The Voice of La Puente Fall 2013

The Voice of La Puente is a quarterly publication that is meant to provide readers with a glimpse of day-today life at La Puente’s programs by sharing the goals, challenges, accomplishments and greatest needs of our staff, AmeriCorps members, volunteers and guests. Join our electronic mailing @ www.lapuente.net

Become a fan of La Puente on Facebook to stay up to date on current happenings!

“I slept and I dreamed that life is all joy. I woke and I saw that life is all service. I served and I saw that service is joy.”

-Kahlil Gibran Layout and Editing by Erin Wieland & Lares Feliciano Many thanks to our friends at O & V Printing in Alamosa! oandvprinting.com Some names have been changed to protect anonymity.

www.lapuente.net

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info.lapuente@gmail.com

The Voice of La Puente

719.589.5909

From Erin’s Desk

Right around this time in 2012, I could most likely be found at the shelter, scurrying around the kitchen (probably in a well-hidden panic), opening dozens of cans of mixed vegetables for my soon-tobe specialty, Leftover Stew. Whispers of warnings from guests and staff about the coming migrant season kept floating through my mind. How was I ever going to be able to successfully cook for all those people? I don’t think I’d ever cooked for more than four people, so the idea of over 100 eating with us on a daily basis during the busy harvest season was terrifying. Sure enough, one day in late September, my Leftover Stew came to the rescue. I was left alone in the kitchen to prepare the entire lunch menu solo. After a moment of deep breaths, I examined the pantry and food shed. There wouldn’t be time to thaw any meat, and we were short on fresh veggies. I loaded every type of meat, potato, or vegetable we had in the refrigerator into the most massive pot in the kitchen, threw in some chilies and spices, and hoped that it wouldn’t be filling the trash can later. That afternoon, I saw my record high for lunch attendance at the shelter: 161 people! And the best part was, not one person complained about my stew, and some even complimented it! For me, cooking was one of the most stressful learning experiences during my time at the shelter, but after that day, I felt like a pro.

After the wonderful learning experiences I was able to gain at the shelter last year, developing skills and relationships that really shaped the way I’ll feel about service for the rest of my life, I couldn’t just stop there.

I wanted to spread the knowledge I had gained and be a voice for all of the amazing things La Puente is able to do for people. I wanted to spread the word about individual impact and the lifetime benefits of service and community. Thankfully, I didn’t have to go far! Now, as a member of the Community Education and Volunteer Coordination office, every day is my opportunity to spread the word of La Puente’s mission and need across the Valley and Colorado. My shift from direct service to indirect service has allowed me to find creative ways to connect La Puente with the rest of the world; exhibit A is the newsletter you hold in your hands. Along with that, I have the unique opportunity to serve alongside a whole new group of AmeriCorps members and build another strong community family. I’m thankful for the opportunities to learn that La Puente has provided me, and I hope that this new position will help to open my eyes to even more of the knowledge I thirst for.

From the bottom of my heart, I hope that this publication finds you rejuvenated after a beautiful summer, and that the coming months bring you inspiration, motivation and good spirits to last you through the long winter.

Love, Peace & Bacon Grease!

Erin Fall 2013

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“The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.”

-Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

On Wednesday, September 4th, La Puente lost a beloved member of our family. Bonnie Martinez, or “El Mariachi” has been a valued community member for many years and serenaded us with beautiful guitar right up until his last days with us. Rest in peace, Bonnie, we’ll miss you!

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The Voice of La Puente

Our Mission:

La Puente endeavors to meet immediate needs and empowers people to live independently, with dignity.

We provide emergency shelter, food assistance, transitional housing, self-sufficiency services, homeless prevention, community outreach services and job training for the homeless and other community members in crisis.

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Grateful for the Connection ...Insight from a shelter Night-Owl...

“As

these workers check into the shelter, they bring such a tremendous energy and willingness to perform backbreaking,exhausting work.”

