Doña  Ana Communities United
April 2017 Newsletter

Doña Ana Communities United (DACU) has been working hard on advancing health equity in Doña Ana County by addressing institutional inequities. 

We are excited to share updates and upcoming events with you. In return, please share your ideas with us. We look forward to collaborating with you!

New Office
DACU is pleased to announce that we have signed a lease for a new office at 151 S Walnut St Unit B13, located on the corner of Walnut and Griggs! Our new space has two offices connected to a larger warehouse room, which will be used as a meeting space and for community events. We plan on moving in by April 24th and are looking forward to this new transition! 
 
Upcoming DACU Events
2017 Volunteer Fair
April 8th | 9:00am - 1:00pm
Plaza de Las Cruces 
125 Downtown Mall 

Timebank Potluck
April 28th | 5:45pm - 7:45pm
DACU Office
151 S Walnut St.  Unit B13

Open House Potluck 
May 2nd | 6:30pm - 8:30pm
DACU Office
151 S Walnut St.  Unit B13

Timebank Orientation
May 12th| 5:30pm - 7:00pm
DACU Office
151 S Walnut St.  Unit B13

NM Leaders in Mindfulness Conference 2017 
DACU currently has two scholarship spots open for the 2017 Mindfulness Conference in Albuquerque. We will leave on Friday, April 21st at 8:30am and return Saturday, April 22nd by 9:00pm. 

On Friday, there will be a half-day Mindful Business Intensive  workshop focusing on "Creating Appreciative Cultures at Work." The day-long NM Leaders in Mindfulness Conference will be held on Saturday.  Click here for more information. 

The scholarship we are providing will pay all costs. If interested, please send an email to Kari explaining why you would like to go and how you will utilize what you learn in your work and life.

Open House Potluck 
On May 2nd, we will be hosting an Open House Potluck at our new office in collaboration with Border Servant Corps (BSC).  Our year-long BSC volunteer, Parisa Shirazi, will share about her role as a Community Outreach Coordinator for Doña Ana Communities United. This will be a great opportunity for the greater community to learn more about the work we do in addressing health equity not only within our county, but across the border as well. This is a free event and open to the public, so please spread the word! 

One year Anniversary! 
One year ago, DACU began Doña Ana hOurtime . Today, it is up to 118 members, including four organizational members and one small business, with more than 200 hours exchanged. We are excited to see our timebanking community grow, and look forward to future opportunities. 

Last month, we hosted a live auction of exchanges at our monthly potluck. We had each member add both one offer and request to the board, providing members a chance to set up in-person exhanges. We were able to make many connections during our potluck that have resulted in already completed exchanges! 

Film Screening of Time As Money 
Thank you to those who joined us last Saturday at our first film screening at the Fountain Theater. We watched a film on alternative economic models, such as the timebank. Current timebank members also had the chance to share testimonials of their experience with community members who had joined us. We are happy to announce that our event resulted in six new members! 


Let us know of groups or individuals we could collaborate with in order to spread the word on alternative economics. 
 
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.