Doña  Ana Communities United

September 2019  Newsletter

Happy fall to our supporters and friends! We hope the cooler weather has brought you great energy.

In this newsletter we invite you to help us locate our perfect new VISTA outreach member, share about a recent visit from Kari's sisters, and update you on the search for a new timebank name. Of course you'll also hear about the guests who appeared on Just Community   this month.

Many thanks for all you do to make our work--and our world--wonderful! It is a joy building community with all of you.

In good health,
Kari, Mairead, and Enrique

Director 
Outreach Coordinator Mapping Coordinator
Kari Bachman (she/her) Mairead McCarthy (she/her) Enrique Solis (he/him)
dacukari@gmail.com dacumairead@gmail.com
 dacuenrique@gmail.com
575-496-4330
 575-323-0730
 575-201-3855


Upcoming DACU Events

Timebank Orientation
October 10, 1:30-3 PM (DACU office)
For those who wish to join the timebank. If you are already a member,
refer a friend who joins and you will receive three hour credits!

Story Circle
October 16, 5:30-7:30 PM (DACU office)
Share stories of lived experiences. Receive time credits for participating!

Timebank Get-together: Costume Party
October 25, 6-8 PM (DACU office)
All timebank members are invited: enjoy dancing and a costume contest!

For all events:
Please RSVP to Mairead. Click here for full details. DACU events are alcohol-free. You'll find directions to the DACU office at the bottom of this newsletter.  
VISTA Outreach Member

We can't believe that Mairead's year with us is almost at a close! She has been such an important asset to our team and will be greatly missed when she leaves in November. If you'd like to send her off, please make plans to attend the timebank Costume Party on October 25th!

Know a place this flyer could live? Stop by the office to pick up a copy and post it for us!
We are relying on you, our DACU members, to help us find Mairead's replacement! You can even earn timebank credits for your help. Here's what you need to know:

DACU's VISTA members enjoy great benefits, including healthcare, childcare, PTO, and...

-Space for creativity and initiative
-Professional development opportunities
-An active VISTA cohort

We are seeking someone with the following characteristics:

-Strong interpersonal and communication skills, ideally in both English and Spanish
-The desire and ability to connect with people from all walks of life 
-Familiarity with our county

If this describes you or someone you know, please contact Kari to express your interest! To learn more about the position's responsibilities, click here.
Sister Visit!

For the first time ever, four Bachman sisters gathered together in New Mexico. DACU members enjoyed learning about their work:
  • Amy shared about capturing stories and building community in upstate New York through her work with Historic Saranac Lake.
  • Rebecca spoke about living in an informal community in Peru that is creating a built environment that improves health.
  • Emily described her experiences working with New York City residents to compost household food waste.
Thank you, sisters, for sharing your passions with us! W e look forward to continued collaboration with you across the miles that separate us.  If you'd like to stay connected, please contact Kari and she'll put you in touch.

Sisters Kari, Rebecca, Emily, and Amy clown around with timebank members.
Help Rename the Timebank!

The timebank steering committee has compiled y our creative and vibrant suggestions collected over the month of August into a short list of potential new names for our timebank. This is the slate of names that appears on the ballot:

Doña Ana hOurtime
Frontera Friends
Mesilla Valley Timebank
Neighbors Network
Roadrunner Time Trade

To practice before the November Las Cruces municipal elections, we are using Ranked Choice Voting (RCV). RCV eliminates the need for run-off elections, meaning that everyone's voice is heard. Like any change, it may be confusing at first, but in the long run it should encourage more people to vote as well as more people to run for office.

The DACU polls will be open until October 6th. Each timebank member may vote once.  We encourage you to come by the office to vote in person (you can find our  office hours here ) .  If you prefer to vote online, please contact us and we will send you a link to do so. May the best name win!
  
Michael practices Ranked Choice Voting during our team meeting.
Many thanks to Amanda and Lindsey from the County Clerk's office for orienting us!
Just Community
Radio Show

Kari continues to host  Just Community  on KTAL-LP every Thursday morning from 8 to 9 AM. The show focuses on social equity and features voices not often heard in our community. Locally, tune your dial to 101.5 FM, or listen online from anywhere in the world.

As of a month ago, Kari has some help at the control panel, so she is now able to take phone calls! You can dial 575-526-5825 to visit with her and her guest on the air.

These guests and topics were featured in September:
  • Teague Hartford (Inner people)
  • Zane Chaffee and Raúl Esparza (Radio's role in society; incarceration)
  • Lisa Garza (Life in Anthony, NM; transitioning to being blind)
  • Ricky Franco (Life in Doña Ana; overcoming poverty and incarceration)
Ricky in the control room.
Lisa in the KTAL conference room.










You can listen to archived shows here. If you know someone who would be an interesting guest, please  contact  Kari.
Directions to Our Office
151 South Walnut Street, Unit B13  map

DACU is based in Las Cruces, New Mexico. You'll find us 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!

 

We are just a few blocks away from several bus routes: Route 6 (stops 16 and 17), Route 7 (stop 20), and  Route 8 (stop 5).  For more information, visit the  Roadrunner Transit webpage.

visionmission

Our 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.

Our Initiatives:  (1) Social equity mapping: Undervalued community members explore their neighborhoods and work with local decision makers to implement policies and projects that advance health equity. Current efforts focus on the Community of Hope, Gallagher Park, and the Nevada Neighborhood in Las Cruces; Elks Drive in Doña Ana; and Lisa Drive in Chaparral.  (2) hOurTime timebank: Members build social cohesion and practice an equitable form of alternative economics by exchanging  services.  (3) Just Community radio show: Residents with lived experience of social inequities share their insights into how we can work together to advance equity in our county.