Summer 2011
casadesara.org
P.O. Box 30306 • Knoxville, TN, 37930-0306 • p/f: 865.690.3323 • e: [email protected]
HoLa’s annual Hispanic Heritage Festival is in downtown Knoxville on Depot Street on September 24, 2011
from 11am-8pm. Please come and visit Casa de Sara at
the event and buy our handmade crafts from Bolivia!
All proceeds will go directly to support our school.
Casa de Sara has proudly represented Bolivia in the
annual HoLa Festival for 11 years! This year our booth
will be located in the new Arts and Craft section. We
will also represent Bolivia in the Heritage section. The
Hola Festival is a day of culture, food, activities and
fun for the entire family! We hope to see you there!
Brandol: A Story of One of Our Students
Telling the personal stories of Casa de Sara’s students is always a delicate issue for us. On the one hand,
we believe it is important that you know our children and the lives they live; on the other hand, exploiting our children’s living conditions is really not what we are about.
On occasion, though, with the family’s permission, we think it is beneficial to everyone to introduce
one of our students. After all, charity is ultimately about a personal connection to a cause. We hope
Brandol’s story will touch your heart and reinforce why you and Casa de Sara are so important for
these children and their families.
Brandol lives in a broken down shack with his mother and four siblings. Although the house does not
belong to them, they are allowed to stay there in exchange for keeping an eye on things for the property’s owner. The house is made of discarded pieces of wood, paper, and scraps of metal. The one-room
structure has a dirt floor and lacks plumbing. At night, everyone huddles together on an old mattress
and cot that are pushed together. Because the flimsy door has no lock, they are in constant fear of intruders. They do not have food consistently and no medical care.
Casa de Sara is a 501 (c) 3 organization.
Newsletter design donated by DFD Design
Brandol, with his family outside their home.
Brandol’s mother does not work, nor does she does read or write. His father, who struggles with
alcoholism and no longer lives with the family, works sometimes as a taxi driver.
For some people, it’s only natural to ask questions: Why four kids? Don’t they have birth control?
Can’t mom get a job? Can’t they clean up the house? Don’t they care about their kids?
Brandol, in his home where the family sleeps.
Casa de Saraʼs
Sara, Mexico
1987. For more
on the story of
Sara go to www.
casadesara.org
“Poverty is a veil that obscures
the face of greatness.”
– Kahlil Gigran
Of course, in every society there are always some irresponsible, uncaring, and uneducated people.
But after eleven years of working in Bolivia, I have come to understand that most of these families
are not “bad” people; rather, they are people in a very bad situation. Many of them have lived in a
kind of “generational poverty” that is extremely difficult to overcome. From personal experience,
I know that the vast majority of the families we serve dream of better days and pray for their children’s futures. Until we stand in their shoes, few of us will truly know how hard life can be.
In spite of his circumstances, Brandol is a very sweet child who loves to be in school and learn.
He is smart, motivated, and has endless potential. At school, he’s very happy because he eats a
balanced diet, receives medical care, and has a safe place to spend his day. At four-and-a-half years
old, he is already learning to read, which amazes his mother since she is illiterate. In a small way,
Casa de Sara gives Brandol that “better day” his mother longs for.
Sometimes it is difficult to comprehend how Brandol can smile so easily, play so enthusiastically,
and stay so happy when home life is so tough. The simple truth is that children are amazing!
Brandol, and kids like him, often teach us lessons far more important than those he learns in our
school.
As always we thank you for your support, and we hope you will continue to help us as we expand
our mission in the hopes of helping more children like Brandol.
Lori Santoro
Founder and CEO
ATTENTION
FEDERAL EMPLOYEES
If you are a Federal employee and
participating in the Combined Federal Campaign and wish to donate to
Casa de Sara you can do so through
our D.B.A -- Hispanic Children’s
Education Fund. (CFC# 10927).
The students at Casa de Saraʼs Escuelita participate in the annual Bolivia Independence Day parade. Its always a big day for
our kids to participate in the celebration and represent Casa de Sara!