ABOUT
Beat The Cycle
OUR MISSION & THE BIG KIDS BEHIND THE SCENES
Our Mission
Build a custom-designed facility to inspire Rosarito Beach's children to reach for the stars by breaking the cycles of poverty, autism, illiteracy, and hunger through education, vocational training, and compassionate support—all with a healthy dash of love.
Imagine a child who cannot dream of a better future because they face an overwhelming wall of poverty, autism and other learning challenges, illiteracy, and food insecurity.
At Beat The Cycle, we believe every child deserves more than just survival—they deserve the chance to thrive. Your donation can provide vital tools like tailored education, vocational skills, emotional support, and nutritional meals. You create futures that will never happen otherwise by giving these children the resources they need to rise above their circumstances and transform their lives.
When you support Beat The Cycle, you invest in long-term change, not just make a one-time donation. With your help, we provide educational programs, vocational training, and nutritious meals that empower children to break free from cycles of poverty and dependency. You break the cycle by giving them the tools to create their own future—a future where they’re equipped to grow and provide for their future families.
By donating today, you become a part of a legacy of transformation that will ripple through their lives and communities for years to come. We're outfitting them with tools for life, and your donation fuels their journey through the cosmos of potential. Join us because every child deserves a chance to shine brighter than a supernova!
We honor and appreciate you joining us on this journey to reach for the stars. And speaking of reaching for the stars, we hope our programs and facility will be a model to replicate!
The Team
Sol Carrola Villegas
Our Founder and Visionary. Sol has the education, gift, and commitment to reach children at the deepest level.
Sol Carolla has dedicated her career to education. She has spent the past seven years working with autistic, illiterate, and malnourished children, offering them not just help with their studies, encouragement, and food but hope. Thanks to Sol's dedication, dozens of children who are autistic, illiterate, or too hungry to learn—trapped in a cycle of poverty and hopelessness—now have dreams of becoming bakers, engineers, carpenters, teachers, nurses, florists, entrepreneurs, and more.
Eight years ago, Sol and her husband, Victor Bravo, sold their home in Tijuana and moved into a poor neighborhood in Rosarito Beach because they committed to living among the families they serve.
Sol's Education:
- Master's Degree in Special Education (In progress)
- Master's Degree in Education from "CUT Universidad de Tijuana," 2019-2022
- Diploma in Behavior Patterns and Psychological Development in the Family from "Universidad de Anáhuac," 2001-2002
- Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from "CUT Universidad de Tijuana," 1996-2000
Irene & Robert Donnell
Our Board Member (two for one!). The movers and shakers behind getting the nonprofits set up and fundraising events. Long-time donors.
Robert and Irene Donnell have been married for 20 years and have lived in Baja, California, for 19 years.
Robert was born in Honduras. His Latin American perspective and fluent command of the Spanish language bring an understanding and love of the Mexican culture.
Irene has worked with Sol for the past six years, helping her build connections and resources to allow her mission with children to flourish. She has seen Sol's teaching, love, and commitment impact the children in her community. The autistic children from these poor families are learning and growing for the first time.
Irene earned her Bachelor's Degree in Biology at the University of Wisconsin. She has worked in sales and leadership training for 30 years. Irene co-founded P5 Marketing with Robert in 2004.
Robert has two Master's Degrees in Marketing and Finance from Pepperdine University and a Bachelor's Degree from Claremont College. He has been the head of marketing and sales for top-named companies throughout his career.
He co-founded P5 Marketing with Irene, a for-profit digital marketing company.
Tom & Cathy Hamm
Our Board Member (two for one!). The movers and shakers behind community projects. Long-time donors.
Tom and Cathy Hamm have been married for 43 years and live in San Diego, California. They have actively attended the church each Sunday of Victor and Sol Bravo, Iglesia El Gran Yo Soy in Rosarito, BC, Mexico, since early 2018. During this time, they have seen firsthand the need for more education resources and especially education for children with special needs. The facilities to support these endeavors is critical.
Tom owns a software and consulting company for asset management since 1989,
Cathy is a registered occupational therapist in the Sharp Healthcare System in San Diego since 1985.
Both of their careers have provided opportunities to explore the world and see the privileges we have for our children in the United States. Understanding this provides an extraordinary incentive to be part of Break the Cycle as we strive to build schools and better opportunities for children in Baja California, Mexico.
Dr. Joely Gardner & Steve Kildoo
Our Board Member (two for one!). The movers and shakers behind getting the Rotary Clubs involved in our mission and event planning.
Joely and Steve are married and live in San Marcos, California.
Joely Gardner, PhD, is a licensed psychologist with many years of teaching experience at the high school and graduate levels. She is chair of the Foundation Board at Guajome Park Academy, a tuition-free K-12 school in Vista, California.
Her experience in education has given her a deep appreciation of the profound changes that Sol Carrola can engender in her students. Dr. Gardner consults with medical device manufacturers worldwide to help them develop easy, safe devices.