As I reflect on my two years working at La Puente Shelter, I am struck by the number of people I have had the opportunity to serve with, as well as the number of people we have had the opportunity to serve.

The young people who come to serve with us never cease to amaze me. This will be the third group of AmeriCorps members I will be working with. They come in with terrific ideas and a capacity to serve which is beyond reproach.

This will also be the third migrant season I’ve experienced. As these workers check into the shelter, they bring such a tremendous energy and willingness to perform backbreaking, exhausting work. I have seen them return to the shelter as late as midnight or one o’clock and get up to return to the fields at four thirty a.m. Their resolve to complete the tasks they are here to perform is unparalleled.

Some days it appears we have hardly anything to offer, but then some caring community member who is passing through and has heard of our services provides us with something we’re so greatly in need of.

We are always appreciative and grateful for the generosity of the community, as well as strangers alike. Sometimes the simplest donation is the one we need the most.

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The Voice of La Puente

I am a big believer in the building of relationships. Being a part of La Puente is one of the most amazing experiences I’ve encountered because these relationships are really creating a difference for people, myself included. Watching as people give from their hearts many of the items we require to provide all of the services we have needs for is one of the most touching things I have ever experienced.

In my present position I am afforded several opportunities I have never before had in my working life. One of these is to advocate for our guests. I have generally worked in the capacity of rule and law enforcement, so this is quite a change. I’m now able to actually sit down with guests and work out a plan of action in terms of what they require to get themselves back to a point of self-sufficiency. Then to see all of these factors come to fruition is a genuine pleasure. Since I work the overnight shift at the shelter I do not always have a chance to get to know all of our guests, or at least not as well as I would like. There is sometimes the occasion to speak with a guest late at night; perhaps they cannot sleep, have something weighing heavy on their mind, or just simply want to talk. I relish the time I have and am able to afford to spend with our guests.

If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday.

-Isaiah 58:10

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I was recently afforded the opportunity to check in a mother and son who arrived from Yuma, Arizona.

They had stayed with us about a year ago and had made the decision to try a new place. Things had not worked out so well for them there, so they made the decision to return to Alamosa.

As we worked through the check in procedure, I was amazed by the story they told about camping for a good part of the past year. Their decision to return to Alamosa was more based on the heat in Arizona than any other factor. There are also several dynamics to their situation that weren’t addressed in the check-in, but visually clear to me. The mother is in her late seventies, gets around in a wheelchair, and has a variety of health problems. None of these issues were ever identified as reason for their leaving Arizona. The son is also not a young man by any stretch of the imagination. He is almost eligible John Dale has been to apply for the old age pension offered working the overnight by the state of Colorado. Despite all, this shift at the Shelter for family makes things work. They treat over two years each other with the utmost respect, they look out for one another, and as I did their check-in I earned a tremendous amount of respect for the two of them.

In closing, I would like to offer my sincere thanks to the AmeriCorps members and full-time volunteers who are transitioning on to their next adventures. I would also like to welcome the recently arrived members and wish them the ab*a reliable vehicle solute best for their yearlong adventure of *coffee service. For those of you who have extend*size 3, 4, and 5 diapers ed, I hope we see each other throughout *#10 cans of vegetables the year and you tell me all of your new and tomato sauce and wonderful experiences. ď ™ *pasta *hygiene kits *dry erase markers *sharpies 8 The Voice of La Puente

Our Shelter is in need of the following items:

Peace To All There is hope in the morning And faith at the start of a new day But each of us has the power To Live life, no matter who we are We are to love one another And keep sunshine in our hearts forever

-Juanito Quintana (longtime community member)

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The Power of a Fence ...Alvin’s Story...

Time Frame: 3 1/2 days Fence Proportions: 383ft long, 6ft high Materials Used: 51 posts 97 bags of concrete 141 rails 785 pickets 6,844 nails 2 picket gates 2 metal cattle gates

This past month, I had the privilege and opportunity to work with a volunteer maintenance crew from Littleton, Colorado.

