Corazon de Vida Foundation

As you know, one of the causes near and dear to my heart is the Corazon de Vida Foundation helping provide essentials for orphanages in Tijuana, Mexico. I have been very blessed to know many kindhearted people who have contributed by buying the kids new blankets, purchasing toiletries in bulk, and helping bring cheer by joining me on a trip. My stories and photos touched the hearts of the wonderful NASN's organizer, Denise, and she is helping by rallying up essential supplies from other vendors at their July 20th educational event. I am posting this to let you know that you are welcome to bring any of the supplies below to my North Hollywood office, as we will be transferring those to Tijuana after July 20th! This is just easier - to get things together at once, and arrange for a pickup to Baja.

Toilet Paper, Detergent, Bleach, Dish Soap, Mops, Brooms, Large Trash Bags, Toilet Paper, Diapers, Feminine Products, Shampoo, Hair Conditioners, Deodorant, Toothpaste, Baby Wipes, Pine Sol Type Cleaners, Toilet Paper, COSTCO GIFT CARDS

Love you all, keep in touch with any questions!

The Blankets for Casa Hogar Sion Have Arrived!

The last time I visited my favorite orphanage in Tijuana, Mexico, the woman who cares for the children informed us that they desperately need new bedspreads for the kids. I posted and blogged asking friends to help purchase 50 new blankets for the girls', boys and toddler dorms. In only 3 weeks, with the help of some amazing and generous people, I was able to pull together 53 brand new, BEAUTIFUL blankets! 

 In total, we have exceeded the number of blankets by 3 Twin girls blankets! Friends, you all are beyond amazing, and should be very very very proud of yourselves! I am overjoyed and grateful to know that many people sympathized with this great cause, and now the kids at Casa Hogar Sion can have NEW fresh, amazing, beautiful and colorful bedspreads! I love you all for helping achieve this goal in merely 3 weeks! Thank you again! I will post photos once the blankets are picked up and get to their destination!

Help Me "Spread the Love" By Donating New Bedspreads to the Orphanage

Hello, my beautiful and generous friends! 

I would like to personally invite you to do something very special for some amazing kids at the Casa Hogar Sion orphanage in Tijuana, Mexico. If you have read my blog about Corazon de Vida Foundation​, you will know that the Mexican government doesn't provide for the orphanages, and the kids rely on generous donations from kindhearted people, to have access to essential supplies, even toilet paper and soap. 

The last time I was at the orphanage, the woman who takes care of the children said they desperately need blankets (bedspreads) for the girls dorm, boys dorm, and the nursery. I thought I had secured a donor, but since I haven't heard back regarding these blankets for the last month, I decided to take action and organize a "bedspread drive" just in time for Valentine's Day. It is not a very big amount of items, and I know that together we can all pitch in, and "blanket" these sweet kids with our love and care! Here is the list of what they need:

The girls dorm needs 26 twin comforters.

The boys dorm needs 12 twin comforters.

The toddlers need 12 crib size covers.

I think that is extremely feasible, right, guys? If we can get a blanket or 2 each, we will get this done before February 14th, and already on the bus to the orphanage on February 21st! 

I have worked hard on creating this baby registry on Amazon, so those of you who are located far away from me, can still help the kids out by purchasing a blanket online!

The Link tells you how many of which items we need:   http://www.amazon.com/registry/baby/3AEFNC929HITT

You can also bring the blankets to my office at: SAIAN Natural Clinical Skin Care​ 7525 Ethel Ave Suite M, North Hollywood, CA 91605

Love you all, and thank you for your generosity!

Blankets of Love - Bedspread Drive for Casa Hogar Sion Orphanage

I would like to personally invite you to do something very special for some amazing kids at the Casa Hogar Sion orphanage in Tijuana, Mexico. If you have read my blog about Corazon de Vida Foundation, you will know that the Mexican government doesn't provide for the orphanages, and the kids rely on generous donations from kindhearted people, to have access to essential supplies, even toilet paper and soap. 

The last time I was at the orphanage, the woman who takes care of the children said they desperately need blankets (bedspreads) for the girls dorm, boys dorm, and the nursery. I thought I had secured a donor, but since I haven't heard back regarding these blankets for the last month, I decided to take action and organize a "bedspread drive" just in time for Valentine's Day. It is not a very big amount of items, and I know that together we can all pitch in, and "blanket" these sweet kids with our love and care! Here is the list of what they need:

The girls dorm needs 26 twin comforters.

The boys dorm needs 12 twin comforters.

The toddlers need 12 crib size covers.

I think that is extremely feasible, right, guys? If we can get a blanket or 2 each, we will get this done before February 14th, and already on the bus to the orphanage on February 21st! 

I have worked hard on creating this baby registry on Amazon, so those of you who are located far away from me, can still help the kids out by purchasing a blanket online!

The Link tells you how many of which items we need: http://www.amazon.com/registry/baby/3AEFNC929HITT

You can also bring the blankets to my office at: SAIAN Natural Clinical Skin Care 7525 Ethel Ave Suite M, North Hollywood, CA 91605

Love you all, and thank you for your generosity!

Dasha Saian

Casa Hogar Sion Holiday Trip

Hello beautiful friends! I hope you enjoyed my previous post about my last month's Casa Hogar Sion volunteer visit to Tijuana, Mexico. Here are some photos from yesterday's trip to Casa Hogar Sion. 

