Ray Kimberly

As her daughter’s greatest role model, Ray feels the weight of the example she sets, but she also takes pride in what she’s shown her daughter. “I feel like I have shown her what true work ethic looks like,” Ray says. “She has always seen me work, from restaurant jobs when she was little to hospitality management positions as she grew older and now having a job I love, that makes me feel so enriched and as though I belong. My daughter started working at a young age for my mom and has held a job since. She now works two jobs and babysits on the side, so she knows how to balance a work and social life.”

As busy as Ray and her daughter both have grown to be, she holds to one hope: “I just want her to know how much I love her and the time we spend together. Time together looks different these days with her social life—and mine—but when we do spend that time together, it is wonderful quality time. I hope she sees that I love big and want her to always love big.”

Naturally, time together is precious and appreciated, making traditions all the more important. “As a family, each Easter for the last three years, my mom has organized Easter baskets for a local mobile home community,” says Ray. “She collects money to buy supplies to put in the baskets, and we get together to package them the day before Easter. On Easter morning at 7:00 am, we deliver them to the Blessing Box located across the street from the community center. It is so heartwarming to see so many people come and pick up their baskets. These are people who are much less fortunate than we are but are so proud of their baskets when they come to get them. My mom started it, and my daughter wants to eventually take it over.”