Cathy’s Little Free Libraries: A Love Where You Live Initiative

The Cathy Sanchez-Cañez Memorial Foundation’s five Little Free Libraries have brought over 10,000 books to the children in the Globe-Miami region in honor of Cathy’s life. As the fifth anniversary of her passing in a flash flood approaches, her mother was asked how Cathy’s family and friends turned such a heartbreaking tragedy into a wonderful gift to the community.

“My family and I were going through a horrible time after Cathy’s death. We were an absolute mess, and just so angry, it was eating us up,” says Bea Sanchez, Cathy’s mom. “It was her friend, Reg [Regina Ortega], who said, ‘Let’s find something positive in this.’ This really saved us because it gave us a purpose.” 

Cathy’s family and friends brainstormed how best to honor her. They started with eight “Go Around, Don’t Drown” warning signs at local creek crossings, then added multiple community clean-up events. However, they wanted to do more.

“She loved reading and was a teacher in Miami. She also loved the Peanuts [comic strip], so we said, ‘Let’s do little libraries.’” They began fundraising by selling candles, set up a Go Fund Me account, and sponsored Flash Flood Awareness booths at the Farmers Market. People began to give them funds and prizes to support their efforts. One friend gave four tickets to the Diamondbacks World Series game to be auctioned. “That raised $1,600 all on its own.”

With cash for the supplies, volunteers stepped up. Alfred Zaragoza, Matt Madrid, and Dickie Ledbetter worked to build the structures, then Al Gameros and Rob Otero painted them in Peanuts themes. They were put up in local parks, at Copper Rim Elementary, and outside restaurants. Now Cathy’s parents, Johnny and Bea Sanchez, check on the libraries and refill them weekly. At Christmas and Valentine’s Day, they add kids’ gifts along with the books.

Besides the libraries, Cathy’s family has honored her by helping to redo the “M” on the football field in Miami. “That turned out to be a lot of work, more than we expected, but worth it,” says Bea. 

They’ve offered scholarships in Cathy’s name, sponsored Teacher’s Appreciation Week, and then did “lots of little odds and ends,” explains Bea. They helped a woman whose house was impacted by a flood, gave blankets to the homeless, and provided Thanksgiving to a needy family. There’s an eternal candle burning at the Chapel of the Holy Cross Church in Sedona. Currently, they’re writing a children’s book in Cathy’s honor to teach kids about flash flood safety and the power of reading.

Cathy’s story has become one of redemption, of turning sorrow into a positive legacy. “We’ve done a lot and people have been so receptive,” Bea says gratefully. “Doing good in Cathy’s name has helped us heal and given us purpose.”

FLASH FLOODS:

Flash floods in the United States are responsible for more deaths than tornadoes, hurricanes, and lightning combined. Over half of these fatalities occur for people trapped in vehicles. As little as two inches of water can carry away most SUV size vehicles, move rocks, uproot trees, and level buildings.

Flash floods occur within minutes and up to six hours after excessive rainfall, and have happened in 98% of U.S. counties. Gila County has had its share of deaths related to flash floods. Besides Cathy, 10 members of the Garcia family drowned in 2017 when they were celebrating a birthday along Water Wheel, north of Payson. In 2019, three young children died when the vehicle they were in was swept away along Tonto Creek. They raised the total deaths at this creek crossing to eight over the past 30 years. 

After decades of requests, this horrible loss helped get federal funds released to build a bridge across Tonto Creek. The 2,000-foot-long bridge took two years to build and cost $21 million. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on June 22, 2024.