Local documentarian and author Dean Decker has spent more than a decade researching and documenting Los Alamos places and history, so it is no surprise that he is creating a fund to benefit the Los Alamos Historical Society.
“Los Alamos history is of course fascinating. So much has already been written about the science of the Manhattan Project. I’ve spent my efforts documenting the community aspects and life in Los Alamos,” explains Decker in addressing what has compelled him to start a seed fund at Los Alamos Community Foundation for the Historical Society.
“Los Alamos Historical Society maintains a very large archive,” said Decker, “and they strive to present new and varied displays about our history. I believe this work is important, and I want to make sure that it continues indefinitely. An endowment is a great way to do that.”
Decker’s fund is termed a “Seed Fund,” which means that the community has five years to raise the $10,000 necessary to create a permanent endowment fund to benefit the Los Alamos Historical Society. While Decker has kicked it off with a personal donation, everyone can help ensure the endowment is fully funded well before the five-year deadline. Donations may be sent to Los Alamos Community Foundation, with a note designating “Los Alamos Historical Society.”
LACF Executive Director Liz Martineau said, “As someone who personally treasures our local history, I’m very excited that this endowment will provide a new revenue stream and annual funding disbursements to the Historical Society to preserve and share our local stories.”
Los Alamos Historical Society Executive Director, Todd Nickols adds, “Dean is an exceptionally generous person, as demonstrated through his writing, his support of our Archives and Collections, his active participation in our exhibit openings, and now with the creation of this seed fund. The Historical Society’s Board of Directors and staff sincerely appreciate Dean’s longstanding support and friendship, which have been invaluable to both the Society and the Los Alamos community. Thank you, Dean!”
Martineau said endowments held at the Los Alamos Community Foundation (LACF) offer several benefits for donors and local organizations, including expert investing monitoring, providing funding diversity for organizations, providing a consistent revenue stream in perpetuity to local nonprofits, and protecting funds from fraud or bankruptcy.
“We encourage Los Alamos residents who value our unique local history to donate to this new endowment fund for the Los Alamos Historical Society,” said Martineau, “or to the Pajarito Heritage Fund, which focuses specifically on preserving our homesteading history.”
Martineau said LACF accepts online donations on their website (losalamoscf.org), monthly donations through the LANL giving tool, Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs), and one-time gifts.
“You may even designate a fund through your will or trust. We are proud to be local. You are welcome to stop by our office (in the Enterprise Bank and Trust building) to discuss giving options with us,” said Martineau. LACF is located on the ground floor of the Enterprise Bank and Trust building, which provides the space to the Foundation.
A current list of the 24 permanent endowment funds LACF manages is available on the website losalamoscf.org under “donate to a fund.”
Martineau said, “If your favorite organization is listed there, consider donating. If it isn’t listed, maybe you can be the one to start a permanent fund for them. An Endowment Fund is giving that lasts!”
About the Los Alamos Community Foundation:
Established in 2015, the mission of the Los Alamos Community Foundation is to build enduring philanthropy to empower our community’s nonprofit organizations. LACF stewards twenty-four permanent endowment funds and supports local nonprofits through training, initiatives, and grantmaking. For more information about the Los Alamos Community Foundation, visit www.losalamoscf.org.
Jose A. (Joe) and Mary M. (Marty) Arellano’s story is rooted in the soil of northern New Mexico. From the quiet Arellano family orchard in the Embudo Valley and farming communities of Mora County, the Arellano’s journey is a testament to the values of hard work, service, faith, community, and family.
In northern New Mexico, community is a way of life.
Joe, who lost his mother when he was 11 years old, understands hardship. In the Dixon orchards, he witnessed firsthand that “Families were dependent on each other.”
Marty agrees, recalling that “Families in the little communities of northern New Mexico grew and survived because they shared.”
This spirit of community stayed with them throughout their lives. Joe and Marty met at the Menaul Boarding School in Albuquerque and married in 1961.
A pivotal moment came early in their marriage when someone in need asked them for money. Even though they had little money themselves, the choice was clear; they chose to give their last $20 without question, because, as Marty says, “If anyone has a need, we should help them.”
