January 2020 news from Saranam

January 28, 2020

Dear friend,

Happy 2020! A new decade stretches in front of us filled with dizzying possibilities.

Ten years ago, Instagram and Uber didn't exist, you couldn't talk to Alexa or an Apple Watch, and the iPad had just hit shelves. Ten years ago, we had 15 families in our program and a staff of three. What a difference a decade can make .

Possibility is also what we hear in the plans our families are making for the new year. Their resolutions make it clear they are no longer picking up the pieces of their lives but figuring out how those pieces fit into their bigger puzzle. Here are some of the things they're working on:

Several parents have committed to pay closer attention to their nutrition and fitness. Physical activity and nutritious food have a cost of both money and time that people living in poverty often cannot afford. The changes that they undertake now will help them establish a healthy lifestyle so they can maintain self-sufficiency.

All our first-year adults are beginning classes at local colleges or technical centers this month. One mother is especially excited to jump into her nutrition class. Armed with some of the concepts from our healthy living classes in the Fall, her confidence is high that she will have a head-start for the year.

Alumni families are also seeing their past resolutions snowball into life-long dreams.

At the Children's Law Conference this month, three Saranam alumni were featured speakers on panels discussing the complexity of navigating the court and foster care system. One alumni, Alyssa, won an Excellence Award for her work advocating for youth in foster care.

"At Saranam I had an opportunity to excel and plan for the future. I created a foundation that would help us grow and reach goals that I never dreamed would be possible.

The families' dedication proves that there is no resolution too big to tackle. With every brave step they take, they remind us that our community is infinitely full of potential.

Welcome Dianne Campbell

We are so excited to introduce Saranam's new Director of Development, Dianne Campbell! She will lead Saranam's fundraising work as we take on the next, exciting steps of our mission. Dianne's expertise, warmth and enthusiasm make her a perfect fit in our community.

We chatted with her a bit so we all have a chance to get to know her better.

What made you want to get involved with Saranam in a deeper way?

As a part of the non-profit world in New Mexico for more than 15 years I've watched Saranam grow from an idea into a transformational and impactful organization. Saranam is magical. Saranam's founders envisioned, tested and proved a model that successfully empowers families to end their experience in homelessness and poverty.

As a mother I want to see families and children thrive. Saranam is a path for some of the most vulnerable families to turn a scary and seemingly hopeless situation into one of growth, accomplishments and a bright future. It is an honor to support this work and become a part of this beautiful family.

What are you most excited about as you join the team?

I feel lucky and excited to be a part of the Saranam team! We all have a variety of experiences, backgrounds, strengths and skills. The common thread is our commitment and passion to collectively support Saranam families. Individually we are all pretty awesome, but joined together, united in our work we are helping change lives. That's a way that I want to spend my days.

What are your hopes for the families of Saranam?

My greatest hope for every family is that they feel safe, empowered, and loved enough to give and share these attributes with their children so they too (the children) feel, safe, empowered and loved.

Moving the Needle

Homelessness on the rise

New Mexico families are among the most vulnerable in the nation, according to a recent report released by HUD. The report showed New Mexico with the highest rate of increase in homelessness and the greatest surge in the number of families experiencing homelessness as well.

This dismal data begs the question- what do we do? Homelessness is complex, but solvable. We have the tools to change the story that has kept generations locked in poverty.

Just like our program involves an investment from families, we are investing in long-term strategies that will increase our capacity and move the needle for how we help families generate change in New Mexico.

Read more about what we are undertaking in our most recent blog post.

Lighting the spark

We know that we have designed a special program that changes the story for New Mexico, and this month

we shared our mission with national audiences.

This January our Executive Director, Tracy Weaver, and Dr. Cindy Arndell, spoke at the "Beyond Housing" conference about their experience cultivating partnerships between organizations serving families experiencing homelessness and academic institutions .

These partnerships foster future leaders in diverse fields. Their hands-on experience gives them critical perspective about the breadth of issues families contend with and encourages innovation that is based on the real and evolving needs of people in our community.

Community Corner

Spirit of Giving

Our cups are overflowing for the outstanding care our community showed to make the holidays merry and bright for the children at Saranam!

Thanks to over a dozen groups in the community our parents were able to give their children the presents that they wished for the most.

" Mackenzie has absolutely adored her presents! She has slept in her Elsa jammies ever since and Elsa the doll has gone everywhere with us. Their generosity absolutely made our Christmas special."

Spotlight on a Volunteer

There are just some traditions that scream holiday cheer: snowball fights, hot chocolate, lights, and

gingerbread!

This month we're sending

a huge shout-out to Weyodi Grandbergs. She is a professional baker and wanted to help families start new holiday traditions, so she rolled up her sleeves (and a heap of dough) and baked dozens of gingerbread houses for families to decorate together.

This is a tradition that is here to stay. Thank you!

Thank you to the groups that gave so generously this holiday season!


What's Important Now (WIN)	Merrill Lynch and Bank of America	Hope, Give, Change

ICYMI: In case you missed it, here is

what happened this month.

Community organizations give presents to families at Saranam

First-year parent earns GED

New Mexico improves in measures of child well-being

Estimates of families experiencing homelessness very low

Get Involved!

If you were looking at getting more involved in the community this year, look no further! We have many volunteer opportunities with the program, fundraising, and apartments. We have a particular need for volunteers on Thursday nights, but if that won't work, we have plenty more ways to get involved.

Check out our website to see our current opportunities.

Volunteer opportunities

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Saranam | 505-299-6154 | http://saranamabq.org