Doña  Ana Communities United

November 2018  Newsletter

Warm greetings to our supporters and friends! We have had an exciting November here at DACU.  In this newsletter, we share about Mairead's new position with AmeriCorps VISTA, the debut of our Instagram page, our participation in the  Doña Ana Trails Summit,  and our monthly radio show,  Just Community . We also offer you the opportunity to participate in our pioneer effort to fundraise during Giving Tuesday, which ends tomorrow!

This November, we are particularly thankful for you, the members of our DACU family. We know that together we can continue to build a vibrant  and equitable 
Doña Ana County.

In gratitude,

Kari and Mairead

DACU Director 
Kari Bachman
575-496-4330
DACU Outreach Coordinator 
Mairead McCarthy
575-323-0730

Upcoming DACU Events

Timebank Orientation
December 14, 5:30-7 PM

Timebank Get-Together
Holiday Party: December 29, 4-7 PM

DACU Team Meeting
 January 31, 11 AM-1 PM

All events will be held at the DACU office (151 S Walnut Street, Unit B13).
You'll find directions at the bottom of this newsletter.

New partnership with AmeriCorps VISTA

In early November, DACU became a sponsor for the AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) program! Our Outreach Coordinator, Mairead McCarthy, will work as a VISTA through the New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness (NMCEH) for the next 12 months. The VISTA program is providing her funding, health insurance, and student loan coverage!

The VISTA program aligns closely with DACU's mission, as both seek to advance local solutions with under-served communities. During a year of service, VISTAs  bring passion and perseverance while serving as a "catalyst for change, living and working alongside community members to meet our nation's most pressing challenges and advance local solutions." We are excited for this opportunity to connect with the AmeriCorps program, the New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness, and the two other NMCEH VISTAs serving in Las Cruces.

Most of all, we are thrilled that Mairead now has a stable source of support during her time here. In the three short months she has been with us, we have already come to value her indefatigable spirit, creativity, and commitment to building community.  Many thanks, Mairead!
Photo by Robert Yee

Join us in congratulating Mairead on her new VISTA position!


Join DACU on Instagram!

We have created an Instagram for the timebank! Instagram is a social media platform primarily used for photo-sharing. We'll be posting all our best timebank exchange photos, so if you have photos of exchanges you have made please email them to Mairead at  [email protected] so you can be featured! 

Click here  to view our profile...
Search us on Instagram using  @timebanknm...
Follow us for great content!

If you aren't yet a timebank member, make sure to join us at our orientation on December 14th, from 5:30-7 PM at our office!
Photo by Robert Yee

Timebank members hone their improv skills with Nichole Hamilton during the October timebank get-together.

Photo by Michel Wing                                                                                                              Photo by Kari Bachman
Rocky loves getting treats from Jim during transportation exchanges!
Mairead and Michael enjoy an apple picking outing at LuAnne's orchard.


Doña Ana Trails Summit


On November 8th, the National Park Service (NPS) - Rivers Trails and Conservation Assistance (RTCA) Program helped facilitate a trail summit to join agencies, non-profits and the public in conversation about the future of trails in  Doña Ana County. The summit was held at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum, where attendees gathered for a day filled with insights from organizers, decision makers, and conservationists.

Kari helped facilitate the summit, and DACU mappers from Chaparral and the Nevada Neighborhood joined her to present about how to reach out to underrepresented communities in this work. We are proud to have our mappers' work recognized, and to be able to share our techniques with others!  


Giving Tuesday

Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday, the antidote to Black Friday. This is a national day of giving that focuses on supporting non-profits in the work they do.

DACU is fundraising to support a second AmeriCorps VISTA staff position to coordinate our Social Equity Mapping initiative, which includes engaging Chaparral residents to plan a multi-use trail and instituting creative tactical urbanism projects at the Community of Hope and in the Nevada Neighborhood. Our mappers and their communities will directly benefit from your gift!

Our fundraising goal is $4,500, and our director Kari has pledged to match gifts up to $2,000!

Every bit counts:
Make your gift here
and  share  this post  on Facebook!

Photo by Robert Yee  
Mappers Patricia and Enrique gather with neighbors to design traffic-calming street art during a Nevada Neighborhood meeting.

Just Community Radio Show

Kari continues to broadcast her live radio show Just Community on KTAL-LP every Thursday morning from 8 to 9 AM. (Tune your dial to 101.5 FM or listen to the show online.)  The show focuses on social equity and features voices not often heard in our community. This month's guests and topics included:
  • Raymond Griego (stories of connecting with those around him and moving into a new phase of his life)
  • Charles Clements (an archived show about growing up in a mining town and riding public transit in Las Cruces)
  • Chet Wright (an electrician who builds bikes for kids in Juarez)
  • Aiaim Diaz, Kevin Moose, Michael Seamster, and Stanley Smith (an archived show about their role as mappers in our Social Equity Mapping initiative) 
You can listen to archived Just Community shows here. If you or someone you know is interested in being on the show, contact Kari to get involved!

Chet (right) is visited at the station by loyal listener and previous guest, Raúl!
Charles shares input at a DACU team meeting.
            
Mr. Griego (left) is deep in thought during a Nevada Neighborhood meeting at his home.

Stanley during a mapping session at Community of Hope.

Directions to Our Office
151 South Walnut Street, Unit B13  map

You'll find DACU at the corner of Walnut and Griggs in the Walnut Business Park.  Please call before you come by as we may be out and about in the community!

 

City bus routes have changed! Route 6 (stops 16 and 17) and Route 7 (stop 20) still deliver passengers within blocks of our office. We are also accessible via the new Route 8 (stop 5). For more information, visit the  Roadrunner Transit webpage.

visionmission
Vision:

Mission:
Doña Ana Communities United (DACU) creates welcoming spaces for all people, especially those whose voices and stories go unheard. We build genuine relationships, carry out uplifting projects, and engage with local government.

DACU conducts two main projects. (1) Social equity mapping: Undervalued community members explore their neighborhoods and work with local decision makers to develop policies that advance health equity. Current efforts focus on the Community of Hope, Gallagher Park, the Nevada Neighborhood, and Lisa Drive in Chaparral. (2) hOurTime timebank: Members build social cohesion and practice an equitable form of alternative economics by exchanging services.