Natalia Chi
When the pandemic hit, Ruben Olivares stepped up for his community. He began volunteering at his center in Belmont, Kuragin North West, helping distribute food, masks and hand sanitizer.
And when a vaccine became available, Olivares was hired as a contract worker for a social services organization, helping thousands of residents receive life-saving vaccinations. He also cared deeply about public safety, often organizing efforts to curb crime in his community.
These selfless efforts were typical of a father whom friends and colleagues described as reliable, kind and hardworking.
Last month, Olivarez, 36, was shot dead outside his home in Humboldt Park. He had just returned from his second job at the bakery and was just days before he and his family moved into the house he bought on the Northwest Side, said Northwest Health’s Nancy, his director of equity. says Valentin. center.
Ruben Olivarez in the center and his team at the Northwest Center. He was shot in his January days before his family moved from Humboldt’s Park to the Northwest Side.
“He worked for public safety, so it’s very difficult to lose him like this,” Valentin said. I was working to help
north west center Organized a GoFundMe To help pay for his wife and two daughters. So far he has raised $18,000 of her $25,000 goal.
“It’s really nice to see how people have gathered around his wife and children,” Valentin said.
James Rudik, who met Olivarez when he started volunteering for the organization, said he was not surprised by the outpouring of support from the community.
Rudik said that anyone who knew Olivarez would say good things about him.
“He was a really nice guy. He was always there, always available, always showed up, always helpful,” said Rudik. “He was always on.”
Olivarez’s family wants those responsible for his murder brought to justice. No arrests have been made in connection with the shooting at 3200 West Cortez Avenue at approximately 6:45 p.m. on Jan. 18, according to the Chicago Police Department.
Olivarez left the office around 5 p.m., but stopped at La Canasta Bakery at 3575 Armitage West to bake a last-minute requested cake, Valentín told Olivarez’s family.
Olivarez came home about five to ten minutes after his wife and children. He was in a car when someone stopped in another car, opened fire, and hit him in the hip. His wife heard the gunshots and called Olivarez, she said, “Be careful.” He replied, “I was shot, call an ambulance.” Olivarez died from his injuries in hospital five days later.
Olivarez was “very popular and people connected with him right away. He was a very cordial person,” Valentín said. “He worked outside and connected with people.” It made an impression on many people.”
Valentín said Olivares has a large family and they are grieving in their own way. His wife, who requested anonymity, is having trouble sorting out the family’s move to a new home.
“It’s really, really cruel to think that he got shot when he finally achieved his goal of buying a house,” Valentin said. He left behind many lessons on how to be a decent human being.”
