In late September, Ibet Ruiz, a lifelong resident of Moreno Valley and a member of St. Christopher Parish in Moreno Valley, visited Tierritas Blancas, which is located in the city of San Juan de los Lagos in Jalisco, Mexico.
She was there to witness the fruits of a work of mercy she had begun four years earlier. It was the opening of a small, two-room school that will bring the gift of education to children in this poor community. Before this building was erected, classes were held under a tarp that was hung from the side of a small convenience store; the floor was loose powdery dirt.
“As a teacher I know how important it is to give every student a fighting chance to receive a quality education,” Ruiz said “It has been a dream come true to see how, with a simple building, these children seem to be at much more of an advantage when it comes to their education. This will be one less thing against them in a world with many obstacles.”
How did Ruiz make this happen? About four years ago she applied for the Diocese of San Bernardino International Sacrificial Giving Grant. Bishop Gerald Barnes offers this grant in which the funds, if awarded, must be used for the direct relief of poverty by supplying basic necessities such as food, shelter, clothing, medical care and education to those most in need.
Ruiz was awarded a $2,000 Sacrificial Giving Grant from the Diocese to begin the project of building a small classroom in Tierritas Blancas. The grant would prove to be the seed of a wider community effort to build the classrooms. Not only did Ruiz and her family to work in their local community in the United States, but once the local community in Tierritas Blancas began to see the initial construction of the school they also joined the fundraising efforts. The City’s new mayor, Alejandro De Anda, and his administration also contributed to the building of these structures.
“This is what my father, Romelio Ruiz, taught me,” Ibet said, asked to explain the inspiration for this project.
San Juan de los Lagos was her father’s home town, she says, and he was a great champion of the poor and advocated for accessible education both there and in Moreno Valley, she said.
“We need to help,” Ibeta continued. “If we all gave a little, brick by brick, we could build great things and help lots of people.”
Ruiz holds this scripture near her heart from Acts 20:35, “In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
There are currently about 30 children enrolled in this school ranging from 6 to 12 years of age. The Diocese of San Bernardino contributes more than $50,000 every year to international projects that help the poor and disadvantaged around the world.
Alma Ruiz is the Managing Editor of El Compas Catolico and an employee and parishioner of St. Christopher Parish in Moreno Valley.