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Volunteering is their love language.
Cathy Ramirez’s early childhood memories include spending long days in the cramped quarters of her family’s two-bedroom mobile home across the street from the county jail.
One of eight children, her family often shared the space with extended family—at times maximizing the occupancy to 20 people. Her father worked hard and was the sole provider.
“I remember that we were the family that was helped,” Ramirez said. “I’m never going to forget how happy I was when I started [elementary school] and then, all of a sudden, they knew that we were in need.”
She remembers what it was like to receive help.
“And it was just like, ‘Oh my gosh. I had a Christmas,’” she said. “I remember receiving a doll. For a very long time, I didn’t have anything.”
That gratitude has spun into a compassion she now instilling into her own children, Ibeth Ramirez, a 19-year-old engineering student at the University of Arizona, and Luz, 12, who recently joined her mom and sister in volunteering with The Salvation Army in Tucson.
“I have to give back to the community because the community gave to us when we were in need,” Cathy Ramirez said. “The power of giving back and helping others, it’s just so rewarding,”
She became involved with The Salvation Army after the organization reached out to see if they could assist struggling students at the charter school where she is the office manager.
“It’s so powerful knowing that I give back with nothing in return is such a good feeling. And I’m glad that I get to experience that with my mom.”
Ibeth Ramirez
In 2021, Cathy Ramirez was invited to volunteer at The Salvation Army’s annual Christmas toy distribution, an offer she and her oldest daughter immediately accepted.
“Cathy has such a way of making people feel really comfortable, and very, very recognized,” said Kristin Ohman, the Volunteer and Seasonal Projects Coordinator in Tucson.
Their first outreach with The Salvation Army fell on Ibeth Ramirez’s birthday, which Cathy Ramirez said was a gift of its own. More recently, the pair helped with their first Stuff the Bus drive, a Walmart-hosted toy collection campaign that provides gifts for The Salvation Army’s Christmas distribution.
“Their enthusiasm is contagious,” Ohman said. “They are never without a smile on their faces. They really share their own personal happiness and joy with others. And it’s just really nice to have a volunteer team like that that I can depend on and that is just so enjoyable and fun to work with.”
Although parent-child volunteers are not new to the local Salvation Army, the Ramirezes stand out for their ability to translate for the center’s Spanish-speaking clients, which provides a layer of dignity to the outreach.
“We want to make sure that each of our families feel important and they feel special and heard and listened to,” Ohman said. “It makes a difference to have someone that speaks your native tongue.”
Ibeth Ramirez said she was eager to serve alongside her mom at The Salvation Army.
“I think that kind of shows the generational aspect because obviously that’s going to make me want to volunteer with my kids and then their kids,” Ibeth Ramirez said. “It’s a bonding thing.”
She said offering her language interpretation skills is particularly meaningful.
“I think it’s really important to make sure that people don’t feel unwelcome due to the fact that there’s a language barrier,” she said. “The fact that me and my mom are there to be able to break down that wall and give them that sense of relief that they can choose something without having a little barrier between is really important.”
Another benefit, she added, is being able to help parents navigate age-appropriate gifts for their children. Unlike toy drives that distribute pre-wrapped gifts, in Tucson, The Salvation Army creates an atmosphere where parents shop for specific toys for their kids.
“Because I’m a little younger I can say, ‘Oh, maybe they’ll like this,’” Ibeth Ramirez said.
She is grateful to put love into action while still a teenager, noting it’s a foundation that will carry her well into adulthood.
“It’s so powerful knowing that I give back with nothing in return is such a good feeling,” she said. “And I’m glad that I get to experience that with my mom.”
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