Holiday Giving Campaign raises $2.6 million

Los Alamos National Laboratory employees rose to the challenge for the 2024 Holiday Giving Campaign, donating more than $2.6 million to make things a little brighter for communities in Northern New Mexico and beyond this holiday season.

“Our employees’ can-do attitude increased our toy drive results by 60% this year,” said Lab Director Thom Mason. “This is just one of the many ways our employees strive to be contributing members of their local communities.”

Across the Lab, donations and gifts include:

• $2.2 million to nonprofits through the Employee Giving Campaign
• $376,000 to the Los Alamos Employees Scholarship Fund to provide scholarships for students from Northern New Mexico
• $30,157 and 2,693 toys for the toy drive, with 136 employees volunteering to sort and deliver gifts

The monetary contributions to the toy drive will be used to purchase toys which, together with the donated items, will be given to 50 agencies and organizations that work with children and teens, including the following:

• Barrios Unidos
• Big Brothers Big Sisters Mountain Region
• Boys and Girls Club – Pojoaque
• Boys and Girls Clubs of Santa Fe/Del Norte
• Casa Familia
• Eastern Navajo Nation (Torreon/Cuba)
• Española Teen Center (YMCA)
• Family Strengths Network Grandparents Group, Gerard's House
• Jemez Pueblo, Las Cumbres - Family Infant Toddler​ program
• Santa Fe Indigenous Center and Santo Domingo Social Services

The Lab is partnering with the nonprofit Northern New Mexico Toy Drive (established by Los Alamos-based EXIT Realty Advantage NM) again this year to purchase and distribute the gifts.

Employee donations also support the Los Alamos Employees’ Scholarship Fund, supporting both two-year and four-year degree programs for Northern New Mexico students.

Laboratory operator Triad National Security will match a portion of each employee's giving to 501(c)(3) nonprofits based in the seven counties in which the majority of Laboratory employees reside (Los Alamos, Rio Arriba, Santa Fe, Taos, San Miguel, Mora and Sandoval), and in Eddy County, where the Lab also has a presence. This year’s match will be 50 cents on the dollar, providing additional much-needed support to the nonprofits in our region.

Scholarships applications are now open via the LANL Foundation. Deadline is Jan. 21, 2025.