2019 is around the corner. As we celebrate another year, we'd like to look back on a poem written by the very talented, prize winning Amineh Abou Kerech, who wrote 'Lament for Syria' at the age of 13, after being forced to flee her homeland. This poem reminds us that life is never promised, never [...]
So much gratitude for you all supporting Casa by generously contributing on Giving Tuesday to help us raise just over 7K. We couldn't do this without you. Thank you for helping us carry out our mission to welcome displaced immigrants and promotes self-sufficiency by providing shelter and support services. >>CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE KVUE [...]
Happy Saturday, Casa Family! Now might be the perfect weekend to snuggle up with a book. We wanted to share with you 5 interesting books detailing the immigrant experience. As a whole, the immigrant experience is deeply personal and the stories shared by immigrants are incredibly unique - but can also fundamentally be similar when [...]
We carry tears in our eyes: good-bye father, good-bye mother We carry soil in small bags: may home never fade in our hearts We carry names, stories, memories of our villages, fields, boats We carry scars from proxy wars of greed We carry carnage of mining, droughts, floods, genocides We carry dust of our families [...]
We had an incredible time at MIGRANT, a multi-media event that deals with the human migration theme and pays homage to the cultural richness that immigrants have brought to the United States. What a beautiful, peaceful night! What is MIGRANT about? 'MIGRANT’s main focus is to bring about a better understanding and a clearer perception [...]
This week, we're chatting with the kind, smart and always friendly Namitha, a former ESL teacher at Casa Marianella. Namitha is now on her way to becoming a PA, her lifelong dream! Namitha's passion is medicine and helping those in need. We miss Namitha dearly, but we're catching up with her this week to hear [...]
We are so thankful for everyone who has taken the time to volunteer their time and energy at Casa Marianella. One unique volunteer traveled down from Connecticut to volunteer for 2 weeks at Casa Marianella. Impacted by the crisis at the border and the stories of family separation, Andy wanted to help. Thank you, Andy, [...]
We had a blast at our latest ESL Show and Tell night. It was a fantastic opportunity for our residents to showcase what they've learned in ESL and practice their public speaking skills. Before our ESL Show and Tell night, our residents worked with ESL teachers to come up with a presentation to give in [...]
This week we lost two of our champions. Our beloved volunteer Jorge Huerta and retired Bishop John McCarthy, former Wendler award winner: https://www.mystatesman.com/news/local-obituaries/john-mccarthy-retired-former-austin-diocese-bishop-dies/IBYW5p9PAmybD1r3Cr5pEN/ Jorge Huerta recently wrote a beautiful piece about his experience at Casa helping residents: http://www.casamarianella.org/2018/05/16/volunteer-jorge-huerta-shares-about-his-experiences-helping-residents/ Today we remember these two heroes and celebrate their lives. Both were full of love, kindness and [...]
On the 14th of July we gathered at Kinda Tropical with DJ Sal Vasquez, Indivisible Austin, Cine Las Americas and CustomInk to celebrate the World Cup, fellowship, family and freedom. Sal Vasquez, along with Jean Anne Lauer (Cine Las Americas) and Sara Clough (Indivisible Austin) had put their heads together and decided to throw a [...]