Leticia Farias is happy to share her life experience at Sacred Heart and how God has helped her throughout her life. Her family consisted of seven members: her parents, four older sisters, herself and a younger sibling. After her parents separated, it became difficult for her mother to support the family financially. “My dad no longer wanted to support my mother financially. My mom began to work by buying and selling things. She would travel from one place to another to try and provide for us. The traveling made it difficult for her to care for us,” Leticia shared.
“My Mom met a Cuban man named Manolo. He told her about Sacred Heart Children’s Home. He was a benefactor of the Home.” Leticia said. Fearing that she would not be able to provide for her children’s basic needs, Leticia’s mother went to Sacred Heart Children’s Home for help. “At that time, it was Sacred Heart Orphanage. It was attended by religious who were helping needy families like mine. The sisters welcomed and cared for us with great love providing us with comprehensive care that included academic, physical, emotional, social, and spiritual growth. It was their support that made it possible for us to succeed.” Leticia said. She added, “At Sacred Heart, I learned many values such as respect, service, generosity, and trust in God.”
Leticia continued, “I’m very grateful to the Sisters of Sacred Heart Children’s Home for taking my sisters and myself under their care when we most needed it. I have learned to give, share and help others who have passed through my life when I see they are in need. This I learned from the Sisters. I know how it feels when you don’t have enough. God has always been in my life. I feel very blessed. The main values I learned that have served me in my personal life to become the working woman I’m today are honesty, sharing, and responsibility which were instilled by the Sisters. We inherited from our mom her strength and determination of working for her family the best she could. When my mom came to visit us at the Home, she would bring us food and clothing. I stayed at the children’s home from the age of 2 to about 11yrs.”
“As years went by, I could still count on the Sisters. When I needed cloths or jackets for my children, the Sisters would allow me to go through the donations of used clothing they had received. It was a blessing from God to us. Eventually, I opened a small business with my sister. Our business was a success. I help out whenever I can, but I will always be grateful to the Sisters from Sacred Heart and United Way for helping families in need,” Leticia shared.
Sacred Heart is a children’s home that is licensed to provide support for girls ages 5-17 and boys ages 5-10. They provide a home and support services for children. The charity relies on the support of grants and donations. They are a proud member of the United Way of Laredo family of agencies. Your support of United Way, helps to ensure that agencies like Sacred Heart are able to help people in our community. For more information on how you can support the United Way of Laredo or any of their network of agencies contact the United Way at uwlaredo@unitedwaylaredo.org or visit their website at www.unitedwaylaredo.org If you are in need of community resources and are not sure where to turn dial 2-1-1 for information on programs and services in available in our community.