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Faces of Saranam
Welcome to the newest member of our team, Joell Ackerman! Joell is joining us as our Director of Operations and will be in charge of all the nuts and bolts of what makes Saranam hum, including daily processes, personnel management, and strategic planning.

"I am thrilled to be a part of an organization that has a proven record of empowering families to end the cycle of homelessness and poverty through education. To work alongside such dedicated staff and families and participate in their stories of success is a privilege."

Joell has worked with individuals experiencing homelessness for over a decade and also brings with her a wealth of knowledge from her time in the military and other nonprofit and corporate organizations. On top of all of her experience, she is also an avid pickleball player, so grab your racket and help us wave "hello" to her!
Chances are if you have been to Saranam in the last five years, you have seen something that Jenn Walsh has had a hand in.

Jenn has been volunteering with Saranam since 2018 and has enhanced every part of our mission with her energy and caring. She is one of our biggest cheerleaders- introducing dozens of friends to us and nominating us for awards, donations and more.

One of Jenn's favorite things at Saranam is preparing apartments. She and her team pour themselves into making a family's time in their home feel like a warm hug. She told us about why it means so much to her in our latest blog. It's a must read!
Program Highlights
Early Childhood Education

Did you know that children who participate in early childhood education programs are 25 percent more likely to graduate from high school? Or that it will have life-long health benefits including lower rates of depression and cardiovascular disease?

Research abounds with the benefits of early childhood education and it all starts at home. That's why, as a 2Gen program, we ensure families can access quality care and feel prepared to make their home a place for rich connections and exciting exploration.

  • Our parenting class and guest speakers from the Methodist Children's Home teach adults the stages of child development and how to empathetically communicate with their kids.
  • In family nights, and through creative partnerships such as Explora, we share ideas to incorporate learning into the home.
  • Case managers and guest speakers like NAAPR build parents' confidence in their capacity to advocate for their children's learning needs.

"(Because of Saranam), I show more affection, tell them I love them. I learned the importance of doing that... now we have lots of hugs. Our family is changing." -Saranam alumni

Summer Reading Program

We rode the reading rainbow this summer!

Thanks to the many people who contributed in astounding ways, we engaged with families with reading, writing, story telling, play time, snacks, and community time.

Our big kids had a blast crafting stories, learning the importance of developing a storyboard of characters and designing settings for their ideas. Their masterpieces have been printed as actual books and are ready for a place of pride on their bookshelf.

Every week our little ones shared their favorite book and, thanks to some phenomenal donors, they got to bring home the weekly featured book as a starter to their own home library. One of our volunteers even gave each child a special light for to read them by.

Speaking of volunteers... we could not have made it happen without our literacy volunteers. They have such a heart for working with young readers and went above and beyond to make learning fun with activities, games, and a delicious "Hungry Caterpillar" themed party!

Thank you for guiding them on their learning journey!

"Today a reader, tomorrow a leader."- M. Fuller

Community Partnerships
Looking for fun, extra ways to support Saranam? Check out these two great opportunities that have some big benefits for you AND invest in Saranam.
What does New Mexico have more of than anything else? SUN!

We have an exciting opportunity coming soon with Affordable Solar that will give you the chance to harness all the clean energy benefits the sun can give us AND give back to Saranam!

Here is how it works: the Community Solar Act (SB84, 2021) gave New Mexicans access to a off-site community solar projects (think solar gardens) that have enormous energy-generating capacity. Now, you can subscribe to these projects and receive a discount on your monthly energy bill, without having to make the capital investment into solar panels on your home or apartment. This not only allows individuals unprecedented access to clean energy, but nonprofits- like us!- can also consume cleanly and save money.

As an added bonus, if you sign up with Saranam, Affordable Solar will donate to our mission. We estimate that if we can get 250 people to sign up, it could be a $50,000 donation!

Keep an eye out next month for more instructions on how to sign up for this "bright" chance!
Is there anything that screams summer more than a hot dog? Throughout the month of August, order up a delicious meal from local food truck, Dawgs for a Cause, at one of their events and they will donate a portion of their proceeds to Saranam.

Their mission is built on giving back to the community they love and they have lots of mouth-watering options to make it happen. They even have hot dogs for your furry family members! Head on over and "relish" a good meal for a good cause.

Catch them at one of their upcoming events!
  • August 1st - Private Event for National Night Out (neighborhood in Rio Rancho)
  • August 5th - Westside Summerfest (5pm - 10pm)
  • August 6th - Church picnic in Rio Rancho
  • August 8th - North Domingo Baca Park (5:00 - dusk)
  • August 20th - Sunday Funday, Haynes Community Park, Rio Rancho (12:00pm - 4:00pm)
  • Lunch Mon.-Fri. at Intel.

Happy eating!



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ICYMI
In case you missed it, here's what happened this month...
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