Border Community Alliance's mission is dedicated to bridging the border and fostering community through education, collaboration and cultural exchange. |
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I first encountered the word “chubasco” in Craig Childs’ fascinating book The Secret Knowledge of Water: There are Two Easy Ways to Die in the Desert: Thirst and Drowning. The word comes from a Portuguese word meaning “rain,” but the association is with a sudden, violent squall, with gale-force winds, lightning, and thunder. Childs describes it as “an alchemy of conflict.” Superheated desert air is forced upward, encountering cold, wet stuff in the higher altitudes. Mixing his metaphors, Childs says, “The sky becomes a sea of writhing puncture wounds,” as 110-degree temperatures drop dramatically to 65 and icy sleet covers the ground. Total chaos!
This is not the “gentle rain … that droppeth upon the place beneath” that Shakespeare describes in Portia’s quality of mercy speech. This is a violent and sometimes frightening storm.
In spite of the danger, many of us welcomed the chubascos. We were desperate for rain! The drought was considered “exceptional,” the most severe category. The desert had been suffering acutely; plants and animals struggling to survive; even the saguaro cacti were endangered by the historic shortages. When the chubascos arrived, the dry, brown desert was transformed into a lush, green landscape.
I was relieved. The drought had been painful to watch. I loved what the rain did to the honeysuckle I had planted. My peach tree was full of fruit, ready to be picked. I greedily didn’t want the rain to stop. After 30 years in Arizona, I felt like I was witnessing a miracle.
Then I began getting pictures, showing me what was happening at the San Juan Bosco Shelter. In Nogales, Sonora, there are many hills and very few storm sewers, so even a modest amount of rain presents its challenges. With “muchos chubascos,” disaster loomed. On one night, Gilda reported that there were 350 guests for a shelter with about 120 beds. Pictures of moms and kids crowded into every square inch of space told the story. Many were from Central America and had no place to go. Some had COVID and needed to be quarantined. Supplies needed to be replenished. Night after night, while we enjoyed the rain and what it did to our yards and vistas, another reality called us from complacency into compassion.
Elsewhere in this newsletter is a report regarding the stunningly large sum of money raised for the shelter—more than we could have imagined! Not only the desert but humanity itself looks different because of the many people who responded to the appeal BCA and FESAC made to meet the needs of San Juan Bosco. The rain is over and gone; the flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has begun! [Song of Solomon] Thank you, thank you!
Jerry Haas, Senior Advisor
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BCA WELCOMES NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR! |
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Celia comes to BCA with a long history of nonprofit work. She recently worked with No More Deaths/No Mas Muertes, a Tucson-based humanitarian aid organization, as their development manager. While working with their fundraising and finance teams, she doubled their fundraising, managed a database transition, oversaw major gifts and organizational budget and program growth, and welcomed many new supporters and volunteers. Prior to More Deaths, Celia worked for the Tucson-based Center for Biological Diversity, managing the Leadership Circle major gifts office and their planned giving program.
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She and her family took a “Tucson-break” in 1999, moving to New Jersey where she held positions as a life and legacy coach with the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Mercer and director of development for Isles, Inc. Prior to leaving Tucson for two decades, Celia was a project coordinator for the City of Tucson Community Services Department administering the Community Development Block Grant Program.
Celia has a Master’s Degree in Public Affairs and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English. In addition, Celia holds a Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership & Management from the University of Arizona’s Executive Education Program.
Celia is involved in volunteer work through Catchafire, which matches nonprofit professionals with smaller startup nonprofits throughout the country for special projects. Additionally, she serves as a board member with Catalina Foothills School District Foundation. She recently started as a volunteer at Casa Alitas in Tucson and continues to work with No More Deaths. In addition to her volunteer work, Celia enjoys spending time with her husband and two children, and her hobbies include gardening, reading, and traveling to visit her family and friends.
The BCA Board is extremely pleased to have Celia join our team. We look forward to introducing her to our donors, volunteers, and supporters and continuing our mission of bridging the border and fostering community through education, collaboration, and cultural exchange. Please join us in welcoming Celia to BCA!
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SAN JUAN BOSCO IMMIGRANT SHELTER:
$41,725 AND COUNTING!
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The BCA Board of Directors thanks our members and donors for the tremendous response to support the Albergue para Migrantes San Juan Bosco (San Juan Bosco Immigrant Shelter) in Nogales, Sonora. The generosity of your response to this appeal that started on July 28 is indeed heartwarming.
As of August 20, we have received $41,725 in donations from 142 persons and foundations. Donations came from throughout the United States. We received donations from supporters from 16 states. We continue to receive donations as this newsletter is published. As a result of your support, the shelter will be better able to meet the needs of the increasing influx of immigrants.
