What's Happening

By Maru Gómez
Lending Specialist, Camino Loan Fund 
 
Introduction by Sister Marilín M. Llanes, OP
Director of Portfolio Advisory Board

The Hispanic and Immigrant Center of Alabama (¡HICA!) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) community development and advocacy organization that serves Latino and immigrant families throughout Alabama. Founded in 1999, ¡HICA! supports more than 3,500 families each year through programs that promote economic opportunity, civic engagement, and social justice. Through its emerging Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), the Camino Loan Fund, ¡HICA! provides access to capital for Latino, immigrant, and low- to moderate-income entrepreneurs, helping foster inclusive economic growth. 

On July 8, 2026, Members of the Adrian Dominican Sisters Portfolio Advisory Board (PAB), approved a low-interest loan of $200,000 to increase the lending capacity of the Camino Loan Fund, a first-time recipient. The fund is dedicated to providing responsible small business loans to low- to moderate-income entrepreneurs throughout Birmingham, Alabama, and the surrounding region, creating pathways to business ownership and economic stability. 

As a certified CDFI, Camino’s mission-driven approach closely aligns with the Adrian Dominican Sisters Enactment on Diversity, which calls for building “the beloved community in which everyone is cared for, absent of poverty, hunger, and hate.” By expanding access to affordable capital, Camino helps address barriers that have historically limited opportunities for many aspiring entrepreneurs. 

Maru Gómez, Lending Specialist with the Camino Loan Fund, shares a compelling story that illustrates the impact of this work. Through its lending program, Camino is creating opportunities for individuals and communities that have often been excluded from traditional financial systems, empowering entrepreneurs to launch and grow businesses that strengthen their families and communities.

This partnership reflects a shared commitment to economic justice, inclusion, and community development, demonstrating how mission-driven investments can help build a more equitable future for all.
 
Iralis Matute and Annerys Tortolero, founders of Genova Event Planner LLC, were born and raised in Valencia, Carabobo, Venezuela. Like many families starting over in a new country, their journey came with challenges, uncertainty, and major adjustments. They came to the United States hoping to build a more stable future and create new opportunities for themselves and their families.
 
Iralis first traveled through Central America, spending time in Panama, where she began expressing her creativity through decorations and event setups under the name “Eleven Decoration.” Her journey eventually brought her to Louisiana in October 2023, where she began building a new life while working in construction and other jobs.
 
Annerys arrived in the United States earlier and made Alabama her home. Before settling there, she lived in Costa Rica, where she developed experience in baking, catering, and serving customers. Her background in business administration later became an important strength as the sisters began building their business together.
 
After reuniting in 2023, the sisters combined their talents and passion to launch their event-planning business. Iralis brought her creativity and love for decoration, while Annerys contributed her administrative knowledge and organizational skills. Together, they saw an opportunity to serve their community through birthdays, holidays, and meaningful family celebrations.
 
Like many new entrepreneurs, they faced significant barriers. They lacked the tools and equipment needed to deliver the level of quality they envisioned, while finding reliable suppliers and building a client base required time and persistence. To move their business forward, they applied for support through Camino Loan Fund.
 
Camino pairs responsible lending capital with bilingual business technical assistance so entrepreneurs are positioned for long-term success. Camino’s relationship-based underwriting model looks beyond traditional financial metrics by considering an entrepreneur’s character, business viability, experience, and commitment to growth. This approach is designed to reduce barriers that often exclude immigrant, minority, women, and low-income entrepreneurs from traditional financing.
 
Iralis and Annerys initially expected the process to be difficult, but they were surprised by how smooth, responsive, and supportive it was. With Camino’s support, they purchased essential tools, including printers and computers with the capacity needed for design work. They are also developing a website that will allow clients to request quotes online, improving efficiency and the customer experience.
 
Since receiving support in early 2026, Genova Event Planner LLC has already begun to grow. The sisters have successfully organized two events. More importantly, they have received positive feedback from their clients, who highlight that the sisters consistently exceed expectations with their dedication and attention to detail.
 
Beyond financial growth, the business has had a meaningful personal impact on their lives. They now feel supported and empowered, with a sense of security that allows them to respond quickly to client needs without the constant stress of limited resources. What once felt uncertain now feels achievable, and they are more confident in their ability to continue building their future. As Iralis shared, “My creativity now is flying.” 
 
Looking ahead, the sisters plan to build a consistent calendar of personal and corporate events, obtain the permits needed to offer full catering services, and eventually open a showroom and hire employees in the next three to five years.
 
