Staff Spotlight | Norma Cruz
Norma Cruz is a Parenting Facilitator with CRIS’ Parenting Program.
“My road to CRIS began very early in my life when my family immigrated to the US from Tijuana, Mexico, while I was still an infant. I grew up in San Diego, but we often returned to Tijuana to shop and eat throughout my childhood. Beginning when we were very young, my father, a veteran of the US military and a man of great generosity, took our family across the border at least twice a year to visit ‘cartolandia,’ which means ‘land of cardboard,’ to give away our clothes to the children there. This impoverished area near Tijuana was an enormous settlement of economic refugees from elsewhere in Mexico who sought a better life. We grew up seeing the needs of these people and trying our best to aid them, even though we faced many struggles of our own. Through these trips, my parents taught me that there is always a way to help others, regardless of your own circumstances—a lesson I carry with me to this day.
I moved to Ohio in 1999 as a single mother of 3 and started working as an interpreter for CRIS. I quickly found a family in the CRIS staff, and my work included case management when other staff members were out on vacation. After a few years, my interpretation work slowed down around the same time CRIS was looking for someone to teach parenting to newly arrived Spanish-speaking refugees. One day, Diana Sierra (CRIS’ Parenting Program Manager) asked if I knew anyone who would be up for the job—I told her ‘Yes, me!’
In my role as a Parenting Facilitator, my goal is to equip parents with new skills and provide different options for raising their children. Throughout a 15-week program, I teach how to discipline without physical punishment and I invite parents to develop a more nurturing, supportive, and respectful family dynamic. I often say that while not every family needs the classes, every family benefits from them in some way. I have seen firsthand the way this curriculum can transform parent-child relationships, and it is amazing to watch families rebuild meaningful connections with each other. As a mother, I know that the relationship between a parent and child is perhaps the most impactful one in life, and it is gratifying to help those relationships blossom through my work.
CRIS has become a second home to me, and the staff is like a second family. I believe deeply in our mission, and I am grateful to have been supported by my colleagues in so many ways throughout my time here. I am proud to say that for as long as I am able, I will be a part of CRIS.”