Adding to her already impressive resume,
Ríos is a humanitarian, working with a variety of
organizations to strive for a better world. Ríos is
a national spokesperson for Goodwill where she
focuses on the Latino community. Ríos says, “ We
all want to be a part of something and Goodwill
helps people become more contributing members
of their communities.” In addition to being a
national spokesperson, Ríos has been on the
board of DIFFA (Design Industries Foundations
Fighting AIDS) for several years. She says that
DIFFA is one of the largest grantees of function to
AIDS charities in the country. They gave the first
grant to “God’s Love We Deliver” which delivers
food to sick and housebound people throughout
the five boroughs of New York City. Growing up in
the West Village of Manhattan, her family noticed
so many of the young men in their community were
dying. These were beautiful, energetic, young men
dying from AIDS. Her family lost two close friends
during that time. Her work with DIFFA allows
her to give back and hopefully keep this terrible
disease at bay. “Currently mostly women of color
are affected by AIDS. The work is not done yet,”
she says and then adds “We need to continue to
educate, protect and provide services for those
living with HIV and AIDS.”
Balance is clearly a huge requirement of
Evette’s life, balancing her many passions, jobs,
and newborn baby. Ríos sends a huge thank you
to her parents who live right around the corner from
her Manhattan home and have been enormously
helpful. Her parents babysit their grandson and
are raising him to speak Spanish. She says that
if there is one thing that keeps her going through
each and every day, it’s her partner. He is her
best friend and invaluable teammate in keeping
things running smoothly. Speaking of family, Ríos
is in touch with her Puerto Rican roots and says
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that they are instrumental to the person she is
today. Puerto Ricans have a rich, vibrant culture
with delicious food using lots of fresh ingredients.
Evette says, “Latinos naturally have a palate and
are raised to appreciate farm to table cooking. It
is in our blood.” Growing up, Ríos lived in a house
full of DIY’ers who were constantly making things
such as clothes, food, and even beer. Reflecting,
she says these are the moments that instilled
her crafty nature. Traveling has been a huge
inspiration to Ms. Ríos and has improved her eye
for food and design. Whether she’s in a foreign
country or taking a stroll around her neighborhood,
she finds inspiration. When it comes to traveling,
Ríos believes, “Travel should be number one on
every young person’s list.” There is always time
to buy a new car or fancy furniture, but family and
experiencing new things are what is important.
In addition to being a television host on
English speaking networks. Her ability to speak
Spanish has also put her in the position to host
and speak on a variety of Spanish television such
as “Despierta América” and “Buenos Dias Nueva
York”. When talking about the difference between
te levision in English and Spanish, Ríos notes that
there is just something about Spanish television
that makes it irresistible. “They take into account
that viewers like a little dancing a little music and a
little absurdity,” says Ríos.
As for the future, Rio says that there are many
different directions that life can take her. However,
she says that this is the year that she plans to write
her book, especially after being featured in many
others. While writing a book has been on Ríos mind
for a long time, she knows that by staying positive
through the process anything is possible. While
Ríos’ life may sound hectic, in the end, Ríos is
simply a mother following her passions.