06/05/2026
As the President and founder of Leaders2Give you may have noticed that I don’t post a lot about the El Cardonal Children’s Home now that the main capital fundraising is complete and we are operational - albeit not fully.
There are a few reasons for that.
First and foremost, privacy. The children and families we serve deserve dignity, confidentiality, and respect.
Second, we’re all volunteers. Most of us are balancing careers, families, and other commitments while trying to help build something meaningful, so social media updates often fall to the bottom of the priority list.
Third, the work itself isn’t particularly “social media friendly.” Child welfare, governance, staffing, safety planning, compliance, intake assessments, and emergency decision-making don’t make for glamorous posts.
And sometimes there are genuine safety considerations. Not every story can or should be shared publicly.
That said, the incredible staff on the ground, led by Belen Meza Sandez and Sara Maria Esparza Lucero, do a wonderful job maintaining a Spanish-language page for the local Mexican community where they regularly share photos of visitors, celebrations, activities, family visits, and daily life at the home as appropriate.
But today I wanted to share a little bit about what happens behind the scenes because maybe this community can help.
This week, we received a call from a family asking for support.
Out of respect for the child’s privacy, I won’t share names or identifying details, but this is a child who has previously stayed with us and whose earlier placement presented significant challenges.
When that happened, we learned a lot.
We strengthened our intake process. We improved physical safety measures around the property. We developed better volunteer screening and staffing procedures. We expanded our governance processes and documentation requirements. We spent time reflecting on what worked, what didn’t, and how we could better protect children, staff, volunteers, and families in the future.
Now, that family has reached out again.
The child is currently receiving medical care and treatment for documented behavioural and developmental challenges. The family is dealing with serious health issues affecting a parent fighting cancer and is asking for temporary assistance while they navigate those circumstances.
This is precisely why we exist.
And the request sounds simple: can we help?
But responsible care is never as simple as simply saying yes.
We need to understand whether prescribed treatment plans for the child are being followed. We need to evaluate risks and supports. We need to determine whether additional professional assessments are required. We need to understand what staffing levels are necessary and whether we can provide them safely and responsibly.
And all of this is happening quickly.
A special urgent meeting of the Board was just called. Mid day. Friday.
Hector Boirie in the middle of a kids volleyball tournament where he’s a coach. Good luck team!
Dan Clemens dialing in from his vacation in Europe. We are admittedly a little bit jealous Dan.
I dropped a client contract review and pushed it until Monday.
Tracey Greenberg reprioritizing her day,
Liz Scroggins and Brea Brodoski also providing timely input and asking important questions….
Belén and Sarah are also now scrambling to gather information, coordinate resources, and explore staffing options.
Depending on the Board’s decision, we will need multiple caregivers and additional support staff on very short notice.
This is the reality of this work.
Families don’t schedule crises around board calendars.
Problems don’t wait until funding is secured.
Requests for help arrive when they arrive, and communities either have the capacity to respond or they don’t.
That’s why I often remind people that El Cardonal Children’s Home is not “our” project.
It belongs to the community.
We may serve on the board, volunteer our time, help raise funds, or support operations, but ultimately this exists because THIS community decided vulnerable children and families matter.
Over the next few days, our Board will be asking difficult questions and making important decisions. Whatever the outcome, I am proud of the thoughtful, compassionate, and responsible approach our team continues to take. Thank you 🙏
And maybe … and this is the real reason for my post because we all WANT to help this vulnerable child and family … maybe, this is where this community can help.
If you have experience in child care, social work, behavioural support, psychology, nursing, administration, fundraising, volunteer coordination, grant writing…if you are interested in joining our all volunteer Board or simply want to learn more about what we’re building, I’d love to hear from you. The needs are always greater than the resources.
Sometimes success isn’t measured by how quickly you say yes.
Sometimes it’s measured by making sure that if you do say yes, you can safely, responsibly, and sustainably deliver on that promise.
That’s the challenge in front of us right now and we are up for it.
