Our Past Service Projects
Caritas Smile is a non-profit organization that works for human development and social justice in the most vulnerable communities of the Dominican Republic. Here is a summary of some of our most recent projects in the Dominican Republic
Palero Park and Children's Theater Project:
Construction of a children's park and an open-air theater in the community of Palero.
The park provides a safe and fun space for children to play and learn.
The theater allows children to develop their artistic and creative skills.
Assistance to Guabito School and Valero School:
Donation of wood, paint and construction materials for the repair of the school infrastructure.
Improvement of the learning environment for students.
Strengthening of the educational community.
Delivery of Technical Aids:
Donation of walkers and wheelchairs to people with disabilities in need.
Improvement of the quality of life of the beneficiaries.
Promotion of inclusion and accessibility.
Support for Katherine Rodríguez:
Collaboration in fundraising for Katherine Rodríguez's leukemia treatment.
The young woman received a life-saving bone marrow transplant.
Demonstration of Caritas Smile's commitment to the health and well-being of individuals.
Purchase of Books and Medical Supplies:
Donation of books and educational materials to schools and libraries in rural communities.
Donation of medicines and medical equipment to health centers.
Improved access to education and healthcare for the most vulnerable communities.
Caritas Smile is proud to work in collaboration with communities to improve the quality of life of the most needy people. We thank the support of all our collaborators and donors who make our work possible.
WHO WE ARE + OUR PARTNERS
At Carita Smile, we're firm believers in the incredible power of generosity and the transformative impact of being of service. We're driven by the conviction that volunteering within diverse and international communities has the potential to ignite personal growth, foster healing, and bring a crystal-clear sense of life's mission and purpose.
Our Story
Our story is a testament to the idea that small acts of kindness can trigger profound and lasting change. It all began when Sixcia Devine, her mother, and her 4-year-old son traveled to the Dominican Republic one holiday to surprise communities in need randomly. From there they discovered that generosity has the power to unite worlds, make a difference, and create lasting impacts on personal and professional growth
Our Mission
Our mission is crystal clear: to harness the boundless potential of generosity and service to change lives and, in doing so, change the world. To empower, educate, and inspire women and children worldwide. Uniting communities.
What Sets Us Apart
What sets Carita Smile apart is our unwavering dedication to the values of kindness, compassion, and community. We're more than just a non-profit; we're a collective of like-minded souls who believe that every person has the power to impact the world positively.
Our Programs
Explore our diverse range of programs designed to promote kindness, volunteering, and personal growth. From volunteer travel programs - Take a Trip Change A Life to community networking events, to skill-building workshops like Grow with Google, we offer opportunities for individuals to connect, learn, and contribute to their communities.
Together, we can create a ripple effect of positivity and change.
Join the Carita Smile Community
We extend an invitation for you to join the Carita Smile community. Together, we can be a catalyst for change, helping to create a world where generosity and service are the guiding principles that shape our future.
Thank you for considering Carita Smile as your partner on this transformative journey. Let's come together to unleash the incredible power of kindness and service, making the world a better place for all.
About Our Founder
My name is SIXCIA (Pronouced Six-see-yah)
¡Hola!
I'm Sixcia, a believer in the transformative power of global generocity, community, and transformation spiced with a twist of innovation and creativity.
As the founder of Caritas Smile, our community has embarked on a journey to create a global movement fueled by understanding, compassion, and your passionate involvement in traveling with purpose and recognize first hand the beauty and disparties that other communities live in.
Together, we'll infuse this mission with a spirited sense of inclusivity and collaboration, inviting you to join us in making a meaningful difference in the world.
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My passion for making a difference began with a simple yet powerful idea: that acts of kindness can create ripples of positivity that touch the lives of those who need it most. Inspired by this vision, I established Caritas Smile, a nonprofit organization dedicated to uplifting marginalized communities and individuals facing challenges.
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Our Caritas Smile volunteers have harnessed the potential of community engagement, creativity, and social media to create a platform that brings people together to make a meaningful impact. Somthing I like to call humanitarian tourism has become a movement. I've seen firsthand how a single act of kindness can inspire hope and foster connections, sparking a chain reaction of goodwill that transcends borders.
