Sisterhood Spotlight

Founder and Executive Director of Comunidad
Maralee Gutierrez Cruz is a seasoned nonprofit leader with over 20 years of global experience, dedicated to empowering communities and ensuring access to vital resources.
What inspired you to dedicate your career to building strong communities through nonprofit work?
Comunidad is truly my mother’s legacy. She was loved by many and always ensured we were surrounded by good friends and family as we grew up. As a single parent, life wasn’t always easy but it was full of community. I believe we’re all made in community; none of us are self-made. When I was thinking of starting a nonprofit, finding the name was easy. It’s one of my life’s greatest privileges to build an organization alongside men and women who care about making the world a better place, are committed to radical generosity, and aren’t afraid to love deeply. And we’re doing this through reading programs, mentoring, capacity-building, computer literacy, and more. Together, at Comunidad, and in community, we are making a difference!
Why does Comunidad focus specifically on literacy and learning?
Comunidad is committed to finding solutions to real-world problems. In addition to seeing a huge need for literacy—I met a fifth grader going to sixth grade without being able to read—we are also community-responsive. When we moved into our current neighborhood, parents asked for academic enrichment opportunities, including helping their children with reading.
I decided to start a diagnostic prescriptive reading program for elementary-age students that was phonics-based, had measurable success, and kept students engaged at 5pm on a weekday. I’ve worked with an incredible team and experts in reading and education to build the strongest reading program in our county. There is a literacy crisis across our county and our nation, and we needed to find creative ways to bolster reading among children and to train and equip volunteer reading coaches who would help us. We’re accomplishing both thanks to the hard work of our team. Today, Strong Readers Strong Leaders is the only place-based, technology-free, diagnostic prescriptive reading program run by a nonprofit with measurable success in our county. In order for our children to be successful members of society, they need access to opportunities – and literacy is key for everyone needing to access more opportunities.
As a multilingual leader with a diverse background, what advice would you give to Women+girls striving to create lasting, positive change in their communities through volunteerism and advocacy?
I think of my response to this in two parts. For women+girls who want to become changemakers in their communities, the best one can do is to ask questions and become an active listener. For Comunidad, this looks like our 3C model which is to listen by being community-led, culturally responsive, and together develop programs and interventions by co-designing alongside our community.
The second part of my response is that there are many things women learn to overcome in accomplishing great endeavors. I’ve traveled the world, lived on three continents, and speak three languages fluently, and the more I live, I realize striving to create lasting, positive changes has to start with me. Here are my top five life lessons:
- Know who you are. Women who know who they are, and are centered in their identity and community are fierce, admirable, and can become unshakeable.
- Find your people. We all need community and people who will believe in us and with us.
Humility wins. It’s the greatest quality a leader should strive to cultivate, every day. It’s also one of the most difficult to cultivate, every day. - You’ll meet failure on the way to success. Don’t be afraid to fail. And don’t let failure define you. Keep moving because you know who you are.
- Meditate every morning and cultivate a posture of gratitude.
During Hispanic Heritage Month, could you share a favorite tradition that highlights the importance of your community or culture?
One of my favorites is the respect and honor one demonstrates towards elders in our greetings and our saying goodbye. On the Puerto Rican side of my heritage, as well as in some Latin American countries, it’s custom to always greet your parents, aunts, and grandparents with the word “Bendicion”, which means blessing in Spanish. Our mother’s immediate response would be “May God bless you.” It is the first thing you say when you see them, and the last thing spoken when saying farewell – an opportunity for them to speak goodwill over your life by blessing you. Another favorite that spans beyond my Puerto Rican and Mexican heritage to many Latino cultures is that we are communal. We have a saying in Spanish, “Donde caben uno, caben dos.” Meaning in our homes and at our tables there’s always space for one more. I grew up with a large family and lots of friends always coming over, no matter how little or many we were, my mom made sure there was always space at the table for one more.
What resources or opportunities can you recommend for those looking to volunteer and make a meaningful impact within their communities?
Search for local volunteer opportunities in your community. From your local library, to a food bank, to community-led organizations such as Comunidad, there are many places to lend a helping hand. If you can’t find a place to serve that matches your passions, get together with a few friends and family and just start doing good. I remember when I was a teen, friends and I got together with our community of faith and went to the homes of elderly families to do yard work, cut their grass, and help tidy their homes. Anything is possible when you have a heart to serve.
About Maralee
Maralee Gutierrez Cruz has been a noteworthy leader in the nonprofit and advocacy space for over 20 years, across multiple countries. Committed to serving others and ensuring community members have access to vital resources, Maralee prioritizes being a responsive, collaborative, and culturally aware community leader. She founded Comunidad in 2018 to equip and empower locally rooted community leaders of all ages in Falls Church, VA, thanks to her comunidad.