Natasha’s connection with Para Los Niños started in the way so many do. It started with one family member being part of a PLN program.

Lea, Natasha’s daughter, had found her community in our PLN teen advocacy group. After her move to a new neighborhood she was feeling homesick, shy and hesitant. After encouragement from Eva a PLN Promotora, Lea was able to settle in and find comfort in the community she was building with her peers.

At one of the events for her daughter, Natasha met Erika Castillo (C to insert job title) at PLN. Erika immediately identified a leader in Natasha and later reached out about an open Promotora role.

The role felt like a natural fit to Natasha who has been involved in community service for over twenty years. Natasha, a loving mother of six young adults,

has always centered family and community, often involving her kids in whatever organization she was a part of.

There was, however, some hesitation. Natasha wasn’t sure if she was ready to commit. Recent trauma had intensely impacted her family. She needed her kids to be ok and she needed to be ok enough to operate in her purpose outside of motherhood and healing.

Natasha took a leap of faith and has recently started as a PLN Promotora! While community work can bring about triggers of her past life, she is leaning on an additional circle of support that now includes PLN coworkers and supervisors.

“In twenty years of working in community service, I have never been part of a work culture that allowed, much less encouraged, me to make space for my healing at work.”

Dee saw the flourishing relationships his sister and mother, Natasha, were having with PLN staff and was excited to apply for PLNs Youth Workforce Services for a paid internship. Dee is now in his second year of college and is feeling more stability and financial security being able to pay for some of his college expenses on his own.

Now both Lea and Dee are enrolled in paid internships through PLN’s Youth Workforce Services. Natasha has seen confidence and stability continue to flourish in her children.

Natasha recently shared with Gloria, “I’m not sure if I’m able to convey the magnitude of the impact PLN support has made on our family but please know that lately, my prayers have included tears of gratitude for manifested blessings”

*Names have been changed in this story to protect their identity