds together, through my part time job as well as local fundraisers we plan to have, but it will not be possible without external help. I am hoping to build a network of people and businesses that would consider supporting our trip. Our hope is to personally cover the $300 deposit for each of us, and get the rest funded.

I just want to thank you for your consideration and time, as well as any support you can give. I know times are extremely hard on almost everyone right now, and that it may be a huge sacrifice to support us financially. So, if you do decide to give despite that, know that we are extremely grateful. Thank you!