Community

Assets

September 15, 2011

2 Community Assets 2011 Mountain View Telegraph September 15, 2011

TABLE OF CONTENTS
THE CLASS OF 2011
FELIX AND MARY GARCIA ....................................................... 3
This Willard couple volunteers because community is a lot like family.

P.O. BOx 2225, MOriarty, NM 87035-2225 823-7100 t.H. LaNg Publisher DaviD B. PuDDu VP/COO rOry MccLaNNaHaN Editor 823-7102....editor@mvtelegraph.com Laurie cLark Reporter 823-7105.... lclark@mvtelegraph.com HarOLD SMitH Reporter 823-7104....hsmith@mvtelegraph.com Lee rOSS Reporter 823-7103....lross@mvtelegraph.com BeverLy trujiLLO Advertising 823-7109....btrujillo@mvtelegraph.com carOLyN cOMStOck Advertising 823-7108....ccomstock@mvtelegraph.com cONNie SaNcHez-wiLSON Classified Advertising 823-7100....class@mvtelegraph.com

KAREN DEMAREST .................................................................. 4

This special education teacher goes the extra mile with the East Mountain Little League.

DEBBIE ORTIZ .......................................................................... 6

This Clines Corners native works long days to make sure Moriarty is a special place.

ART SWENKA ........................................................................... 8

Hes got a head for business and an affinity for helping out.

JOHN AND MONICA SUDA ................................................... 10

This Edgewood couple works to make sure the Edgewood Community Library has all it needs.

JOYCE LEWIS .......................................................................... 11

This East Mountains woman started an organization to help find lost pets.

EDITORS NOTE
Whenever I visit an elementary school classroom, the question that is most frequently asked is who is the most famous person Ive ever interviewed. For those kids looking for names theyve heard before, I usually disappoint them. While Ive interviewed a few folks that have some amount of fame, I tell them, they should be asking me who is the most interesting person Ive talked to. Its an easy answer: Its usually their neighbor. As journalists, we are lucky because we get the opportunity to meet all sorts of interesting people. And the ones I find to be the most interesting are those who do the most for their communities. In your hands you hold the Telegraphs Community Assets section, and for my money it is the best special section we do. What we want to do is shine a spotlight on those who make our communities a special place to live. Among these pages you will read stories about people who have gone beyond a job description. There are stories here about people who are an inspiration to the rest of us. You could reach for your dictionary to get a definition of a community asset but it is unnecessary, Ill give it to you in a couple of examples: It is people like Mary and Felix Garcia, who when something needs to get done, they are there with a smile. Its Joyce Lewis, who decided that worrying about a lost pet is not enough. Its Karen Demarest, who realizes the fun of being a child is playing games, and sometimes an adult needs to make sure those games happen. Its John and Monica Suda, whose love of reading extends far beyond cracking open a book. Its Debbie Ortiz, who can always be found holding a clipboard and herding people to the right place during many community events. These people are community assets. These people bring value to our communities. For this we say thank you and offer you this special section.

Mountain View Telegraph (USPS # 018-451, ISSN # 154-59543) is published weekly by Number Nine Media Inc., 7777 Jefferson St. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87109. SINGLE COPY 50 cents MAIL RATES In State....$22 per year Out of State....$45 per year All mail subscriptions are payable in advance. Application to mail at Periodical Postage Rates paid at Albuquerque, NM 87103. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Mountain View Telegraph, P.O. Box 2225, Moriarty NM 87035-2225 Letters to the editor and guest columns are welcome and must be signed by the writer and include a telephone number for verification purposes. Letters and columns are subject to editing. Correspondence should be directed to Mountain View Telegraph, P.O. Box 2225, Moriarty, NM 87035-2225. Phone: 823-7101. Fax: 823-7107.

Rory McClannahan, editor

September 15, 2011 Mountain View Telegraph Community Assets 2011 3

Making Community A Part Of The Family

F e l i x a n d M a r y G a r c i a

laurie clark/telegraph

For decades, Mary and Felix Garcia have been helping people out in any way they can. They like to give back to the community, says their daughter Cassandra. They have been that way all my life as far back as I can remember.