Though I was the team leader in name, I found myself learning much more than I taught.

This group of wonderful gentlemen represent an age range of 65-79. I hope that I will be able to help others when I’m this age.

I thought they were unbelievable.

The group has been coming to help work on many projects for La Puente for the past 10 years.

When I asked them why they keep coming back, Doug said, “I have done a great deal of volunteer work. I do it partly to keep my life from being self-contained and meaningless.”

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The Voice of La Puente

I thought to myself what I could say that would describe the experience that I shared with these men. After a long time of thinking, I came up with two words in Spanish: La Luz. In English,they mean “the light.” It seems to me that La Puente has a way of creating a kind of light in the lives of all those who come here.

I hope to be able to work with this group again. I had fun and made many friends.

This is just my way of saying thanks to: Doug Hodus, Pete Gordon,Terry Boucher, Doug Lemieux, Dan Smith, Al Wieder, and Nathan French.

Thanks for all your hard work,

Alvin Pabinquit

“I

have done a great deal of volunteer work. I do it partly to keep my life from being self-contained and meaningless.”

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Just one Chance

Jacqueline's story

A young woman I met earlier this year was close to destroying her entire life because of her drug addiction.

After getting out of corrections, she was able to land a minimum wage job and move into a small mobile home by herself.

She called our Outreach office week after week trying to get help paying her lot space. Without this assistance, she would lose her trailer and end up homeless. After she described the trailer she was living in, I became worried that her house would not meet habitability standards.

She had no running water, which would cause her home to fail inspection. She informed me that her boyfriend could spend a few hours out of corrections to install water pipes in order for the place to pass.

The first time I went out for the housing inspection, I took one look at her camper and drove back to the office. Just from the view of the outside, there was no way her camper would pass an inspection.

Later that afternoon, she called me and begged for one chance.

I went back the next day, and to my surprise, her tiny camper met all housing standards. There was a kitchen, running water, lockable windows, a toilet, a shower, and most importantly, a woman standing there willing to do anything to avoid ending up at the shelter. I got to know her more on a personal level that day as she spoke to us outside her home. Luckily, she had met an older woman who told her if she continued to stay clean and sober she would pay her lot space for as long as she needed. Months later, she still has her minimum wage and also cuts hair at a local salon. She is very *Jacqueline served grateful for the assistance she received at Outreach and in the Outreach hopes to provide shelter guests with a free hair cut to office for two show her appreciation.ď ™ years. She was immediately hired afterward at the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless.

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The Voice of La Puente

“Kindness in words

creates confidence.

Kindness in thinking creates profoundness.

Kindness in giving creates love.�

-Lao Tzu

By donating needed items to La Puente, you allow more of each dollar we receive to go directly to serving those in crisis in our community!

Outreach Office needs list: *nozzle sprayer for hose *mini-fridge *paper & office supplies *cleaning supplies *storage containers *Christmas gifts for all ages

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Celebrate the Harvest!

It’s Harvest Time!

It’s wonderful to be in the gardens right now, with the hum of insects buzzing everywhere, tomatoes and snap peas waiting to be picked right off the stem and eaten, and the smell of flowers and dirt in the air. For us in the garden program, it means that summer is coming to an end and our summer activities and kids camps have wrapped up.

For ten weeks over the summer, the garden program put on a completely free Thursday morning garden camp for elementary schoolaged children. This summer we talked about a very wide range of subjects: from worms & composting, to solar cooking, to water cycles, to the most important topic - plants!!

We also had a lot of fun! The other 2 camps we offered were in partnership with the PALS program of La Puente, and a local preschool, “The Children’s Garden.”

Of course, we wouldn’t be able to have garden camps without our two wonderful gardens! Our 13-year old community garden at Boyd on State between 11th and 12th has been flourishing and is the main host for our camps. Our newest addition is a 14,000 sq. foot piece of land at the elementary school that has been developed over the past 2 years. It services over 1,000 K- 5 children on the campus and has really come together this year. Over 100 fruit trees, perennial shrubs, and berry bushes have been planted, not to mention multiple raised beds, 2 shade structure areas, and a main vegetable garden.

