We’ve all experienced the surreal magic of having people from different eras of our life converge — when you see your friends from elementary school dancing with college friends at your wedding, for example. That just happened to me in the coolest way possible.
Three college friends of mine came to San Miguel de Allende on vacation. They’d heard me talk over the years about an incredible nonprofit organization I work with, Casita Linda, which has built more than 160 homes for families living in extreme poverty. So, during that visit, they painted a Casita Linda house and their teenagers volunteered alongside my sons as camp counselors at a bare-bones summer camp for Casita Linda kids in a rural indigenous community near San Miguel—and they brought suitcases full of enough art supplies to run the camp and stock the local primary school, too, with the leftovers.
Teens motivated by Casita Linda’s mission: “Building Hope One House at a Time”
At that point, the teens really dove in. Then and there, the kids committed to raise enough money in their communities of San Diego and Northern Virginia, to pay for an entire Casita Linda home, and, once they had the money, to return to Mexico to help build the house.
One of them, Sonia Whittle, filmed interviews on that visit with Casita Linda staff as well as prior recipients of houses. Afterward, at home in San Diego, she and her twin brother Sameer used the footage to create two powerful documentary films which formed the foundation of their online social media and fundraising campaign.
Another student, Andrew Drake, immediately began recruiting friends across several Northern Virginia schools to work for the cause. This group of teens included Will Harrison, Harry Patrick and Shiloh Hicks at South County High School, Rhesa Hicks at Thomas Jefferson High School, and Alexis White at The Trinity School. Naming their group Juntos 4 Casita Linda, these students planned a performing arts gala. This was an entirely student-driven fundraiser; they managed the event’s marketing, planning, set design, and choreography. Alexis even recruited additional youth from the Metropolitan School of the Arts to dance, sing, and play music, thereby utilizing others’ talents as well as their own to inspire donations for Casita Linda.
“Growing up in Virginia, I’ve always had what I needed and lived a life of comfort — something I now understand is a privilege,” explained Will Harrison. “Volunteering with Casita Linda opened my eyes. It’s been humbling to see how much hope and joy a safe home can bring. I hope others get the chance to experience something like this, because it has the power to change lives—both for those being helped and those helping.”
An inspiring life story that leads from India to the US to Mexico
Meanwhile, in San Diego, the Whittle siblings — Sameer, Sonia and Jayen, who attend Canyon Crest Academy and Torrey Pines — so inspired their Great Uncle Vishnoo Shahani with their commitment to the cause that he provided a very substantial donation, putting the kids well over their goal of US $20,000, the cost of constructing an entire three-bedroom Casita Linda home. The group decided to name the house Casa Kathy in honor of Shahani’s late wife, who throughout her life was both a patron of the arts and a strong believer in the power of community service.
Shahani explained that he came from very humble beginnings in India. “Along with my two brothers, we had to move twice to restart our lives, first from Sindh to Bombay right before Partition and then to Ahmedabad for work, and later we settled in the United States. I am now delighted to support my niece and nephews in their efforts to help another family that is struggling and working hard for a better life in Mexico.”
Building the entire walls of a Casita Linda house in two days
With the money raised, during the Spring Break of the teens’ senior year of high school, they converged on San Miguel de Allende last week to help build the house that they had paid for and to meet the family whose lives they are changing: mother Hermelinda Ramírez Pastor and her three children, Guadalupe, Christian, and Ramiro.
“To meet them,” said student Rhesa Hicks, “and see the impact of my work on others’ lives was a blessing. I hope more people see this organization and are encouraged to help in any way they can.”
“I liked being part of a group where everyone wanted to help,” noted Jayen Whittle, “even the family who was receiving the house. Whatever needed to be done, everyone pitched in.”
How it’s possible for volunteers to help build Casita Linda homes
Volunteers are able to construct the walls of Casita Linda homes thanks to the use of Armados Omega interlocking concrete blocks, which fit together almost like Lego and are the ingenious, eco-friendly invention of a husband-and-wife team of architects from Puebla, Jorge Capistrán and Sylvia Zambrano.
“As the granddaughter of two Latin American immigrants to the US, I have witnessed the struggles and sacrifices my family made to build a better life. Casita Linda gave me the opportunity to serve families like mine, and to help bridge communities internationally. It is my hope that others feel encouraged to do the same,” said Alexis White.
“On our first visit, we painted a Casita Linda house — purple, which seemed an interesting choice,” mused Sameer Whittle. “But when the mom told us she had always dreamed of living in a purple house, I realized it was the perfect color and just how important every step of the Casita Linda process is. That experience inspired us to fundraise. When we arrived at the building site this time, I could see the excitement in the family’s eyes, how much they wanted this opportunity to live more securely and improve their quality of life, which inspired us to work harder.”
These teens worked very hard, and I never heard a complaint from them about the heat, the dust — or where else they might have spent their final high school Spring Break. If that doesn’t give you hope for the next generation, what would?
And they aren’t the first teens to do this. Previously, Karina Knizek, the daughter of other Stanford friends of mine and a high school senior at the time, led a group of students from Holton-Arms School and St. Albans School in Washington, DC, who also raised the entire amount needed to build a “casita linda” and traveled to Mexico to help construct the home. And Colin Kitzman, son of former Casita Linda volunteer coordinator Tracey Kitzman, will bring his third team from the Loyola School in New York City to San Miguel this summer!
“As parents,” noted Annik Whittle, “you look for opportunities to raise awareness in your children and instill a sense of civic duty as a global citizen. This was one of those special opportunities where we received as much, if not more, than we gave. My kids learned that fundraising takes time and a strong connection to the people or cause, I learned how my kids think about social media and online fundraising, and together we achieved our goals. The experience we had building, in the community and with the community, brought everything together. We left with full hearts and vivid memories.”
Similarly, companies such as Momentum Factor of Austin, TX, have also donated the cost of a house and brought their employees to San Miguel to build as part of an executive team-building retreat. If you are interested in supporting Casita Linda in this way or would like more information, visit casitalinda.org.
Based in San Miguel de Allende, Ann Marie Jackson is a writer and NGO leader who previously worked for the U.S. Department of State. Her award-winning novel “The Broken Hummingbird,” which is set in San Miguel de Allende, came out in October 2023. Ann Marie can be reached through her website, annmariejacksonauthor.com.