By Laurie CLark

Mountain View Telegraph

Helping with the American Cancer Societys Relay For Life event, working with Gymkhana, volunteering at the Memorial of Perpetual Tears, helping out with the Toy Run in Torrance County, being involved in the church, donating clothes and toys to charity, volunteering for Habitat for Humanity any one of these things would be enough community contribution for most of us. But Mary and Felix Garcia are, apparently, a force to be reckoned with even illness cannot stop them. Being diagnosed with ovarian and uterine cancer only inspired Mary to be part of the Relay For Life, an annual marathon walk to raise money to fight

cancer. Two years later, she found out she had colon cancer, but she still didnt slow down. Brenda Smythe, their niece, says that when she asked Mary to help out with the Relay event, Mary jumped in and helped out wherever she was needed. She has been full force ever since, says Smythe. Mary has helped out for all five years of the event. Shes awesome, Smythe says. They both are. But Im a little biased, Smythe says with a smile in her voice. The Garcias were involved in the community long before Mary got sick. Helping out wherever they can is just a way of life. We just like to help, says Felix simply. Theres a family here that doesnt have much, so sometimes we go over

there and ask them what they need and we buy them shoes, or pants, or clothes, whatever they need. First Mary had cancer, and now, it is Felixs turn to be sick hes had surgery on one hip, and will have surgery on the other one in a couple of months. However, he still has an energetic (and somewhat mischievous) smile and the desire to help. Its a community thing, says Felix. If somebody needs our car we lend it to them, if weve got extra money we give it to them, says Mary. We just do it...we open the doors, says Felix. And they mean that literally the Garcias have housed many a traveller that needed a place to stay. Mary says that when she was a child,

we were taught if you have two of something somebody else can always use one of them. The community is not only better for Felix and Mary, but for the lessons they have passed on to their children. Theyre all hard working, says Mary. Felix says that its a family thing. We like to help out, thats all it is. Which combines the two things that the Garcias consider to be most important: community and family. It all needs to come back to family. Whether you are fighting today and OK tomorrow, family will always be there for you, says Mary. If you can make the community part of your family, that would be good.

4 Community Assets 2011 Mountain View Telegraph September 15, 2011

More than keeping score

K a r e n
By HaroLd SmitH
Mountain View Telegraph

D e m a r e s t

Karen Demarest is a volunteer allstar as the president of East Mountain Little League, and thats why she was selected as one of the Mountain View Telegraphs Community Assets for 2011. Our first year (on the board), I was the chief scorekeeper (at EMLL); that was in 2004, said Demarest, who recently began her seventh year as the head of the youth baseball and softball organization that covers the East Mountains and Estancia Valley areas. In 2005, I was the player agent. We were involved from that very first year. Ray (her son, now an East Mountain High School senior and its star pitcher) was 8 years old. He played in the Rookies Division. But we never made him play. We played at home with him, and then he had to make the commitment. Demarest uses the words we and us when she discusses her unpaid toil of love in support of East Mountain Little League. Thats because, although she most definitely is in charge of the outfit, the running of the local league with her as its leader is very much a collective endeavor. With Karen, its truly a family affair, said Demarests Little League boss, Camilla Serrano, who is the longtime administrator for District 5, which includes EMLL. You dont just get Karen. You get her whole family. On any given day at the leagues home fields at Vista Grande Community Center, Karen can be seen processing All-Star ballots, handing out baseballs, listening to a parents concerns or selling a hot dog at the concession stand, before she finds a seat on the bleachers and keeps the score book for one of up to five simultaneous games. While she does that, her husband, Ger, the leagues vice president, could be umpiring a 9-10 baseball game while Ray was pitching in one of the older age-bracket contests, and Renaya, their EMHS freshman daughter, was running errands for her mother or had virtually taken over the concession stand. It really is a family project, said Karen Demarest, who got a bachelors degree in management of human resources from Fresno (Calif.) Pacific University in 1994, and in 2010, after going back to school, earned a masters in special education from the University n See Demarest, Page 5

cOurteSY OF eaSt MOuNtaiN little league

East Mountain Little League President Karen Demarest, left, hands out medals to Thunderbird Little League players in July 2008 during the District 5 Minors (9- and 10-year-old) All-Stars Softball Tournament, which EMLL hosted at Vista Grande Community Centers fields.