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The Voice of La Puente

These 2 gardens could not be maintained without the help of our amazing volunteer workgroups that have come to La Puente this summer, our interns, and most importantly our community volunteers who come out on a weekly basis every Tuesday and Wednesday to help out and share the harvest. We grow everything from greens, to squash, to tomatoes, to pumpkins, and a large portion of these crops go to the shelter and food bank to supplement their programs with fresh produce. This year we hope to produce almost 1000 pounds of fresh vegetables!

As we move into the fall, we look forward to doing our in-school lessons about plant cycles at the elementary school, as well as preparing our two gardens for next year.

Stop by and visit anytime or if you’d like to volunteer – call Victoria at (719)5894567 ext. 102!  Our very own Growdome, donated to the Shelter

“The single greatest lesson

Our Gardens

the garden teaches is that our relationship to the plan- program is in need of: et need not be zero-sum, and that as long as the sun *cordless drill still shines and people still *tablet (like an can plan and plant, think and ipad) do, we can, if we bother to *newer, clean try, find ways to provide for ourselves without diminishing straw bales the world.” -Michael Pollan Fall 2013

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Migrant Farmworker Economics by: Lance Cheslock

I met Ramon working in a lettuce field north of Center. He is a proud member of a very capable crew who harvest, by hand, the iceberg lettuce that is cultivated in the fields of the San Luis Valley. Ramon migrates throughout the southwestern states to work various harvests with his team. He is gone from his family for 5 months of harvest work, then returns to his home in San Luis of Sonora, Mexico, where jobs are scarce.

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The Voice of La Puente

“

To a people famishing and idle the only acceptable form in which God can dare appear, is work and promise of food as wages.

Mahatma Gandhi

”

Ramon deeply appreciates the opportunity to work in the United States. He is paid $8.75 an hour, and labors 60 plus hours per week under the sun. By contrast, working in a maquiladora in a border town pays less than $80 a week. He is a family man and spoke of missing his wife, Gloria, and his three teenage children. For Ramon, a “good” work day is when he can labor as many hours as possible so that he can bring home enough for his family to live on until the following year. His dream is to see each of his children get an education that will enable them to find work without having to labor in the fields and travel on the road. I was inspired by Ramon and his determination to provide well for his family. His work is valued by his employer, who does an admirable job supporting the workers, given the challenges of Valley agriculture.

Lettuce economics is like a multi-variable calculus problem. Though the store price of lettuce has remained fairly constant, fluctuating around $2.00 a pound, there is a complex dynamic involved in making lettuce farming profitable. A current contract to grow lettuce pays only 10 cents a pound for “production” and another 10 cents a pound for harvesting. That 20 cents a pound has to pay for the seed, the land and the preparation of the fields, the water, the chemicals, the planting, the cost and maintenance of center pivots, the wages of the migrant workers, their housing, their transportation, their supervision, farm management, the cooling of the lettuce, and the trucking and packaging needed to get the lettuce to market.

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For the farmer’s 20 cents a pound, there is little margin for error, such as a devastating hail storm. As for the other $1.80 a pound, an economist will have to explain that side of the equation for me.

It’s no surprise that many farmers are turning to simpler crops with fewer risks. During the past decade there has been a diminishment in the acreage of the Valley’s lettuce production, leading to a sharp reduction in the number of summer field workers. No doubt the loss of jobs has hurt our local economy.

Thank goodness for the potato harvest, when over 1500 jobs become available to assist with potato sorting, trucking and warehouse work. Not only do migrants come from various southwest communities for the jobs, but it is also a time when our community’s marginalized members can find work in the harvest.

As expected, there are always workers whose jobs don’t pan out.

La Puente remains on the sidelines assisting the more vulnerable of these with basic, simple needs, shelter services, hygiene kits, emergency food, and support in time of crisis. I suppose it’s our way of lending a hand to Valley agriculture. 

