Leslie Coronado and Abraham Vázquez are high school students who did not want Christmas gifts, and chose instead to use that money buy gifts for children in a rural community. They teamed up with Amigos al Cien, the Red Cross, and DIF ((National System for the Integral Development of Families) to bring joy and smiles to young and old inhabitants of Cinco Señores. This rural area, nestled in the hills, is on the highway to Guanajuato. Its approximately 200 inhabitants have electricity and get their water supply from the Laja River. Their elementary school is a multilevel structure.

 

“My girlfriend and I reflected on what we wanted as holiday gifts,” Abraham told Atención. “It was during the pandemic and we were already in the habit of saving money.” They thought, “Why not use the money to buy something that will make more kids happy?” They got to work preparing and selling desserts, and bought toys with the proceeds. They also collected some toys from neighbors, although Abraham acknowledges that the collection was not very successful due to COVID-related circumstances.

 

They looked for ways others could support their project and contacted various organizations. DIF donated blankets for adults; Amigos al Cien provided toys; and the Red Cross provided the transportation and distributed the gifts on Jan. 14.

 

“Leslie and I are very grateful for the support they gave us to carry out this donation. We hope this will be an annual project.”