September 15, 2011 Mountain View Telegraph Community Assets 2011 5

from PAGE 4

Demarest
My dad coached baseball, and Id play with his team during practices, but back then, the girls couldnt play baseball. So, Karen kept her fathers score book. Her father and her mother, Jone Memmott, live in Fresno. He told me that to be a good scorekeeper I had to read the rules. I had to know the rules, she said. We had lunch with my brother the other day. He was passing through. And he said he remembers me arguing with the coaches because they had made an illegal substitution. I knew the rules better than they did. I think I was 11 or 12 years old then. During her term, Demarest and her EMLL board requested, received and have used about $250,000 in the states capital outlay funds in order to improve the leagues fields at Vista Grande Community Center. The league shares a couple of its fields with East Mountain Highs baseball and softball teams. We wrote letters and sent them out to request the funding, she said. We didnt hire anybody to be a lobbyist for us. We did it ourselves. Demarest and her family arent ready to give up their EMLL roles just yet. You get paid with smiles and hugs, she said.

of New Mexico. All of our free time, from January through July, is spent doing it. I think it gives good life skills to the kids. Weve tried to set a good example for our kids: that you can and should help people without compensation. It helps that Demarest, who now teaches special education at Route 66 Elementary School, is personable and smart. Trying to keep a loosely knit group of 300-plus players and their parents going in the same direction is not an easy task. Karen Demarest is extremely knowledgeable of the rules of Little League, Serrano said. In my opinion, when you have a leader that knows the rules, that leader is much more effective. She really is unique. She doesnt try to guess either. Shell call me when she has to, and sometimes I have to refer her to Waco (Texas, where Little Leagues Southwest Region is headquartered). She really does do a good job. Of course, she wont please everybody. But no one will please everybody. It all started back in California when Karens father, Ray Memmott, was a youth baseball coach. I wanted to play baseball. I didnt want to play softball, Demarest said.

harOlD SMith/telegraph

Karen Demarest, East Mountain Little League president

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6 Community Assets 2011 Mountain View Telegraph September 15, 2011

Making Good Things Happen

D e b b i e O r t i z

rOrY McclaNNahaN/telegraph

Debbie Ortiz serves as executive director of the Moriarty Chamber of Commerce, but does much more for the community.

By rory mCCLannaHan
Mountain View Telegraph

Debbie Ortiz is reluctant when she tells you how many hours a day she works. But if you can pry it out of her, the answer is usually about 12 hours, sometimes 14. And a good portion of

those hours arent on the clock. As her job the one shes paid to do she is the executive director of the Moriarty Chamber of Commerce. Her other jobs include serving on the boards of the New Mexico National DWI Victims Memorial of Perpetual Tears, the county Juvenile Justice Board, the Partnership for a Healthier Torrance County and the

KXNM FM Foundation. She also might be found lending a hand to the Moriarty Lions Club or the Moriarty Rotary Club, or over at Moriarty High School, or in Santa Fe lending a hand to the state Legislature. For all that she gives of herself to Moriarty and New Mexico, Ortiz is a Community Asset.

Why does Ortiz do all she does? Its my community, Ortiz says. If you think good things are going to happen and you work to make them happen, it will happen. Its this willingness to lend a hand that led to Ortiz being nominated. n See Ortiz, Page 7

September 15, 2011 Mountain View Telegraph Community Assets 2011 7

The Town of Edgewood would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our dedicated volunteers who make our community such a wonderful place to live, work, and play!
No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks. ~James Allen

Moriarty Lions CLub

Upcoming Events Bingo every Tuesday at 7:00pm Pinto Bean Fiesta Oct. 8 Pancake Breakfast from 7am to 12 noon Oct. 8 - 2:00pm Raffle Giveaway at Moriarty Park December 18, Toys for Kids 12:00 noon - 4:00pm

rOrY McclaNNahaN/telegraph

Debbie Ortiz presents an award to Sonja Britton, a previous Telegraph Community Asset, at a recent ceremony at the New Mexico National DWI Victims Memorial of Perpetual Tears. Both serve on the memorials board of directors.