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The Voice of La Puente

Help us support our Migrant Farmworkers!

The Shelter is always accepting donations of extra blankets, sheets and pillows for our guests sleeping on the floor...

We’re also always in need of pre-made hygiene kits to help keep guests and workers healthy and clean Fall 2013

September and October are the busiest months at La Puente Shelter as a result of the harvest season. We make accomodations for 40+ workers who are out in the fields twelve hours or more a day picking the potatoes, carrots and lettuce we have on our dinner plates. Most of them come from miles away and are harvesting to support their families.

hygiene kits could include: *soap *shampoo *toothbrush *toothpaste *feminine hygiene products *razor 19 *washcloth

The New Kid at PALS Alyssa’s story

Around this time last year, I had just graduated from college.

I was working at a restaurant and wondering what was next for my life. I knew that I wanted to take steps towards a life of meaning, fulfillment and purpose, but I just wasn’t quite sure which “foot to put first.” Luckily for me, fate was on my side. I was working at the restaurant no longer than a month before a friend of a friend told me about a local AmeriCorps program working with children.

The program was called Project POWER (Putting Opportunity Within Everyone’s Reach). Everything about the position sounded perfect for what I wanted out of my life at that moment; challenge, new hands on experiences, an opportunity to give back to my hometown community, and the gift of impacting the lives of precious young beings.

This past year was an incredible growth experience and I found myself left with a continuing thirst for service. I knew that I wanted to continue with AmeriCorps and dedicate another year of my life to children in need.

I began applying for positions in various parts of the country. Ironically enough, and reminiscent of my previous year of service, my second service site found me. I received an email from La Puente asking me if I was interested in serving in any of their programs, and after reading the PALS program description I was immediately hooked. Alamosa, Colorado reeled me in all the way from Asheville, North Carolina. I have only been in the valley for a few weeks, but felt at home from the moment I arrived. I have received a network of support and encouragement from my fellow La Puente coworkers, my supervisors, members of the community and especially from the children I have begun to work with.

Smiling in your brother’s face is an act of charity.

So is enjoining good and forbidding evil, giving directions to the lost traveler, aiding the blind and removing obstacles from the path.

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-Muhammad The Voice of La Puente

I was a little nervous for my first circle time at PALS; a daily ritual where the children circle up and start the day off by finishing a sentence written on the board. The sentence this day was, “My favorite thing about PALS is…” The children pass around a stuffed giraffe in order to take turns speaking. The stuffed animal was passed to a little boy with dark hair and big round eyes, and his sentence went something like this: “My favorite thing about PALS is… meeting her!” and he looked straight at me. I thought my heart was going to explode!

PALS is a place where children can come to feel safe. It’s a place where they’re able to forget about other aspects of their lives, just be kids and have a ton of fun in a safe and nurturing environment. I have only been here for a short time but have already had many exciting adventures with the children of this valley. A few of these adventures have been: a water balloon fight in the middle of Boyd Park, a garden workday at Alamosa Elementary School, romping through the frigid water of Zapata Falls followed by an afternoon cookout, waking up at 2:45 am to take the kids to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science where they also got to enjoy a planetarium show and a 3-D movie about great white sharks, and lastly, numerous amounts of laughter, tears, frustration and exhaustion. Working with children requires a tremendous investment of time and energy and I am happy to give both openly to the children at PALS. These children deserve to have positive, caring people in their lives and I am happy to be one of those.

It’s going to be a long, challenging, yet incredibly exciting year and I am grateful to continue teaching and learning with my blue-shirted family of superheroes.  Fall 2013 21

the PALS program is in need of:

*sponsorship for a paid Assistant Director *sponsorship for a full-time volunteer for one year *sponsorship to send a PAL to Disneyland in 2014

Simon says, “Point at Mr. Tim!!�

*Alamosa County has the 4th highest child maltreatment rate in Colorado

We are grateful for your support!

