Communidad’s Maralee Gutierrez Cruz: Visionary Falls Church Leader
In this season of Thanksgiving, our praises should flow to those who work day and night to empower others to help uplift our community.
Falls Church’s Maralee Gutierrez Cruz, founder and CEO of the nonprofit Comunidad, based in the Willston Multicultural Center in Seven Corners at 6131 Willston Dr., is one such transformational and visionary leader deserving of such thanks.
Fittingly, it was during a contemplative dinner meal more than a decade ago, that Gutierrez Cruz’s vision to “equip and engage locally-rooted leaders,” of all ages, and provide them with “a platform to lead and thrive” – thereby lifting up the entire community, or “comunidad” – was born.
And in 2018, Gutierrez Cruz officially incorporated Communidad as a nonprofit.
“I wanted to name this organization Comunidad because growing up, my mother and siblings and I benefited from the strength and support of our community,” Gutierrez Cruz recalled, according to the organization’s website. “Our community was always there for us when we were in need and I want to provide others with that same support.” Gutierrez Cruz’s family is of Puerto Rican and Mexican descent.
“As an organization, we believe in building the capacity of everyone in the community, from our youngest leaders to the most seasoned parents and grandparents,” Comunidad says. “Our programming focuses on strengthening literacy skills to enhance reading among elementary-age students; after school youth mentoring to support students with working parents; and, adult leadership development to support confidence-building and community-led advocacy.”
“We truly believe that if you harness the power and leadership of an individual, their community will thrive. Our hope is that through continued financial investment and volunteer dedication, we will replicate this people-first model of serving to expand and empower communities all over Northern Virginia,” Comunidad says.
Impressive Scale of Good Works
The scale of Comunidad’s community-based efforts since its founding are truly remarkable.
Just two years after launching, Communidad was cited in the Falls Church News-Press for their herculean efforts during a Fourth of July community services event.
Gutierrez Cruz’s exceptional organizational skills were noted. “As a result of the partnership between F.C. Anglican, Comunidad and the Chinese Christian Church, Maralee Gutierrez and her ‘Powerhouse Team’ of seven women, supported by 120 volunteers, turned the generosity of many into this significant event…. THANKS TO THEM over 49,300 pounds of food and basic hygiene products were distributed to families who came from across the DMV area.”
Last August, Communidad also received high marks from the News-Press for its massive efforts to work collaboratively with the community to successfully have a $250,000 grass soccer field installed where once there was just a dust bowl, or, as the locals called the Willston Multicultural Center Field, “La Polvorosa.”
As Gutierrez Cruz met with community leaders to find out what the neighborhood needed and see how Comunidad could work side-by-side with them to solve problems and build opportunities, she kept hearing about what a new soccer field would mean for local folks of all ages. “The key, Maralee [Gutierrez Cruz] understood, was adopting a participatory design — a collaborative approach where everyone involved, including stakeholders and community members, takes an active role in shaping the solution” reporter Maria Belen Quellet wrote.
“This is the field of dreams that now brings families together,” Quellet said. “Not only is it the perfect setting for the Willston Multicultural Center which serves residents of all ages and abilities, but also the Neighborhood and Community Services (NCS) after-school program, and the Seven Corners Children’s Daycare Center. It is also home to Comunidad’s soccer clinic which hosted 30 boys and girls this summer led by volunteer coaches, which ended with the Seven Corners 'Copa' tournament this past Thursday. This field of dreams continues to give back, by hosting family soccer nights regularly.”
“The field represents belonging, and caring. It represents community, it represents us, we have needs, and the field has needs,” Gutierrez Cruz told Quellet. “If we are not caring for the field, we are not caring for the community. I’m proud to say, there is no better place to see the power of community members and stakeholders locking arms towards a common good, than walking on this soccer field lush with green grass.”
A Rapid and Fruitful Expansion
Last Wednesday, Nov. 20, Comunidad also held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening of its second location – a new Adult Learning Center at Kingsley Commons in Falls Church.
“Local and State leaders, including Virginia State Senator Saddam Azlan Salim, Delegate Marcus Simon, and Mayor Letty Hardi attended the event,” Comunidad wrote in a Nov. 20 press release. “After seven years of successful programming and partnership in the Willston neighborhood of Seven Corners, Comunidad is expanding to a second location in Kingsley Commons: the Kingsley Learning Center. The Kingsley Learning Center will focus on adult programming, including Computer Literacy and English Language classes.”
“Today, we're at Kingsley because we've seen and heard the response of local community leaders,” Gutierrez Cruz said. “After months of door-knocking and community listening sessions, our initial focus is on adult computer literacy classes, and soon other adult programming that community members have requested. We have seen community interest and responses by local community leaders, and that's all it takes for community and Comunidad.”
Comunidad’s Wide-Ranging Programs for All Ages
It’s difficult to imagine a more effective nonprofit designed to develop leaders of all ages by bolstering the skills and tools they need to help them succeed in life and to strengthen their families and communities.
For elementary schoolers, Comunidad offers the Strong Readers Strong Leaders (SRSL) Program, a “phonics-based reading program that strengthens literacy and leadership skills.” Children are matched one-on-one with volunteer coaches to “receive individualized reading support.”