515 Lions Ct. Moriarty President - James Jimenez 505-688-9498 for more information

from PAGE 6 She has always gone above the call of duty for anyone, and any business, no matter if they are invovlved with the chamber or not, said DeeAnn Orio, branch manager for US Bank. And the manner in which Ortiz goes about giving time and effort has made people take notice. Debbie does so much for everyone and never gets the credit she deserves, said Robin Foshee of Higher Speed Internet. Ortiz grew up at Clines Corners where her father, Alfred Larraaga, was manager for 41 years. Every day, she rode the bus 22 miles to attend school in Moriarty, she said, where she graduated in 1978. Her inspiration for community service was learned first at home; her father served as a Torrance County commissioner for 14 years. Although her immediate family was small, she grew up with 23 aunts and uncles to put her on the right track, she said. And when she married Robert Ortiz, she married into another large family. She chuckles at the suggestion that she might be related to just about everyone in the Estancia Valley, but it may not be too far from the truth. But it underlies the importance of family. Family is really important to me; we spend a lot of time together, Ortiz said. There is always someone around you can count on. Debbie says that it is the support of her family, especially her husband, Robert, that makes it possible for her to do all she does. She and Robert, who was a deputy cabinet secretary for the state Department of Transportation, have two children, Dominic, who is an engineer tech for DOT, and Amanda, a case worker for the states Children, Youth and Family Department. But Ortiz said that family extends to those who have influenced her as she grew up. It was those people who served as examples; people like Mike and Mary Anaya, Jerry and Sonja Britton and Don and Dorothy King. She says as a youth she was amazed at the adults around her who worked endless hours to make Moriarty a community. As she aged, she said she knew she had to step up. Now is my time to be there for my community, she said.

Ortiz

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8 Community Assets 2011 Mountain View Telegraph September 15, 2011

Keeping Up May Be Hard To Do

A r t
By Lee roSS
Mountain View Telegraph

S w e n k a

Somebody had to do it. Thats Art Swenkas attitude when it comes to keeping an eye out and making sure that nobody sticks a straw into the Estancia Basin and depletes the areas water supply. About six years ago, around the time Santa Fe hatched a plan to pipe millions of gallons of water from the Estancia Basin to the state capital, Swenka helped put together the Estancia Basin Resource Association, or EBRA. The city abandoned that plan long ago, but the incident sparked Swenkas interest. Once he got his hands on the issue, he never let it go. Torrance County certainly is worth supporting, and I feel that everybody should step up and do their part, Swenka said. Swenka has been a fixture in the area for some time. He bought land near the intersection of N.M. 337 and N.M. 55 in 1981, and moved to the area in 1997. And hes always willing to lend a hand, the kind of guy you want to have move into the neighborhood, according to Babbi Baker and Barbara Kinney, who nominated Swenka as a Community Asset. If it needs to be done, Art Swenka is the man! they wrote in the nomination letter. Without exception, Art is always a loyal and loving neighbor. Whether we are in the middle of a wildfire, or there is an accident on the highway, Art is there to help! We are so blessed to share a fence line with him. There is no one more deserving of recognition. And when it comes to water issues, it probably doesnt hurt that Swenka knows how to play ball. He retired from the food distribution business in 2001. He said while he was managing the distribution company, originally called Nobel Foods, it merged with and eventually became one part of Sysco. And to say the company grew is certainly an understatement. Starting out with 12 employees in the 1970s, he said there are now about 500. It appears Swenka hasnt done much sitting around since he retired, either. Over the years, Swenka met with former Gov. Bill Richardson, the state engineer, legislators and other players to talk about the importance of keeping the water from the basin within the valley. He has helped bring in funds for EBRAs war chest of roughly $180,000 enough to get started on a legal battle should a plan to export water come up again.

rOrY McclaNNahaN/telegraph

Art Swenka claims he isnt spread too thin, but he volunteers with the Estancia Basin Resource Association, KXNM FM and many other things in the Estancia Valley.

