Vol 53 NEWSLETTER
December 2022
CLean
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. 

Dear Friends of the Border Community Alliance,

As this year draws to a close, I want to express my sincere thanks to all of you for a wonderful and productive year of working towards BCA’s mission of bridging the border and creating borderlands community through education, cultural exchange and social investment. Our staff, board, members, dedicated volunteers and borderlands citizens are all key to the success of BCA’s work – without all these pieces our work cannot go on. So thank you.

As we move into our 10th anniversary year in 2023, we are proud to be one of the premier borderlands nonprofits in southern Arizona and the only one with our unique mission. We wish we could replicate BCA throughout the U.S. southern border region – we think our mission is so critical in this often misunderstood, mischaracterized and, in so many ways, unique region of the country and the world. 

In 2023, we seek to do our work through our Borderlands Forums educational series, our Borderlands Literature & Film Circle (BLFC), the Spanish Language Program, Breakfast and the Border Lecture Series, tours into Mexico and U.S. border towns, the Borderlands Ambassador Internship program, and our ongoing social investment projects in northern Mexico, where we have invested over $450,000 in Sonoran nonprofits since our inception almost a decade ago.

To help us to continue this important work, we ask that you consider giving a year-end gift by December 31st. Your gift will be used for the above programs and to create new and innovative ones to meet our mission. Over 90% of our operating costs are paid for by individual donations, so we count on all of you for your support, if you’re able. (If you’ve already sent in a gift – thank you so much!)

If you’d like to make an year-end gift – or set up a monthly recurring gift – to BCA please go to https://bordercommunityalliance.org/donate or mail a check to:
BCA
P.O. Box 1863
Tubac, AZ 85646

May the peace and joy of the closing of another productive and worthwhile year and the glories of the winter season in the borderlands be with all our BCA friends. We so look forward to seeing you at an upcoming event, tour or class soon.

Stay healthy and well.
In borderlands community,
Celia Bavier
Executive Director, BCA
Ways to make a critical year-end gift
to the Border Community Alliance (BCA) 
We really need your support to keep our social investment,
educational programming and cross border tours going in 2023!!

1)  Set up a monthly recurring gift to BCA. 
Go to DONATE TO BCA or call us at (520) 398-3229 to set up a gift. Monthly gifts enable us to have a reliable income source which is vital to our operations.

2)   Become a member of BCA – through a donation of only $75 for an individual or $100 for a family, you can become a member of BCA and receive discounts on BCA tours and events. Call us to become a member at (520) 398-3229 or CLICK HERE .

3)   Set up a Facebook fundraiser for us on your personal Facebook page. For super easy instructions on how to set up a fundraiser, CLICK HERE .

4)   If you’re 70½ or older you maybe eligible to make a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) from your IRA, payable to BCA. QCDs can be counted toward satisfying your required minimum distributions (RMDs) for the year, as long as certain rules are met. In addition to the benefits of giving to BCA, a QCD excludes the amount donated from taxable income, which is unlike regular withdrawals from an IRA. Keeping your taxable income lower may reduce the impact to certain tax credits and deductions, including Social Security and Medicare.

5)   Register at smile.amazon.com and when you shop a percentage of your spending will go automatically to BCA! To sign up, go to smile.amazon.com, sign in with the same account you use for Amazon.com, and select BCA for your charity. Just remember to shop and checkout at smile.amazon.com for all your purchases.

6) Make a planned gift to BCA and leave your legacy in the borderlands for generations to come. Planned gifts to BCA can be made through an estate plan or by simply naming BCA as a beneficiary in a retirement plan or life insurance policy. Gifts can be made to BCA’s general fund or to our endowment.


For any questions about how to give to the Border Community Alliance, reach out to Celia at (520) 917-1886 or cbavier@bordercommunityalliance.org


Thank you so much for your support of the Border Community Alliance (BCA). Your gift will make a huge difference in meeting our mission of bridging the border through education, cultural exchange and social investment in Sonora, Mexico.

Border Community Alliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Our federal tax id number is: 61-1726630.
Fundación Del Empresariado
Sonorense


Alma Cote de Yanez, Director

UPDATE
DEIJUVEN youth centers in Nogales, Sonora currently serve youth from 6 to 21 years old and some adults in with recreational workshops and sports.

Participants come from 16 neighborhoods surrounding the facilities, most of them in very vulnerable communities.

The activities include: Sports (soccer, basketball, tennis, flag football, Taekwondo), Scouts and recreational workshops including sewing, hair cutting, tutoring, summer camps, and coaching for parents and volunteers.
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.
Meet the Ambassador
BCA’s former executive director and current senior advisor, Jerry Haas, recently celebrated the Bicentennial of Diplomatic Relations between the U.S. and Mexico with other borderlands leaders and U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar. At an event at the historic Pima County Courthouse on November 16, Ambassador Salazar congratulated government, nonprofit, civic and other leaders for their ongoing work to nurture relations, community, and cultural & economic exchange between the U.S. and Mexico.