For teens, Comunidad offers close support, mentoring and academic/professional instruction, including “year-round mentorship,” “targeted summer programs,” and Coding Bootcamp. “We provide our teens with social-emotional informed curriculum, sports camps, and academic success coaching,” Comunidad says. The Champions Program provides "weekly mentoring... for middle and high school-aged teens,” “STEM activities, honest youth talk on relevant topics, and team-building exercises through sports and games.”
The Rising Leaders Program – designed for students “thinking beyond high school” and preparing for college and professional life – is a “year-round leadership activation program for high school students,” to provide teens with “opportunities to lead local initiatives.” Students “identify a need in their community, and Comunidad comes alongside to provide the necessary tools and/or finances to respond to the chosen need.” Past initiatives have “included a community beautification day and a coding bootcamp.
Remarkably, two of Comunidad’s Rising Leaders – profiled on Comunidad’s website as “Ricardo and Jonathan” – conceptualized, founded, and led the organization’s Coding Bootcamp Program, a testament to the success of the Rising Leaders Program. “Three years since its founding, Coding Bootcamp has equipped 25 teen students with basic computer coding skills. Students who complete the summer curriculum receive a laptop of their own at the end of the bootcamp,” Comunidad announced.
Comunidad’s Rising Scholars Program also provides a “9-month internship for locally-rooted high school students,” to pursue academic excellence for college-readiness, develop professional skills, and access platforms to become servant leaders in the community.” The program was “founded in response to a Rising Leader’s personal initiative to prepare for college applications,” Comunidad says. Rising Scholars commit to working 10 hours per week in the Comunidad office while committing to set academic goals and to commit themselves to study hours. “Additionally, each scholar receives tutoring and college-readiness coaching.”
For adults, Comunidad provides “programming that equips local leaders with the skills they need to engage a modern world.” The new Kingsley Adult Learning Center is currently offering Adult Computer Literacy Classes in Spanish and English and looking to expand when possible.
Comunidad also supports a strong Community Engagement Program to “equip and engage locally-rooted community leaders” to help create community “change for the better." “From monthly Food Distributions and parent programming to our annual 5Dollar 5K, community engagement and investment is the heartbeat of our work,” Comunidad says. “Thanks to our partnership with the Capital Area Food Bank, we mobilize a volunteer force to provide food to over 250 households each month. We’ve been serving since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and haven’t stopped!”
Every third Thursday of the month, Comunidad also hosts a Family Dinner at the Willston Center, with local teens serving the meal. “After eating together, children will do crafts and play a game while parents engage in discussion over our topic of the month.” The goal is to provide families with the opportunity to explore topics that “promote the health and well-being of our community.” Table-sitters (fluent in Spanish and English) and child-care are also provided by Comunidad.
Finally, Comunidad’s Equipped Program provides a year-round “leadership effort that provides parent-leaders (21+) from the community with tools to engage their community. The goal is to provide opportunities for adult leaders to “create change which directly impacts their families.”
Every fall at Bluemont Park in Arlington, Comunidad hosts a “5 Dollar 5K” run/walk to raise funds for its far-reaching programs. Governed by a Board of Directors and operated by a staff of five, Comunidad is “supported by volunteers and community members” and “funded through generous donations from and partnerships with friends, families, and local charities.” Comunidad also partners with Fairfax County Neighborhood and Community Services, the Willston Multicultural Center, and the Falls Church Rotary Club. And they’re “grateful for community support from [their] faith partners, local business leaders… local elementary school PTAs, parent liaisons, and social workers.”
Interviews and Discussions with Maralee Gutierrez Cruz
The Literacy Lab
In this Literacy Lab webinar entitled “Women of Color in Leadership,” Gutierrez’s biographical background is described as follows:
“For over 20 years, Maralee Gutierrez Cruz has been a noteworthy leader in the nonprofit and advocacy space. Through her commitment to serving others, she has worked to ensure that communities both here and abroad, have access to the vital resources they need to thrive.”
“Prior to founding Comunidad in 2018, she worked as the Director of a faith-based non-profit serving a Latino community in Alexandria, VA; she liaised with the Cameroonian government to advocate for vulnerable communities; and, later consulted the U.S. government on efforts to combat human trafficking. Influenced by career experiences and world travels, having lived in four different countries across three continents, she developed a unique perspective when it comes to serving alongside communities with limited or no access to resources.”
“She prioritizes community empowerment by locking arms with local leaders; she believes that when provided with a platform, local leaders can transform their neighborhoods. These experiences influenced Maralee’s founding of Comunidad. Maralee holds a B.S. in Business Management from the University of Central Florida and completed a Nonprofit Management Executive Certificate from Georgetown University. She is fluent in three languages and currently resides in Falls Church, Virginia.”
Interviewed by Virginia's First Lady
In an Hispanic Heritage Month “Sisterhood Spotlight” interview by Virginia’s current First Lady Suzanne S. Youngkin in Sept. 2024, Gutierrez spoke at length about her visions of serving the community at-large, her motivations, and her background. Youngkin describes Gutierrez as a “seasoned nonprofit leader with over 20 years of global experience, dedicated to empowering communities and ensuring access to vital resources.”
Here is the text of Youngkin’s “Sister Spotlight” of Gutierrez:
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.
So, before we serve the turkey, let’s all raise a toast of praise and “Bendicion” to Maralee Gutierrez Cruz of Falls Church!
For more in-depth stories on vital community-based activism in and around Falls Church, see below:
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