Gender Equality Puerto Rico Project #36503

Empowering Foster Girls and Teens in Puerto Rico

by Hogares Teresa Toda

Project Report | Apr 25, 2026
Where Healing Grows: A Home That Changes Futures

By Lymaris Marrero-Deya | Grant Writing Technician

Dear GlobalGiving community,

Thank you for caring about the girls and adolescents at Hogares Teresa Toda. Your support reaches children ages six to seventeen who have faced instability, neglect, or trauma, and it transforms that hardship into daily experiences of safety, dignity, and possibility. We operate as a traumainformed, CARFaccredited group home—an assurance that our care is guided by rigorous standards and evidencebased practice—so each girl receives consistent therapeutic, educational, and social support in a setting that truly feels like home.

This quarter brought tender moments of reconnection and growth. One resident celebrated her quinceañero with her biological mother present, a milestone that symbolized healing in the family bond and reminded everyone that joy can be part of the recovery journey. We also continued hosting structured, onsite family visits, creating time and space for conversation, rebuilding trust, and gently strengthening ties that will matter far beyond our walls.

School engagement remained strong. Several girls played on their school basketball and volleyball teams, experiences that build teamwork, discipline, and a sense of belonging. Two residents participated in graduation ceremonies, marking important steps forward in their academic paths, while four earned Honor Roll recognition for consistent effort and achievement. The addition of a recreational leader helped us organize activities that encourage positive peer interaction, emotional expression, and healthy routines—small daily rhythms that add up to stability.

We also supported meaningful transitions. Three girls reunified successfully with their families of origin after careful therapeutic preparation, and nine moved to smaller foster homes where they can receive more personalized care. Each transition is planned with a focus on safety, readiness, and continuity of support, helping the girls step into environments that fit their needs and strengths.

Academic supports were strengthened in targeted ways. Three residents were newly enrolled in the Special Education Program, twelve received special education services this fiscal year, and three completed psychometric and psychoeducational evaluations so we could refine individualized learning plans. These efforts help remove barriers to learning, build confidence, and ensure that every girl’s progress is visible and celebrated.

Therapeutic care continued through a community partnership that provided occupational therapy and speechlanguage services to seven residents. Clinically, we are encouraged to share that eightyeight percent of the girls demonstrated emotional stability—an indicator of steady progress and the effectiveness of our traumainformed approach.

Our nursing team maintained strong protocols: securing caregiver authorizations for overthecounter medications, orienting staff to potential side effects, and reinforcing prevention practices for contagious illnesses. Every resident received pediatric followups twice this year; two girls underwent successful surgeries with full recovery; and specialist care was coordinated as needed across orthopedics, neurology, physiatry, urology, cardiology, endocrinology, and ENT.

Operationally, external audits by the Department of the Family recorded no deficiencies in our clinical documentation—an affirmation of our commitment to quality and compliance. We also advanced our internal digitalization work, organizing protocols and documents in TEAMS to streamline coordination among our interdisciplinary staff.

Looking ahead, we are prioritizing improvements to the physical environment the girls call home. We plan to refresh and paint our facilities, brightening common areas and bedrooms so the space itself communicates care, worth, and welcome. A wellmaintained, thoughtfully designed environment nurtures a sense of belonging, raises selfesteem, and encourages the girls to take pride in their surroundings. It is a practical step with deep emotional impact, and we are excited to bring color, light, and warmth into the everyday setting where healing happens.

In tandem, we are developing an updated study space with a STEAM focus, an interactive room designed to spark curiosity and support active learning. The concept includes integrating an electronic whiteboard, flexible ergonomic furniture for individual and collaborative work, bulletin and creative walls, and a cozy reading lounge. This environment is intended to strengthen cognitive skills, deepen focus, and expand the girls’ vision of future academic and professional opportunities, all while reinforcing emotional stability and a sense of belonging in schoolwork.

Why should a donor care about this project? Because every contribution is a direct investment in repairing what trauma has fractured and in building the daily conditions that let children thrive. Your support makes possible the therapeutic sessions that calm anxiety, the tutoring and special education services that unlock learning, the family visits that restore trust, the pediatric care that protects health, and the fresh paint and modern study spaces that turn a building into a home and a classroom into a launching pad. This is how we solve the problem: by combining consistent, evidencebased care with a loving environment and targeted educational support—day after day, moment by momentuntil hope and belonging feel natural again.

