Doña  Ana Communities United

October 2018  Newsletter

Warm greetings from DACU! We are excited to share our October updates with our supporters and friends. In this newsletter, you will find updates on  our participation in a workshop series focused on Cultivating Leadership for Social Justice, our new partnership with SINC, our attendance at the HEP and GIFT conferences, the Nevada project, and our  Just Community radio show!

It has been a busy October and we are inspired by the participation of many of our DACU and timebank members!   Many thanks for your support and partnership.

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

Upcoming DACU Events

Timebank Get-Togethers
Theatre Game Night: October 26, 6-8 PM
Potluck: November 10, 4-6 PM

Timebank Orientation
November 10, 1:30-3 PM

DACU Team Meeting
 November 15, 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.

Social Justice Workshop Series

This month, 12 DACU members are participating in a five-week workshop series entitled Cultivating Leadership for Social Justice.  These interactive sessions are helping us identify and address inequities and bias, both institutional an d personal, so that we can better advance equity in our communities. We are grateful to the Empowerment Congress and the ACLU of New Mexico for facilitating these thought-provoking workshops at our office!

Photo by  Mairead McCarthy
Community members gather in the DACU office space to discuss social justice.

Partnership with SINC

DACU is becoming a fiscally sponsored project with the Social Impact and Nonprofit Community (SINC) division of the Rio Grande Community Development Corporation (RGCDC)! The DACU steering committee will be formalizing the sponsorship agreement at the end of October.
                            
Based in Albuquerque, the RGCDC pursues community-wide healthy economic and social development that enriches traditional cultural values and historical uses of the land while supporting the peoples' voice in development and reducing poverty through entrepreneurial enterprise. SINC, its nonprofit incubator,  supports entrepreneurs who launch socially minded not-for-profit ventures, thus helping social impact ideas scale up to address some of New Mexico's most pressing needs. (The South Valley Economic Development Center, SVEDC, is the for-profit division of RGCDC.)
            
Eleven DACU members were impressed with the warm welcome extended to us on our recent visit. We are looking forward to our future partnerships with RGCDC, SINC, SVEDC, and their member organizations!

Photo by Robert Yee  
DACU members visit the SINC office in Albuquerque.

HEP and GIFT Conferences

Eleven DACU team members had the wonderful opportunity to travel to Espa ñ ola, NM for the annual NM Health Equity Partnership (HEP) statewide gathering followed by a day-long training facilitated by members from the Grassroots Institute for Fundraising Training (GIFT). At the HEP gathering on October 19th, we connected with HEP partners from around the state to learn from each other how to more effectively engage in advancing health equity. At the GIFT training the following day, we explored how to raise funds while staying true to our mission of working alongside communities most affected by health disparities.

If you are interested in being part of our fundraising efforts, please contact us. We will be putting together some exciting plans over the next month and would love to have your help!
 
Photo by Robert Yee
DACU's homemade conversation starter jars were a big hit at the gathering.

Photo by Mavel Photography
HEP gathering attendees identify community health priorities through an interactive art project.

Nevada Neighborhood Project

The Nevada Neighborhood Project is moving forward in conjunction with residents and our partners at the City. Artist and neighborhood resident Meg Freyermuth is spearheading design of the drawings for the pavement mural for the section of Nevada Avenue from Brook Circle to Laurel Street, with other residents providing lots of great input!

Photos by Robert Yee

Meg explains her drawings to community members.


Residents discuss the mural plan at the corner of Nevada and Brook Circle.
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. Recent guests and topics have included:
  • Amy Whipple (insights into the care-giving system)
  • Alice Wallace (dealing with grief through creative writing)
  • Robert Anaya (life as a sailor and storyteller)
  • Raúl Esparza (an archived session: surviving the criminal justice system)
  • Joey (overcoming trauma through art and music)
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!

           
Amy Whipple                                                    Robert Anaya
            
Alice Wallace                                                       Raúl Esparza

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.