Doña  Ana Communities United
October 2017 Newsletter

As always, DACU members have been busy! Kari is broadcasting "Just Community" on Thursday mornings from 8 to 9 on KTAL-LP at 101.5 FM, and community mappers continue to participate in the Neighborhood Leadership Academy at the City. We have lots of events coming up and exciting updates to share with you! Read on to learn more.

Warmly, 
Kari and Meredith

DACU Director 
Kari Bachman
575-496-4330

DACU Outreach Coordinator 
Meredith Severtson
575-323-0730

Upcoming DACU Events

Our office is located at 151 S Walnut Street, Unit  B13.
You'll find directions at the bottom of this newsletter.
Timebank Potluck 
October 27 | 5:30 - 7:30pm
DACU office

Timebank Potluck
November 18| 12 - 2pm
DACU office

DACU Team Meeting
November 30 |11am - 1pm
DACU office

Timebank Orientation
November 11 |2 - 3:30pm
DACU office

Legislative Roundtable
November 28 |5 - 8pm
Women's Intercultural Center
(Contact Kari if interested: space is limited)



Farewell to Michael!
Community mapper and timebank member Michael Seamster is moving to Arizona.  Last week, w e held a gathering at the DACU office to celebrate his contributions to our community and to wish him well. He has been a dedicated and creative colleague over the past year and he will be greatly missed!
DACU members chat with Michael at his farewell gathering
 
Attendees drew portraits and other art for Michael to take with him

Legislative Roundtable
We are very excited to begin work with Strong Families NM and other local partners to conduct the Doña Ana County Legislative Roundtable! DACU will develop and present a mock bill at the November 28 event, and legislators in attendance will help us perfect the crafting of our message. If you would like to work with the mappers on this project, please contact Kari.

Connecting with Colleagues in D.C.
In late September, Shawnee Arciniega attended the People, Power, Purpose Summit with Kari, w here they connected with the other Collaborative for Health Equity local teams. You can check out the conference materials here. It was a powerful opportunity to gather inspiration from the incredible work of our diverse and dedicated colleagues across the country, and also for us to reflect on the complexities of national identity. Shawnee looks forward to applying what she learned as she continues to work with DACU on story mapping this semester.

Shawnee at the spot where Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke at the 1963 March on Washington

Kari and Shawnee enjoyed connecting with each other too!
New Timebank Video
Robert Yee is creating a short video about our timebank! It includes footage and photos of members, recent exchanges, and timebank events. We will show the video at orientations as well as use it to recruit organizational and individual members. You can check out the draft video  here. We are still tweaking it and we'd love to hear your feedback!
 
DACU Member Spotlight: John Hamilton
John Hamilton inspires all of us with his dedication to combating Parkinson's disease. Here's how you can learn more and join in his work:
  • Connect with John and the City of Las Cruces on a pilot project where residents will weed their neighborhoods' pocket parks without using pesticides. (Pesticides have been implicated in Parkinson's disease.)
  • John and NMSU Theatre Arts professor Nichole Hamilton have kicked off a series of participatory workshops to prepare for a spring production to engage the public in a thoughtful and humorous manner about Parkinson's disease. All are welcome at any of the free sessions which will be held from 9 to 11 AM on 10/27, 11/3, 11/10, 12/1, and 12/8. No acting experience is necessary! For more information, email Nichole.
  • Listen to Kari's recent KTAL interview with John and Nichole here.
John Hamilton and Parisa Shirazi at a timebank potluck

Directions to Our Office: 
151 South Walnut Street, Unit B13  map
We are located at the corner of Walnut and Griggs in the Walnut Business Park. Our  office is w alking distance from Roadrunner bus routes 6 and 7. Please give us a call before you come by, as we are often out and about in the community!

 
Doña Ana Communities United (DACU) builds the capacity of communities to develop and implement policies and community-based solutions that improve social, economic, and environmental conditions that shape health and life opportunities. We work to advance health equity in Doña Ana County by addressing institutional inequities related to geography, class, gender, and race. 

We are conducting two main projects. Through the social equity mapping project, undervalued community members explore their neighborhoods and work with local decision makers to develop policies that advance health equity. Participants in the hOurTime timebank build social cohesion and practice an equitable form of alternative economics as they exchange services with each other.