Our Neighbor, Yeralda

Yeralda lives right around the corner from Casa Unidos. From the day we moved in, she was at our door with her backpack, curious about whatever we were hosting that day. She first joined us as an elementary student at homework club. In a neighborhood where there aren’t many structured places for youth to land after school, homework club gave her a table, a caring adult, and a rhythm to her week. When she became a middle schooler, that same space gave her something more: a way to help. She joined our volunteer team, started supporting younger kids, and has become the kind of neighbor everyone hopes for.

Now she shows up early for workshops, helps host community breakfasts, and jumps in when something’s missing; if we run out of plates, cooking oil, or even an extra table, it’s usually Yeralda who runs home and comes back with what we need. The curiosity and energy she’s always had has a home at Unidos, where it’s being shaped into steady leadership for our neighborhood.

She’s one of about 200 students who’ve been part of Unidos programs this year. Together they’re finding places to belong, practicing leadership, and helping shape the kind of neighborhood where youth can stay, grow, and give back. Without a consistent place like Casa Unidos, many of those everyday chances to be seen, supported, and trusted simply wouldn’t exist.

To keep that going in 2026, we’re working to raise $125,000 through our Together for Their Tomorrow campaign. Your gift is part of the foundation that makes stories like Yeralda’s possible. Any amount you’re able to give moves us closer to our goal and keeps Unidos a place where youth can learn, lead, build, and look toward what tomorrow can hold for them.

You can make a gift online by clicking the button below.


With gratitude, 
Ester Ocampo
Volunteer Coordinator