Ruby Rivera

Ruby was born and raised in Colombia where she worked as a teacher. After emigrating to the United States, Ruby became the primary provider for her family and is very proud to have put all of her children through school. One of her daughters is now a teacher, just like her mom. Ruby was instrumental in guiding ARTZ Philadelphia’s development of community programs and adoption of an “of, by, for all” approach. When our director was first invited to Esperanza Health Center in Hunting Park to speak with their “Young At Heart” group of older community members about ARTZ , one of the group members, Ruby, asked “How could you expect us to feel welcome if your programs are all in English?” That question provided a powerful catalyst for change at ARTZ. Ruby is now a leading member of the Community Advisory Group in Hunting Park. In 2020, Ruby, our director, and ARTZ Board member Cynthia Solis spoke about “ARTZ in the Neighborhood” (in Spanish and English) at the annual American Society on Aging conference. During the COVID-19 pandemic Ruby was finally able to attain US citizenship, news she joyfully shared with ARTZ in the Neighborhood community in Hunting Park.