Fundraising Videos and Success Stories

Interested in sponsoring a Build A Miracle home or scholarship student? Below are some ideas from people and groups who have sponsored homes and students in the past.

Sample Fundraising Videos

Jenna's Fundraising Video

Check out this video that Jenna, a high school student, made to raise money to build a home for for the Vasquez Family.

LMU Students' Video

Students from Loyola Marymount University used this video to help them raise money for the Burgos Cabrera family.

Fundraising Success Stories

Daniella and Gabriel

House #298, 2018
House #335, 2018
House #336, 2018
House #337, 2018
House #348, 2019
House #349, 2019
House #367, 2019
House #368, 2019
House #377, 2020
House #378, 2020
House #379, 2020
House #396, 2020
House #399, 2020
House #428, 2021
House #429, 2021
House #439, 2022
House #456, 2022
House #476, 2023

Daniella and Gabriel are siblings who first fell in love with Build a Miracle in 2017 when they were in fifth and seventh grade and they came down on a build trip with their school. Daniella was very moved by the experience and immediately became inspired to raise money to build a house of her own. Gabriel then jumped in by raising funds to build a house as well. But they didn’t stop there, they continued to raise more money to build more and more homes. To date, these two young people are responsible for the construction of 18 BAM houses, both by raising money themselves and motivating others to sponsor homes!

The Bishop's School in La Jolla

Throughout the years, various students from Bishops High School have led groups of their peers to raise money for homes and then joined us on the build days to build the houses alongside their families.

St Edwards Catholic School in Dana Point

Students from St Edwards in Dana Point collected $1 each week from the students. The idea was that they would use their own money or earn money to help raise enough for a home. At the end of the year, parents pitched in to raise the remaining amount of the money needed for a home.

St Michael’s School in Poway

The students from this school brought their spare change to mass each week and the members of the student council would count it and deposit it in the bank. By the end of the year, they had raised enough to fund a home.

Jenna – A senior in high school

Jenna was a senior at Cathedral Catholic High School and spent the year raising funds on her own to build a home. She did this by working as a dance teacher and donating her earnings, having a huge garage sale with items provided by her family, friends and neighbors, and then by sending out an email with a fundraising video to everyone she knew. Her video is at the top of this page.

Lisa & Brian and Jazmin & Mike

Both of these couples asked people to donate for a home for a family in Mexico in lieu of wedding gifts and then came down to build the home with their family and friends.

Penasquitos Lutheran and Good Samaritan Episcopal

These 2 churches have both raised the funds to build a home by speaking at their services and then came down with their fellow church members to build and furnish the home. Good Samaritan members also set up a registry at Bed Bath and Beyond in order to provide a means for church members to buy bedding and household items for their family in Mexico.

Christus Ministries Prayer Group of Orange County

This CLC group had various fundraisers including a comedy night and sending letters/emails to family and friends in order to build these houses.

St Gregory the Great Parish

Over 240 of the BAM homes built to date have been built by or because of the St Gregory the Great parishioners. These funds have been raised by the North family speaking once a year about Build a Miracle at all the masses. The funds for all of these houses came about in many different ways: countless donations of $25-$500 are combined each year to pay for several homes; many individuals from the church have donated enough money to build entire homes; the parishioners have also shared the program with their coworkers, clients, family, and friends, which has inspired more people to get involved in BAM and in turn raise money for their own homes.

St Gregory the Great Youth Group

Funds were raised by having each of the 100 youth group families pay an extra $100 when signing up for the youth group. Then the kids from the youth group then got to come down 3 different times to help build the home.

Adam – A senior in high school

When Adam was a senior at Scripps Ranch High, he decided to raise enough to fund a home as his senior project. He achieved his goal by sending out letters and emails to family and friends asking for their support in his endeavors as well as by having a fundraiser at Rubios.

Loyola Marymount University Students

A group of students at LMU who were involved in De Colores (a program where they come to Mexico once a month and volunteer with BAM) raised money for a home. They made a fundraising video and had a huge garage sale by passing out fliers to all the homes near the LMU campus asking residents to donate items for the garage sale. They also asked students who came down to build each month to reach out to family and friends in order to fund the home. Their video is at the top of this page.

Lilli Pharmaceutical

Lilly employees raise funds for Build a Miracle college scholarships 1-2 times a year by getting food donated for breakfast burritos and then selling them to employees before work and asking for donations. They have also had employees come during their lunch break to learn about Build a Miracle.

The North Family

Instead of giving Christmas Gifts to each other, the North family donated money and then decided to ask family and friends from their Christmas mailing list to donate toward a home in lieu of any gifts. Enough funds were raised for a home and the extended family enjoyed it so much that they continued the tradition. Instead of buying gifts for each other for several years, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins would donate for a home and then play games and do skits during the time they would usually open gifts.

Many homes have been donated in memory of a special person

Houses #94 and 95 in Memory of Becky D’Aoust
House #103 in Memory of John Benassi
House #130 in Memory of Aaron Webster
House #136 in Memory of Betty Mangan
House #143 in Memory of Jim and Rea Rodenbeck
House #147 in Memory of Terri Shine
House #500 in Memory of Amy Rodenbeck