Spotlight: Chula's Mission
CBG Building Company Contract Administrator Mayra San Juan co-founded Chula’s Mission in 2010 with Lyndsey Ruiz after losing their mothers, Elvira San Juan and Chula Ruiz. The organization supports young, motherless girls who know the void of losing a mother through mentorship services, basic cooking classes, and grief counseling. Headquartered in San Diego, Chula’s Mission is the only non-profit organization in the country specifically established to help young girls navigate life without a mother.
Chula’s Mission Founders (Mayra front center, Lyndsey back center) and Panelists after a Speaking Event Hosted by Chula’s Mission.
What motivated you to co-found Chula's Mission along with Lyndsey Ruiz?
“After my mother’s passing, I felt empty. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with my life. I left [CBG Building Company] to move back to Texas so that I could have some time to heal and spend some time with my father. I met Lyndsey in March of 2011, and as soon as Lyndsey told me about her idea to start an organization to help motherless girls, I knew I wanted to be part of it because I thought to myself, ‘What better way to honor my mother?’ I want to inspire young motherless girls the way my mother continues to inspire me.”
What kinds of services does Chula's Mission provide to young motherless girls?
“Currently we offer basic cooking classes, grief counseling, and a mentor program at no cost to the mentee and mentor. As the girls grow, we will introduce new programs that cover skills such as applying for your first job, applying for college, balancing a checkbook, etc. Our goal is for each girl that comes through Chula's Mission to grow into a bright well-adjusted successful young woman. Essentially, we want to provide resources on everything a mother would teach you.”
What have you learned about yourself through Chula's Mission? What have you learned about others?
“I've learned that it is okay to be vulnerable. I'll be honest; I'm a very guarded person. For so long, I've been trying to stay strong and it wasn't until I started this organization that I've been able to release some of the pain. This pain will never go away; it is just going to get easier to deal with. Chula’s Mission has been therapeutic not just for the girls but for me. I see these girls and they inspire. I never knew you could go through something so traumatic at 10 years old yet be so strong. I was fortunate enough to have had my mother for 25 years, and cannot imagine what it would be like to be 10 or 11 and not have hers. It is just amazing to see these young girls be so strong. I admire them. We all have lost our mothers at different ages and in different ways, yet we have all come together and have formed a special bond. We are a family.”
Chula's Mission founders Mayra San Juan and Lyndsey Ruiz work with mentees in the kitchen.
What is the best advice you'd give to people who want to help young motherless girls cope with their grief?
“The longing and mourning will never go away completely, and it will be re-triggered, especially during major life milestones. For example, by anniversaries, birthdays, graduations, weddings, the birth of a child, etc. So, I really try to be there for the girls and help guide them through their major milestones, where a void is often felt without the presence of a mother.”
Is there anything else you'd like people to know about Chula's Mission?
“Chula's Mission is the first-of-its-kind in the nation. There is no other social service program that specifically mentors and nurtures young motherless girls (who need our help not necessarily because of a death, but possibly because of abandonment, incarceration, deployed mother, etc.). Research has shown that those whom have lost a parent are at greater risk for depression, suicide, poverty, and substance abuse. We have formed Chula's Mission to help reduce those risk factors.”
A mentor and a mentee decorate aprons together, which is one of the first bonding activities they do together.
Knowing the emptiness that losing a mother can leave in a daughter’s heart, the founders of Chula’s Mission have created a supportive place for young motherless girls by offering unique and dynamic grief counseling that incorporates cooking classes, which are designed to aid in the healing process, and by providing the comforts found in an age-old tradition shared by many mothers and daughters. Through the generous hearts of volunteers and benefactors, motherless girls will have the opportunity not only to heal, but to thrive. To learn more about Chula’s Mission, visit their website or Facebook Page.
Spotlight: Project Northstar
We’re excited to launch a new series called Spotlight where we will regularly highlight the charitable endeavors of CRC CARES members.
Our first spotlight focuses on Project Northstar, where CBG Building Company Marketing Associate Gabby Migliara has spent the last four months volunteering 6:30 pm to 8 pm every Wednesday night. Founded in 1989, Project Northstar provides one-on-one tutoring and mentoring to homeless and low-income children in Washington, DC. Gabby has been working with sixth-grader Jacqueline to overcome her challenges in Algebra.
What motivated you to volunteer by tutoring for Project Northstar?
“Without homework or studying to keep me busy during the week, I found myself a lot of free time since graduating from UNC last spring. Instead of watching yet another season of Scandal, I figured my time could be better spent by giving back to the DC community which I now call home.”
What is your favorite memory from your time tutoring?
“I tutor Jacqueline each week. After the first week, her mom came up to me and was so excited that Jacqueline got all of her Algebra homework correct. She was really so thankful, as was I, that I was able to successfully help Jacqueline with her homework. Middle school was the first time math really blew my mind and was hard for me, so I'm thankful that I'm able to actually communicate these complicated Algebra concepts to Jacqueline!”
What did you learn about yourself while tutoring?
“I really enjoy working with kids, so this is a great weekly opportunity for me.”
What did you learn about others while volunteering for Project Northstar?
“It's so wonderful to see how students light up when they find their tutor in the crowd each Wednesday. The relationships created at Project Northstar are really inspiring, and I am happy Jacqueline and I have developed such a special bond.”
Is there anything else you would like to share?
“Jacqueline and I take dance breaks during each tutoring session. Usually it's to celebrate figuring out a tough question or just to take a mental break, but it always makes us laugh.”
Project Northstar serves approximately 75 students by pairing each student with a caring, successful volunteer from the community. Each week these student-volunteer pairs meet at the Josephine Butler Parks Center for two hour tutoring sessions. During this time, pairs work together to ensure the student’s homework is completed and to focus on any concepts the student needs extra help with.
In addition to serving as tutors, our volunteers act as mentors to our students. Pairs meet on a monthly basis to participate in activities ranging from visiting a local museum or the zoo, to sporting events and going to the movies. These mentoring sessions not only help to strengthen the tutor-student relationship, but expose our students to activities they might not otherwise experience. To learn more, please visit the Project Northstar Facebook Page.
CRC CARES Donates Hundreds of Cans to AFAC
To provide some holiday spirit to others, members of CRC CARES in the CRC Arlington office participated in the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC)’s annual holiday food drive.
From November 12 to December 12, large boxes were set up in each of the office’s kitchens to collect the heart-healthy items most needed by AFAC, including low sodium canned soup, tuna, and vegetables, tomato products, cereal, all-purpose flour, and cooking oil. Members walked to grocery stores on their lunch breaks to stock up on these items together, and the food drive was further promoted at the annual Thanksgiving office luncheon.
AFAC currently distributes over 80,000 pounds of food to nearly 2,200 families each week. Forty percent of the food AFAC distributes is donated by individuals and organizations like CRC CARES who are committed to the cause.
For over 25 years, AFAC has been the community leader in providing and promoting dignified access to nutritious food for all Arlingtonians in need. AFAC remains dedicated to its simple but critical mission of obtaining and distributing groceries, directly and free of charge, to people living in Arlington, Virginia who cannot afford to purchase enough food to meet their basic needs.