Tamy Diaz is our multi-talented Launchpad Coordinator and Community Connector, and we have the honor of spotlighting her talents!
Part of the Family
Tamy has been involved with Ciudad Nueva for the past 15 years. Her children started attending our programs when they were little, and two of them are still involved. She shared that for her kids, “Ciudad Nueva is their second home.” As her kids grew-up in programming, she became more and more intrigued and drawn into Ciudad Nueva’s mission. At the time, she was working as a housekeeper, putting every dollar toward rent and bread on the table. According to Tamy, God used Ciudad Nueva to open new doors of opportunity for her and many other moms.
Over the years, Tamy has served families and our community through Ciudad Nueva. With thankfulness and a heart to serve, she cooked, chaperoned, and volunteered at our Food Co-ops. As our team grew to love her and recognize her giving heart, Tamy was hired to help coordinate our co-ops and eventually was hired to coordinate our Launch Pad program. Already an advocate for our neighborhood families, she dove right into both roles. She has worked hard to develop strong relationships with our kids, parents, and mentors.
Our team takes pride in the care and connection we feel with our neighborhood community. Tamy embodies our core value of walking alongside our neighbors. Her passion for our neighbors drives her to make a real difference. As doors opened for Tamy to grow professionally here at Ciudad Nueva, she reflected that, “We are not the saviors [of the community]. We want to walk alongside our families. We all want the same respect and opportunities.”
As her responsibilities have grown, Tamy has attended conferences and events around the country to share about the good work God is doing in our Ciudad Nueva community. “I feel very, very thankful for the doors Ciudad Nueva has opened for me,” she expressed. “I’ve had the chance to travel and meet new people.”
Tamy Diaz describes her coworkers as family. “I am one of the mamas of the team,” she laughed. “There are so many young people working here who are smart and talented.” As our staff and volunteers are part of the community we serve, her work here has only fed her love and passion for empowering our neighborhood community.
Making a Real Difference
During COVID the number of calls we received from people at-risk for losing their homes, jobs, or experiencing food insecurity increased dramatically. Tamy remembered one community member in particular who reached out, desperately seeking help for her friend who was injured and in need of legal services.
Drawing on her skills as a Community Connector and mobilizer as well as on her relationships with local partner agencies, Tamy was able to connect the community member to the services and support she needed. “I prayed for her,” she shared. “It was God getting the right people involved.”
“People need someone to listen to them. And I’m the ear.” It’s clear that Tamy Diaz has a passion and clear understanding of our precious community. We are honored to have her on our team, and we are thankful for the ways that she supports and accompanies community members.
