To Whom It May Concern:

We are soliciting your help for supplies needed to finish a home that was planned for a very deserving needy family.  While we know there are a lot of worthy deprived families that need a lending hand, we think you will feel why this family is so in need of assistance.  We are a group of concerned individuals who have been associated with the “Rodriguez Project” in some fashion for some time but to put the story in proper context, the following is a brief chronology of events:

This is the story of the Rodriquez family from the perspective of the CARE Committee from the Doubletree La Posada Resort:

·        The CARE Committee is a group of a dozen or so employees who would raise money for special project by having bake sales, rummage sales, care washes, etceteras.  The money was raised independently from any corporate sponsorship.

·        Our Care Committee generated philanthropic help to our local community.  One of our efforts was adopting a large family for Christmas from Arizona Social Services.  At Christmas in 2002, we chose the Rodriquez family.  They had 10 children and mom and dad.  Three of the children were adopted because of a death on the dad’s side of the family that left the children without parents and one of the children has Downs Syndrome.

·        We received the “wish” list from the family children for Christmas in 2002, and most of the items on it were paper, pencils and school supplies with a few inexpensive toys thrown in—the parents didn’t ask for anything.  We were prepared to be Santa Clause and wanted to buy more than paper and pencils, so we called Kaye (the mother) to find out what the family really wanted Santa to bring.  We finally got a list and the Care Committee went out shopping, plus we had several extra things that were donated, including a gift certificate to Fry’s for $250 for their holiday meal.

·        A week before Christmas the entire Care Committee loaded up two truckloads of packages and we all trekked to central Phoenix to the Rodriquez home.  When we arrived all the family members greeted us on the porch of a tiny little house (except for Marco, the father, because he was working – he is always working).  We started unloading the trucks and they invited us in with open arms and smiles from ear to ear.  The house was so small we couldn’t all fit inside, let alone all the gifts—but we managed.  After unloading all the gifts, we met each family member 5 boys and 5 girls, including twin girls and a mentally challenged boy.  We talked to Kay, the mother, to learn about our family.

·        We learned that all the children in school were honor students, artists and most played a musical instrument.  Also, that Kaye was very involved with school, helping out in all classrooms.  Kaye doesn’t have a job, because of small children at home, however, Marco, the father, works at Avis six days a week, 16 hours a day to earn enough to pay for their mortgage and other family day-to-day expenses.  Their house is two bedrooms, one bath, a tiny living room and kitchen—only 700 sq.ft.  It is crowded, but very neat and clean. The house, we found out later was falling down around them.  The bathtub/shower didn’t have drywall and they used a shower curtain to cover up the pipes.  The children slept in one bedroom and in the living room. Still they loved their little house (were proud of ownership) and each other.  They are a happy family.

·        We were so impressed with the family that La Posada decided, unquestionably, to adopt the family, and by doing this, we provided gifts for all birthdays and Christmas and holiday meals.  We also provided certain needful services that they couldn’t afford and that we could supply.  For instance, in July of 2004, their air conditioner went out, leaving them sweltering in the 115 July Phoenix heat.  When we found out about it, our Director of Engineering at La Posada, Fernando Silva, volunteered his services on July 4^th spending all day on top of their roof repairing their A/C.  Also in 2004, we learned that several of the children were often very ill with asthma attacks and were rushed to emergency.  This we found out was due to their walls and ceiling being full of poison spores that they were all breathing.  That is when we had to do something about their living conditions.

·        We sent in an application and a video asking for help from the TV show Extreme Makeover, but never heard from them.  Then we went out on our own asking for supplies for a major home repair from hardware stores, Home Depot and Wal-Mart.  At La Posada, our Pastry Chef, Tess, got very involved in finding someone to help our family.  She was put in contact with a gentleman, who represented a charitable organization.  He had a lot of experience in this type of work for needy people.  He volunteered to get a team going to build a new house for the Rodriquez family.  We were all so excited.  After many months, and much patience on the La Posada side and the Rodriquez family, he presented us with a blue print from an architect who had volunteered his services.  It was a dream home of 6 bedrooms, 3 baths and huge kitchen and dining room (to fit the whole family). Now, we felt like we had something concrete to start the house.  Then more months went buy while this gentleman was getting people together to donate supplies, etc. for the house.  Finally, he announced that he had come up with everything needed for the house and we would start on it immediately.  He arranged to have the Rodriquez house torn down by the US Marines and found a house to rent for the family (directly behind their house) while their dream house was being built.  He told everyone that the family would live rent-free in the rental house.  The house was torn down on July 20, 2005 and the Rodriquez’s had moved into the rental for what they were told would be 2-3 months, until their new house was completed.

·        In the meantime, La Posada had closed its doors forever in May of 2005.  Only a few of the Care Committee members kept in contact with the family.  In September, we got a call from Kaye saying that the rent hadn’t been paid on the rental and that they were trying to make ends meet with rent and mortgage on the torn down house and our benefactor who had made such great strides to this point wouldn’t answer phone calls—what a disappointment!

·        To end the story, there are now several of us who have been involved with this project in various ways who have banded together in an effort to gather the necessary resources to finish this home so desperately needed by the Rodriguez Family!  We are trying to get donations of concrete for the foundation and many other building supplies to make this “dream house” happen.  We all have had many a sleepless night over this because the family is so needy, grateful and deserving.  We have found generous individuals who are donating monthly rent payments for the temporary Rodriguez home because the Family must still pay their regular mortgage payment for the house that no longer exists.  Obviously we would much rather complete the building of the house rather than continually trying to “recruit” individuals to pay the rent on the temporary quarters.  Can you imagine the anxiety the family must be feeling during these uncertain times?  Remember, their home was torn down in JULY!

We need your support.  We know that there are many, many worth causes out there but here is your chance to help a family of twelve fabulous people.  Their life has been torn apart and we just want to put it back together.

Thank you.

The Rodriguez Project Steering Committee