YCS students raise money for Mexican orphanage

YCS students raise money for Mexican orphanage

YOUNGSTOWN — A group of 60 Youngstown Christian School students went out of their way to make this Christmas memorable for a group of orphans in Mexico.

In just a week, they raised $500 in cash, created Christmas cards in Spanish and bought candy to send to 80 children in an orphanage in Tijuana.

The students are in Spanish 1, 2 and 3 classes taught by Carol Vitelli.

Vitelli, in her first year at Youngstown Christian, said she approached her students with the “Eagles In a Mission” project as an opportunity “to share the love of God.” Christmas is all about giving and she wanted them to really understand that concept, she said.

She chose The Purple Palace, an orphanage originally opened in a big empty warehouse in the heart of the Red Light district of Tijuana in 2001 by Tyler and Connie Youngkin. The Youngkins left San Diego in 1999 to become volunteers with Children of Promise, an international, nonprofit orphanage organization. They spent two years working and studying Spanish in Costa Rica before opening the orphanage in Tijuana.

For the complete story, see Sunday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com.