Catalyst Service Abroad: The Babies of Casa Jackson

Contributed by Luke Soto

 I went to Antigua Guatemala for Easter weekend and I ended up visiting the place where one of my friends works called Casa Jackson, a clinic for malnourished babies (and sometimes older children depending on the case). My day started with an hour orientation given by a long term volunteer who then showed me the proper way to feed, burp and change a baby. So here am I, Luke Soto, a man who can hardly remember the last time he held a baby, let alone feed one, and suddenly I am surrounded by kids, one sitting up in my lap, another one drinking her bottle in my arms and another (who can walk and talk) giving me a toy to play with. I found feeding the baby to be pleasantly easy and calming as all I really had to do was wait for her to decide that she wanted to eat. My nerves were starting to calm down when I noticed that her bottle was empty. I knew what this meant and didn’t want to admit it as I had found feeding her to be unexpectedly calming and was nervous for the next baby waiting to be fed. But before I knew it, I had to put the baby back in her crib and I had a new toddler (older than the last) being handed to me with a smile on her face and her bottle.

Catalyst Contributors: Luke Soto

Hi everyone! My name is Luke Soto. I was born and raised here in Miami in Coconut Grove and I must admit that I love this city. I spent four years in New York City for my undergraduate studies at Columbia University. My major was Hispanic Studies with a minor in Anthropology so you could say that people are my passion I guess. Some issues in Miami that I find I really care about are homelessness (especially now that many of the kitchens that would feed these people are being shut down or limited in their capacity) and education (need I say more?). This is why I thoroughly enjoy the placement I have been given in Catalyst Miami.  I am working with ReServe Miami, a program that helps 55+ year old retirees continue to use the skills they have built up throughout their careers with part-time job opportunities that serve people in Miami. Some of these retirees (we call them ReServists) are placed at public schools as College Counselors for students, while others help with adult literacy programs in public libraries all over Miami. I hope to be able to learn a lot about what it takes to get a young program like ReServe up and running, and to continue to use those skills later in life to help those who need it. Maybe one day I’ll be a ReServist.

            However, before then I plan to attend a graduate school for social work and will be doing all the applications and tests that are, as a result, unfortunately required during this year. Either way I hope to give you all a good glimpse of what goes on here at Catalyst on the daily.

-Luke