This orphanage houses from 80-100 children at a given time, and it receives ZERO funding from the government, just like all Tijuana orphanages. All the money raised by volunteers and donors goes DIRECTLY for essential supplies for the kids - toothpaste, toothbrushes, toilet paper, shampoo, conditioner, hair gel, school uniforms and other essentials. You can help by monetary donations, or by purchasing the supplies, and bringing them with you on the trip.

These kids are beautiful, fun, grateful and full of promise! As you remember, this volunteer trip is made possible by Corazon De Vida which is a non-profit.  The last time I came, I had the privilige of helping out in the kitchen, so I signed up for that task again. It was easy, and a wonderful way to help out.  I hope the photos encourage you to join me on the next trip, or to help me raise some much-needed funds. Remember, the money doesn't go to buy toys or fancy clothing - it's directly feeding the children, and making sure they have enough supplies for daily sustenance.

 

https://www.crowdrise.com/DashasCasaSionFundraiser/fundraiser/dashasaian

Here is the link to help me raise funds for the children. Thank you!

My Visit to a Tijuana Orphanage, and Info on How You Can Help

Dear friends, I would like to share my experience visiting an orphanage in Tijuana, Mexico, in hopes that it will inspire you to participate, donate, and show your love. I had the privilege of getting introduced to the Corazon de Vida Foundation by my friend, Veronica, who has been on many trips with them in the past, and came along with me and my friend Dana on our first visit! A bit of background - Corazon de Vida helps bridge the gap between orphaned children in Tijuana, Mexico and loving people who come to volunteer, sponsor children, and provide generous donations that make meals, clothing, and education available for these amazing kids. There are few things that can compare to the warmth, sincerity, and beauty of a child's smile, and when I saw these children's smiles, I could hardly believe how happy they were in that moment, surrounded by the rubble of Tijuana's houses. You will see the beautiful photos of the time we had bonding with the kids, but I'd like to start off by showing a couple of photos of Tijuana's landscape, and telling you about my journey.

I woke up at 4am, got dressed, packed my supplies into the trunk of my car, and drove to the arranged location to board a charter bus to Mexico at 5:30am. The bus makes 3 stops before the Mexican border - Los Angeles 5:30am, Irvine 6:15am, and San Diego 8:15am. My friend Gayane and her  sweet children made a shopping trip to help us with supplies that were much-needed at the Casa Hogar Sion orphanage. Some of the things we bought were shampoo, conditioner, dish soap, toilet paper and toothbrushes. Dana brought giant tubs of detergent, and what looked to be a life-time supply of toilet paper. Once we arrived at the border, we cleared the bus, it got x-rayed, and so did our posessions. We went through customs, and were in Tijuana by 10am. Corazon de Vida sponsors and visits 11 orphanages, but this day, we were at the Casa Hogar Sion - the largest, housing 90-100 children. There is a girl's and a boy's house, each has 2 floors with bunk beds. The children don't have personal possessions - there is one great big closet in each house - they wear whatever is clean and fits them. The dorm rooms may be poorly decorated and tight, but they are clean and bright, and so are the little inhabitants who dwell at Casa Sion.

I am a fluent Spanish-speaker, so communicating with the kids in their language was easy for me, but I can tell you without a doubt - there is no language barrier when it comes to love and care. The children are sweet, shy, and talented. Another volunteer brought a conga and you should have heard the great beats all of the kiddos were producing on that drum! Simply tremendous! The beauty in this photo is Rebecca -she's 9 years old and has 10 siblings, all of whom live at the orphanage... This was very hard for me to take in, and was very painful to hear. Some kids here are orphans, with deceased parents, some are left by parents who can't support them financially. Rebecca really touched my heart. She was playing board games with us, and got a fancy pink manicure and glittery makeup that day. I love her smile, I just adore it, she reminded me of myself at that age! There were little babies at the orphanage, barely 3 months old - Veronica held little Luis, who could barely hold his tiny head up, he was so small... It made me sad, but also made me grateful to know that there are good people out there who will adopt him. Hopefully... I met some young ladies who were academic stars! One just got accepted to Dental school, and the other to Veterinary school!  I respect their dedication and hard work on the way to triumph over poverty.

Dana and I didn't waste any time, and jumped in the kitchen at 11am, where we peeled and cut up fruit for a giant fruit salad until 1pm, and then served a mountain of hot rice, broccoli, and chicken to 150 people at lunch. It was a great experience, because we were able to physically help out where we were needed! We played, we made food, we ate, we talked, we drew and colored, we bonded, and at 2pm, we boarded the bus back to Los Angeles. It was hard saying goodbye, but I have already signed up for my next trip back to Casa Hogar Sion on December 2nd, 2015 - it's a Holiday trip.

Please donate to the cause using this link! I am hoping to raise at least $1000 for the kids by Christmas! I am sure that we can raise that amount and much more if we all pitch in a little (or a lot)! The organizer of the trip, George, pointed out how ripped and destroyed the sofas in the boy's dorm were, and said they desperately needed some leather sofas. I couldn't resist but to offer a pair of mine from the office. They were enjoyed here by clients and staff, but now its time to do some good in Mexico :) I am glad to keep the giving spirit, and I know you will fall in love with these kids, as well. I hope to see you all on my next trip, and remember - open your heart - let love out, let love in :)

 CLICK HERE TO HELP ME RAISE FUNDS FOR THE KIDS
https://www.classy.org/dashasaian