ABC-7 Do-Gooder: Julianna Esparza Loya, Adopt-A-Mom EP

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- For some it's a journey in a life, for other's it is a  calling.

Julianna Esparza Loya saw the need from a young age and has continues to bright light to those in the community. 

ABC-7's Nichole Gomez introduces us to a very special Do-Gooder.

"So I think I've always been a humanitarian at heart. I grew up in the Segundo Barrio, so I was pretty poverty stricken as a kid. I was taught very early on that we should bless even if we have little," shared Loya as she spoke on what inspired her to start giving back to her community.

Julianna Esparza Loya learned early on the meaning of giving and enriching those in the community. Adopt-A-Mom EP was started during the Covid-19 pandemic where she said moms who were already spread thin also became teachers at home and isolated. 

A support group on a social media page soon grew to thousands of women sharing experiences and ideas and reaching out with words of encouragement and advice.

"It wasn't supposed to be a nonprofit. It was supposed to be an outlet for mothers. I think for us, we learned or understood early on that we use our platform to lift our community," Loya added.

Loya's Adopt-A-Mom EP may have started to help other mothers during a challenging time, but it has grown and reaches deeper into the needs of the community. The group often gathers donations for coats for those children in the area who would otherwise not have a warm coat during the wintry months. They collect and give out school supplies and other items. But that is not all the group offers.

"We also empower our youth through entrepreneurship. We have mini mommy mercaditos, and we have large mercaditos, and we encourage the children to come and sell their things and kind of build their entrepreneurship skills and confidence," a program Loya is very proud of and says really helps to build productive teens and future adults.

Throughout the year the group looks at the needs in the community, from the warm coats and jackets and school supplies to educational opportunities and helping area children diagnosed with cancer. 

Oscar Mendez a partner with Mendez, Isaac, Joudi law firm says that once he met with Loya he too was inspired. He highlight how vital it is to have people in the community who care and work to bring people up.

"It's important for everyone to remember that anyone can help. Anyone can be a Do-Gooder. All it takes is your inspiration and your Avenue and what you're passionate about and where you want to expend your time to promote other people," Mendez said.

The attorneys with Mendez, Isaac, Joudi agree it is important for everyone to invest in the future of our community and the future are the children.

"I think it's important to do good, no matter what scale, because everybody needs help, you know, and everybody can help at different levels. So it's important to reach out to anybody that may need help, whether they're a perfect stranger or your best friend. You know, El Paso is familiar, and we want to treat everybody as such," Mendez said.

As part of her selection as the Do-Gooder for the month, Loya received a gift card from the law firm. Which she will use for the programs Adopt-A-Mom EP has in place.

She also received a $1,000 check from the El Paso Community Foundation that Loya is donating to a local nonprofit that is dear to her heart and that she says does a lot of good for the community, Autism Hope.