Thank you for standing with the girls of Hogares Teresa Toda. Your generosity is reshaping the trajectory of young lives, welcoming them into safety, and opening doors to a future where their strengths define their stories.

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Dec 23, 2025
A winning season, thank you!

By Lymaris Marrero-Deya | Grant Writing Technician

Christmas Nativity Scenes Participants

Dear Supporters,

As we embrace the warmth of the holiday season, we want to extend our heartfelt gratitude for your unwavering support of Hogares Teresa Toda. Your generous contributions have profoundly impacted the lives of our girls. With your help, we are fostering a nurturing environment where healing and growth can truly flourish.

This past quarter has been a joyous journey filled with community spirit and togetherness. We are deeply grateful to the First Bank volunteers who generously donated their time and effort to paint the girls' residence, transforming it into a clean, calm, and welcoming environment that truly reflects the care and compassion we strive to provide.

We held our first "Al Son de mi Cultura" celebration, welcoming friends, major donors, alumnae, and members of our Board of Directors. Board President Arturo Ortiz opened the evening with remarks and introduced our newly appointed director, Sister Josefina Acevedo. The celebration brought together our community to share meaningful stories of how their experiences and contributions have enriched both the organization and our current residents. The evening featured authentic cuisine, cultural music, festivities, and beautiful artwork created by our girls. A powerful moment was Kiara's personal account—a graduate who spoke eloquently about how her time with us became a turning point in her life, illustrating the transformative work of our organization. You can view her inspiring story here: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/DCD45Ht0EbU

We celebrated Thanksgiving with a special dinner where our community came together to give thanks. Our girls participated in the Turkey Trot at their schools, and four of them proudly took first place. Each received a turkey as their prize, which became the centerpiece of our Thanksgiving feast. Their participation highlights their remarkable resilience and their ability to belong and thrive among their peers, despite the challenges they have faced.

As December arrived, our girls received a very special visit from the Reyes Magos de Juana Díaz, a cherished Puerto Rican tradition that represents faith, hope, and solidarity. These Three Kings are volunteers from the parish of San Ramón Nonato in Juana Díaz who dedicate themselves to keeping this Christian tradition alive. Over the years, they have traveled throughout Puerto Rico and beyond—visiting Cuba, Venezuela, Mexico, Colombia, Spain, the United States, and even the Vatican—bringing their message of hope to communities, churches, hospitals, and schools. Their visit brought joy and magic to our home, reinforcing the values that our girls need to experience: generosity, unity, and faith.

We also celebrated a Misa de Aguinaldo at our facilities, a Catholic Eucharistic celebration that is part of a novena of masses honoring the preparation for the birth of Christ and is a treasured Puerto Rican spiritual tradition. Our community came together in this meaningful religious service, sharing this profound tradition with us and strengthening the bonds that unite us all.

The holiday season continued to bring additional celebrations and shared joy with our girls. The Liberty Foundation generously provided gifts for our girls, spreading joy and cheer throughout the season. Additionally, many of our girls participated in nativity scenes and other Christmas celebrations organized by their schools, where they became part of these cherished traditions, embodying the true meaning of the season and creating lasting memories with their school communities.

We are excited to share some significant milestones from this quarter. Our recreational leader has been actively engaging the girls in fitness activities, collaborating with our nutritionist to promote healthy lifestyles. The positive changes we're witnessing in their well-being are truly heartwarming. Academically, all our girls finished the semester with averages above 80%, maintaining our proud record of zero academic failures. Their dedication and hard work inspire us every day.

Moreover, our efforts have been recognized by a family court judge, who highlighted the positive contributions we make in the lives of our residents. This acknowledgment fuels our passion and commitment to our mission. Additionally, one of our social workers became certified in play therapy, enhancing the support we can offer to our girls. We also achieved a significant milestone by digitizing all medical records, simplifying the tracking of appointments and treatments.

While we celebrate these successes, we also faced challenges. Operating at maximum capacity, we encountered a minor outbreak of influenza and mycoplasma. Fortunately, our proactive measures kept everyone safe and avoided hospitalizations.

