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It’s all too easy this time of year to get wrapped up in consumerism. Yes, we did offer readers two different gift guides this year, but even we know the importance of taking a moment to give to charitable causes amid all the holiday shopping mumbo jumbo.
This, dear reader, is our last guide of the year, but this time we’re asking you to consider giving whatever you can to some of our favorite non-profit organizations.
Agora Crisis Center
By Sara Atencio-Gonzales, The Paper.
We probably all know that feeling when it seems life could be easier with simply someone to talk to, or a moment to just get things off your chest. The Agora Crisis Center has been offering this very service to the Albuquerque community for over 50 years.
The Agora Crisis Center was started in 1970 by a group of students and professors at the University of New Mexico (UNM) after a fellow student died by suicide. The group of students and professors decided to start a crisis center where anyone could call to talk about whatever was on their mind.
They had a few requirements that were a must for this center. It had to be free, confidential and compassionate. Agora began as one of the first crisis centers of its kind in the United States.
The nonprofit, which is affiliated with UNM, is accredited by the International Council for Helplines (ICH). The crisis center stays open thanks to funding from the Associated Students of UNM and by private donations. Every donation received goes directly to the center to make sure it can keep the lines connected.
One of the biggest features keeping the Agora Crisis Center running smoothly is its volunteers..
“Usually we, on average, have about 120 [volunteers] at any given time. I guess it doesn’t feel that way since we see a couple of them at a time,” says Dasie Kent, Executive Director of the Agora Crisis Center.
Agora volunteers go through 40 hours of nationally accredited training to become Certified Crisis Hotline Specialists. Once training is complete, all volunteers commit to one 4-hour shift per week.
Agora also offers suicide awareness and intervention lessons to anyone in the community who is interested in it.
If you or a loved one is struggling with depression, anxiety, or just needs someone to talk to, you can call the Agora Crisis Center at 505-277-3013. You can also learn more about the Agora Crisis Center, including volunteer opportunities and ways to donate by going to agoracares.org.
Albuquerque Indian Center
By Jonathan Sims, The Paper.
The Albuquerque Indian Center. Do you know this place? As much work as they have done and continue to do, it is one of those Albuquerque institutions that is slowly becoming forgotten as the world moves at a rapid pace. I think most Native people in Albuquerque know it is there, but unless you have sought services there, it isn’t big on your radar.
Our Indian Center isn’t as grand and fancy as others. Seattle, California, Chicago, and even Las Vegas all have places where Native people can gather and find resources if needed.
Not much has changed in the ten years since I visited last, which is both an issue and a blessing.
Let’s start with the blessing. One of which is Mary Garcia, well into her golden years, she has run the show for over two decades. She has seen the good times and the bad times. As Mary explains, “When I first started here, we were more educational. We provided all kinds of different education, we did the workforce training. We had a lot. We had sweat lodges, we had talking circles. As time went on, the funding started to get slower and smaller and smaller so that we had to start changing our initial responsibilities that we had.”
The grant systems really began to dictate the services she could provide.
“So from all that wonderful job training and everything else that we were doing, we had to start doing what money was telling us to do,” she says. “If we got money for tobacco, we did tobacco. If we got money for behavioral health, we did behavioral health. Whatever we got money for, that’s what we were doing.”
I have heard multiple stories of this being a place of solace and safety for our unhoused relatives living in Albuquerque. It’s where many people receive mail and information. Various people shared how this became their meeting spot if separated on the streets.
But there’s still room for improvement.
For the last five years, the center has had no heat or cooling. It wasn’t until last year when Bernalillo County kicked in some money to fix that problem. Things such as computers for job hunts and checking email are not available. Nor is there a working restroom.
This December their big hurdle is to get enough donations for families to have a good holiday season. On Dec. 22, they will have a toy drive and feed a few hundred people. It takes an average of about 400 donated toys to make sure each child gets two items. This year, fewer than 100 have come in so far.
“If we don’t have enough, we won’t do it, because it’s hard to turn people away,” Garcia says.
