Yoly Martinez received her first paying job while in the second grade. The owner of a beauty shop in Guadalajara put her to work sweeping the floor and helping remove rollers and perm rods.
“From that moment on,” she says, “I was hooked. Cutting hair is in my blood.”
As the owner of Yoly’s Beauty Shop in Ajijic’s Plaza Bugambilias for 21 years, Martinez is unwavering in her approach to living: “I love doing what I do. It’s my life.”
But that’s not all that she does. Martinez’s list of volunteer positions reads like an expat’s to-do list.
Along with her hair salon, Martinez puts her energy into her role as president of Cruz Roja Chapala, which she says is no easy task. “People think we get money from our government, but we don’t. We have to rely on fundraisers and donations for financial support.”
The local Red Cross delegation is currently in its yearly collection phase, which runs through May 21.
Says Martinez: “Some of us are on the street on different days collecting money, myself included. Most people who use the Cruz Roja don’t have money, but we take care of them anyway.”
Being on the board of Chapala’s water utility (Simapa) is yet another of Martinez’s volunteer responsibilities. She describes it this way: “We check that the company is charging the right amount to its users. This involves looking at their paperwork, how they spend their money and where they buy their chemicals.”
As someone who has always derived satisfaction helping those in need, Martinez took on the role of president of the Chapala branch of the Family Development Agency (DIF) – the nationwide public social assistance institution – and their abused women program in 1988, and continues to work in this area. And in 2013, she became president of the Chapala Chamber of Commerce delegation, completing her term last year.
Born in Michoacán, Martinez lived in Guadalajara for 12 years. When her mother died, she moved with her brother to Chicago to be with their uncle. There, she attended school – through high school – then was off to a Chicago beauty school, graduating in cosmetology at the age of 17. “My first jobs were woking in style salons at Marshall Fields and JC Penny’s,” she says.
What came next was marriage, and later her two daughters, Gabriela and Yolanda. When Gabriela turned six, Martinez’s calling for volunteer work kicked in.
“I became part of Latino Outreach Program, a group that helped illegal women in the United States. The program was very successful and is still operating in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles. I later worked in a church as a volunteer for Amnesty International.”
In 1985, Martinez and her husband moved back to Mexico “because of the weather and because I wanted my children to grow up in a different atmosphere. Here in Mexico, children are happier with very little.” The family settled in Guadalajara, stayed for nine months, and then moved to Ajijic in 1986.
“My ex-husband and I found a vacant lot on the Carretera and bought it along with his cousin,” she says. “We built Plaza Bugambilias. When my ex-husband’s cousin died, I continued to own and work in my salon.”
Besides her many successes, Martinez has had to deal with a recent family crisis. “In August, I received a notice from my daughter, Yolanda, who lives with her husband in Qatar, where they both work in the oil industry. A medical test revealed that she has Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Of course, this was very hard for me to hear. I got angry and said that I was not going to help anyone anymore. But, then I realized that she was going through a terrible time and needed my help.
“After traveling to Qatar, I promised to work harder for the people who need me … and am doing just that.”
Martinez has been receiving support from friends and family, helping her get through this uncertain time, as her daughter receives treatment so far away.
Martinez’s other daughter has chosen to follow in her mother’s footsteps. Living in Ajijic, Gabriela works in her mother’s beauty shop while attending school to become a makeup and hair artist.
As president of Cruz Roja, Martinez is happy to report that last year’s fundraisers raised enough money to pay for a new ambulance and an upgraded tile floor throughout their facility in Chapala. But she feels she has to work harder to make things happen for the organization. Fortunately, she doesn’t have to do it alone. “I receive wonderful help from both expats and Mexicans,” she says.
“For me, there’s no better place to live than in Ajijic. Here, the expats volunteer and give Mexicans work, which provides all of us the opportunity to have a better life. I also appreciate my children for helping me make things happen. Without them and my friends, I simply couldn’t do what I do.”