Our Strategic Investment Priorities

Looking ahead, we are focused on three essential initiatives that will strengthen our capacity to serve our girls: acquiring a reliable vehicle to support transportation for school and medical appointments, transitioning to comprehensive electronic health records to optimize our clinical operations, and pursuing CARF accreditation in 2027 to ensure we meet the highest standards of care. Each of these priorities demands significant financial investment in infrastructure, technology, and compliance. We recognize that achieving these goals requires partnership and support beyond our current resources. Your continued generosity and investment in these strategic initiatives will directly enhance the quality of life for our residents and position Hogares Teresa Toda as a leader in trauma-informed care. We invite you to consider partnering with us as we make these transformative improvements to better serve our girls' futures.

In closing, as we gather with loved ones this holiday season, we send our warmest wishes to you and your families. Thank you for being an essential part of our mission. Together, we are creating a brighter future for our girls, empowering them to become independent and strong women.

With heartfelt appreciation,

Hogares Teresa Toda

Liberty Visit - Santa

Turkey Trot - First Prize

Christmas 2025 - Teenagers Residents

The Grinch

Thanksgiving 2025

Links:

http://www.hogaresteresatoda.org

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Aug 29, 2025
Together We Make a Difference: Our Progress at HTT

By Lymaris Marrero-Deya | Grant Writing Technician

Quinceanera

We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for your continued support and commitment to our mission at Hogares Teresa Toda. We are excited to share the achievements from the 2024–2025 fiscal year, which reflect the positive impact your contributions have made on the lives of the girls and young women we serve.

Throughout the year, we made significant strides in the well-being, development, and stability of our residents. In January 2025, we celebrated a quinceañero, where the biological mother of the young woman participated, strengthening familial bonds in a meaningful context. We implemented and consolidated family visits within the home as a strategy to foster contact, communication, and the restoration of relationships between the minors and their families.

All participants were promoted to the next grade, achieving an average academic score of 86%. Four minors actively participated in school basketball and volleyball tournaments, promoting teamwork, discipline, and a sense of belonging. Two residents proudly took part in graduation ceremonies, showcasing their academic progress, while one resident obtained a summer job, fostering the development of work skills and responsibility. Additionally, three participants were selected for the Honor Roll in their respective schools, recognizing their academic performance and commitment.

We also hired a recreational leader who significantly contributed to the development and organization of playful and recreational activities, benefiting the emotional well-being and social integration of the participants. Three individuals successfully reunited with their families as a result of ongoing therapeutic processes and preparation, while nine minors transitioned to smaller foster homes, favoring a more personalized care approach.

In terms of specialized educational support, four girls were formally enrolled in the Special Education Program, allowing access to tailored services for specific learning disorders and ADHD. Throughout the fiscal year, a total of 12 minors received services from the Special Education Program, and psychometric evaluations were conducted for three participants to identify needs and plan individualized supports.

Our collaborative therapeutic interventions included seven participants receiving occupational and speech therapy services through a community agency, enhancing their overall development. We attended to 36 girls throughout the year, with 88% showing clinical stability, reflecting the effectiveness of the therapeutic support provided. Only four girls required psychiatric hospitalization, indicating a low incidence of severe crises among the served population.

In nursing management, we successfully completed the required documentation for the authorization of over-the-counter medications, ensuring adherence to medical protocols and the safety of participants. Our staff received guidance on potential side effects of medications, enhancing proper management and timely responses to adverse reactions. Ongoing training for staff and residents focused on the prevention of contagious diseases, strengthening health and safety measures within the institution. All residents received follow-up and treatment from a pediatrician at least twice a year, with two residents requiring successful surgical interventions and recovering without complications. Specialist services were provided according to participants' needs, encompassing a range of medical consultations.

Our compliance in external audits was commendable, with the Department of Family finding no deficiencies in the clinical documentation of records, reflecting strict adherence to established protocols and standards. Lastly, we continued working on the digitalization of protocols and documents, shared on the TEAMS platform, facilitating organization, access, and efficiency in our internal processes.

In conclusion, we emphasize that your generous support enables us to continue providing essential services and fostering a nurturing environment for our residents. Together, we are making a profound difference in their lives, and we sincerely thank you for believing in our mission and for your unwavering commitment to Hogares Teresa Toda.

Links:

http://hogaresteresatoda.org

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