At Athletic Club Boise, the Community Impact STAR — Service, Teamwork, Accountability, and Responsibility — is symbolized by a single purple chair inside our stadium.
That chair reflects both the eye of the falcon in our crest and the Idaho star garnet. More importantly, it represents the people and organizations who strengthen our community in lasting ways, those who show up for others, create opportunity, and help shape a stronger future for Idaho.
During our upcoming home match on Wednesday, June 10, vs. Richmond Kickers, Athletic Club Boise will recognize Mari Ramos, Chief Executive Director of the Idaho Hispanic Foundation, as our latest Community Impact STAR honoree.
FROM SURVIVING TO THRIVING
For Mari Ramos, community impact starts with understanding what people truly need.
As Chief Executive Director of the Idaho Hispanic Foundation, Ramos works alongside families facing challenges that often extend far beyond a single problem. Food insecurity, workforce barriers, language differences, transportation challenges, and access to resources are often interconnected.
That’s why the Idaho Hispanic Foundation focuses on serving the whole person.
“We really focus on helping a whole person,” Ramos says. “What we want to do here is provide programming and services that really help support the whole family and help take them from just surviving to thriving.”
Through health and wellness initiatives, youth leadership programs, workforce development, entrepreneurial support, cultural enrichment, and community resources, the organization works to remove barriers and create pathways to opportunity for Idaho families.
A COMMUNITY-LED MISSION
One of the things Ramos is most proud of is that the Idaho Hispanic Foundation doesn’t decide its programs from behind a desk.
Instead, the organization listens.
For Ramos, the impact reaches far beyond any single program or service.
The Idaho Hispanic Foundation’s work is guided by the belief that communities are strongest when people have the support they need to succeed.
“The programming that we provide is the programming that the people are asking for,” Ramos says. “It is led by our community.”
In the past year alone, the organization served more than 3,000 people through its various programs and services.
THE POWER OF POSSIBILITY
Among the many people who have walked through the Idaho Hispanic Foundation’s doors, one story remains especially meaningful to Ramos.
She remembers meeting a woman who came seeking business advice for an interior design company she hoped to start. What Ramos soon discovered was that the woman and her children were living in their car.
The foundation helped connect her with housing, resources, and business support while she worked toward her goals.
Today, she owns her own home, runs a thriving business, and serves as a member of the Idaho Hispanic Foundation’s Board of Directors.
For Ramos, that story represents what can happen when people receive the support they need at the right time.
“When somebody trusts you with that vulnerability, to ask and to request, we are going to do everything we can to fully support them,” she says.
BUILDING COMMUNITY THROUGH CULTURE AND SPORT
Ramos believes one of Idaho’s greatest strengths is the diversity of experiences, cultures, and perspectives that make up its communities.
“Learning about those different cultures makes our community brighter and more beautiful and more colorful,” she says.
But she also believes the things people share in common are just as important.
“Learning about the things that we have in common brings us together and creates more unity.”
That same belief is why Athletic Club Boise resonates with her.
Long before the club had a name or colors, Ramos was excited about what professional soccer could mean for the Treasure Valley.
“When AC Boise was announced…I was so excited because soccer, fútbol, is so universal and it’s such a connector within our communities,” she says.
Whether it’s families gathering at matches, children finding role models, or strangers celebrating together in the stands, Ramos sees the club as another way people can build connections across cultures and backgrounds.
“If they can see it, they can be it,” she says.
RECOGNITION, IN CONTEXT
On Wednesday night, Mari Ramos will take her place in Athletic Club Boise’s Purple Seat as the club’s newest Community Impact STAR honoree.
The recognition honors a leader who has dedicated her career to creating opportunity, building connections, and helping Idaho families move from surviving to thriving.
Through every program launched, every barrier removed, and every person empowered to reach their potential, Mari Ramos continues to demonstrate what’s possible when a community invests in its people. Her work is helping create a more connected, vibrant, and inclusive Idaho for generations to come.
To learn more about the Idaho Hispanic Foundation, visit https://idahohispanicfoundation.org/.