by La Voz Staff
One afternoon, Reina sat at a table in her cake shop, playing board games with the young people who had made the space their own. As they laughed and talked, she asked whether they would want to take a trip downtown to see the Christmas lights—or to visit the Bean—and was struck by how many of them had never gone. The idea landed in her mind with quiet certainty: it would be more than an outing; it would be an experience they could carry, a bright memory to return to later.
Watching them, she felt the familiar pull of responsibility and community—the desire to make a difference, to give something back, and to remind them that they mattered and that their ideas deserved room to grow. She shaped the plan with them so they were invested in it.
The shop, in turn, had become a refuge: a safe place where the youth looked out for one another, encouraged each other, and gathered as if it were a second home. As a result of the trip, Reina began planning a spring car wash to help high school seniors manage expenses—especially those carrying the weight of large families—because she understood their challenges clearly. They had become family, and was a privilege to have a place in their lives.
