Cynthia Duarte
From Influencer to Advocate
Episode 167
Cynthia Duarte grew up in El Sereno and currently resides in Covina. She works for the San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity, a non-profit organization with locations in Pasadena, Monrovia, and Duarte. Cynthia’s journey with the organization began as a participant in a welfare-to-work program. Starting as a volunteer, she has advanced through various roles over the past five years, from office volunteer to her current position as Marketing Specialist.
Cynthia’s personal background includes growing up as a light-skinned Latina in a predominantly Mexican community. She attended the University of La Verne and, shortly after graduating, married and started a family. Tragically, she lost her first-born son shortly after his birth but went on to have two daughters by the time she was 25. Initially a stay-at-home mom, Cynthia began blogging in 2011, becoming part of the early wave of social media influencers. However, following the end of her marriage in 2018, she transitioned to a traditional 9-to-5 job to support her family as a single mother. This transition led her to San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity.
San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity, where Cynthia currently works, has been serving the community for 34 years. The organization focuses on building homes, promoting affordable homeownership, providing low-income families with home preservation assistance, and reselling donated items at its ReStores to benefit the public.
Website: sgvhabitat.org
Work Instagram: @sgvhabitat
ReStores Instagram: @sgvrestores
Personal Instagram: @kindasillymommy
Cynthia Duarte Takeaways
Habitat for Humanity’s Unique Approach
Cynthia Duarte highlighted that Habitat for Humanity offers a “hand up, not a hand out,” by requiring homeowners to contribute sweat equity hours. This means they help build their own homes, which fosters a sense of ownership and community.
Personal Journey and Resilience
Cynthia shared her personal story of losing her firstborn son and how it led her to blogging and eventually to her role at Habitat for Humanity. Her journey underscores the power of storytelling and resilience in overcoming personal tragedy.
Affordable Housing Crisis
The interview touched on the growing issue of homelessness and the lack of affordable housing in the San Gabriel Valley and broader Southern California. Cynthia emphasized how Habitat for Humanity is addressing this issue through their affordable housing projects.
Community Impact
Cynthia spoke about the various ways Habitat for Humanity serves the community, including their ReStores, which sell donated furniture and building supplies at low costs. These proceeds go back into funding more affordable housing projects.
Women Empowerment Initiatives
Cynthia highlighted the Women Build Month, which focuses on empowering women to use power tools and contribute to building homes. This initiative honors Rosalyn Carter and aims to encourage women to participate in construction activities.
Cynthia Duarte Quotes
On Resilience and Storytelling:
“As I was going through the grief process, I really kind of realized how much I enjoyed storytelling, you know, and I wanted to tell my story.”
On Community Service:
“Our goal is to give a hand up and not a hand out. So actually, every homeowner through Habitat for Humanity, they go through a process and they have to put in 200-250 sweat equity hours for each adult in the home.”
On Affordable Housing:
“Imagine your rent not being any more than 30% of what you bring home. That’s kind of where we cut that.”
On Personal Loss:
“I brought a teddy bear. This is my first bear… My firstborn son passed away shortly after he was born, and it kind of just changed the whole trajectory of my life.”
On Community Impact:
“It’s meant for everyone. Whether you’re going to buy a brand new item at $75 or one that’s a little bit more gently used for $25, you have that option at our ReStore.”
Show Notes
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Music Credits
Intro
Like it Loud, Dyalla, YouTube Audio Library
Stinger
Scarlet Fire (Sting), Otis McDonald, YouTube Audio Library
Outro
Indecision, Dyalla, YouTube Audio Library
Cynthia Duarte
Ascot Hills in El Sereno
Cynthia’s first meaningful place is Ascot Hills, a hiking trail and park in El Sereno. She appreciates it as a green space in the middle of the city, offering a natural escape and beautiful views of Los Angeles.
Taco Nazo in South El Monte
Her favorite restaurant is Taco Nazo on Garvey in South El Monte, known for its fish and shrimp tacos. Cynthia enjoys the welcoming atmosphere and often visits on warm days to enjoy a meal on the patio.
Pasadena ReStore
The Pasadena ReStore is significant to Cynthia as it was one of her first major projects in her role as a marketing specialist. She took pride in designing the store layout and creating a welcoming space that serves the community by offering affordable furniture and building supplies.
