Meeting @ the Bishop's Office

Bishop Barnes was nice enough to pass our proposal to Jeanette at the diocese who deals specifically with community service. She has worked with various service programs in building transitional housing within San Bernardino and elsewhere. She gave us many valuable leads of people to talk to and was happy to see young adults with so much passion. We will be meeting with her periodically throughout the process.

Presentation @ Cal Poly's Newman Club Meeting

Today's presentation went really well! Cal Poly has an active group of young adults passionate about life and the faith! It was really nice to meeting fellow young adults who are excited to do something positive. We started with an ice breaker, "Where did you see Jesus this week?" and went around the circle hearing responses. We introduced our foundation, our mission, goals, and needs and we very happy with the attentiveness of the group. Many asked valuable questions that we will continue to reflect on these next couple weeks.

Presentation @ CSUF Newman Club Meeting

Today's presentation went well! CSUF's Newman Club is thriving with young adults who are excited about the faith. They had a large turnout and the meeting was held in a big room at St. Julianna's Church in Fullerton. We started with an ice breaker and presented first. We were able to pass out our pins and business cards. We look forward to working with them in the future!

Meeting with Kent Paxton @ the Mayor's Office

The Mayor of San Bernardino's right hand man on the homelessness issue is Kent Paxton. He, and a team of others, have constructed a 10 year plan that is in the process of getting passed. It was really reassuring to see that the city of San Bernardino is doing something to fight this cycle of poverty.

"REAL" by Katrina Sacramento

If I could use one word to describe the Backpack for Hope experience, it would definitely be REAL.

I use this word, above all others, because that's exactly what it was. At least that's what it was for me: an over-privileged kid from suburban SoCal. And although it felt like a slap of reality to the face, I must say that it was a good one.

I'll admit that on the ride to the photo studio where we stayed I was not excited at all. Knowing that I was just going to have my backpack and that I couldn't take a shower wasn't very appealing to me. Looking back on it though, I know that I wouldn't have traded that experience for anything else. I know it's hard to imagine picking sleeping on a cold photo studio floor over sleeping in a warm bed, but if I hadn't spent the night on that floor then I would have never heard the epic words spoken by Mike Juloya: "I'm miserable! Even homeless shelters have heaters!" I would have never been able to experience being scared of going to the bathroom because of being scared of the stories told by my fellow backpackers. And most of all, if I had chosen to sleep on a warm bed instead of that floor, I would have never experienced what it was like to be in the homeless condition (even though we had it even better than they probably did anyway). It was such an eye-opener, and for that I am truly grateful.

For me, the most humbling experience of all was carrying my backpack around with me all weekend. It forced me to understand the people that I was serving. It was weird, because if we brought a lot of things, it meant that we were hurting when we lugged all of our stuff all over LA. If we didn't bring a lot, it meant that we had little to live off of during the weekend. Either way, it was a lose lose situation, but it was a real one. People in the homeless condition face that kind of thing each and every day, but still find ways to live and to smile the same way that people in better living conditions do. That, to me, was the most enlightening thing of all: realizing that people in the homeless condition are just like me, and face decisions that I could easily be facing if I wasn't born into suburban life. And even though that might be heartbreaking, it just made me want to be an even bigger part of organizations like 25/35 so that maybe I could help the people that I'm just beginning to understand.

I'm truly grateful for the experience that I had at Backpack for Hope. It was one of the most real experiences that I've ever gone through, and I pray that one day many more people can experience the same thing.

- Katrina

"Backpack for Hope" Reflection by Noel Blanco

I learned to appreciate the many luxuries that we take for granted: a car to easily transport from place to place; cell-phones to communicate with friends and family; comfortable furniture to relax on; and a variety of food to enjoy. Because of this experience, I have realized that I myself do not want to own to many possessions and just to keep the basic necessities: clothes, my sports equipment, my laptop, a car, and my ipod. Regardless of age, culture, ethnicity, or economical class, I want to further help the needy.

People should realize that there are many people that we can help with a simple meal or donating a few hours to put a smile on a person’s face.

Non-Profit Presentation @ Cal Poly Pomona

Melinda and Meagan attended a presentation at Cal Poly's Career Center featuring Louie A. Lujan, M. Ed and mayor of the city of La Puente. We received really great information regarding networking and logistics. We also told Mr. Mayor about 25/35 Foundation and he seemed very interested.

* We will be in contact with him as he offered to send us a step-by-step guide on how to fill out the 501(c)(3) paperwork.

Quite possibly, a great connection!