After years of serving the Hispanic community through Centro Hispano, founder Ingrid Guzman retired Wednesday to spend more time with family and perhaps write a book about her life.

"Like Hispanic families, we moved," she said. "Everybody moved."

With the help of a friend and also a lawyer, Janice Olson -- neither of whom spoke Spanish -- Guzman finally escaped the domestic violence with her seven children. Guzman said her friend helped her find a women's shelter, and Olson worked on her case pro bono, even footing the hotel bill when Guzman left home with a child too old for the shelter. Despite the assistance, Guzman said not having a Spanish-speaking lawyer or an interpreter was difficult for her in a trying time.

Now a U.S. citizen and free from the abuse, Guzman said her experiences have helped her to help other immigrants in the valley.

She said her desire to serve the community started when she and her children were supported on food stamps. After receiving so much, she said she wanted to be able to give back.

"I felt like that wasn't right, just receiving," she said.

Guzman started out volunteering at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo, and then with Community Health Connect, which provides medical assistance to low-income patients. Guzman said she helped other immigrant families with billing and doctor's appointments, but she found they had many more problems.

"When I was talking to people, they were telling me about different problems, but they didn't know where to go. There was nowhere to go," she said.

Centro Hispano is a nonprofit organization she started in 2003 to help immigrants find resources and gain education to adjust to a new country. Guzman said when the organization first started, she was the only paid employee, working up to 60 hours per week. Eight months ago another paid employee was added, but Guzman still ended up spending 60 hours a week at Centro Hispano.

Guzman's daughter, Ingrid Romero, said her mother has had a huge impact on the community, and everyone who comes in for help asks for her.

"She's always here," Romero said. "If they call her, she would drop everything and go help."

Romero said she is impressed by her mother's selfless dedication, working to ease the struggles of immigrants. Guzman puts everyone before herself, and Romero said she has encouraged her mother to write a book about her experiences.

"She's had the hardest life," she said. "She just completely turned it around, turned it positive."

Most people who go to Centro Hispano have the same problems Guzman dealt with herself. Many have questions about the legal system, such as housing programs, divorce, child support and domestic violence. The services provided can help to avoid some of the situations Guzman found herself in because of a lack of knowledge.

"I noticed that I never had the whole service," she said. "Nobody told me 'You qualify for CVR (crime victim reparation), you qualify for housing, you need to do this and this and this.' "

Jorge Aguero Jr., who sits on the Centro Hispano board, said it will be nearly impossible to replace Guzman. Even when there are multiple employees at the organization, he said patrons will sit and wait for Guzman to help instead. Centro Hispano is Ingrid, he said.

"She has such a personality, such a heart, such a connection," he said.

Guzman said she believes the service award should have several names on it, because Centro Hispano relies on many people for success. Guzman credited Joan Dixon, BYU law professor David Dominguez and Dee Taylor for donations and efforts to keep the organization running.

It is time to move on to new endeavors, but Guzman said leaving Centro Hispano will not be easy.

"Centro is like my other son," she said. "They are taking something from my heart."