The following was written by our beloved volunteer Jorge Huerta. He writes about his experiences as a volunteer, helping immigrants at Casa Marianella: --- February 20th, 2018 I close the cycle of participating as a volunteer. I would be in charge of Casa Marienella every wednesday while the staff meetings were taking place discussing evaluations, [...]
April was a great month for fundraisers, volunteering, and general love for Casa Marianella and our home for women and children, Posada Esperanza! Here is just a few of the organizations and people we would like to spotlight this month. José Maldonado José Maldonado caught our attention on Instagram - he is an avid crocheter who took [...]
Dylan Bladen of the Boy Scouts has generously collected 13 bikes, repaired them, and donated them to Casa Marianella as his Eagle Scout project. Casa Marianella would like to extend a sincere thank you to Dylan Bladen and the Boy Scouts for their generous donation to the Casa Bike Program. Residents of Casa who are [...]
Last Sunday at Convivio we enjoyed having residents DJ their favorite tunes! We also shared delicious food from Aster's Ethiopian and cooking by Queta, Sofia Gladys. In the words of our beloved staff member Kate Poor, "It's been a lovely night at Casa. Convivio and dancing and lots of community bonding." Several JVC (Jesuit Volunteer [...]
This past Sunday we gathered for yet another festive Convivio! We enjoyed lots of delicious food thanks to Aster’s Ethiopian Restaurant as well as Queta, Sofia and Gladys’ cooking! We also celebrated a former resident's teenage daughter's birthday with a cake and live music from Spirit of the Drums. In the words of dear staff [...]
Our dear Teo first showed up at Casa Marianella over three years ago. At the time, his untreated diabetes had advanced so far that he was really suffering. Due to his condition, Teo had lost half of his leg, the functioning of his kidneys, and part of his vision. Initially, Teo’s health insurance was only [...]
Improv Games Night was such a hit! The evening was led by Amy Knop-Narbutis, three of her colleagues from local improv workshops, & ESL teachers Jedda, Max, & Camille. The games played included Bunny Bunny, Eights, Mirroring, Pass the Clap, Rock Paper Scissors and many more! In the words of our beloved ESL Coordinator: "We [...]
We spoke with one of our wonderful ESL teachers, Camille, about her extensive involvement with Casa Marianella and what she has gained from teaching and interacting with people from all walks of life. What first prompted you to start teaching ESL? I was told about how refugees come from very bad situations in their home [...]
Allen Schroeder brings delicious food to Casa Marianella every Saturday morning. We are so grateful for his dedication and thoughtfulness. Allen writes about his experiences interacting with residents the process of food recovery: I love bringing recovery food to Casa Marianella on Saturday mornings. There's usually music playing on someone's phone and a nice aroma is [...]
Cutter, a well-loved former Casa ESL teacher, recently left Texas for 2 years to travel to Colombia with the Peace Corps. We are very proud of Cutter and the positive change he is making in our world. Our ESL Coordinator asked Cutter a few questions about his experience volunteering at Casa Marianella, and we are pleased [...]