Swenka helped to get aerial photos taken of the basin to show growth and various uses of water in the area, he monitors quarterly reports on water transfers and keeps an eye on the legal ads to stay on top of whatever may be brewing next. I watch the classified section and

the legals like a hawk, Swenka said. Thats where you pick a lot of stuff up. Its important to mention the regional water plan Swenka helped develop to protect the basin. That plan is referred to specifically in a bit of law that was passed in 2008, when Swenka worked with former State

Rep. Kathy McCoy, State Rep. Larry Larraaga and State Sen. Sue Wilson to get Senate Joint Memorial 17 passed. Essentially, the memorial states applications to export water from the Estancia basin be in the best interests of all New Mexicans, including n See Swenka, Page 9

September 15, 2011 Mountain View Telegraph Community Assets 2011 9

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telegraph File

Art Swenka shows part of the water harvesting system he helped install at the Torreon Fire Department.

from PAGE 8

Swenka
at the Torreon Fire Department, where he helped secure funding for a water harvesting system. In fact, Swenka said that harvesting system is so effective that the fire department didnt use a drop of Torreons water this past fire season. While holding all his titles, attending meetings, making phone calls, and trying to keep water in the valley, he has been running a commercial ranching operation near Estancia. And Swenka is president of the Torrance County Farm and Livestock Bureau, and is an active supporter of the Torrance County Fair, 4-H and FFA. If that werent enough Swenka was recently named president of the KXNM FM Community Radio Foundation, where he is working toward renting space on a radio tower, obtaining radio equipment, wading through the FCC regulations and even mowing the station grounds.

THANK YOU TO OUR COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS!

From all of us at

the residents, ranchers and farmers in the Estancia basin. It also states that the application should be supported by proof that the applicant truly needs the water and there is no alternative available in-basin sources of water. He also fought, unsuccessfully, to have the valleys plan recognized within the states Sustainable Land Development Code, a planning document for how land is used in the county. Its not going to be there, I guess, he said. Swenka continues to attend just about any meeting involving the areas water and being active in the soil and water districts that serve Torrance County, and is supervisor of the Edgewood Soil and Water Conservation District. He is a former president and current vice president of the Water Resource Board of the Middle Rio Grande Council of Governments. He is on the Estancia Basin Watershed Health and Restoration Committee and volunteers

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10 Community Assets 2011 Mountain View Telegraph September 15, 2011

Words Mean More Than The Actions

J o h n
By Lee roSS
Mountain View Telegraph

a n d

M o n i c a

S u d a

John and Monica Suda tend to talk about what the Edgewood Community Library has done for them, rather than what they have done for it. Monica, who has a gentle voice and a seemingly ever-present smile, said her volunteer work helping to catalog all the librarys new books helped her through some dark days. If it hadnt been for the fact that I had the job of cataloging, I dont know that I would have made it through the surgeries, she said. I love to do it. Several years ago, while she was recovering from her hip replacements and couldnt do housework, Monica would update the catalog, punching in the codes for box after box of books. She said it gave her a sense of purpose and meaning. Its a job she has continued to do, and one that certainly helps the library run better, according to interim library director Andrea Corvin. Monica also took on the task of looking through and correcting 180,000 library records, Corvin said. If I had to do cataloging on top of everything, it would take me forever and ever, Corvin said. (The Sudas) have been with the library through thick and thin. They want this to be here for the community and theyll fight for it till the end. The couple has also kept the inventory of best sellers up-to-date for years. Monica clips the list from the Albuquerque Journal each week, then they use their own money to make sure the library has everything on the list. And, because the library doesnt have the budget to do so, over the holidays the Sudas have even provided gift certificates for the library to thank the other volunteers. Monica has kept her contributions to herself, for the most part, while Corvin said John has been a bit more public and acted as something of an ambassador for the library to Edgewood Mayor Robert Stearley and the town council. Hes a go-to guy for the library, she said. Im not sure where this library would be without the two of them. She added that, through Monicas surgeries and a few heart attacks for John, theyve never wavered in their support. John shrugged the matter aside. It hasnt slowed me down, he said. I feel blessed to be here. Corvin said that the Sudas dont ever seem to look for praise. This is something they want to do.

lee rOSS/telegraph

John and Monica Suda have helped to keep the library in Edgewood going for over a decade.

