In 1968, Sisters Berta Sailer and Corita Bussanmas were teaching at a Catholic elementary school. “One day, a mom said to us, we need a place for our small kids. And we were young and stupid and said, well, small kids can't be a problem.” They opened their doors, and fixed breakfast for a few kids. They were soon touched by stories of life in shelters, cars, and abandoned structures. After lecturing a young 10-year-old about getting to school on time, he said “It's very hard to get up this morning because there were so many rats on me last night.” One mother shared, “The scariest thing about an abandoned house is during the night, strangers come in the house and lay down next to you.” Sister Berta said, “We made every mistake known to man,” but they never quit. What began with a few kids in 1968 expanded to hundreds of kids today and every day through Operation Breakthrough.