Their story demonstrates how flexible capital and culturally responsive support can expand inclusive ownership opportunities. Through Genova Event Planner LLC, Iralis and Annerys are not only building a business; they are creating a pathway toward long-term ownership, household wealth, economic self-determination, and a more secure future for their families.

 

Caption for above feature photo: From left, Maru Gómez, the author, presents a large-sized replica of a check to clients Iralis Matute and Annerys Tortolero, founders of Genoa Event Planner, LLC. Photo courtesy of the Camino Loan Fund

July 13, 2026, Detroit – “My hope is that the Church will become ever more open to the voices, leadership, and gifts of women, and that it will continue to grow as a community marked by justice, compassion, inclusion, and fidelity to the Gospel. I hope we will courageously follow where the Spirit is leading us for the good of the whole Church.”

Those are the words of Sister Janice Brown, OP, in response to her attendance at the 50th anniversary of the Women’s Ordination Conference (WOC). Held at the Marygrove Conservancy in Detroit over the Memorial Day weekend, the anniversary event continued the exploration of women’s roles in the Catholic Church begun in the original conference, held in Detroit in 1975.

Sister Janice attended the anniversary event with Adrian Dominican Associate Carol Hofer and Adrian Dominican Sisters Janet Stankowski, OP, Cheryl Liske, OP, Judy Friedel, OP, and Durstyne Farnan, OP. The conference included keynote addresses, workshops, and lively liturgies, including the closing Pentecost Mass.

Sister Janice noted that Adrian Dominican Sisters were among about 1,000 participants who, encouraged by the changes that the Second Vatican Council brought to the Catholic Church, came to Detroit for the first Women’s Ordination Conference. “I believe it is important for the wholeness of who we are as people created in God’s image to continue this conversation,” she said. “I wanted to be part of discerning authentic responses to the Spirit, who continually guides the Church toward greater truth, justice, and inclusion.”

Carol, who attended the first conference – but in the overflow room because the number of participants exceeded expectations – said the recent conference “was special, but a source of grieving to come together once again half a century later … with a bit of progress seen in some Church policies but with the same tired responses given to block women from ordination, even after careful research shows the prohibition does not make sense.”

Carol attended some presentations that focused on women in the Bible who served in higher capacities as deacons in the Church. “The Church later decided who would work in this capacity, but the very early Church shows evidence of women as leaders, as priests.”

Sister Cheryl, who has been active in the Discerning Deacons organization, says the call to ordain women to the diaconate is related to the WOC movement. She noted the difference between transitional deacons – men who become deacons as part of their formation to become priests – and men, sometimes married, who are ordained as permanent deacons. Both the WOC and Discerning Deacons “are raising up in their own way how silly it is to purposely bar women from active ministry when we know that women are already called.” 

Sister Durstyne was impressed by two speakers, Natalia Imperatori-Lee, Associate Professor of Systemic Theology at Fordham University, and Teresa Delgado, Professor of Theology and Religious Studies at St. John’s University in New York. “They are both women of color, the only women I know of who can say some of the things they said,” especially about colonization and its effect of excluding women of color in conversation and decision-making, Sister Durstyne said.

Noting that Dr. Delgado had said she felt called to be a priest since she was 6 years old, Sister Durstyne encouraged women religious to stay open to the possibility of women’s ordination. “We have experienced the call to religious life,” she said. “We need to honor in some way the women who feel called to be ordained a priest.”

Although some participants felt a degree of sadness that women are still not allowed to be ordained, they also were inspired by their experience of the anniversary event. “Meeting women and men from diverse backgrounds who share a love for the Church was inspiring,” Sister Janice said. “I appreciated hearing personal stories, engaging in thoughtful dialogue, and experienced a sense of community rooted in hope and faith.”

Sister Janice also left the conference feeling even more strengthened in her conviction that “women have much to offer the Church in ordained ministry. [The conference] reinforced my belief that this conversation is not only about roles, but about recognizing and affirming the gifts God has given to all people.” She added that, while change in the Church often comes slowly, “I was encouraged by the commitment, wisdom, and faithfulness of those who continue to engage in this issue with love for the Church and trust in the Spirit.”

Sister Cheryl added: “Hope isn’t a prediction. It’s something that keeps us alive. As Dominicans, we’re called to preach and serve, and that’s what the ministry of the Church should be.”
 

Caption for above feature photo: Participants in the 50th anniversary Women’s Ordination Conference are, from left: Sisters Janet Stankowski, OP, Janice Brown, OP, Judy Friedel, OP, and Durstyne Farnan, OP; Associate Carol Hofer; and Sister Cheryl Liske, OP.