Making a difference: women of action in the community

This qualitative study documents the contributions of 21 Hispanic women who were identified as being active in the community. Through the use of the grounded theory approach to data collection and analysis, being active in the community emerged as a dynamic system of making a difference, defined as promoting changes to improve circumstances for people; creating, providing, and maintaining tangible human services; developing and sustaining individual and collective approaches to assuming responsibility for the well-being of self and community; promoting ethnic appreciation within one's own culture and among other cultures; and continuing change efforts. The integrative theme in this article concurs with primary components of self-in-relation theory. Because the research was exploratory, the findings point to a broad range of topics for further study related to social work education, knowledge, ethics, and practice.