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The Voice of La Puente

ENTERPRISE ZONE AND CHILD TAX CREDIT

Reduce your taxes by OVER $500 back when you donate $1000 A contribution to La Puente can provide you much more than the traditional tax deduction. If you pay Colorado State taxes, a monetary gift through the Enterprise Zone (EZ) can net you an additional tax credit.

What is a tax credit? A Colorado State tax credit is like a check payable to the Colorado Department of Revenue. As a simple line item on your Colorado tax return, the credit is subtracted from what you owe, just as if you were paying cash. Even if you never use deductions, on your tax return, the tax credit will help you. When the 25% Colorado tax credit is combined with the impact of tax deductions, the tax savings are sizable!

Example: Donation = $1000

EZ tax credit value: If you itemize your deductions:

Federal tax savings

Colorado tax savings

$250 25% $280 28% $ 46 4.6%

Your potential savings/tax reduction is

$576 57.6%

The actual cost of your $1000 gift is $424 Heres what you do:

-Gifts must be a minimum of $100

-Make your check out to: “The Enterprise Zone.”

-Designate La Puente in lower left corner of check

-We will send you a certificate of tax credit to be used on

your tax return!

La Puente ‘s services are eligible for this credit to any person or business that pays Colorado State Income taxes. The credit can be carried over up to 5 years. The credit can be used even if you don’t itemize. For other questions, please call La Puente at 719 589-5909 New in 2013: The PALS children ‘s program is eligible for a 50% state tax credit. Please call for further information on this special credit to assist our youth!

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An Adelante Story by: Nicole Crouch

She came home one day and found out. Found him. Found her boyfriend sexually abusing her daughter. Consuelo fled that house, taking her two children with her.

She ended up at the La Puente Shelter, and after staying there for a month, she entered into the Adelante Program. Consuelo had goals and ambitions. She knew that she was in a low place at the time, but she did not want to stay there.

Consuelo was at a loss. She was without the emotional and financial support that she had been accustomed to, but she knew she had to be strong for her family and move forward.

Consuelo identified legal and mental health issues as priorities for her family, as well as developmental concerns for her young son. She pressed charges against her ex-boyfriend, who was convicted and currently is in prison waiting to be deported to Guatemala. In January of 2012, Consuelo started her application for a U-visa so that she could have legal status. She also began seeing a counselor and her children did as well. Her son began to progress after evaluations and hearing tests, and she began spending much more one on one time with him, focusing on discipline and developing a routine.

Certain life skills were clearly very new to Consuelo. She worked closely with her case manager, as well as in weekly classes at Adelante, to learn anything from how to address an envelope, read a map and keep an agenda, to paying bills, making monthly budgets, and buying nutritious food at a low cost. Amidst all this hard work, Consuelo is good at asking questions and always eager to put into practice what she has learned.

Consuelo is passionate about learning English and has improved immensely during her time in the program. She practices reading with her eight year old daughter, and also studies English with a tutor in the Adelante office and does lessons online through the Adelante Employment Center.

Nicole reads with a friend at an Adelante life skills class 24

The Voice of La Puente

Transportation was also a huge barrier for Consuelo when she first entered the program. She had many appointments, was working a seasonal job, and of course, she needed to take her children to school. She found a car through a friend and she began to make payments on it. Consuelo had it paid off within a few months.

In April 2012, Consuelo went to Denver to complete the application for her U visa. Her application started the review process in April 2013, and in July 2013 she received her work permit. She is awaiting her social security card in the mail. She also hopes to be reunited with her oldest son, who currently lives in Guatemala, by requesting to bring him here through her visa application. Consuelo is currently looking for a job, and sells tamales and cleans houses to support her family.

