Daughters capture spirit of activist mom

They were lessons the girls took to heart, forming - with longtime friends - Arizona Girls for a Cause, a group to help the community and keep Lee's memory and projects alive.

"The 13 girls (and many of their moms) get together at my house every Saturday," Rita said. "It didn't start out to be part of the healing process, but it definitely was."

Their first action, a couple of months after Lee died, was to create a walk to raise money for three charter schools and a recreation center that were near and dear to the heart of their mother, who was executive vice president of Chicanos por la Causa, Southern Arizona, part of a national organization that advocates for Chicano issues.

The walk, this year on April 25, is two to three miles on the West Side starting at Pima Community College's West Campus.

The first walk, held less than five months after Lee died, had about 100 participants and raised $6,000.

"People were surprised that 14- and 15-year-olds were pulling this off," said Roxanne Cleary, a member of the group and Rita's best friend since preschool.

"We decided on a walk because of the health benefits," Rita said. "And my mom did take us on walks. She liked hiking when family was in town."

There also will be booths with health tips at the walk, she said.

The girls decided to give the proceeds to schools and a leadership retreat because education was key to their mom.

"She always said how important education is, that people can take things away from you, but not your education," Rita said.

Tillie Arvizu, vice president of Chicanos Por La Causa, Southern Arizona, said the walk last year was instrumental in carrying on one of Lee's favorite youth center activities, Corazón de Aztlán Leadership Retreat, a three-day event for high school students to learn about civic responsibility, their history and giving back to the community. The event includes art, speeches and an improv talent show.

How many students get to go this summer will depend, in part, on how much the walk makes, Arvizu said. "And there already is a waiting list." For more information, call 882-0018.

"I think a lot of people were thinking that some of the things my mother did would just die after she died," Rita said.

The young women at Arizona Girls for a Cause are not going to let that happen.

The girls, most of whom went to St. Ambrose Catholic School together for years, now have branched out to more than half a dozen high schools and will be asking to speak about the walk in their classes. Anisa, still at St. Ambrose as an eighth-grader, is spreading the word there.

Talking in front of crowds isn't something everything is comfortable with, but they're going to do it, Rita said.

"My mother would be proud not only of me but of all the girls. Most people at this age don't care about the community the way we do, because of her influence."

Lee talked about important topics often to her daughters - and their friends.

"She would say, 'I'm not here for you to like me (although they did). I'm here to make you think' - think about making the world a better place," Rita recalled.

"But they weren't burdening lectures," Roxanne said. "She related them to our lives."

Rita said that although her mother battled throat cancer for 11 years, "she taught me you can't always focus on yourself and that it's good to be able to go to bed knowing you helped make some changes that made things better that day."

Arvizu said she sees a lot of Lee in Rita, especially in her leadership in the walk. "She has a vision, just like her mom. She built the concept. She developed a logo and made sure everything was in its place. She and her aunt met with the president of the Pima West Campus."