The BCA Board of Directors greatly appreciates your continuing support of our mission: Border Community Alliance is bridging the border and fostering community through education, collaboration, and cultural exchange.
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PILGRIMAGE TO MAGDALENA UPDATE |
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If you missed the opportunity last spring to view “Pilgrimage to Magdalena,” BCA’s first-ever short documentary film, don’t despair! We are working on a schedule to present the film this fall via Zoom and hope we can also have in-person events to share this wonderful story. Stay tuned!
Professor of Religion Seth Schermerhorn invited Senior Advisor Jerry Haas to present two programs featuring the film at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, in early September. In November, Jerry travels to San Antonio for the American Academy of Religion conference for a screening and discussion group presentation.
We have laurels! “Pilgrimage” was accepted for the July Baja California International Film Festival and will be screened in September at the Religion Today Film Festival in Trento, Italy.
Does anyone out there have close ties to secondary schools around Southern Arizona? We need a little help! We have developed a discussion dialogue and would like to screen the film for secondary students in the Borderlands. But, we’re having trouble connecting with teachers or administrators to make arrangements. If you can help us out, please contact Sara Martin at smartin@bordercommunityalliance.org.
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SEPTEMBER 8:
LITERATURE & FILM CIRCLE SPECIAL EVENT WITH GARY PAUL NABHAN
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Gary Paul Nabhan
Wednesday, September 8, 2021
10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Location: Online via Zoom
This meeting is open to all BCA members and friends. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER, or contact Suzy Webber at 520.398.3229. .
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Join the Borderland Literature & Film Circle (BLFC) for an online meeting with Gary Paul Nabhan, author of Food from the Radical Center: Healing Our Land and Communities. Gary is an agricultural ecologist, ethnobotanist, ecumenical Franciscan Brother, and author whose work has focused primarily on the plants and cultures of the desert Southwest. He is considered a pioneer in the local food and heirloom seed saving movements.
This exciting book is chock-full of stories of individuals and communities working hand-in-hand to heal their “earth households” with “bio-cultural restoration.” Topics include planting young agaves in Patagonia, releasing fingerlings in the Sonoita Creek watershed, tending Churro sheep on indigenous land, tracking bees and Monarch butterflies in Mexico, and celebrating Tucson’s four centuries of food history as a UNESCO-established “City of Food Cultures.”
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Let’s Speak Spanish Starts Again September 21st!
Since 2019, over 200 adult learners have participated in Let’s Speak Spanish programs, and program ratings have been very favorable. Because this unique approach to language learning continues to be one of the most popular programs offered by BCA, we are pleased to announce that Let’s Speak Spanish will start up again on September 21st.
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This fall’s program will continue to be delivered via Zoom video conference. The online format allows us to recruit facilitators from Mexico, which creates an atmosphere of authenticity for our classes and helps BCA fulfill its mission to serve as a bridge between societies and cultures.
Through the use of small group breakout sessions, learners at similar language levels are grouped with experienced facilitators to help everyone gain speaking and listening skills. To make our conversation sessions as productive as possible, we start with a detailed review of Spanish pronunciation to help students speak, hear, and retain important words and phrases. Next, we conduct a series of weekly exercises focusing on everyday conversational topics. And finally, we supplement these exercises with curated videos and in-class presentations to deepen student’s knowledge of both Spanish language and Mexican culture
The 8-week program will be offered in two class sessions. One class will meet Tuesday and one class will meet Thursday each week. Classes will start September 21 and 23, with the last class scheduled for November 9 and 11.
All necessary materials for the class will be posted online for download prior to the start of the program. The registration fee for the program will be $80 for BCA members and $100 for non-members, which will help defray the cost of material development and provide an honorarium for our facilitators.
To register for this program, please follow these links:
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Learn More
If you would like to start learning Spanish or work on previous skills, one or more of these programs may be for you. To learn more about the program prior to the opening of registration in September, please take a look at some of the previous class materials posted on this website: www.tegnos.org
If you would like to be placed on the program mailing list or if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email the Let’s Speak Spanish program coordinator, Jim Hoff, at jhoff@tegnos.org.
¡Saludos!
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Do you have a unique skill?
Border Community Alliance is looking for volunteers to participate in the pursuit of our mission statement.
If you are interested in volunteering with BCA, please contact us at info@bordercommunityalliance.org with your application, details on your interest, and/or CV, or please give us a call at 520-398-3229.
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Office Hours:
Office open by appointment only until further notice.
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Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 1863
Tubac, AZ 85646
Physical Address (no mail):
I-19 2221 E. Frontage Rd.
Bldg F Suite 201-202
Tubac, AZ 85646
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