Steve has been a lifelong community activist. He has founded or co-founded two Hispanic teen non-profits in San Diego North County and has been on the Boards of several large non-profits, including True Care Health and Guajome Academy Charter School in Vista.
Steve brings a wealth of knowledge of fundraising for nonprofits and his Rotary connects to our mission.
He has also been a long-time member of Rotary and Kiwanis. His involvement in organizations that help those who need it led him to Beat the Cycle and this worthy cause.
Our Founder and Visionary. Sol has the education, gift, and commitment to reach children at the deepest level.
Our Board Member (two for one!). The movers and shakers behind getting the nonprofits set up and fundraising events. Long-time donors.
Our Board Member (two for one!). The movers and shakers behind community projects. Long-time donors.
Our Board Member (two for one!). The movers and shakers behind getting the Rotary Clubs involved in our mission and event planning.
Sol Carolla has dedicated her career to education. She has spent the past seven years working with autistic, illiterate, and malnourished children, offering them not just help with their studies, encouragement, and food but hope. Thanks to Sol's dedication, dozens of children who are autistic, illiterate, or too hungry to learn—trapped in a cycle of poverty and hopelessness—now have dreams of becoming bakers, engineers, carpenters, teachers, nurses, florists, entrepreneurs, and more.
Sol and her husband, Victor Bravo, sold their home and moved from Tijuana into a poor neighborhood in Rosarito Beach eight years ago because they committed to living among the families they serve.
Sol's Education:
- Master's Degree in Special Education (In progress)
- Master's Degree in Education from "CUT Universidad de Tijuana," 2019-2022
- Diploma in Behavior Patterns and Psychological Development in the Family from "Universidad de Anáhuac," 2001-2002
- Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from "CUT Universidad de Tijuana," 1996-2000
Robert and Irene Donnell have been married for 20 years and have lived in Baja, California, for 19 years. Robert was born in Honduras. His Latin American perspective and fluent command of the Spanish language bring an understanding and love of the Mexican culture.
Irene has worked with Sol for the past six years, helping her build connections and resources to allow her mission with children to flourish. She has seen Sol's teaching, love, and commitment impact the children in her community. The autistic children from these poor families are learning and growing for the first time.
Irene earned her Bachelor's Degree in Biology at the University of Wisconsin. She has worked in sales and leadership training for 30 years. Irene co-founded P5 Marketing with Robert in 2004.
Robert has two Master's Degrees in Marketing and Finance from Pepperdine University and a Bachelor's Degree from Claremont College. He has been the head of marketing and sales for top-named companies throughout his career.
He co-founded P5 Marketing with Irene, a for-profit digital marketing company.
Tom and Cathy Hamm have been married for 43 years and live in San Diego, California. They have actively attended the church each Sunday of Victor and Sol Bravo, Iglesia El Gran Yo Soy in Rosarito, BC, Mexico, since early 2018. During this time, they have seen firsthand the need for more education resources and especially education for children with special needs. The facilities to support these endeavors is critical.
Tom owns a software and consulting company for asset management since 1989,
Cathy is a registered occupational therapist in the Sharp Healthcare System in San Diego since 1985.
Both of their careers have provided opportunities to explore the world and see the privileges we have for our children in the United States. Understanding this provides an extraordinary incentive to be part of Break the Cycle as we strive to build schools and better opportunities for children in Baja California, Mexico.
Joely and Steve are married and live in San Marcos, California.
Joely Gardner, PhD, is a licensed psychologist with many years of teaching experience at the high school and graduate levels. She is chair of the Foundation Board at Guajome Park Academy, a tuition-free K-12 school in Vista, California.
Her experience in education has given her a deep appreciation of the profound changes that Sol Carrola can engender in her students. Dr. Gardner consults with medical device manufacturers worldwide to help them develop easy, safe devices.
Steve has been a lifelong community activist. He has founded or co-founded two Hispanic teen non-profits in San Diego North County and been on the Boards of several large non-profits, including True Care Health and Guajome Academy Charter School in Vista.
He has also been a long-time member of Rotary and Kiwanis. His involvement in organizations helping those who need help led him to Beat the Cycle and this worthy cause.
Our Progress
Events
We host fun and meaningful events to raise funds to build an educational and vocational school to offer children struggling with autism, illiteracy, and other learning challenges. We hope you will join us at one of our events or online to raise the funds we need to build our first facility.
Our Donors
Our donor's funds breathe life into otherwise impossible situations due to poverty and allow us to impact the lives of children and their families. We will build a facility to address the right kind of education for children who have no other hope.
Our Kids
Our kids do not fit into traditional learning models. There are few resources for autistic or learning-disabled children. Some of our kids never go to school and face a life of not being able to read or write. Food is often scarce, and they fear not knowing when they will have their next meal.
Our Programs
We're outfitting them with tools for life. Your donation fuels their journey through the cosmos of potential. Join us because every child deserves a chance to shine brighter than a supernova!
