CASSELBERRY, Fla. — Friday is graduation day for many students at UCF, and one soon-to-be graduate from Venezuela says she never wants to stop giving back to her home country.
- Jennifer Martinez De Pinillos passionate about helping Venezuela
- Jennifer and her family collect goods for Venezuelans
- She says she wants to pursue a master's degree, start a nonprofit
Jennifer Martinez De Pinillos moved to Florida in 2016. Her family decided to leave Venezuela because of political turmoil.
Sitting in her Casselberry home surrounded by family, it’s tough for her just to try and explain what people go through in her home town of Valencia. Jennifer and her family wanted to do something and help those that they could.
One thing the Martinez De Panillos family has done is start their own church. It's called The Savior Ministries and it began in their apartment, where they gather and collect goods, and send them back to her home in Venezuela.
Where exactly she sends them and to who is kept a secret. That's also why she doesn’t promote what her and her family do on social media.
It's because of fear that someone in Venezuela will see goods coming from the U.S. and being distributed, and then those goods being confiscated, leading to potential arrests to those she is trying to help.
“There is abundance here, and I do believe that this country is a bridge, a blessing bridge,” Jennifer's mother Aury said.
Just last week Jennifer and her family shipped out 20 boxes of clothes, food, and medicines to Venezuela, but that's just the start of what she hopes will be a life of helping others.
“My dream is to have my own non-profit organization to help not just Venezuelans, but Americans also,” Jennifer said.
Until then, Jennifer plans to go to grad school at UCF to get her masters in nonprofit management.
Jennifer and her family are now collecting toys for all ages for their next big shipment. If you would like to reach out to Jennifer and her family to help, you can e-mail AuriGaranton@gmail.com.