Guiding Spirit - Blanca Ruiz

| Tuesday, May 17, 2005

Times correspondent Sue Bero

ABOUT BLANCA

Crown Point resident.

She and her husband, Jesse, have three children: Lisa, 24, Susan, 23, and Jesse Jr., 22; also a grandson, Jacob Adam.

Employed as a credential specialist.

Loves to read, cook and work crossword puzzles.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Blanca Ruiz is a member of Our Lady of Consolation Church in Merrillville. She serves the congregation as a Eucharistic minister and faith formation teacher working with third-graders; she is assisted in the classroom by her daughter, Lisa. "The Holy Spirit guided me to be a teacher for faith formation," she said. "I love the children and I love sharing my faith." Ruiz is on the Parish Council for Education and Pastoral Council for Parish Life, serving as chairperson for the parish family picnic. This year's event is 1 to 6 p.m. Sept. 11 on the church grounds. She will work with chairpersons and co-chairpersons to organize the event with bingo, children's games, an inflatable moon-jump and a disc jockey, and hopes to add a back-to-school style show for kindergarteners, demonstrations from youth cheerleaders and pom squads and mother-daughter and father-son events. "I want to get more people, all ages, involved in our parish picnic," she said. "It makes me feel so good

to be a part of this parish."

WHY I MINISTER TO OTHERS: "Why not? I'm not a person to sit back and wait; if there's a need, I want to be the first one to help."

FAVORITE BOOK/AUTHOR: "I love looking through cook books and want to make everything I see. I like to read biographies, especially about John F. Kennedy and Princess Diana."

ADVICE: "God loves you. As an individual you have so much to give. Why not give it? Life is too short and so precious."

WHAT INSPIRES ME: "My husband - we're a team together. My children inspire me, my grandson and my son-in-law is great."

PEOPLE MIGHT BE SURPRISED TO KNOW: "That I do all this and don't advertise. I just do it."