Claudia Vázquez is a 52-year-old small businesswoman from Mexico, who had to reinvent her life’s vision to make ends meet with her mother Doña Celina Centeno. Through that, she is now providing employment to other older women who have missed out on jobs due to age discrimination.
Since she arrived in Chicago in 1995, Claudia’s life has been marked by many challenges, from adapting to a new culture that led to depression for a few months, to the death of her father in 2010.
“Before my father died, I already didn’t have a stable job. Staffing agencies only called me in to work two or three days a week. During his sickness, I was driving him to his dialysis appointment to the hospital. I increasingly saw the importance of being a financial support to my mom. That’s when I started looking for more work outside of the factories,” recalls Claudia.
Motivations and Challenges
When her father died, Claudia noticed that Doña Celina (her mother) was having a hard time finding a job due to her age. She eventually found an opportunity at New Life Centers in Little Village. Both mother and daughter took care of the cleaning at the Little Village building. Since then, they have remained together not only at work but also in ministry.
Claudia soon after began to strategize how to self-employ herself and her mother, Doña Celina. In 2013, what began as a dream became a reality. Claudia started her own company under the name “Dulce Corazón Decorations”. They began providing decoration services for events as they continued their cleaning services at New Life Centers. “I feel that it has been God who has given us purpose to continue here,” Claudia tells us.
Initially, Claudia was fearful of venturing out into the business, but her mother was the driving force that encouraged her not to give up and embark on this adventure. “If you are afraid, fear will paralyze you, and you will never know how far you can go if you don’t experience on your own whether things w
A few months after starting her company, Claudia began to learn about important regulations and procedures for LLC companies. This helped her make proper use of her finances and with personnel management. “When I opened the company, I understood that I had to keep accounting in order. I was recommended to pay taxes every quarter of the year so as not to accumulate a high amount at the end of the year and avoid financial penalties. I also learned the legal aspects of business administration,” says Claudia.
The Faces Behind the Work
Years went by and Claudia was motivated to grow her business, both cleaning and event decorations. In 2020 there was enough demand to start employing more people. During that time, she met Mrs. Josefina, who was going through a difficult situation, so she decided to offer her a job opportunity to support her. Josefina had recently arrived from Mexico as a refugee fleeing violence. “I remember seeing Josefina crying in the park because she didn’t have a job and had just arrived. It moved my heart to see her in that situation. Since we were already starting to have more events, I told her, “I’ll offer you a job. There isn’t much else I can do for you.” She adapted very well to the job.”
As the demand for events increased even more, Claudia sought to look for more staff. That was when Mrs. Lucy joined. Her story had such an impact on her that she decided to offer her a job. “One of the stories that have captivated me the most from the ladies who work with me was Lucy’s. Her husband suffered an accident at work and unfortunately can no longer work due to the injury. Most of the home expenses and maintenance fell on her”, noted Claudia. Having supported Lucy with this job fills Claudia’s heart as she greatly values what Lucy does for her family.
A similar situation happened with Mrs. Mary, whom Claudia met during a Pan de Vida food pantry delivery. “I remember meeting Mary right when she had lost her husband. She was depressed and crying. My mom told me about her, so I invited her to come work at New Life Centers. I noticed she was really looking forward to work. She is now self-sufficient, earning her own money, and does not have to depend only on what her adult children can give her.”
Claudia adds that her story has helped her be a sensitive person towards the others needs. “Those things impact me and motivate me to continue fighting and help keep these ladies at work. I know that any effort is worth it.”
The most recent addition to the work team was Claudia’s brother, who also suffered injuries in his previous job, leaving him unable to lift heavy objects. “I remember my brother was very depressed and through tears, he asked me if I could give him a job opportunity. Of course I agreed,”Claudia tells us.
Future Goals
Claudia now has a total of 6 staff members. Her goal for the next two years is to grow all three areas of her business: decorations, events and cleaning services. “My goal is to grow my team and improve payment processes for employees. I would also want other companies to realize that we should consider older people for jobs. We shouldn’t discriminate or reject them,” Claudia said.
Claudia wants to continue supporting other people in vulnerable situations because she is convinced that God has a purpose in her life through this.
Volunteering at Pan de Vida Food Pantry
In addition to supporting New Life Centers with cleaning and organizing events with other clients, Claudia has been a volunteer at the “Pan de Vida” food pantry for 13 years. Her time there has a significant impact. A few days a the week Claudia picks up donations from companies for the pantry and she helps distribute to clients.
A Message of Hope
Claudia encourages other people to start their own businesses and move forward despite the challenges. “My hope is that people always know there is a God who is taking care of us and blessing us. If you dream about starting a business, do not be afraid to innovate and try it. Otherwise, your fear will never take you far and will keep you paralyzed. Keep going because God always goes with you”, explained Claudia.
