Updates

Thanks to You: We Surpassed Our $200K Goal & Have Big News for 2025!

Happy New Year! As we reflect on the close of 2024, we are filled with deep gratitude for each and every one of you. Your overwhelming support of our year-end campaign and Christmas wishlist was truly remarkable. Thanks to your generosity, we surpassed our $200,000 goal, setting the stage to sustain and expand our programs throughout 2025.

Here’s a glimpse of what your contributions made possible in just the last few weeks of the year:

  • Extra food for 50 families in our scholarship plus program

  • 20 new computers for our technology program

  • A new apartment for 5 girls in our work-study program

  • Continuation of our Tutor Program at the Mission Home

  • Small class sizes maintained in our English program

As we enter 2025, we are especially excited to introduce a new member to our Mission Santa Maria team. Emily Hernon, who joined us remotely in September, has now moved to Ecuador full-time. Emily previously volunteered at the Mission Home and brings years of experience in education, as well as a deep commitment to the well-being of vulnerable children. She will be supporting our fundraising efforts, organizing projects, and working directly with our team on the ground. Many of you may have already received an email from Emily or met her at our NYC event in October. We are thrilled to have her with us!

We also wanted to share two important updates from Ecuador:

  1. Electricity has been temporarily restored! The rolling blackouts ended just before Christmas, and power is expected to remain stable through the upcoming presidential elections in February and April. We hope this provides some relief to the local community, which has faced significant hardship due to power outages and loss of income in recent months.

  2. Payments owed to the Mission Home for social services remain severely delayed. The home is still awaiting six months of funding for 2024. We are incredibly grateful for your support during our crisis food drive in August, which has enabled us to continue purchasing food for the Mission Home. We will keep you updated should additional needs arise.