Isaiah's Sojourn to the Past Educational Trip

Hi my name is Stephanie Espinoza, I am creating this GoFundMe on behalf of Jennifer Ortega and Isaiah Cabeza. It takes a village and we are reaching out to you today to help Isaiah who has an opportunity of a lifetime to participate in Sojourn to the Past educational trip. We are in need of $800 to complete funding for this experience. Our deadline is a week away 3/9/23

A little more about Isaiah…

Isaiah is currently in his Freshman year at Hillsdale High School where he plays football. He has been involved in helping his community in his spare time. He is the Junior President of ‘The City Eats,’ which is a nonprofit organization that provides meals to people in need. Isaiah is also a member of ‘All In SF,’ an organization that provides personal care items to people in need. Back in 2020 Jennifer and Isaiah donated school supplies for farmworker families affected by the Shelter-in-Place pandemic.

Giving and giving back is one thing that is important to Isaiah and now he needs our help.

Below is Isaiah’s fundraising letter:

Hello,

I am so excited to tell you that I have an opportunity to participate in Sojourn to the past, a unique educational program. The Sojourn program takes students to the southern United States, where we retrace the steps of the Civil rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. In order to participate, however, I need your help. I would not ask if it was not important to me.This journey is not a vacation. It is a powerful 8 day, night experience where we will be traveling to the sites of the historical occurrences in Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee. We will be studying on moving classroom buses and at museums, historical sites and other venues, as well as getting the opportunity to hear from and speak with several veterans of the Civil Rights Movement about their experiences.

These leaders are true American Heroes and I expect to learn from both them and from the lessons of the Civil Rights Movement, many important qualities that will improve my life now and in the future.

Some of these qualities are acceptance, nonviolence, courage, compassion, forgiveness, and civic responsibility. I believe that this journey will help me become a better student and advance myself as a member of society. Some speakers I will be learning from are Elizabeth Eckford, one of the Little Rock Nine, and JoAnne Bland, who marched on Bloody Sunday, both of whom have dedicated their fight for justice and equality.

The main reason I want to go on this journey is that I want to learn more about past events and to better understand how those events affected our world today. It is important that I learn about Human Rights, to understand both how I should be treated, and how to advocate to treat others.

The tuition for this educational journey is $4,000. This covers; airfare, buses, meals, lodging, entrance to museums, books and curriculum (as well as a registered

nurse and security). The problem is that I cannot afford to pay the tuition myself. This is why I am asking for your help.

Your donation will help make this trip possible for me. No donation is too small and because Sojourn to the Past is a nonprofit organization, your donation is tax deductible. You can learn more about Sojourn by visiting the website at: https://www.sojournproject.org/

If you can help me participate by making a donation, please:

• Make your donation to Sojourn to the Past through their website: https://www.sojournproject.org/support/donate/

• Under the Participant’s name, please write my name (Isaiah Cabeza)

I cannot thank you enough for any assistance you can give and if you cannot help, thank you for your time in considering my request.

Your buddy,

Isaiah