Wanted: Women Wielding Hammers (and paint, and saws, etc.)
The Santa Fe Habitat for Humanity is holding its Women Build Week from May 8-12. It’s an opportunity for interested women to work together to make the world a nicer place for someone who could use the support. You don’t have to have any previous building experience to participate, so you could learn some new, handy skills while you volunteer.
Some slots for the build are still available, so contact Devin Peterson at (505) 986-5880, extension 13, or e-mail her at devin@santafehabitat.org to find out when help is still needed.
Lowe’s is a national partner with Habitat for Humanity International and is the underwriter of the Women Build program. Let the company know you appreciate its support, since by next year it will have contributed almost $40 million to Habitat for Humanity worldwide.
Los Alamos Employees' Scholarship Fund Drive in May
You could help a deserving student obtain a college degree through a contribution to the Los Alamos Employees' Scholarship Fund (LAESF) during its campaign in May. The scholarships began as a grass-roots effort by employees in the late 1990's to ensure that students who wanted to get higher degrees were not limited by a lack of resources. Their efforts were successful, and to date, 664 scholarships have been awarded. This year's fundraising efforts will continue through May 31. While Lab employees are solicited to contribute to the campaign, anyone with an interest in supporting higher education for regional students is encouraged to make a tax-deductable contribution. Last year’s campaign netted $520,000, which included a matching $250,000 grant from Los Alamos National Security, LLC.
Any student within the seven-county region of Northern New Mexico (Los Alamos, Mora, Rio Arriba, San Miguel, Sandoval, Santa Fe, and Taos) is eligible to apply. Criteria for selection include grade-point average, leadership potential, and financial need, among others.
Anyone interested in supporting regional scholarships can contribute by going to http://lanlfoundation.org/Scholarships/index.html.
On a related note:
The deadline for the LAESF Regional College/Returning Student Scholarship is June 15. These scholarships began in 2011 to assist Northern New Mexico residents returning to school after a hiatus such as those caused by military service, family needs, or other reasons.
For information on this scholarship or to apply, please go to http://lanlfoundation.org/Scholarships/EligibilityAwards.html#2year.
“Books Are Fun” Funds Shoes
During April, a "Books Are Fun" event held at the Lab helped raise almost $2,000 for the LANL Laces program. The Laces program helps get brand-new shoes on the feet of regional children in need.
Last year, enough money was raised to help provide shoes for more than 350 children.
If you would like to contribute to the fund, contact the Lab’s Community Programs Office at (505) 665-4400.
Hooked on Books
Summer is around the corner, and soon our children will need things to keep them occupied. Now is an ideal time to encourage a love of reading that will hopefully last a lifetime.
Santa Fe’s Alliance for Literacy has a program called Hooked on Books to encourage kids to enter a world of printed information and imagination. The organization tries to have a contest every month with fantastic prizes like iPods, bikes, and skateboards. The competitions encourage kids to use their creativity to write essays, design book covers, and even write songs based on what they’ve read.
So, take the kids to the library, the bookstore, or electronically download books to the computer-assisted device of your choice. The sooner they start to read, the sooner they can begin to enter this exciting new world.
The organization can also use your excess children's books. The organization collects donations of children's literature and then distributes them to supermarkets, hospital waiting rooms, and places where families wait with their children. The children can then pick up a book for free and return it to that or another location. Volunteers are also needed to help sort and distribute the books within the community. If you would like to help, contact the New Mexico Alliance for Literacy at (505) 438-8585 or allianceforliteracy@yahoo.com.
Contribute Items to the Museum of the American Military Family
Formed a little more than a year ago, the Museum of the American Military Family in Albuquerque is accepting items for its exhibits. While the Museum isn’t yet housed in a physical facility, it does have a presence on the web and Facebook. Its goal is to celebrate more than “200 years of the American Military Family’s remarkable contribuitons.”
To learn more about the Museum, go to http://www.museumoftheamericanmilitaryfamily.org/.
To visit the Museum’s Facebook page, go to http://www.facebook.com/MuseumoftheAmericanMilitaryFamily.