Wyoming — When there’s a need for help at Gladiola Elementary, Yvonne Diaz shows up.
This summer, she’s been tidying the main office for her mom, secretary Nancy Diaz, and other staff members, stacking and shredding papers and completing other odds and ends. She moves things into classrooms, helping teachers get ready for a new school year.
The list of ways Yvonne has helped out at Gladiola is long. Over the years, she’s volunteered at summer school, brought staff members lunch, fetched students Band-Aids or containers for lost teeth and passed out countless numbers of Kids Food Basket sack suppers.
“I help with whatever needs to be helped with,” said the 2023 Wyoming High School graduate.
Gladiola is like a second home to Yvonne, since her mom has worked there for the past 15 years. She started helping out in junior high when the bus would drop off her and her older siblings, Pearl and Omar, at the building after their school day.
Yvonne remembers those days fondly.
“Whether it be helping with small things or trying to take things off of (teachers’) plates, that is why I liked being here after school,” she said. “My mom always told us we had the opportunity to call our dad to pick us up after school, but I was like, ‘No, I want to help out.’”
‘Regardless of what the opportunity is, (Yvonne) is always ready to be a part of it.’
— support coordinator Anna Rivera
Never Missed a Day
Now Yvonne, who works in retail, continues to show up — often after a text from her friend, district support coordinator Anna Rivera, about needing volunteers.
Since 2020, during the pandemic, Yvonne has volunteered every month at the Feeding America West Michigan food truck, which hosted distributions at Wyoming High School monthly through June.
“I never skipped a day, summer or winter,” she said. “It was very interesting talking to all of the families. There is a lot of diversity in this district and there are a lot of families that I noticed need help. Watching Anna help everybody and see her dropping everything to help everyone, that was huge for me.”
She has also helped Rivera deliver gifts to families for Christmas, stopping by hotels, apartments and duplexes. Those moments were meaningful as well, she said.
“The families that came out did cry because of how much they appreciated it. From then I realized, even the smallest amount of help still impacts a lot. That’s why I made sure that whenever Anna told me there was a food truck, I would take that day off of work just so I could help her plan and prep.”
At such events Yvonne helps serve Spanish-speaking families whenever she can.
“I am very grateful for being able to understand more than one language,” she said. “If the opportunity comes up I’m like, ‘Yeah, I got you, I can help you out.’ That is one reason I did go to the food truck every single time, because a lot of the family members either spoke English or Spanish.”
A Heart for Wyoming
Rivera described Yvonne as an “amazing and kind human being” who shows that “one person can make an immense difference.”
“Yvonne is phenomenal,” Rivera said. “Regardless of what the opportunity is, she is always ready to be a part of it. She has a heart for Wyoming and service and being a part of the community.”
Along with Rivera, Yvonne credits another person for helping her develop her desire to give back: “I learned it from my mama,” she said.
“To me, my mom is the definition of selfless love. She pours her heart into everything she does, always thinking of others before herself. Whether it’s through a small act of kindness or a big gesture of support, she has a way of making the world feel a little softer; not because she has to, but because she is who she is.
“She is my biggest role model and a best friend in one.”
In the Gladiola office, Nancy Diaz looked at Yvonne with pride.
“It fills me with joy to see my kids come to give back,” said the school secretary. “It shows former students: ‘You can still give back. You don’t have to leave.’ (Gladiola is) always a secure home to come back to.”
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