My Family’s Hispanic Heritage
My mother is from Argentina, and my husband's father is from Venezuela, both countries that have experienced political and economic ups and downs. Saalt started after a phone call I had with our aunt in Venezuela who lacked access to period care options for years. When I learned that reusable products could not only help our family in Venezuela, but also the 62% of the global menstruating population that lives in period poverty, I knew I had to do something about it. Seven years later, Saalt products have reached 100,000 women and girls in need in 50 countries.
Saalt’s Impact Mission Was Influenced by My Mother & Father-in-law
I appreciate the chance to share my Hispanic heritage publicly and celebrate the progress and contribution of the Hispanic community in America. What I love most about being Latina are the strong family ties that are inherent to Hispanic culture and the resiliency so many immigrants emulate.
I credit Saalt's impact and success to the values of hard work and charitable giving influenced by my Hispanic heritage. My mother left her home country of Argentina at age fourteen to help provide a better life for her family. She worked in a factory in LA to help her parents make ends meet while studying English, and later received her nursing degree to support her growing family. Despite having six children of her own, she regularly welcomed other immigrant families into our home and cared for their children while they secured employment. She was always the first to help when she saw a need and was the most compassionate woman I've ever known. As a member of the Hispanic community, I have always worked to honor my culture and heritage while also appreciating the opportunity for prosperity that I enjoy because of the sacrifice my mother and her family made to raise me in this country.
My father-in-law left Venezuela at age sixteen to attend a US college on a gymnastics scholarship. He received his doctorate degree at age 24 and developed a successful career as a university professor and author of 70 college textbooks on Fitness and Wellness, all written in his third language. As an athlete, he later competed in two Winter Olympic games in luge under the Venezuelan flag and continues to run marathons in his retirement. Always mindful of the dire need in his home country, he has organized monthly charitable shipments of food and clothing to the people of Venezuela for the past ten years. His values of hard work and tangible impact continue to inform our charitable giving at Saalt.
I'm grateful for the lessons of hard work, resilience, and philanthropy from my Hispanic heritage that has inspired our mission to do good at Saalt.
MuchÃsimas gracias y abrazos para todos,
~Cherie 💖 & the Saalt Team
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