On Friday, January 6th, de Toledo High School welcomed six visitors from Corazón de Vida, or The Heart of Life, in an assembly sponsored by Club ACOH, in order to give students the opportunity to participate in a Tikkun Olam project just across the border.

Corazón de Vida is an organization that provides life changing support for orphaned and abandoned children in Baja, Mexico.

The world-wide issue of child neglect, abandonment, and mistreatment is prevalent in every-day life. In the northern area of Baja, Mexico alone, approximately 6,000 children live in abusive and/or dangerous conditions, while thousands more live in extreme poverty.

The social programs that many in the United States treat as normal do not exist in Mexico. Without a foster care or welfare system, the only opportunities to support the multitudes of children in need are through a system of privately owned orphanages, funded by individual and corporate donations.

This Town Hall introduced dTHS to the founder of the organization, Hilda Pacheco-Taylor, and to George Perez, a 12 year volunteer in the Baja orphanages, as well as four current students who had lived in the orphanage for several years: Obed Lopez, a second-year bio-engineering student who lived in the orphanage for 14 years; Eliu Cuevas, a third-year business administration student who lived in the orphanage for 14 years; Jacqueline Flores, a fourth-year veterinary student who lived in the orphanage for 10 years; and Ivette Martinez, a third-year law student who lived in the orphanage for 6 years.

Pacheco-Taylor, as founder of Corazón de Vida, described the inspiration behind her decision to create this organization, which provides children not only with a home, but also with the opportunity to receive an education and to pursue career opportunities, as the aforementioned university students have done.

She explained her personal story to the audience. As a child who grew up in an orphanage alongside her sister, Pacheco-Taylor was determined to provide orphaned and abandoned children with the same luxuries and opportunities that she was so fortunate to have in her orphanage.

Grateful for the assistance of mentors during her years in an orphanage in Baja, Mexico, Hilda Pacheco-Taylor wished to mentor children and give back to her community in other ways.

The idea of giving back to one’s community is prevalent at dTHS. Upon entering ninth grade, students are taught the morals and values emphasized at the school. With the multitude of opportunities for Tikkun Olam, students are guided to become active members of the community just like Pacheco-Taylor, who creating ever-lasting change among the children of Baja, Mexico.

With opportunities comes the responsibility to give back. Corazón de Vida allows high school students to not only donate, but also to engage in the hands-on work of visiting the orphanages in Tijuana each month.

In addition to the many requirements orphanages must meet to maintain the thousands of children living there, education is among the highest priorities. However, when food is scarce, or children are unable to keep clean due to a lack of hygienic equipment, the focus on education diminishes.

For this reason, each donation will have a major impact on a child’s life. As Pacheco-Taylor had done and remains doing today, it is imperative that we too express our gratitude for our opportunities and possessions, both tangible and intangible, by giving back to a community in need.