After unexpectedly losing their beloved daughter Jena-Marie, Maria and Mario Ortiz wanted to find a way to honor the incredible person she was and ensure that her light continued to shine. Inspired by Jena’s love of reading, they built their very first Little Free Library in front of their home in La Verne, California as a way to share her passion for books. The first library was unveiled on Jena’s birthday, June 12th, 2025, in the presence of family and friends.
What started with a single library has since grown into a network of five Little Free Libraries and the creation of the Jena-Marie Literacy Project (JMLP), whose mission is to honor Jena’s life and legacy by fostering a love of reading and enhancing community literacy.
We interviewed Maria and Mario about the Jena-Marie Literacy Project’s origins and how it’s spreading hope and healing one book at a time.
What is the inspiration behind the Jena-Marie Literacy project?
Jena-Marie Ortiz was a beautiful young woman who was very family oriented and loved by many. Jena was on an academic and career path that included two years at Mt. San Antonio College playing softball after which she completed her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of La Verne. Shortly thereafter, Jena began working on her master’s degree in forensic psychology at California Baptist University and applying for a paid internship program with the Secret Service as part of her master’s program.
Jena, as most people called her, had developed a love of reading. Books were not only for learning, but they were her passion, a place of comfort, imagination, and hope. She believed every story had the power to inspire, heal, and connect people. On February 15, 2025, we unexpectedly lost Jena-Marie and her boyfriend of three years, Justin Beltran. Jena was only twenty-three and Justin was twenty-four.
The first Little Free Library was shared with our community through social media as a way to spread Jena’s story. What started as one small act of love has grown into something much bigger. We have now built five Little Free Libraries in Jena-Marie’s honor and placed them at the homes of family and a courtyard outside a restaurant where Jena worked. We currently have a network of family, friends, and community members who want to help continue her legacy by sharing books, kindness, and love of reading with others. That is how the Jena-Marie Literacy Project was born.
How do you see literacy and reading as tools for healing?
JMLP started as our way of honoring Jena-Marie’s passion for reading while navigating our grief and the loss of both Jena and Justin. We continually seek to understand our grief through literature, among other things, which kindled a connection to our daughter in the stories she loved to read. As we dove deeper into our daughter’s library and her taste in books, we became inspired, gained new hope, and began a journey of love and imagination…. By promoting literacy, we hope our youth can find comfort and strength in words as they navigate this world. Reading can be therapeutical and healing if one allows oneself to leave the noise and move to a place of peace, reflection, and thought. It is here where we can speak to those we miss, lost, and love.
Today, our mission is to inspire a love of reading by providing books, literacy resources, teacher support, scholarships, and Little Free Libraries throughout our communities. We also recognize that literacy and healing often go hand in hand. Through every book we share and every act of kindness, we hope to bring comfort, connection, and hope to children, families, and those navigating grief. The Jena-Marie Literacy Project is more than a literacy organization, it is Jena-Marie’s legacy. Every child who discovers a new book, every classroom we support, and every Little Free Library we build is another way her compassion, generosity, and love continue to make a difference.
How do you use Little Free Library book-sharing boxes to support the Jena-Marie Literacy Project’s mission?
Each Little Free Library is a symbol of Jena-Marie’s love of reading and the legacy she left behind. The libraries are designed to share a little bit about Jena and Justin and their lives. Visitors can read their stories, see pictures, and find information on how to access the Jena-Marie Literacy Project website. We encourage the exchange of books and photos of visitors themselves at the library so we can post on the website. Through our libraries, we encourage the sharing of books while sharing with others the love story of Jena and Justin. Every book placed on our shelves is inspired by Jena-Marie’s passion for reading and helps us carry forward the mission of the Jena-Marie Literacy Project. In our own little way, we hope to build new relationships within our community in Jena’s honor, inspire a love of reading, encourage lifelong learning, and spread kindness, one story at a time.
Are there any books you’ve found especially impactful or helpful as you navigate your own grief?
A book that I (Mom) found helpful during my time of grief is Echoes of Love by Esther Roseglenn. I have it by my nightstand and re-read a page or two every night.
My husband and I have both read:
- Shattered: Surviving the Loss of a Child by Gary Roe
- A Broken Heart Still Beats: After your Child Dies by Anne McCracken and Mary Semel
- The Wild Edge of Sorrow: Rituals of Renewal and the Sacred Work of Grief by Francis Weller
My husband has also read Grieving to the Brink and Back: Dads by Kelly Farley with David Dicola.
How can people support the Jena-Marie Literacy project?
There are many ways to support the Jena-Marie Literacy project. You can visit our Little Free Libraries, share the joy of reading, participate in our community events, and help spread Jena-Marie’s love of books throughout our community. You can also visit thejenamarieliteracyproject.org to learn more about Jena-Marie’s story, explore our mission, and discover the many ways you can help us continue her legacy. Our Instagram page is @jenamrieliteracyproject.
Visit Little Free Library’s website to learn how to start your own Little Free Library, or check out the Little Free Library mobile app to find libraries near you.