BY ISAMARY MORALES
The Westside Express
(Editor’s note: Last week, The Westside Express published a story on Dos Palos High senior Ricardo Rivas. This week, we present another angle on that story — about an elderly woman named Cris, a friend of Rivas. Cris asked the reporter to keep her surname private. Out of respect for her wish, the reporter and the Express have done so.)
Cris is everything you’d want in a neighbor. She’s empathetic, attentive and has a genuine appreciation for anything and anyone who strives for what they love. Cris is truly a one-of-a-kind individual whose stories could never bore you.
She is a senior citizen with a disability that does not allow her to carry out normal day-to-day chores. However, her neighbor, Ricardo Rivas, a talented high school senior, helps her whenever she needs assistance.
Rivas and Cris have been neighbors for seven years, and during that time, she has received assistance from him. Be it cleaning out her air filters, helping her carry her groceries or running simple errands for her, Rivas always helps her.
Cris is an advocate for nature and wildlife, and told this reporter that wildlife is needed to keep order. In fact, she loves nature so much that she constantly gets food for birds to put in feeders, getting approximately 200 pounds of bird seed a month.
Whenever she gets these bags, Rivas is always available to help despite having a packed schedule and other chores to do.
Cris is very grateful for always having such help. Even if the chores themselves do not take long, she appreciates the aid, especially since she cannot do these simple tasks. When she calls Rivas, he always tries his best to help her or sets up a time to do so.
Cris mentioned that she is a people observer, meaning she recognizes talent and a kind-hearted individual.
Much like Rivas’s talent, which she admires and values, Cris has a good sense of judgment when it comes to individuals who are unique and knows that they will do great things in the future.
Nevertheless, Cris, in addition to being a nature lover, is a unique individual who is loving and sees individuals for who they truly are. If words could describe a perfect neighbor, it would be Cris.
