The Border Community Alliance is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to bridging the border and fostering community through education, collaboration and cultural exchange. |
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Dear Border Community Alliance (BCA) community,
As the summer of 2023 draws to a reluctant close, we wanted to take the opportunity to say goodbye to our summer Borderlands Ambassador interns and thank the amazing donors, volunteers, U.S. and Mexico community partners and staff who made this program happen. Without the support and guidance of Intern Program Superivisor, Amy Tice, the BCA Internship Committee, the BCA Board, and our wonderful intern program donors, this life-changing program for young people would not happen. Special thanks also to Northwestern University and the Arizona Community Foundation (ACF) for their first-time financial support of the program this year.
We hope you’ll read the article in this newsletter which details the experiences of our interns through narrative, quotes and photos. If you’d like to help support the 2024 Borderlands Ambassador program financially we invite you to here. If you’re interested in helping us plan next year’s program, by joining the BCA Internship Committee, please reach out and let us know.
Though summer is leaving us, a wonderful fall program of BCA events and tours is being planned. Read about current opportunities in this newsletter and stay tuned for more to come.
Finally, we look forward to celebrating our 10th anniversary year with you on Saturday, November 4 at Desert Diamond Casino in Sahuarita, AZ. Tickets will be on sale soon and sponsorships are currently available - see here for sponsor information. Please join us for this celebration!
We’ll see you soon.
In borderlands community,
Celia Bavier
Executive Director
Border Community Alliance (BCA)
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Fundación del Empresariado
Sonorense
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UPDATE
Alma Cote de Yanez, Director
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Dear friends,
One of FESAC’s partner organizations, Manitas que Hablan, is a non-profit organization started by the mother of Daniela Valenzuela, a girl who suffers from hearing loss, 15 years ago. Daniela graduated as a teacher in 2020 from UPN and is currently teaching sign language courses at Manitas.
The mission of Manitas is to provide education for students with hearing loss, their families, the schools and the community. They currently serve 40 families and train local organizations (firemen, policemen, lawyers, businesses and health groups) in sign language. They start with kids as young as three months old and scholarships are provided by FESAC to those who attend college.
The years during the pandemic have been the hardest with the students out of school and parents having to stay home in charge of their homeschooling. Sadly businesses in Mexico aren’t open to hiring deaf people, something which Manitas is trying to work around.
Their main need is funding to pay for the teachers and tutors, which total to $2,500 USD a month. Families typically provide $10USD a month.
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For that reason, contributions are deeply appreciated to continue Manitas’ mission to provide low income children suffering from hearing loss with a regular education and proper conditions.
If you’d like to contribute to our fund to pay teachers and tutors for Manitas, please donate on BCA’s website here. Under the Mexican Pass Thru dropdown menu, please click Manitas que Hablan. You can also send a check to
BCA, P.O. Box 1863, Tubac, AZ 85646
and put Manitas que Hablan in the memo line.
Thank you so much for your support of this program.
With gratitude,
Alma Cota de Yanez, Executive Director
FESAC - FESAC Fundación Del Empresariado Sonorense A.C.
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From the beginning BCA has had a close relationship with FESAC, a Nogales, Sonora-based community foundation. This unique arrangement allows us to provide pass through donations to FESAC and to specific NGO community organizations that BCA/FESAC supports. We strongly stand with FESAC in lifting up local community by changing the narrative from charity to social investment. |
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BCA RoundUp and Artist Talk by local artist, Jennifer Clarke on September 22 - Join us!
Join us at our next BCA RoundUp on Friday, September 22 from 1-3pm at BCA’s office at 8 Burruel St. in Tubac, AZ.
Meet BCA staff, board and volunteers and find out about our upcoming programs, tours and events while socializing and having some refreshments.
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Also, meet and hear from mezzotint artist and printmaker, Jennifer Clarke, who is exhibiting her beautiful desert prints at BCA’s office during September and October.
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For more about Jennifer’s work and to see some samples, go to: https://jenniferclarke.dk. Jennifer will be speaking briefly about her work at 2pm.
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UPCOMING EVENTS - Fall, 2023
September 22, 1-3pm: BCA Fall 2023 Roundup/ Open House. Join us for refreshments and learn about our upcoming events and tours for the 2023-24 season. 2pm - presentation by local artist Jennifer Clarke (http://www.jenniferclarke.dk/mezzotint.html). Location: BCA Office, 8 Burruel Street, Tubac, AZ.
