The Home’s New Name

Apr 1

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An important part of Leaders2Give’s work in Baja California Sur continues to be the children’s home in El Cardonal.

Through grassroots outreach, local meetings, and collaboration with community leaders, the team has been working steadily to build trust and awareness around the home and help families better understand what it is and how it can support them during a medical crisis.

The home’s new name also supports that mission.

The facility is now being referred to in English as the El Cardonal Children’s Home and in Spanish as Albergue para niños El Cardonal.

In Mexico, community facilities are often known by the name of the town where they are located. The word albergue is also more commonly used than casa hogar to describe a place that provides temporary shelter and support.

Using the name Albergue para niños El Cardonal reflects the community where the home is located and helps make its purpose clearer to local families.

As always, we’re grateful to everyone helping us build trust and awareness around this mission. Every introduction, conversation, and shared explanation helps more families understand that this support exists.

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We’re proud to be part of a growing community of partners who are making a difference. Keep reading below for updates from our partners.

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PARTNER UPDATES

El Cardonal Children’s Home

The El Cardonal Children’s Home (formerly John Gullo Home for Children) provides temporary shelter for children in BCS whose families are experiencing medical crises. Read the latest update below:

Over the past few weeks, the El Cardonal Children’s Home has continued expanding its outreach across Baja California Sur, building relationships with government offices and local communities so more families know support is available during times of medical crisis.

In mid-March, the team welcomed representatives from the Child Protection Office in San José del Cabo to the home. The visit opened the door to closer coordination and led to a family referral from La Ribera.

Since then, Belén and Sarah (the Directors of the home) have held community meetings in Los Planes, Santa Rita, and Puerto Chale, sharing information about the home with families and local leaders. In each community, the response was warm and appreciative, particularly in areas where many residents face seasonal work and unstable living conditions.

The team also met with Municipal DIF in La Paz to strengthen referral pathways and continues working to connect with more organizations, including women’s services, community kitchens, and religious institutions. At the home itself, routine maintenance has been completed, updated materials are being distributed, and outreach efforts remain focused on making sure families across the state know this resource exists.

New Creation Kids (NCK) Children’s Home

New Creation Kids is a children’s home in La Paz providing safe, stable shelter for children whose families are facing serious challenges such as addiction and homelessness. Read about our involvement with the home below:

As many of you know, NCK has been with us since the very beginning and continues to hold a special place in our journey. Operated by Roberto and Alma Osuna, this independent, registered Mexican nonprofit provides a safe and stable home for up to 30 children at a time.

Children whose parents are unable or unfit to care for them due to circumstances such as addiction, violence, or homelessness.

While Leaders2Give does not oversee NCK’s operations, we help fund essential daily needs like food, electricity, education, fuel, and water. Our involvement also includes stepping in for urgent capital improvements like when we installed cisterns to help address water shortages in 2021.

Thanks to your generosity, we currently have enough funding to cover their basic needs for the year. That said, the needs at NCK are ongoing and often unpredictable. If you’d like to help cover the cost of essentials like water deliveries or meals, please consider making a donation. Just $25 can support one child for ten days.

The East Cape Health Center

The East Cape Health Center is a nonprofit clinic in Los Barriles offering full medical and dental services with discounted or free care for families in need. Read their latest update below:

Early Detection, Stronger Futures: Our Annual Health Outreach

East Cape Health Center carried out its annual health outreach in schools across Los Barriles and surrounding communities, reaffirming its commitment to prevention and early detection from a young age.

The month of March represented a period of intense work and carefully coordinated logistics, allowing us to reach educational institutions from elementary through high school levels.

During this outreach, children and young students from the communities of Los Barriles, Buena Vista, El Cardonal, and El Campamento received care through vision screenings, glucose testing, blood pressure checks, oral health evaluations, as well as height and weight assessments. Each student also received a medical evaluation, ensuring comprehensive care focused on their overall well-being.

This effort was made possible thanks to the support of Rotary Club Cabo del Este and Rotary Club of Nevada City, as well as the commitment of our volunteers, whose time, dedication, and spirit of service make each outreach successful. We also recognize the essential role of donations, which make it possible to carry out this work and bring healthcare services to those who need them most. Every evaluation performed and every child served reflects the trust and generosity of those who support our mission. Donations not only make this outreach possible, but also help expand our reach, strengthen the quality of care, and bring services to communities that might otherwise have limited access to healthcare.

This effort reflects the impact that can be achieved when a community, partners, and volunteers work together toward a shared goal: the health of future generations. Although this phase of the outreach has concluded, the work continues. There is still much to be done, and with continued support, we will keep bringing health, prevention, and well-being to more children.

Because when a community comes together, health grows stronger.

