December 12, 2024 - The Northrop Group
Three years after The Northrop Group's first trip to El Salvador, the team returned—this time bringing back family members and a growing commitment to help families have a place to call home, whether in Denver or internationally.
“This is a really special trip because Jessica has now returned to Central America for her fourth time, and this time she brought her family and her entire team and she’s sharing what first inspired her to give back with her family and team,” Giveback Homes Co-Founder Caroline Pinal (who accompanied the team on the trip) said. “It’s really cool to see that and for them to witness that and experience it themselves.”
The team spent four days in El Salvador. Two days for travel bookended two days completely devoted to constructing the homes and connecting with the families receiving the homes. Giveback Homes partners with Techo in El Salvador helping to identify the families who are really in need of homes.
In total, Jessica was joined by team members Jayd Wells, Sarah Bangert, Brittany Morgan, Geo Flores and Jeff Bua of Compass New York. What made the trip extra special was the additional family members who rounded out the contingent including Jessica’s daughter Morgan, her son Beau and Sarah’s daughter Madelyn.
“There is no better feeling than seeing the build process start to finish,” Jessica says about the trip. “The look of pride and excitement on the faces of the families is something we will never forget. The beautiful part about volunteering is the friendships and memories created will last a lifetime. We volunteered our time and energy but received so much more in return! Thank you Giveback, Caroline and Techo for leading us and inspiring!”
The Erazo family is made up of Dora Alicia, a devoted mother, her husband Tomás, and her son Gerson. They are a hard-working family, but also face the daily challenges of limited space, income, and resources. Dora and Tomás both work as day laborers, while Gerson is in his second year of high school. The family’s monthly income is about $300/month which barely covers their essentials. Dora budgets for food, transportation, and medicine, but the costs leave little room for improvements to their home or future. Their current house, built with deteriorating wood and metal sheets, lacks basic services and floods during the rainy season. As a family, they wish to live in a safe home with dreams of a better future and access to basic services.
The Herrera family, Marina and her daughter Roxana (17), moved to the community seven years ago seeking a better life and to live with Marina’s mother. Marina works tirelessly as a day laborer and her greatest dream is to provide Roxana with a safe and comfortable home. Roxana loves caring for her small ducks and dreams of a future where they can live together in a secure space. Their current home was built from aging wood and salvaged metal sheets and is overcrowded, also with a leaking roof that floods during the rains. Marina’s income of about $150/month is stretched thin and a new home represents more than just shelter—it’s a chance to build a better life and a home of their own where they can feel safe and secure.
Throughout the week, the families worked alongside the team of volunteers while also sharing meals, downtime and some fun with the community and the families. The team of volunteers, partners and community shared not just their sweat and determination, but also plenty of joy, laughter and tears of happiness.
As the pillars of each home went up, each member wrote one word that they hoped the home would provide for the family living inside of it. Those words included love, safety and peace – things we all hope fill the walls of both our homes and the homes the team sells for clients.
Brittany Morgan said of the trip, “Such an incredible experience and connections that have truly touched my heart! I am forever grateful for this experience!”
By the end of the construction process, the team left with happy hearts, new friends and – most importantly – two families now have a safe place to call home.
Throughout the last decade, Jessica has traveled to Nicaragua and El Salvador, hosted an annual Denver build day and helped contribute to build projects internationally while being an ambassador for Giveback Homes. This trip continues the team’s impact in El Salvador, where they first traveled in 2021. In 2023 the team donated funds to build homes for two families in El Salvador. Prior to this trip in 2024, the team contributed to build a home for a family in Costa Rica and hosted a Denver Build Day in July.
The partnership between The Northrop Group and Giveback Homes continues on, helping to bring hope and housing to families who need them both. Every home the team sells directly helps provide a home for someone in need.
Giveback Homes is dedicated to creating a sustainable relationship between real estate professionals and communities in need throughout the world. The organization is now in their 11th year working with real estate agents across the United States to help build homes for families in need both in Latin America and all over the United States.
If you are curious or interested in a partnership with Giveback Homes, contact us! We would love to tell you more about the organization and you can learn more about Giveback Homes here.
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Contact The Northrop Group at thenorthropgroup.com or 303.525.0200.
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Compass
200 Columbine St., #500
Denver, CO 80206
The Northrop Group
Jessica Northrop
(303) 525-0200
[email protected]