September 25, 9:30-10:30am: San Xavier Mission Co-op Farm Tour, Tucson, AZ. The San Xavier Cooperative Farm, owned & operated by the Tohono O’odham Nation, is committed to healthy farming practices and growing traditional crops to support cultural and environmental values, as well as to support economic development within the Tohono O’odham community. The farm also seeks to pass on traditional knowledge about farming and the Himdag and make traditional food crops available to help the community. Tour price: $15. Location: 8100 S Oidak Wog, Tucson, AZ (Note: After this tour, tour participants can also attend a 11:15am private BCA tour of the San Xavier Mission Del Bac Mission church)
October 11, 10-11:30am: Borderlands Literature & Film Circle event. Topic/ author TBA.
October 12-19: Mexico City tour. THIS TOUR IS FULL.
October 18 (all day tour): Nogales, Sonora tour. Visit our partner nonprofit organizations in Nogales, eat lunch at Burrito Hass, learn about the city of Nogales, Sonora and have coffee & dessert with the U.S. Consul-General to Nogales at La Roca. Tour fee: $75/ members; $95/ non-members
October 18, 9-10am: Mission Garden Tour, Tucson, AZ. Mission Garden is a living agricultural museum of Sonoran Desert-adapted heritage fruit trees, traditional local heirloom crops and edible native plants. Mission Garden is located at the foot of Sentinel Peak, at the site of the Native American village of S-cuk Son, a place sacred to the Tohono O’odham. Current garden plots include: Native Plants, Early Agriculture, Hohokam, O’odham Before European Contact, O’odham After European Contact, Spanish, Mexican, Chinese, Yoeme, Africa in the Americas, Medicinal, and Youth. Areas in development include the Grassland, Territorial, Statehood and Tomorrow’s gardens, as well as the Trail of Ndé (Apache) Plants. Free event - must register. Location: Mission Garden, Tucson, AZ
October 20, 7-10am: Riparian Birds of the Borderlands with Jennie McFarland, Conservation Biologist, Tucson Audubon. Free event - must register. Location: Meet at Ron Morriss Park, Tubac. Walk down the Anza Trail and back, approximately 2.5 miles.
October 23, 9-11am: Tucson Public Arts & Murals Walking Tour, Tucson, AZ. Recent years have seen an explosion of public art throughout Tucson. This tour, led by tour guide Dorothy Yanez, begins at the Presidio Museum and proceeds into the downtown area, stopping at numerous public art pieces and murals. At each stop you will learn about the artist and the artwork. Several new murals have been added to the tour route since Dorothy began giving these tours about a year ago. The tour is approximately 2 miles long. Tour price: $15. Location: Meet at Tucson Presidio.
October 30, 5:30pm: “Seeking Refuge at Our Ports of Entry: The Right to Asylum”. A Borderlands Forum with Alba Jaramillio, Co-Executive Director of the Immigration Law & Justice Network (formerly Justice for our Neighbors). Free event. Location: St. Francis in the Foothills Church, 4625 E. River Road, Tucson.
November 4, 5-8:30pm: BCA 10th Anniversary Celebration. Location: Desert Diamond Casino, Sahuarita, AZ. Tickets will be available in September 2023.
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Update on the Borderlands Ambassador Intern Program
2023 Borderlands Ambassadors Interns -
Summer Experiences
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The Border Community Alliance (BCA) Borderlands Ambassador Program partners with Fundacion del Empresariado Sonorense, A.C. (FESAC), a community foundation in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, to create opportunities for college students and recent graduates to experience the borderlands. The Borderlands Ambassadors Internship Program provides interested students, who apply from across the country, broad exposure to the realities of border life. They have placements in social service nonprofits that aid and support migrants on both sides of the border, along with interactions with officials at state agencies, such as Border Patrol, as well as corporations like maquiladoras and produce firms. Given the contested nature of border politics in our country at this time, we try to create an array of opportunities for our interns that allow them to experience and begin to understand the border in all its complexity. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING
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Join us!! Tickets on sale soon! |
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Spanish Classes start next week --
sign up now!
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Thanks for your Support!
Special thanks to this quarter’s organizational funders which include:
* Arizona Community Foundation (ACF);
* Desert Hills Lutheran Church (Green Valley, AZ);
* Greater Green Valley Community Foundation (GGVCF);
* LUSH Cosmetics;
* Northwestern University;
* Roselle United Methodist Church (Roselle, IL); and the
* Santa Cruz Valley National Heritage Area (SCVNHA) among others.
Also, many thanks to our many generous individual donors and members who continue to support our work. We appreciate your generosity and commitment to our mission to bridge the border and build cross-border community.
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Office Hours Vary
Call for appointment
(520)398-3229
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Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 1863
Tubac, AZ 85646
Physical Address (no mail):
8 Burruel St
Tubac, AZ 85646
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