SNAP - Spay, Neuter, and Prevention

SNAP offers free spay/neuter services for the local community in and around Los Barriles, BCS and promotes youth leadership through animal welfare education. Read their latest update below:

February Was a Month to Remember
February is Spay and Neuter Awareness Month, and SNAP Los Barriles made the most of it. Thanks to the generous support of Leaders2Give donors, we held two community clinics and provided office appointments that helped 157 animals across the East Cape corridor. It was a powerful reminder of what our community can accomplish when we work together — and it set the tone for an exciting year ahead.

Our 2025 Commitment: One Clinic a Month
This year, SNAP Los Barriles has made a commitment to hold one community clinic every single month. Our goal is simple: make spay and neuter services consistently accessible to the animals and families who need them most, reaching deeper into the communities along the East Cape.

March Clinic: Santiago & Matancitas
On Saturday, March 28th, we head to Santiago and Matancitas, BCS — bringing our clinic directly to families in these communities. We are expecting to serve between 50 and 70 animals, and our volunteer team will be on the ground making it happen.

But the work starts before clinic day.
In the days leading up to the clinic, our volunteers are visiting local schools to connect with children about responsible pet ownership. It's not a lecture — it's a conversation. Kids share stories about their own pets, get hands-on with arts and crafts, and walk away with a deeper understanding of how caring for animals makes the whole community stronger. These young voices are the future of animal welfare in our region, and we love getting to meet them.

Thank You for Making This Possible
None of this happens without the support of partners like Leaders2Give. Your donors are funding real change — clinic by clinic, school by school, animal by animal. We are proud to share this journey with you and look forward to reporting back on the impact of our March clinic.

Crescent Moon Project - Art for Children

Crescent Moon Project offers free arts-based classes that spark creativity and help children grow into compassionate, community-focused leaders. Read their latest update below:

What a fantastic Art in Bloom: Watch Them Grow fundraising event we had on March 26th! With over 150 guests and volunteers in attendance, the evening was filled with energy, creativity, and true community spirit.

Guests enjoyed a delicious dinner from Maria’s Café while strolling through a beautiful outdoor gallery featuring artwork created by Crescent Moon Project student artists in collaboration with talented adult artists from our community.

Each piece told a story of mentorship, imagination, and growth—perfectly capturing the heart of this year’s theme. The Silent Auction was lively and engaging, with a steady crowd gathered around the bidding table as guests eagerly competed to take home one-of-a-kind pieces, all while supporting our mission to provide free art programming for local children.

As the Silent Auction closed, excitement continued to build with the start of the Live Auction. The first item featured a stunning photograph by Julie Shipman capturing the vibrant Huellas en el Desierto mural along the bypass road near Restaurante San Miguel de Allende. Paul Neal then took the stage as guest auctioneer, bringing energy and enthusiasm to a unique mixed media agave collage created by artist Wayne Wagler in collaboration with student artists. The final piece, a Diane Wright totem—always a crowd favorite—brought the auction to a memorable close.

Adding to the festive atmosphere was the ever-popular Lotería game, played for a Los Barriles Mystery Box, along with tequila tastings, plenty of laughter, and incredible live music by Damiano and Ruben, who kept the crowd entertained throughout the evening. It was truly a celebration of art, connection, and the power of creative expression.

We are so grateful to everyone who attended, volunteered, donated, and helped make the evening such a success. Your support ensures that the Crescent Moon Project can continue to inspire and nurture young artists in our community.

We are especially grateful to our 2026 Artist Collective members:
Cristhian Gabriela Rosas Aguilar (our first CMP parent artist!), Brett Carl, Christene Comstock, Kathrin Exler, Susie Frazier, Tamra McKinney, Laurie Riley, Tanis & Lawrence Rovner, Julie Shipman, Wayne Wagler, Peny Wallace, Diane Wright, and Carla Lizeth Yannayon Garcia.

Wonderland for Kids Sponsorship Program

Wonderland for Kids is a bilingual Montessori and childcare center in Los Barriles offering a Sponsorship Program to help low income families access affordable childcare. Read their latest update below:

At Wonderland for Kids Montessori and Daycare, we believe that when we support a mother, we change the course of a child’s future—and often an entire family’s story.

The mission of our sponsorship program is to help single mothers access quality early education and reliable childcare so they can work, grow, and provide stability for their families.

With the support of our sponsors, we are currently helping one young girl in our community by providing a safe, nurturing place to learn and grow each day. Her mother can work with peace of mind, knowing her child is cared for and supported during these crucial early years.

Early education is about more than academics. It builds confidence, emotional security, and a sense of belonging—foundations that shape a child’s future.

This single sponsorship is already making a meaningful difference. With continued community support, we can expand our reach and help more families who need access to safe, consistent childcare.

By contributing to our cause, you help empower single mothers, uplift children, and strengthen our community—one family at a time.

To learn about the different ways to donate to Leaders2Give and any of our Partners, visit our Donate page.