BCA in 2022
2023 Upcoming Events
January 11, 8am-Noon: Day Trip to Whitewater Draw. Whitewater Draw is one of the premier winter birding sites in southern AZ, home to thousands of Sandhill Cranes, and other birds, who stay at this site each year temporarily after traveling great distances. This tour is led by Jeff Babson, naturalist and owner of Sky Island Tours. Tour fee: $15/ members; $20/ non-members

January 11, 10-11:30am: Borderlands Literature & Film Circle (BLFC) Zoom event - “End of the Myth: From the Frontier to the Border Wall in the Mind of America.” A discussion with author, Greg Grandin, who received a Pulitzer Prize for this book in 2020. Dr.Grandin is author of a number of other prize-winner books and is currently a professor of history at Yale University. On Zoom. Free event.

January 15 1:30-3:30pm: Tubac: Where Art & History Meet Walking Tour. Tubac native and historian, Nancy Valentine, will take you on a tour visiting local historical sites, artisan workshops and galleries, and local landmarks, including the historic El Presidito gallery building and the Lowe House, from the 1700’s. Location: The tour group will meet at Tubac Presidio State Historic Park Visitors Center. Tour fee: $20  

January 18, All day: Nogales, Sonora Tour. Visit our partner nonprofit organizations in Nogales, eat lunch at Burrito Haas, and have coffee & dessert with the U.S. Consul-General to Nogales at La Roca. Tour fee: $75/ members; $95/ non-members

January 20, 1-3pm: Nogales, AZ Art & History Walking Tour. Take a stroll through Downtown, learning about the old buildings and historic events that make what Nogales is today, and see all the new murals. Enter the Old Courthouse built in 1904. Visit the Pimeria Alta Historical Museum. Location: Meet at the Santa Cruz County 1904 Courthouse. Tour price: $15

January 24-27: Mata Ortiz Tour. Take our multi-day tour, in partnership with Fiesta Tours, to the small village of Mata Ortiz, Chihuahua, Mexico. We’ll visit the homes of several master potters and visit the fascinating Paquime Ruins at Casas Grandes. Tour is limited to 10 participants. Tour fee: $950/ members; $1,050 non-members.

January 26, 10am-Noon: Alfie Norville Gem & Mineral Museum Tour. Join us for a private guided tour of this fascinating museum, within the historic Pima County Courthouse building. Tour fee: $25/ member; $35 non-members

February 1, All day: Nogales, Sonora Tour. Visit our partner nonprofit organizations in Nogales, eat lunch at Burrito Haas, and have coffee & dessert with the U.S. Consul-General to Nogales at La Roca. Tour fee: $75/ members; $95/ non-members

February 8, All day: Nogales, Sonora Tour. Visit our partner nonprofit organizations in Nogales, eat lunch at Burrito Haas, and have coffee & dessert with the U.S. Consul-General to Nogales at La Roca. Tour fee: $75/ members; $95/ non-members

February 10, 1-3pm: Nogales, AZ Art & History Walking Tour. Take a stroll through Downtown, learning about the old buildings and historic events that make what Nogales is today, and see all the new murals. Enter the Old Courthouse built in 1904. Visit the Pimeria Alta Historical Museum. Location: Meet at the Santa Cruz County 1904 Courthouse. Tour price: $15

February 23, 8am-10:30am: Breakfast & the Border event with our Borderlands Ambassador Interns. Breakfast Fee: TBD Location: Desert Diamond Casino, Sahuarita, AZ

March 7, 2pm: “Borderlands Forum - "The O'odham, Father Kino and the Jesuits". Join us for this Borderlands Forum with panelists Bernard Siquieros, recently retired Curator of Education at the Tohono O'odham Cultural Center & Museum and Dr. Dale Brenneman, Associate Curator, AZ State Museum/ University of Arizona. Location: Sahuarita Library, 670 W Sahuarita Road, Sahuarita, AZ. Free event.

March 8, All day: Nogales, Sonora Tour. Visit our partner nonprofit organizations in Nogales, eat lunch at Burrito Haas, and have coffee & dessert with the U.S. Consul-General to Nogales at La Roca. Tour fee: $75/ members; $95/ non-members

March 10, 1-3pm: Nogales, AZ Art & History Walking Tour. Take a stroll through Downtown, learning about the old buildings and historic events that make what Nogales is today, and see all the new murals. Enter the Old Courthouse built in 1904. Visit the Pimeria Alta Historical Museum. Location: Meet at the Santa Cruz County 1904 Courthouse. Tour price: $15

March 29, All day: Ranching to Vineyards Tour. In the arid Southwest, ranching has dominated agriculture, with historically large ranches and a vibrant cowboy culture. More recently, vineyards have sprung up and some have done surprisingly well. This tour begins with a visit to the Santa Fe Ranch near Nogales, and an introduction to the challenge of ranching by Dean Fish, head cowboy. After lunch, we'll visit one of the area vineyards and get an insider's perspective on Arizona wine making. Tour price: TBD

March 27-April 1: BCA/ Ancestros Oaxaca Travel - Tour of Oaxaca. Detailed itinerary and pricing to be on our website soon.

A donation of $10 is suggested for attending events, unless a fee is required as shown. To register for events go to www.bordercommunityalliance.org or call Suzy at (520) 398-3229.
Please consider a year-end gift to the
Border Community Alliance (BCA)

Over 50% of our year-round funding comes in from November through December, so we rely on gifts coming in during these two months. Over 90% of our funding comes from gifts from individual donors like you! Thank you.
Office Hours Vary
Call for appointment
(520)398-3229
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 1863
Tubac, AZ 85646

Physical Address (no mail):
I-19 2221 E. Frontage Rd.
Bldg F201
Tubac, AZ 85646