Photo by Doug Koontz Antonio Ramirez is on the board of Nuestra Casa del Pueblo.

"I always dreamed of being on Fifth Avenue," he said.

That was in 1988, and Ramirez was living in Mexico City, helping low-income families and immigrants in poor areas integrate into the mainstream culture. Part of this work involved translating government documents into different native dialects, like Otomi and Nahuatl, and languages like French.

After receiving time off from his government job and an invitation from the cousin of a friend living in Frederick and working at Fort Detrick, Ramirez obtained his visa and set off to explore Manhattan. Along the way, he fell in love with the clean air, friendly people and rural pace of Frederick . He sent a resignation letter to his job in Mexico.

But life was far from easy for him in the United States. A college graduate and working professional accustomed to helping immigrants in tough circumstances, Ramirez found his role reversed.

He was now the one who didn't understand the language or culture he thought he knew from television and movies, the one who had to struggle each day to pay rent. Ramirez took a job as a dishwasher working seven days a week, 10 hours per day.

Soon he realized that to get ahead, he would have to learn more English than the street slang he'd picked up from the kitchen staff. He tried to associate more with professionals, and started volunteering at a hospice serving people with HIV.

This work eventually sent him throughout western Maryland to raise awareness about the disease and ways to prevent it, he said.

He also started seeing more Hispanics like himself struggling to integrate into schools and the broader culture, their opportunities narrowing and diminishing in tandem.

Ramirez started a nonprofit organization to teach Hispanics about everyday necessities, from seeing a doctor to improving English skills to explaining how government programs function.

Partly because of a lack of experience, this organization failed, Ramirez said. Then, in 2003, with the help of Irene Packer-Halsey and others, he started up Nuestra Casa del Pueblo (Our House of the People).

The nonprofit organization focuses on similar issues of integration and improvement for local Hispanic and immigrant populations.

"(We're) organizing Latinos town by town to gain a voice. We are a part of this community," he said.

The group has taught classes in basic Spanish and Latino culture to police agencies. Also, Ramirez acted as a go-between for many in the Hispanic community and organizations like the Frederick County Health Department, legal aid groups, the Frederick Community Action Agency, the Frederick County Department of Social Services and others.

Aside from his volunteer projects, Ramirez tries to teach Hispanics about local history. Many who immigrate miss their home countries and feel isolated in America.

"I tell them you need to feel love for this country, that's when you grow. This happened to me," he said. "Just because you don't speak perfect English, doesn't mean you don't love this country."