They dont really seek any recognition or anything in return. Their reward is seeing the library grow and prosper. They really are wonderful people, she said. Theyve always kind of been there for us. Monica began volunteering in the 1990s, and said back then the catalogue was kept on cards instead of a computer. It wasnt long after before John got involved, and since then, theyve seen the library through several rough patches. John took a seat on the board of directors in 1999, he said, and he was there to fight for the library in 2000, when there was talk of closing it down. I said, No. Thats not going to happen, he said. Monica said the library scrambled for money and managed to stay afloat by holding rummage sales. Since then theyve seen the library

grow and move out of the old space on Old Route 66, which was too small with shelves crammed with books, and had a perpetually leaky roof at the time. With help from Stearley, the town council and the town itself, they have moved into the current building, north of Interstate 40 on the west side of N.M. 344. Theyve also seen the computer system become more modern, to the point where Monica can now update the catalogue from home and anyone can peruse the books over the Internet. Along with that upgrade, John secured a donation of a bank of computers for patrons and had his son, Darren, set up the server. John also keeps those machines going, checking the computers and clearing their memory every Sunday. He also uses the system to teach a free series of computer classes each month. Its mostly older folks who dont

know how to use computers, he said. Thats why unlike some folks from the younger generation he explains things nice and slow. One of my opening remarks is, If youre like me, then your grandkid comes up and says this is how you do it, he said as he mimed a shoving motion and rapid typing. Hes had teens, 40-somethings and at least one 86-year-old woman attend the classes, he said. His best testimony, however came from a roughly 35-year-old student who said she landed a job because of his class. Its a good class, he said. Between the computers which, in fact, patrons primarily use to search for jobs the new building and the best sellers, library patronage has skyrocketed in the last few years, John said. n See Suda, Page 12

September 15, 2011 Mountain View Telegraph Community Assets 2011 11

A Lost Pets Patron Saint

J o y c e
By Laurie CLark
Mountain View Telegraph

L e w i s
talking to people. And Albert was going out everyday. I explained to them how to set up comfort stations they set up two comfort stations. He went out there and monitored those every morning and every evening. On July the 31, which was their last night in Dalhart, they went to the comfort station, and Max came out toward them. Twenty-eight days that dog had been missing, says Joyce. Once there is a happy ending to a lost pet story, Lewis lets everyone know by sending out a Happy Tail, and people are delighted to know how the story turned out, says Lewis. Of course, there are also the stories that dont have happy endings, but Lewis seems to fight off any discouragement by keeping in mind the good she does. When you think about what is involved for people to put out notices in the East Mountains...its almost an overwhelming task. I just wanted something that would add to the possibility that the dog could be spotted. The quicker that the word can get out, the better it is, says Lewis. Of course you would expect such a dog lover to have a few of her own. Lewis and her husband Jim prefer to adopt special needs dogs, those that are sick or older and dont have a good chance of being adopted. It is absolutely incredible to see what love and care and good food can do...(we want them to) know love and security and human kindness, says Lewis. Lewis has big plans for the future of Pet Alert. She is excited at the thought of using tracking dogs to help find lost pets. Genghis the bloodhound is already having success in his training. She would also like to start organizing volunteers to help in the pet searches, and she would like to start collecting donations to buy equipment such as GPS, radios and other gear for them to use when tracking lost pets. It is hard for Lewis not to get emotionally invested in the families she is trying to help make complete again, but that doesnt keep her from being persistent. Part of the job is giving encouragement, advice, hope to people...its very gratifying. People have told me they were ready to give up, but kept going because of my encouragement, says Lewis. The address for the Pet Alert website is www.eastmountainpetalert.org.

