Like Mother, Like Daughter | Introducing Neighbor Connector Iveth Solis
Written by Tim Buckley, June 2026
In 1985, a young single woman narrowly escaped the icy grasp of a 12-year civil war in El Salvador that claimed more than 75,000 lives and displaced more than 1 million others – about 20 percent of country’s population. Despite having no family in the US, she came anyway, first to California and then Yakima, Washington, where agricultural work was physically demanding but reliable.
“She was inspirational,” said her oldest daughter, Iveth Solis. “Growing up. I was her translator, so I witnessed how she navigated the system to take care of her three children: housing, transportation, food and medical care. She was fearless and capable,” Iveth said.
Decades later, Iveth applies those same characteristics to her work and caring for her two children. A respectable work ethic rooted early as a child field worker in Yakima, alongside her mother. “Like her, I’m determined, independent and resourceful,” she said.
Iveth graduated from high school in 2012, about ready to give birth to her first child. Realizing that field work would never provide a life she imagined, Iveth used her education and communication skills to get into an office position with the Yakima Valley Farmworkers Clinic in 2015. Three years later, she transferred to the Lancaster Family Health Center in Salem, part of the Yakima Valley Farmworkers network. Then, during the first years of the pandemic, Iveth was hired by Santiam Hospital as an outreach specialist for rural Hispanic families, half of a team doing educational events and home testing for many hundreds of residents throughout the mid-Willamette Valley area. “I worked way too many hours; I was afraid of getting sick and bringing it home to my kids, and I caught COVID three times,” Iveth said. Her position also included two years working as a pharmacy assistant.
Her son is now almost 14 and will attend McKay high school next year, and her six-year-old daughter will go to Yoshikai Elementary. Iveth has been studying business and accounting at Chemeketa Community College and does bookkeeping for small organizations part time.
In 2024, in addition to her part time work, Iveth took a fulltime position with another nonprofit, Provider Services Fund, as an outreach and recruitment specialist. But loss of funding triggered a cutback in staff, and she was let go a year later.
So, she got a part-time position doing bookkeeping for Creating Opportunities, a nonprofit that offers support for family members with disabilities. “I can’t remember a time that I wasn’t working two jobs or more at the same time,” she said. “But in the last year, I’ve begun to make stronger boundaries around my time because my kids have to come first. I want work that fits around my life, not the other way around,” she added.
That’s why the new position with CBEL is ideal. “I’ve never had a job where the boss says ‘Yeah, go take care of your family’ when the need arises. The pharmacy where I worked required us to come in even when we were sick,” she added.
Iveth started working with CBEL’s Neighborhood Family Councils in early April. Her exposure to CBEL before that was at a Fun Friday event last summer and a Collaborative event last winter, where the topic of immigration was discussed.
“The work of Neighborhood Connector is so physically active that I was sore for a week after my first event, Welcoming Spring,” she laughed. And, after helping coordinate a Parenting Class at Cummings Elementary, she said, “I love what they are being taught about emotional regulation in family life, and what we can do when things get stressful. I hope I can absorb some of it even though I’m assisting and not a student.”
“I love this job, and so do my kids!” she added. “I’m home more and I’m more present with them, showing up more like the mom they deserve. In the old days, I’d get home at 7 p.m., we’d have dinner together and then they were off to bed shortly after.”
“There are days now where I can bring my daughter to work with me and it all fits. She’s even eager to help me do certain things. And my son also wants to help. For example, he was at the Spring Children’s Day celebration and loved the part where kids and parents received prizes and gift certificates.”
In addition to her working with the Neighborhood Connection team, Iveth will also staff CBEL’s work with the Community Violence Reduction Initiative, helping youth find work and avoid high-risk behavior. “It’s supposed to be a part-time job, but I’m working full time at it right now,” she said.
And like her supervisor, Maribel Mora-Hernandez, Iveth will be staff while also serving as a founding member of a Neighborhood Family Council, at Yoshikai Elementary, where her daughter will attend. “I’m excited to be a part of it, and although my intention was to let others lead, the group elected me to serve in the position of Vice-Chair.” (Is anyone reading this surprised?)