I've been involved with the Friends of the Library for 4 years now and I can say quite certainly, this is some of the most fun and uplifting work I've ever done. Some of my favorite projects - Banned Books Week (specifically the costume gala), the Adult Summer Reading program and One City, One Book. Great community building and literacy projects!

The Southern New Mexico Wellness Alliance is the board that oversees the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program in Otero and Lincoln Counties. The SANE program has been steadily growing in our community, aiding the victims of sexual violence and building public awareness in an effort to end violence toward men, women and children through such events at Take Back the Night and performances of the award-winning play The Vagina Monologues. I am very proud to serve on this board and to help the SANE program in any way that I can.

This branch of the Tularosa Basin Historical Society were the driving force behind Alamogordo's centennial celebration and are now heading up Alamogordo's state centennial celebration which involves 52 weeks of planned events. The women on this committee are absolutely inspiring. They dream big, work hard and are shining examples of the amazing things you can do with a dream of some gumption. I am so very honored that they let me join them in this journey.

I got involved in the Otero County Community Health Council as a result of my job. I was asked to take over website management as their previous webmaster changed directions in her career. I quickly fell in love with the monthly meetings. I left every meeting energized, my comittment to the community renewed. My tenure as their webmaster recently came to an end, but I continue to participate as a voting member - representing the Southern New Mexico Wellness Alliance.