In the vast wooded area of the East Mountains, it would be easy to lose hope when a beloved pet wanders off. It can be overwhelming to think of finding that dog or cat, and what they might have to go through evading predators, fending off weather and starvation, avoiding cars. Although it seems like an impossible task, Joyce Lewis has found a way to help pets and their owners be reunited. Lewis started East Mountain Pet Alert in April 2010. As of now, it has almost 200 members people who are alerted, by email, that a pet is missing and they should be on the lookout for it. If youve lost a pet, you can email Lewis with a description of the lost dog or cat, when and where it was lost, contact information and a picture. If youve found a pet, Lewis says you should take the dog or cat to the vet to check for a microchip. If that doesnt prove fruitful, then you can send an email to her to tell her about the pet youve found. All of this helps pet owners by sifting information through one central place Lewis and her computer. Lewis spends many hours a week working on Pet Alert, but she is not complaining. It is a labor of love. I am busier than I ever imagined I would be... besides the rewards of finding lost pets, the rewards have also been from the privilege of getting to know and having as our members some of the most dedicated animal lovers in the East Mountains, says Lewis. Lewis has reason to be proud of her work, and to brag about her successes. She tells of a dog that was located one hour after it got lost, and even more incredibly, one that was found one minute after a notice was sent out. Besides the emails and the website, Lewis also helps by giving advice to those with a lost pet. One thing Lewis advises is to make comfort stations to encourage wandering dogs to stay in one place. A comfort station is set up in an area where the lost dog has been seen at least twice. The owner should put down food, water and some items with scents of the owners and even other dogs from the household. Lewis made use of this technique in a situation that went above and beyond emails and a website.

laurie clark/telegraph

Joyce Lewis with Casper and Pippi. Lewis has made it her mission to help East Mountain residents find lost pets, and has had quite a bit of success reuniting pets and their owners.

Lewis heard of two dogs, Max and Maya, that were lost in Texas, while their owners, Albert and Cyndi, were home in Albuquerque. Albert is a truck driver, and had gotten in an accident when driving, with the dogs, near Dalhart, Texas. Max and Maya got lost after the accident. They were able to retrieve Maya, but Max was a little harder to get. He was extremely shy. They were in the wreck July 3. I talked to the owners and found out they did not have the funds to go back to Dalhart to search for Max, says Lewis. Lewis happened to get a donation from an owner whose dog she had helped to find. I thought, Im going to pay this forward, said Lewis. With that and some other donations, Lewis helped Albert and Cyndi get back to Texas so they could search for Max. They were so diligent in putting up notices and

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Congratulations to all of the Community Assets! A special Thank You to the volunteers for the Claunch-Pinto Soil and Water Conservation District, who are the our valuable assets. Water Conservation District, who are our valuable assets. 121 West Broadway, Suite 108 P. O. Box 129 Mountainair, NM 87036
Phone: (505) 847-2243 or 847-2941 Cell: (505) 705-5243 or 705-0166 Fax: (505) 847-0615 Email: Dierdre.Tarr@nm.nacdnet.net deetarr@yahoo.com

832-6642

www.claunchpinto.org

12 Community Assets 2011 Mountain View Telegraph September 15, 2011

telegraph File

John Suda points to a map of Section 16 in Edgewood in 2009 to show a project he supports. Suda and his wife, Monica, have been long-time supporters of the Edgewood Community Library.

from PAGE 10 Like a skilled diplomat, Suda is good at finding ways of praising other peoples better qualities. Although it is John who comes several times a week to work on the computers, he made a point of saying its his son Darren who is the one who really knows his way around the system. I know enough to be dangerous, but he keeps me straight, John said. He also credits the towns mayor a long-time advocate of the library for much of the librarys success. He said Stearley even put in a good amount of the physical labor it took to get them into the building. He really supported us, he said. He was in here hanging lights over the books. The Sudas will likely be around, and pushing for the next phase in the librarys evolution. John ultimately wants to put the books into a building designed and built by the town, he said. We certainly want the council and town itself to be aware that we are still looking in that direction, he said.

Suda

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www.eswcd.org

Thank You!!!
Commercial and Residential on site and off site Construction
Alternative Building Solutions sends out a heartfelt Thank You to all of our Community and our Customers for their continued trust, confidence and support. As we continue to grow as a community and a local business Quality, Trust and ongoing Customer Service should never be forgotten!!! Our Team here at Alternative Building Solutions strives to ensure that these important components are a part of our everyday business practice because our Customers are extremely important to us!

Thank You!!! Its Your Home...Demand QualityWe Deliver!

2001 Old 66, Moriarty, New Mexico 87035 505-832-6111 www.absnm.com