Page 1 - Mary's Center - Friends of Maria Fund

Originally from Colombia, Maria
ABOUT
immigrated to the United States with
her mother at age 13 to escape violence
MARIA
and find new opportunities. They built
a life in Washington, DC through hard
work, courage, and the willpower to
Maria S. Gomez founded Mary’s
succeed. After years of determination,
Center with a group of health
Maria obtained her Bachelor of Science
advocates and the DC Mayor’s
in Nursing from Georgetown University
Office on Latino Affairs in 1988 to
and a Master of Public Health from the
University of California at Berkeley.
help immigrant women fleeing war
Upon graduation, she returned to the
and poverty in Central America.
District and began dedicating her life’s
Under Maria’s leadership, Mary’s
Center grew from a basement
work to the empowerment of her local
community. Prior to establishing Mary’s
clinic serving 200 participants a
year to a community institution
Pictured: Maria Gomez with President Barack Obama
Center, she was a public health nurse
at DC Health. She also worked at the
serving over 60,000 participants
As a testament to Maria’s commitment to
from all over the globe at five
Visiting Nurses Association and the
community, the White House presented her
Red Cross, where she directed
health centers and two senior
community education programming
wellness centers throughout
with the 2012 Presidential Citizens Medal,
the nation’s second-highest civilian honor.
and disaster services.
DC and Maryland.
‘‘
Looking back and reflecting on the impact and
development of Mary’s Center, I am extremely grateful
to our village of supporters for helping us establish
this gem throughout the metropolitan area, and for
’’
continuing my life’s work and passion through
this very strategic fund.
– Maria S. Gomez, RN, MPH
2333 Ontario Rd, NW. | Washington, DC 20009
THE FRIENDS OF
MARIA FUND