When a relative experiences a life-threatening illness, it’s important for family members to gather and support each other, even if they need to travel great distances. For Ace employee Maria Noriega, her immigration status provided an even greater challenge for visiting her sick aunt.

When Maria was young, she was raised by her aunt in Mexico. She moved to the U.S. in 1982 when she was 15 years old. When her aunt became ill, Maria wanted to return to Mexico to visit her. Although Maria was a legal worker in the U.S. with a green card, she was concerned that she might not be able to return to her job at Courtland Ace Hardware in Virginia.

When Courtland Ace owner Elizabeth McDade heard of Maria’s situation, she was inspired to step in and help her employee become a U.S. Citizen. She decided to pay for Maria’s citizenship application.

Maria’s positive attitude compelled her Ace coworkers to help her study for her exam to become a U.S. Citizen. "All she wants to do is be helpful and reach out to others," said Stephanie, Maria’s Coworker

All the studying paid off for Maria when she received the news that she passed her test. "We had a celebration in the break room," said Elizabeth. "It was an explosion of red, white and blue everywhere."

"Miss Elizabeth — she’s my angel," said Maria. "I was able to go see my aunt."

Maria’s aunt passed away in March. Maria was extremely thankful to have the opportunity to spend that time with her.

"Leadership is about lifting people up," said Elizabeth. "Everybody felt like they were able to do something to make a difference."