Consuelo is nearing her two-year mark with Adelante and is currently looking for housing for when she’s finished with the program. She is interested in opening a bank account and saving money once her social security card arrives. She has dreams to have her own home with all three of her children and a stable job. She is well on her way. ď ™

Adelante Needs List:

*diapers *phone cards (verizon or straight talk) *gas cards for families to get to appointments and school *laptops for clients taking college courses *reliable vehicles

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From Panhandler to Hempster Calvin's story, told by Chloe

May 20, 2010.

The day Calvin graduated from the “Tilling the Soil of Opportunity” entrepreneurial class at Taos County Economic Development Corporation. With determination and dreams of filling a gap, Calvin wanted to set up a catering business to provide lunches at a homeless shelter in Taos.

But then the program lost funding, so Calvin moved to the San Luis Valley to find work.

In October 2010, while unloading hay from a trailer in Crestone he broke his foot. He needed to be close to the hospital, and La Puente became his temporary home. He continued living at the shelter for 10 months, after enrolling in the Veteran’s program in 2011. During this time, Calvin remembers having to make a list of goals. On his list for his 5-year goals, he continued dreaming of starting his own business.

With his panhandling sign in arm’s reach, Calvin has been selling macramé hemp jewelry on the streets across the US over the last 20 years.

His face lights up as he tells stories of all the people he’s met along the way.

Calvin wasn’t just selling jewelry, he was also teaching people in the community how to make the macramé jewelry themselves.

He was connecting, sharing and learning with the community…

He loved the face-to-face connection with the community who supported him, but selling on the streets had its limits. He couldn’t afford the 50% commission rates that retail stores were demanding, and he couldn’t afford to legally register his business.

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“In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure.”

-Bill Cosby

The Voice of La Puente

Now, with the help of La Puente’s newest program, Seedme, Calvin is able to move forward and make his dreams a legitimate business. Seedme (Socially Embracing Each Dream, Micro-Enterprises) is a social entrepreneurial initiative to help individuals start and sustain micro enterprises in the San Luis Valley. Within La Puente’s four retail locations, Seedme will feature branded merchandising modules that display locally crafted items for sale. Going beyond a typical retail display, Seedme will feature stories of each micro-enterprise—connecting people with people, rather than simply people with products.

As Robert McKee said, “Stories are the

creative conversion of life itself into a more powerful, clearer, more meaningful experience.

They are the currency of human contact.”

Calvin does not have transportation of his own, but with a full tank of determination and motivation, he hitchhikes 50 miles into Alamosa from his current residence in Crestone, CO. He comes to town every Thursday to meet with Seedme. Each time, he walks into our office entering with a folder of paperwork and a mind overflowing with ideas. By the first week of hearing about working with Seedme, he had begun a business plan and a cash flow statement. With a partnership with Unlimited Possibilities, Seedme was able to give Calvin a micro-loan of $300 to be used to register his business name, ElfinCraft Hempery, as well as order handmade paper beads through Uganda Outreach, a non-profit organization based in Colorado dedicated to helping empower Ugandans to rise out of poverty.

ElfinCraft Hempery offers hand-crafted macramé products, with natural and recycled materials. “The jewelry is a symbol of environmental consciousness,” Calvin said. “It’s what’s needed now to bring the community together and to raise children in a non-toxic environment.” A simple loan of $300 has empowered Calvin to quickly move his business forward. He is beginning to stock up on anklets, bracelets and necklaces, while beginning to make medicine bags and backpacks.

When asked what his overall goal is, Calvin laughs and says, “My overall goal is to hemp the hemp-less. You guys can help the homeless, and I’ll hemp the hemp-less. And eventually I’ll hire a workshop full of hempsters.”

In the coming months, look for his products in the La Puente Enterprise locations. But beyond the products, remember Calvin. Remember his story. And remember that you are socially embracing his dream.  contact us at: dream@seedmestories.com Fall 2013 27

Community Power!

During her time working with La Puente’s community volunteers, Alyssa had the opportunity to meet many different people from all kinds of walks of life. Many of them are trying their hardest to support themselves and their families, and volunteering time for Food stamps, TANF and other social services may be one of the only ways they can afford to eat or pay rent.

