House of Life
by Dylan Bykowski
When you walk into the House of Life in San Salvador, you don’t just see walls and a roof. You see laughter where there used to be silence. You see young women learning, painting, cooking, and planning futures they once thought impossible. You see life being rebuilt, one step at a time. House of Life began as a safe haven for girls who had endured trauma most of us cannot imagine. Abuse, neglect, exploitation. Many arrived with nothing but fear. Some had lost their families. Some had been abandoned. All of them carried heavy stories that could have defined their lives forever. But House of Life exists to rewrite those stories. It offers a safe place to live, an education, and the chance to learn skills that bring independence. It provides counseling, mentorship, and the steady reminder that each girl is valued, loved, and capable of creating her own future. It’s not just a shelter, it’s a place of transformation. Every time you meet the girls, you can see the change happening. There’s a quiet strength in their voices, a spark in their eyes. The weight of what they’ve been through is still there, but it no longer defines them. In its place is something far more powerful: hope.
In May, we hosted a fundraiser to support House of Life. We expected a good turnout, but what happened exceeded every hope we had. People came together. Friends, investors, families, and strangers who believed in the mission. By the end of the event, more than $30,000 was raised for House of Life.
The energy in the room was electric. Stories were shared about the girls, about the work being done in San Salvador, about the future being built every day at House of Life. People gave generously, not just because of the cause, but because they felt connected to it.
And then something extraordinary happened. In the middle of the evening, one supporter stood up and offered to fully fund the construction of an entirely new house for House of Life. A house where more girls could be welcomed, more lives could be restored, and more futures could be written. That single act of generosity reminded everyone in the room why we had gathered: to change lives.
Supporting House of Life couldn’t end with just a fundraiser. We wanted to create something lasting. That’s why we are donating land in our Shutia Sanctuario development for House of Life. The gift of land is about more than just soil and property lines. It’s about giving House of Life a permanent place within the story of Surf City’s growth. The land in Shutia will give them space to build, expand, and dream bigger. It will tie their mission of rescue and empowerment to the same community we are building through Club Cocal and Shutia. By giving House of Life a stake in Shutia, we are saying that they are not outsiders to progress. They are part of it.
This is not just our story, or even House of Life’s story. It’s a story that belongs to everyone who chooses to be part of it. You don’t have to live in El Salvador to make a difference. You can donate, share the mission, visit us in Shutia, or simply tell others about the incredible work being done.
Every action adds up. Every bit of support strengthens the foundation House of Life is building. And every person who joins this journey helps ensure that no girl has to walk through life believing she is alone. At Club Cocal and Shutia Sanctuario, we often talk about land as an investment. But land is also soil, and soil is where life takes root. By standing with House of Life, we are planting seeds of hope. We are saying that community is not just about neighbors, but about lifting up the most vulnerable among us. The partnership with House of Life is not a side project. It is at the core of what we want our work to mean. As Shutia grows, as Club Cocal evolves, House of Life will always have a place in the story. Because at the end of the day, this isn’t just about development. It’s about people. And when people come together with compassion and vision, they don’t just build houses or properties. They build life.
