Barrio Cuba Donation and Volunteer

An unexpected fire in Barrio Cuba in late September brought the Idioma community together again. Near our office on Paseo Colon, our neighbors’ homes in Barrio Cuba were hit with a fire that ruined everything and left its tenants with nothing. Because of the sudden urgency of the situation, Idioma Cares rallied in a short amount of time to bring in as many donations from the team — clothes, food, hygiene products, etc — to give to Asociación Obras del Espíritu Santo in Barrio Cristo Rey, near where the fire happened. La Asociación is a large Catholic organization whose main job is to help the people in any type of situation. We were able to collaborate with them and they were thankful and astonished by the amount of people that Idioma Cares brought with them. 

Along with donating items, many teachers and administration volunteered their time to help sort through the donated items with La Asociación. Outside, some volunteers carried boxes from the loading trucks and counted each type of item with the workers. Other volunteers helped with posters inside. I was impressed but not surprised by how willing the Idioma team was to donate their items and their time. What was even more amazing that after our allotted time with La Asociación, some of our team stayed extra and helped. 

Without hesitation everyone who donated, whether it was donating goods or donating their time, did it with a positive attitude. Idioma Cares was fortunate to work with a highly-established and well-known organization that deeply cares for its community. This shows just how much we can accomplish together. Within a span of a few days, Idioma brought in numerous boxes full of items and volunteered their time to help. We continue supporting those around us because we believe that doing good makes the world a better place. 

 -Kim Barnes