Girl Power!
14 Completely different people came together in a small community, Kaleden BC, to change the lives of seven wonderful girls. Liliana, Isela, Maria, Gua Luz, and Joselyn are the most friendly, loving, charismatic girls I have ever met. Everyone knows how hard it is to raise five girls with huge hearts, but this single mom, Carmela, and grandma, Julia, do it with grace and easy. This family has touched my heart and will always have a special spot dedicated to them.Our team: Kevin, Kayla, Brooke, Josle, Dariene, Alana, Bri, Elly, Dilane, Jason, Jenny, and Louise and our two marvelous leaders: 
Les and Heidi all set off to Mexico with great anticipation. We all had to accept each others flaws and strengths very fast. We have now grown to be a strong and caring team. On Tuesday, we were all pumped to meet the seven girls we told all about before the beginning of the trip. This family meets the definition of GIRL POWER, right down to their now finished bright pink new house. Julia is the grandma, she is 64 years old and is in a wheelchair. Although, she is blind she sings beautiful songs. I can’t understand the words but they are pretty just the same. She has also suffered a stroke and deals with diabetes. The challenges that Julia has faced would have made some people give up, but she has hope and still holds strong.
When I took a look inside their home, we were astonished to see what the family survived on. There was two chairs, one double size mattress (borrowed), small propane tank, and cardboard laid on the ground for grandma to sleep on at night. This brought many unexpected emotions to surface and broke my heart. However, the main focus of the family is on the 14yr old daughter, Isela. All day Isela works in the feilds to make money to feed her mother, grandmother, and sisters. When I think of how stressful and unfair that is , Isela would go up and beyond what she is already doing for her family.It is now the forth day we’ve been working to give this family a home, but for me I’ve mostly been playing with all the adorable kids. From playing soccer to hundreds of “capuchies”(piggybacks) our group has really bonded with the family. I asked some of my team what they would not take for granted anymore, most of the answers were things like a bed, bathroom, and a home with 4 sturdy walls.
This is my third year on the spring Hero Holiday and every year it reminds me of how privileged we are. So, I would like to thank Mexico and the six most beautiful girls I have ever met for giving us the most cherished four days of my life.~ Bri