Gabe came to the Volunteer Coordination office to serve for his intervention program through the Department of Corrections. Part of our community volunteer program allows for folks to donate goods instead of time to our programs, and Gabe had some wood to give to our Outreach program. Three truck loads of wood, that is. Alyssa was so thankful for the thought, but unfortunately there weren’t any other volunteers available to help Gabe unload all of this wood. She was going to have to help him herself.

During this long unloading process, there were a lot of silences to fill. Things started out a bit awkward between these unlikely partners, but they both realized that they were going to have to pass the time somehow.

Working side by side allowed them to keep their conversation lively and engaged. Alyssa learned a lot about Gabe’s life that day. She learned about the struggles he has endured throughout his life, and the ways that he worked to overcome these struggles. She gained a lot of perspective about the goals of her service.

If they hadn’t had this time to work together, Alyssa never would have learned about Gabe’s four children or his intense passion for selfsufficiently by supporting his family with his own skills. His only means of income has been through both of his self-employment opportunities- tattooing and construction. If they hadn’t had this time to work together, Alyssa wouldn’t have been inspired by Gabe’s enormous work ethic, or felt their connection through community and service. With this relatively small experience, Alyssa and Gabe were both able to bring a wonderful shared experience home with them.

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The Voice of La Puente

This is a perfect example of the relationships that are created within La Puente’s outreaching family. No matter how small, these connections can be motivational as well as humbling.

It’s a reminder of how important a sense of mutual work ethic really is when striving for social improvement and self-sufficiency.

These moments of collaboration truly illustrate La Puente’s mission.  *After her AmeriCorps service, Alyssa went to grad school and will soon be joining the PeaceCorps.

a work group from First Baptist church in Colorado Springs

Want to Volunteer?

Please visit La Puente’s Website (lapuente.net/vol.php) or call the Volunteer Coordination office (719) 587- 3499 for more information if you are interested in serving through La Puente’s Volunteer Services:

Full-Time Volunteer: During a year of service, Full-Time

Volunteers and AmeriCorps Members work 40-60+ hours a week obtaining firsthand experience working at a nonprofit organization.

Community Volunteer: Accepts all ages and abilities. Volunteer for one-time, weekly, or monthly intervals at many of the La Puente programs.

Work Group Service: Groups come for a short time from all

across the United States in order to work with La Puente on special projects, to support everyday activities and to engage in service learning. This assistance aids La Puente in providing services that are greatly needed in the San Luis Valley.

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Other

s t s i l s d e e n Program

Food Bank:

* convenient, kidfriendly food to pack into lunches * quart and gallon sized bags to preserve the harvest *cleaning supplies *whole grains for the shelves *gas cards for food deliveries

Community Education:

*HD video camera *plastic storage totes *free-standing tent or canopy *portable PA system

Volunteer Coordination:

Rainbow's End Monte Vista

*25-50ft ethernet cord or *a wireless plug-in for a PC 30

The Voice of La Puente

*vehicles for volunteer houses *printer/scanner *matresses for volunteer houses *sponsor a retreat or community night for volunteers/AmeriCorps members

A gift designated to La Puente’s Legacy Fund will provide on-going support for the provision of emergency food and shelter through La Puente’s diverse services. The principle amount of each fund contribution will not be touched, and through investment, the interest gained from the gift will help afford critical services for the years ahead.

Consider writing a clause in your will or trust that identifies “La Puente Home, Inc.” as a beneficiary to any portion of your estate. Mention your intention to direct your gift towards the La Puente Legacy Fund.

This is a simple way to arrange for a significant gift in support of our service to others, while leaving you in control of your assets during your lifetime.

A gift card acknowledgement will be sent to the family you are honoring with a rememberance gift. Call Lance at 5895909 for more information.

Fall 2013

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Fall 2013

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P.O. Box 1235 Alamosa, CO 81101 Change service requested

Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage Paid Alamosa, CO 81101 Permit No. 27