I asked Mary what the Indian Center wants people to know.
“We are here, we still help people, although that has changed with what is happening in our city, and that we need help. We need funding and anyone that is willing to partner with us. That’s my Christmas miracle.”
You can donate to the Albuquerque Indian Center at abqindiancenter.org/donate
Crossroads for Women
By Gwynne Ann Unruh, The Paper.
Elizabeth Simpson found in the 1990’s while working on improving jail conditions as a lawyer that women were being released from incarceration without the support they needed to break the cycle of working the streets and subsequently going to jail.
Simpson and Susan Tomita, her law partner, decided to create a program that cushioned and nurtured women coming out of jail so they had a better chance of staying out. They opened Crossroads for Women in 1997 as a way for women to get the support needed and to address the underlying trauma in their life. “Women coming out of incarceration were typically facing issues ranging from finding housing, work, and connecting with a support system and their families,” Emily Cronin, Crossroad’s community engagement and volunteer coordinator tells The Paper. “The jails were referring these women to services that either didn’t exist or were ineffective and only addressed one issue.”
Crossroads has had many success stories since its inception.
“Over the past 26 years we’ve had countless success stories and testimonials of how the support that we’ve provided has been integral in a person’s development,” Cronin says. “We’ve had people go through our program who start their own successful business, or become bestselling authors. We’ve also had people turn around and become peer support workers themselves. They take their lived experience and use it to help others.”
After receiving a prerelease referral, Crossroads conducts an interview with an intake worker to try and identify what their client’s goals are. Typically, women are in the program for about nine to 18 months. Crossroads however will not close their doors to anyone who needs them, whether they’ve been in the program a day or five years.
“We really just try to make whatever their dream is, come true,” says Cronin. “We try to empower them to take their own healing under their hands and run with the gifts that they have. Rather than living in desperation and just trying to survive, we support them in using the skills that they gain for the growth of themselves and the community.”
Once enrolled in Crossroads’ program, their case worker will help set expectations and determine the client’s needs. Those needs can fall under legal assistance, independent living, medical, substance use, mental health, vocational, recreational activities and family reunification support.
“The caseworker’s goal is to make sure that we’re targeting at least three of these needs per quarter throughout the year or however long they are in the program,” Cronin explains. “We try to come up with things that are measurable, achievable and relevant to what they need to be able to live independently and not relapse or go back into incarceration.”
Crossroads also has a “drop-in program” for anybody that’s precariously housed, has a dual diagnosis or needs some extra support, such as clothing and food. They can come in and see a case manager for about an hour and a half to assess what needs they have to determine how the program can help them.
“These women are just so inspiring to me. I just am so proud of everything that they are achieving and doing,” Cronin says. “Just being here and participating is an amazing experience.”
Those interested in referring someone to the Crossroads program, donating or volunteering can contact Cronin at 505-242-1010.
Mandy’s Farm
By Gwynne Ann Unruh, The Paper.
Decades ago, people born with developmental disabilities in New Mexico would often be sent to state institutions or state hospitals for care and housing. In the 1990’s the state shuttered these state hospitals and institutions, sending their residents back into the community, as neighbors, friends and family members. As they left these institutions, some found educational support, while others fell through the cracks, particularly as they became adults.
“There is early intervention throughout the school system, but oftentimes the support needs for people with disabilities are lacking when they turn into adults,” Melissa McCue, director of Mandy’s Farm, a nonprofit organization that assists individuals with developmental disabilities tells The Paper. “And that is one of the most crucial times that support is needed.”
The founders of Mandy’s Farm, Ruthie and David Robbins had struggled to find support for their child Mandy, who has autism, is nonverbal and has a lot of sensory support needs. Autism wasn’t well known and the services they felt Mandy would need as she became an adult were not available. The Robbins created Mandy’s Farm, a nonprofit disability service provider to give their daughter the support she needed as she grew into adulthood.
