Be an Angel Day: Volunteer Spotlight | Ramiro Menchaca

August 22 is Be an Angel Day. At Covenant House, it is an opportunity for us to celebrate all the people who have joined our movement to end youth homelessness as we know it and ensure that children and adolescents can grow up in homes that are safe and free from violence. Ramiro Menchaca is one of those people.

‘Someone Has to Open Your Eyes’

“As soon as I realized it was about vulnerable children — children living on the streets or being abused in their families — and that Covenant House Mexico offered them a home, offered them hope, offered them support, my reaction was immediate. I said, I want to be involved,” recalls Ramiro Menchaca.

Soon afterward, Ramiro, who is co-head of Americas Emerging Markets Regional Sales for global bank Goldman Sachs and oversees teams in New York, Mexico City, and São Paulo, found himself joining our Sleep Out on the pavement in the Mexican capital last fall. Now, he’s joined our Covenant House Mexico board of directors.

But he might never have known Covenant House had a presence near his home in Mexico City if a friend and colleague hadn’t reached out to him and invited him to learn more.

Ramiro couldn’t attend the reception in New York City his colleague, Ben Grizzle, a member of our Covenant House New York board, invited him to. Afterward, though, he learned from Ben and other Goldman Sachs colleagues and Covenant House supporters that the presentation at the reception had been all about our work in Latin America, including Mexico City.

“They told me, ‘You can do something where you live!’ That got my attention,” Ramiro says.

He contacted Covenant House Mexico CEO Patricia Secunza Schott. “We hit it off,” he says. “It became clear to me that homelessness, abuse, neglect, these are real issues and a real crisis. When I heard the whole story, I really wanted to participate. I was excited to have the opportunity to do something for these children here, in Mexico.”

As it happened, a Sleep Out at Covenant House Mexico was right around the corner.

Sleep Out: An Immersive Experience

“I knew it was going to be impactful, but it was so much more impactful than I had imagined,” Ramiro says of that first Sleep Out.

By far, what struck him the most was the time he spent with our Covenant House Mexico residents. Most of them are between the ages of 12 and 18, but some are even younger. His own children are about the same age.

“Being with them, hearing their stories, this had a tremendous impact on me. What I remember most is sitting with them and noticing how, even after all they’ve been through, I could still see hope in their eyes. And that’s because of the care they receive at Covenant House Mexico — the food, the home, the education, and, ultimately, the future that’s theirs,” says Ramiro.

Living at Covenant House Mexico, he noticed, the children and adolescents developed a deep sense of community. “It was delightful to see how they supported each other, loved each other, and helped each other,” he says. “I think they recognized that each one had been through something difficult, and they treated each other with respect, and were anxious to help each other.”

Sleep Out also allowed him to witness the commitment of our staff and of the volunteers who joined him at the Sleep Out.

“There is this level of dedication on their part that is so impressive. It’s this really big heart they all have, staff and volunteers. Where you really see their impact is in the hope-filled eyes of every single child,” Ramiro says.

And in the fact, he’s quick to add, that all that joy, community, healing, and support does not have to end when a youth turns 18, thanks to Covenant House Mexico’s independent living program. “We help them transition to independence, to incorporate themselves into the society successfully,” he says.

The Challenge

As a board member, Ramiro wants more people to become aware of Covenant House Mexico’s role in bridging the gap for children, from homelessness, abuse, trafficking, and neglect … to hope.

“I didn’t even know Covenant House Mexico existed,” Ramiro confesses. “But once you know, you naturally want to help.”

He feels not only that more people need to hear about Covenant House Mexico but that they need to be informed of the crisis of child and youth homelessness, neglect, trafficking, and violence in homes and communities.

“Someone has to open your eyes,” he says. And who better to do this than individuals like Ramiro and all the volunteers who choose to Sleep Out and learn more — and witness the healing and hope that are possible for children and youth at Covenant House.

“People are very generous, and they want to help, but they don’t know the extent of the problem,” he says.

Ramiro believes that just as his awareness and commitment were planted and grew thanks to his trusted friends and colleagues who introduced him to Covenant House Mexico, a chain reaction of unconditional love and relentless support for our youth is possible every time another person learns of our mission.

Speaking from his own experience, Ramiro says, “When people get personally involved, they’re going to want to replicate that experience with their own networks, both personal and professional. And then the community grows, and the impact grows, exponentially.”

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Covenant House has programs in 34 cities in five countries: the United States, Canada, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico. Our children and youth in Latin America are the youngest across our entire federation.

Your donation is the most immediate and impactful way to support Covenant House’s work in Latin America.