Giving Back
Since a young age, Raquel was taught the importance of charity, giving back to the community, and working to better society. Raquel often jokes that she grew up literally in the catholic church. As a child she volunteered consistently through parish programs including cleaning the church, helping in the rectory kitchen, serving coffee and donuts after mass, assisting with Sunday school, serving in food pantries and soup kitchens, babysitting during adult bible study, raising donations for walkathons, street and park clean ups, years as an alter server, sewing quilts with the elderly, doing house calls to home bound widows, and too many other activities to remember. From the time of her first official job at 15, Raquel has never stopped donating a part of her income. She only hopes to expand this through Kateri Enterprises' future projects and donation program below.
For Clients, up to 5% of services and discountable product purchases (i.e. not applicable to shipping and packaging costs) may be donated directly to any of the charities below. After the donation has been made, just email us a copy of the receipt and you will receive a discount for twice the amount of your donation. If you decide to sponsor a child through Children International we will credit you a $1,000 discount with the hope and trust that you'll continue your sponsorship for years to come.
Children International is Raquel's favorite charity. She has sponsored several children over the decades. From Arkansas, to Columbia, to the Philippines, to India. Click their logo and begin your own sponsorship journey to change the direction of a child, or teenager's life.
Saint Anthony of Padua will always hold a special place in Raquel's heart. She routinely makes offerings to both the local parish and any St. Anthony prayer station she comes across.
When Raquel was in kindergarten, she witnessed the bell tower being struck by lightening and the devastating fire that proceeded. The church was never the same afterwards, but the community is still one of the most welcoming and persevering that she's come across in all her travels. Click their logo to the right to help support their many community activities including their phenomenal youth programs.
Raquel was undoubtedly influenced by her Puerto Rican nana who had a life long passion and commitment to charity work. Among other things, her grandmother Miss Lee, co-founded the soup kitchen, Neighbor's Together, in Brooklyn. In her time as the head chef, she went from cooking for 30 people a day to over 300. When Raquel herself fell on hard times, it was Neighbor's Together's social workers who helped her secure food and a safe shelter. She will never forget the deeply humbling experience of accepting charity from others.
Other places near and dear to Raquel:
​
Saint Francis de Sales- When she feels called to attend a Catholic mass, this is the church she frequents the most. Their evening Spanish masses are warm and comforting. Now and then returning to her roots in the Catholic faith gives her stability during her travels.
​
Shrine of The Holy Innocents- This was a church that Raquel went to pray whenever she had difficult decisions to make.
Basilica of Saint Patrick's Old Cathedral- They have an amazing young and inviting community. Their Sunday evening masses were a lifeline to Raquel when she was battling PTSD.
Any of these nine Native American Charities- We have not found a reputable charity that specifically supports the work and interests of St. Kateri. We also are sensitive to the historical past of the Catholic church's mistreatment (to say the least) of National Indian and Native Americans. In her honor, we encourage donations to any of the nine organizations in the link.
