Maestro Cares Foundation: The celebration of a dream turned into reality

Maestro Cares Executive Director, Zaidy Cardenas

“To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe” – Anatole France

Before Maestro Cares Foundation became an established non-profit, the wheels of giving back and supporting youth had long been placed in motion. Zaidy Cardenas, Executive Director of Maestro Cares Foundation was a frequent volunteer for a local orphanage in the Dominican Republic. As a volunteer, Zaidy witnessed the challenges and limitations that the children faced, particularly a group of young boys who were left out of access to that orphanage’s resources due to a lack of space.

Instead, Zaidy found that these young boys were living in a three-bedroom house separate from the orphanage. The sharp reality was immediately clear. Not only were the living conditions unsafe, over 40 young boys were sharing this small space, and surely the number would grow.

Co-Founder Marc Anthony and one of our children at the opening of our first project in the Dominican Republic

Once she left that home, she explained the story to her father, and insisted that they needed to help these boys. Her Father, CEO and President of Cárdenas Marketing Network, Henry Cárdenas knew something needed to be done, so he called on his long-time friend, Global music icon, Marc Anthony, and together they visited the boys and made a commitment to help them. Soon after, Maestro Cares Foundation was born. Construction on what would be the new home for the boys moved quickly,and in March 2014, the Orfanato Niños de Cristo opened its doors to home 50 boys and accommodate up to 100 boys!

Since opening our first project, Maestro Cares Foundation has established partnerships and projects across 13 different countries and territories. Each one of our projects serves the most crucial needs of youth within each community. Our projects span from Community Centers, schools, educational programs, recreation centers, and homes that help heal and restore youth who have experienced trauma and neglect.

But our work doesn’t stop there. Faced with an unprecedented global emergency, Maestro Cares Foundation mobilized in response to the needs of our partners and community. We worked hard to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 and ensure that all of the children across our projects received the necessary technology and equipment to continue their education. We also provided important resources such as food, water and Personal Protection equipment to keep everybody safe.

What started out as a dream, has now transformed into an international non-profit that champions the mission of changing lives and building dreams for children in Latin America and the United States. Our life-changing efforts have been made possible thanks to the continuous support of donors who believe in our mission and our future generation.

On this special day, we celebrate our accomplishments and the dreams that became a reality thanks to the collective efforts of our donors, supporters and volunteers.

Happy Maestro Cares Foundation Day!