First of all, I want to extend our thanks to all of you who donated to fund the interns. We had nineteen excellent candidates this year, a record number for us. Exciting as that was, it also made selection of only five a difficult task. Our committee met several times and reviewed the applications and references, as well as talking with each of the candidates. We feel we have chosen the top five and are now working out the details of the program for this year. There are three young women and two young men from Beloit College Wisconsin, Sciences Po France, Maryville College Tennessee, Yale University Connecticut, and Wesleyan University Connecticut. There are many volunteer opportunities to interact with the interns – transportation to events and meetings, airport pick-up and return, escorts to meetings, assisting with their final presentation (food and drink, decorations, set up and take down, sound and video/projector set-up, among others). It is a wonderful experience for the interns and those of us who are lucky enough to interact with them in some capacity. Diane Brooks Coordinator

(Not pictured: a visit to the Mono Bichi Monument, and Sea of Cortez Sonoran cuisine specialties at El Pescadito).Nonprofit BCA is proudly bridging the border on a person to person basis one day at a time with partner FESAC and we invite you to join us in our good will diplomatic mission!

I spent the winter in Alamos Sonora as I have done for the last 5 years. This year again I arrived on time to be at the Festival Alfonso Ortiz Tirado or the 2109 music festival in Alamos. I went planning to film supporting scenes for our Pilgrimage to Magdalena de Kino film that I am working on with BCA. It turns out that I got more than I was expecting. So many important people showed up. I filmed Paul Cicala from KVOA, Father David a Franciscan Missionary working with the Indigenous groups of Sonora for the last 20 years, Alejandro Aguilar Zeleny from Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History, Jesus Garcia from the Arizona/Sonora Desert Museum and the Mission Gardens, Guarmania a Yaqui traditional healer or curandera, Herlinda a Mayo curandera, and a Mayo ceremony planner or Fiestero. Jesus Garcia grew up in Magdalena de Kino and had a lifetime of great firsthand accounts. All the others provided excellent input as well. We plan to eventually provide all the interviews free to view online.

Thanks, Mike

BCA MEMBERSHIP TIERS

        INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP: $50 per year, renewable on the anniversary of the contribution. Individual members receive a discount on BCA tours and events. The membership fee is tax-deductible. Student membership is $25 per year.

·         FAMILY MEMBERSHIP: $75 per year, renewable on the anniversary of the contribution. Two members of the household receive a discount on BCA tours and events. The membership fee is tax-deductible.

·          BOOSTER: Contribution of $500 or more to BCA general fund, intern program or endowment. Membership privileges for three years, as well as special recognition events free.

·         ENTREPRENEUR: Contribution of $2000 or more to BCA general fund, intern program or endowment. All membership privileges for five years, plus participation in BCA leadership circle events. 

·          FOUNDER: Contribution of $5000 or more to BCA general fund, intern program or endowment. Lifetime membership plus all the privileges above.

Join or Renew

Donating to BCS using a Qualified Charitable Distribution

Starting this year, over 95% of Americans may not claim itemized deductions on their 2018 Federal Income Tax, opting instead for the new and larger standard deduction. Although using the new standard deduction may reduce taxes for many this year, it also may have a significant and negative impact on charitable giving. As more and more taxpayers cease to itemize their tax deductions, the tax value of charitable giving disappears; and as a result, charitable organizations may see a significant drop in contributions. In fact, Forbes Magazine estimates that overall charitable contributions in the U.S. may decline by as much as 7% due to the latest Federal tax law.

However, if you are over age 70 ½ and have retirement funds invested in an IRA, there is a way you can take advantage of the higher standard deduction and still receive a direct tax benefit for charitable contributions. This can be accomplished by using some of the funds in your IRA to make a Qualified Charitable Contribution (QCD) directly from to a qualified charity.

QCDs offer a number of advantages. First, QCDs can be counted toward satisfying your required minimum distribution (RMD) for the year, as long as certain rules are met. In addition, a QCD excludes the amount donated from taxable income, which is unlike regular withdrawals from an IRA. Keeping your taxable income lower also may reduce the impact to certain federal programs, including Social Security and Medicare. Finally, QCDs don't require you to itemize, which means you can take advantage of the higher standard deduction, but still use a QCD for charitable giving.

To take advantage of the benefits of a QCD to maximize the value of your charitable contributions, the QCD must conform to a number of requirements:

·          You must be at least 70½ years old, or have an inherited IRA from someone who

would have been at least 70 ½ years old.

·         The charitable organization must be a 501(c)(3) eligible to receive tax-deductible

contributions (like BCA).

·         The IRA account must be a traditional IRA, inherited IRA, or an inactive SEP /

SIMPLE IRA.

If you meet these requirements, you can request your IRA custodian to issue a check directly to any charity you select. You can request as many checks as you want to as many charities as want, as long as the total amount of the checks doe not exceed your required minimum distribution (RMD) for the year. All QCDs must come out of the IRA by the RMD deadline, which is generally December 31 ^st each year.

Checks issued by your IRA custodian are easy to handle. You can either instruct the custodian to send the check directly to the designated charity, or the checks can be mailed to you for personal delivery.

Now is a great time to start planning for QCDs during the 2019 tax year. To learn more about QCDs, you can contact your tax advisor or IRA custodian. And please keep BCA and the BCA Endowment in mind when you plan your QCD strategy for 2019. 

Jim Hoff ( jhoff@tegnos.org ) is a BCS Board Member and a business consultant in Tubac, AZ

The fifth anniversary celebration of the Border Community Alliance took place two weeks ago. As the new president of the board, I was delighted to meet most of the original founding members of the board, as well as to hear the stories being told not only on the microphone but also around all of the tables during dinner. All present were happy to share their experiences with BCA and their alignment with the mission of bridging the border. The Loureiro family of Nogales, Sonora that run the migrant shelter were in attendance to help us celebrate along with Ricardo Santana, the Mexican consul general as well as Virginia Staab, the United States consul. My heart swelled with pride as I asked for all in attendance that have volunteered for BCA in any capacity from being on the board, helping with the Intern program from picking up interns at the airport to escorting them to the various activities, assisting in teaching a Borderlands Forum class, setting up chairs, hosting any event and fundraising. Nearly two thirds of the room stood up! This demonstrated to me that BCA is truly a volunteer, community not-for-profit organization with many in the area sharing our mission and vision bridging the border through education, collaboration and cultural exchange.

When I retired and became a snowbird in Rio Rico, I looked for an opportunity to give back to the community with an organization that shared my values. BCA found me after several cross border trips into Mexico. This organization really embodies the spirit of the Southwest as well as the open heart neighborly “we are all one” in our humanity spirit. As a retired registered nurse, I have always looked to care for our fellow human beings not just in body but also in spirit. BCA truly fits well with this philosophy as the anniversary celebration demonstrated. I look forward to meeting all of you again at one a BCA event in the near future.

Cecilia Quade

Wynne Brown will present a glimpse into the life, letters, and recently re-discovered botanical illustrations of Sara Plummer Lemmon — for whom Tucson’s Mount Lemmon is named.

Perched at the intersection of science and art in the Arizona Territory, Sara’s story is one of curiosity, tenacity, and grit.

United Methodist Church of Green Valley 300 W. Esperanza Blvd. Green Valley.

Suggested donation $ 10.00.