Mandy is in her 40’s now and Mandy’s Farm has several programs that support individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities. They have three locations in Albuquerque; two residential homes in the South Valley and one in the Northeast Heights.
McCue says they pride themselves in providing a place that feels and looks like a home and not a clinical setting. Everyone has their own bedroom and decorates it in a way that represents their personalities. They have family dinners and other activities together such as going out into the community having cookouts and picnics with each other.
“There’s a tremendous need right now. We could triple the number of homes we have and still see a large demand for residential services for this population,” McCue says.
In addition to Mandy’s Farm’s residential services, they offer an Adaptive Horsemanship program.
“Being around the animals provides therapeutic benefits not only for sensory support needs, but a lot of occupational therapy naturally occurs while preparing and caring for a horse as well as riding one,” McCue explains.
Their Employment Program partners with over 30 local businesses in businessesAlbuquerque that employ Mandy’s Farm’s residents. One of the businesses, Bricks and Minifigs, sells Lego and has partnered with them for over six years. Used Lego sets are brought in and traded for new ones.
“We found a perfect fit for a young man named Sean, who has autism, and for his whole life loved organizing, loved sorting. We are just so excited for him to have that opportunity to work and have meaningful and gainful employment. He is now one of their employees going on over five years.”
Their VAMOS program,(Vocational Access and Meaningful Opportunities for Success) reaches out to youth, ages 14 through 21, with autism and similar challenges. The free program provides self-advocacy and pre-employment skills in the classroom, an after-school program and an intensive summer program.Their newest program, AgrAbility, partners with New Mexico State University. The program focuses on growing food. The two-year apprenticeship program covers regenerative and sustainable farming practices, the economic component of building a business and the different techniques and skills it takes to be an effective food grower in our geographic region.
Additional information about Mandy’s Farm is available here: mandysfarm.org
New Mexico Local News Fund
By Sara Atencio-Gonzales, The Paper.
Journalism is constantly growing and changing, so much so that getting a foot in the door is often a confusing and sometimes fruitless effort for new and upcoming journalists.. Things changed though after the New Mexico Local News Fund decided to step in and shake things up.
The New Mexico Local News Fund was started in 2018 by Sarah Gustavus, who has a long history of journalism in New Mexico. The non-profit aims to grow the local news ecosystem across our state to better inform, therefore serve, all New Mexicans.
The New Mexico News Fund has launched a multitude of programs since its inception with the aim of supporting local newsrooms. Those programs include the Accelerator, where numerous New Mexico newsrooms received $6,000 in grants, and the Local News fellowships and internships, where journalism students from universities all across the state and country get the opportunity to work in a real newsroom.
“The vision for the program was that the newsrooms around the state told us that ultimately, what they needed is just more journalists on staff, they just didn’t have the resources to do all the reporting,” says Rashad Mahmood, Executive Director.
The fellows are paid a competitive salary and assigned a mentor. Candidates are selected by an independent committee led by faculty from University of New Mexico, New Mexico State University and Eastern New Mexico University.
Interns are expected to work 20-25 hours per week for eight weeks. Each host newsroom is provided funds to employ the intern, including a stipend for a bootcamp orientation week.
This year the New Mexico Local News Fund welcomed seven fellows and eight interns, who were paired with outlets such as KOB-TV, KUNM, New Mexico Magazine, Deming Headlight, and here at The Paper.
The fellowship and internship programs have been successful for the non-profit but also for the young journalists getting their start in the field.
“Over the years, I think over six, I think almost 70 percent of the fellows that have participated in that program are still working in journalism today,” says Mahmood.
New Mexico Local News Fund’s money comes primarily from grants but some also comes from individual donations. Mahmood says they’re also taking part in a national initiative called Press Forward.
“A lot of national journalism funders have come together to pledge $500 million to support local news throughout the United States over the next five years. We are in the process of forming a local New Mexico chapter,” says Mahmood.
Those interested in learning more about the New Mexico Local News Fund or donating to a local newsroom to help keep local journalism alive can go to nmlocalnews.org