Ovando-Arreola Scholarship Nurtures a Tradition of Caregiving

Helios and Lisa Ovando-Arreola were both working in the medical field locally, but it took a 7,000-mile journey to bring them together. Well, that and a deep desire to care for others.

This shared purpose sent them off on a mission trip to Guatemala together, and the connection they found has been changing lives ever since. After their first trip together, Helios and Lisa started training to become misson team leaders and eventually visited new communities in El Salvador and Nicaragua. This last destination is where they met Lilliam, a single mother who led them toward their next endeavor.

Two days a week, Lilliam set out with her baby to catch a four-hour bus ride to the university where she was studying nursing. For Helios, it brought back memories of his grandmother Lily, who also studied and became a nurse. He could still see her administering shots and suturing beef steaks to train her grandchildren in the medical arts. The two of them were generations apart, but both wanted to provide a better life for their children by caring for others.

Watching Lilliam’s strength and determination inspired Helios and Lisa, and the rest of their team. Conversations were had; ideas were shared. Soon, the group approached her with the offer of a full-ride scholarship.

“One has to have faith. It’s not just writing a check at tax time; it’s investing in a person’s life,” Helios said. “Yes, we’re excited that they are in school, but the more exciting part is what the students are going to do five years down the road with their education and how they’ll enrich their community.”

Lilliam was the first of nearly a dozen graduates who received a scholarship thanks to Helios, Lisa and their friends, and each of these scholars is actively caring for their communities today. The success and joy inspired this caring couple to explore how to do something similar in their own community. 

That’s when they discovered the Community Foundation for Southwest Washington and the team’s personal approach. After an initial meeting, Helios and Lisa walked away with a couple of options to turn their nebulous ideas into tangible impact.

“The Community Foundation has been very helpful in guiding us,” Lisa said. “We didn’t have to invent the wheel. The wheel was there, and they helped us tweak it and guide us to build our vision.”

In 2018, The Ovando-Arreola Scholarship Fund began offering renewable awards to Community Foundation applicants pursuing careers in healthcare, especially minorities, women, and those with greater financial need. Today, they’ve supported ten students, and two have already graduated and moved into their careers. But Helios and Lisa hope their graduates find more than a job. They want to provide a sense of purpose and prosperity.

He can’t help but remember visiting his grandmother in Mexico after she retired. Her living room would be filled with patients who couldn’t afford traditional healthcare. Like her, Helios and Lisa are paying it forward and keeping their principles of caregiving alive and well through the Ovando-Arreola Scholarship Fund.