Happy Wednesday. More good news from New Mexico and elsewhere. If you know someone who’s going above and beyond, let me know in the comments so that they can be recognized here.
Virtual LemonAid from Creative Santa Fe
According to All Together Santa Fe: “Virtual LemonAid is a major multidisciplinary digital arts festival leveraging the creative talent of our region to raise critical funds to provide aid and support to those most in need in our community during the COVID-19 crisis.” What this means in real language is that on Friday evening (May 8) at 8:00 p.m., you can tune in via social media and other platforms to the Northern New Mexico Festival for COVID-19 Relief. The list of celebrities and performer who will be appearing is amazing – Buffy Sainte-Marie, Meredith Monk, David Byrne of The Talking Head, Stewart Copeland of the Police, Ali MacGraw, and our own Michelle Lujan Grisham (aka Governor of our fair state). Here’s the full list of the talent appearing.
20% of the funds raised will be split between the performing artists and the remaining 80% will go to funds that benefit northern New Mexicans navigating their way through these difficult times. Check the event out here, and I’ll plan to see you there!
Paseo Pottery is donating 100% of their profits after costs to local charities
This deserves it’s own separate blog post, which I’m determined to get to, but for now, please go to Paseo Pottery to buy gifts (maybe even get something quick for Mom!). Or something gorgeous for your own home, because if you’re like me, you’re a bit tired of the same old stuff. You’ll be supporting a local business AND they’ll be closer to their goal of donating $10,000 this year to local charity.
New York Times Opinion – How New Mexico Averted a Steep Death Toll. Thanks Michelle
In case you missed it, here’s the link to the NY Times Opinion piece on how stellar leadership from our governor that included a background as Secretary of Health worked to our advantage here in the Land of Enchantment. Love her or not, Michelle has stepped up to show that New Mexico’s first priority is the health and safety of it small population. I’m proud to know her.
Notah Begay’s NB3 Foundation has raised over $200K for it’s COVID-19 Response Fund
The Notah Begay III announced recently that it’s COVID-19 response fund to support Native American elders, children has reached over $210,000 in funding. Notah is a professional golfer from New Mexico and founder of the Foundation. He’s also a member of the Navajo Nation and San Felipe/Isleta Pueblos, determined to do what he can to help his New Mexico neighbors. Find more info and a link to donate here. You can also catch a video of Notah talking about the virus and how we can stop the spread here.
The Prudential Community Spirit Awards recognizes two NM teens for their volunteer work during COVID-19
New Mexico’s top youth volunteers of 2020 received awards of $2,500 each for their community service during the coronavirus outbreak. 14 year-old Sheri Anderson and 18 year-old Makayla Gates (forgive the spelling if it’s incorrect, but this was taken from a KRQE video) will get to donate the $2,500 to the nonprofit of their choice.
Not necessarily New Mexico Good News, but a fun read anyway. How to Have Date Night in Quarantine.
This was a fun read. Check it out here: https://bit.ly/3dmfEA2
The article had some great suggestions without being too rigid, which is what we all need right now. I, for one, am relieved that I have someone with whom I’m quarantined who makes a great date night partner almost every night. He’s a New Mexico native who has great stories about growing up in Santa Fe. Of course, there are evenings when our conversation has little to do with more than what Tom Hanks’ character did in “Road to Perdition,” but we are mostly very engaged with one another. How are you holding up?