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Beyond Caritas Smile, I've taken on the role of a speaker, sharing insights about the power of generosity, the importance of community, and the potential for small actions to create profound change. Our journey has been marked by the volunteers, communities, and lives that have been saved through our program like Katherine Rodriguez, a twenty-three year old mother with only one month to live battleing luekemia and whose life we are currently trying to save
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Our commitment to making the world a brighter, kinder place drives every aspect of our work. With Caritas Smile, together we continue to lead with boundless energy and an unwavering belief that together, we can create a world where equality is abundant, connections are strong, and positivity is ever-present.
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Join us on this journey as we turn acts of kindness into a force for lasting change.
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In gratitude,
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It all started in 2010
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“Guide me to make the right choices”. “Illuminate me in the darkest places where it is impossible to love. Let me know that I am on the right path”. Sound familiar?
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Sometimes it’s the simple pleasures in life that give us the greatest joy. The simple and most generous gifts come from knowing that you are making a difference in the world by taking small steps that ultimately lead to BIG impacts. And making someone smile, a child, is amazing, wonderfull, and this is bigger when you are the cause of that effect. You change lives by taking action.
Over a decade ago a mother and her four-year old son randomly surprised hundreds of poor and sick children in orphanages, schools, hospitals, who were living on the streets in remote areas of Dominican Republic with gifts for the holidays. These children never had the privilege of receiving anything from anyone. They do this because a deep feeling of giving back to those in need and finding life’s purpose was a motivating factor.
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In order to help the many orphaned and abandoned children in and around remote villages of the Dominican Republic, they decided to start an impact movement. And Caritas Smiles was created in 2010! That mother was me, Sixcia. And my son, JD is now a teenager with lots of stories to tell about his travels to the Dominican Republic. Today volunteers, mindfulness leaders, educators, and others have joined us on a journey to change the world through leading with generosity.
Since that year, the organization's commitment in the Dominican Republic has expanded to Haiti, Colombia, Venezuela and Puerto Rico and is growing constantly. Caritas Smile is 100% educational and volunteer based and is sustained with the generous support of individuals and organizations like yours. Caritas Smile is located in the state of Rhode Island. Several events, community engagement activities, virtual events have unfolded.
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We strive to bring awareness, community engagement, and unity wherever we go, and one of the main ways we do this is by partnering with businesses, universities, community orgs, and individuals. When we give, we incorporate the element of surprise into everything we do. Each Take A Trip Change A Life program is unique, but surprising communities and children is embedded into who we are as an organization. Our program is transformative in that we empower the giver, the recipient, and the observer of our actions.
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We have built homes
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We have built bathrooms with running water
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We have given water pumps and filters to families
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We have offered art programs to kids
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We have helped women pay for cancer treatments
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We have taught dance programs
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We inspire through action
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We educate with love
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We give openly and wholeheartedly
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Want to lean how YOU can make an impact? Learn more about our Take A Trip Change a Life program today!
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About Us: The mission of Caritas Smile is to INSPIRE, EDUCATE, and EMPOWER women and children worldwide. Caritas Smile is unique among charities in that it operates programs both domestically and internationally, in a manner that is both intended to be interrelated and mutually reinforcing. The overarching mandate is to help children and woman fulfill their potential to be agents of change. Typically, most organizations would serve primarily a domestic or international mandate. Caritas Smile serves both.
Caritas Smile is a 501(c)(3) charity dedicated to empowering, educating, women and children worldwide. Caritas Smile provides comprehensive programs for social entrepreneurship, service learning and active citizenship. The Take a Trip Change a Life Impact Tour program inspires travelers to engage with local communities while learning a new language and culture first hand.
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Founder and Creative Director Sixcia Devine is an author, educator and speaker on social entrepreurship, leadership, and innovative business planning. She is a speaker for the Grow with Google partner program. As an international and sought-after speaker, she helps businesses and organizations use generosity and gratitude leadership practices to connect with communities and clients within growth markets. Sixcia is the author of Tapping Into The Hispanic Market: Connect. Engage. Innovate. A graduate of the University of Rhode Island, she has worked and studied at Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government and has completed graduate work at Schiller International University in Paris, France.
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