The years that followed were busy. Joe served five years in the Air Force and then joined LANL, working his way from a technician and machinist to an assistant group leader. Marty was also busy raising three children under the age of two years old, and then joining the LANL workforce.
In 1992, Joe and Marty took on the challenge of property management, but they didn’t just see structures– they saw it as a way to care for people. They purchased an apartment building, then remodeled, cleaned, furnished, and rented the apartments to LANL students, post-docs, and foreign scientists. One apartment purchase led to another.
This February, Joe and Marty celebrated 65 years of marriage. Their family has grown with their 3 children, Karen Edwards, Lee Arellano, and Paul Arellano, to include 5 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren. They find themselves with a “full, rich life,” but ultimately find themselves looking forward.
“We have been blessed. We have enough that we can share,” says Marty, “Why not share and give other people opportunities to improve their lives?”
To honor their values, Joe and Marty decided to leave a lasting impact by establishing a permanent endowment fund through the Los Alamos Community Foundation. Joe says, “Our goal is for this endowment to provide grants to help care for people.” The purpose of this fund is to inspire and uplift people working to better themselves through education and training in nursing, healthcare, the trades, and vocational work.
The name they chose for the endowment reflects their family values, the “Jose A. and Mary M. Arellano Family Endowment.”
“We are humbled by this donation and take the management of these funds very seriously,” says Liz Martineau, Los Alamos Community Foundation Executive Director. “Our community is lucky to have philanthropists like Joe and Marty. They are putting the lessons they learned in life into action to help others. Their generosity will help people for many years to come.”
As Joe and Marty establish this new form of giving, they continue to plant seeds and nourish the soil of our community, ensuring that the next generation thrives.
About the Los Alamos Community Foundation:
Established in 2015, the mission of the Los Alamos Community Foundation is to build enduring philanthropy to empower our community’s nonprofit organizations. LACF stewards twenty-four permanent endowment funds and supports local nonprofits through training, initiatives, and grantmaking. For more information about the Los Alamos Community Foundation, visit www.losalamoscf.org.
LACF News:There is a new option for supporting causes and nonprofit organizations that you care about in Los Alamos – Seed Funds! The Los Alamos Community Foundation (LACF) recently established a process for creating seed funds that can grow over time and turn into named endowment funds. “Our job is to help local donors fulfill their giving goals. So, when we heard from donors who wanted the option to start a fund with a smaller amount of money that could grow into an endowment, we decided to find a way to make it happen,” explained Liz Martineau, LACF Executive Director. Individuals or families can start a fund to benefit a cause or organization with a small investment, and have five years to reach the $10,000 necessary to create a lasting endowment.
Donor Linda Zwick says, “For 55 years, Self-Help has been providing support and services as a bridge to self-reliance for people in Northern New Mexico. This Seed Fund will build an endowment to provide Self Help with a new stable funding source.”
“I am so pleased that we are now able to offer a new way to support the arts in Los Alamos County and the surrounding region. This seed fund will produce an endowment that will empower people to make a lasting contribution that will benefit the arts for generations to come,“ says founding donor David Hampton.
These two seed funds need your help to grow into endowments. Please consider a donation to the Los Alamos Community Foundation (with a note designating a specific fund) to help sustain these two important community nonprofit organizations.
All of Los Alamos Community Foundation’s endowment funds accept donations at any time. Martineau encourages residents planning for the future to please consider a lasting gift to an endowment fund with the Los Alamos Community Foundation.
In addition to the two new seed funds for Self Help, Inc. and the Los Alamos Arts Council, LACF stewards endowment funds to benefit Family Council, Los Alamos Retired and Senior Organization, Los Alamos Visiting Nurses, Los Alamos Little Theater, Family Strengths Network, and Duane Smith Auditorium, UNM-LA, and has a general Los Alamos fund that provides grants to many nonprofit organizations.
Other endowments benefit specific community interests: Judy Dudziak Endowment for Community Music Organizations, Los Alamos Community Youth Sports, Pajarito Plateau Heritage Preservation, Rosalie Heller Memorial Lecture, and the Paul and Susan Bombardt K-12 Music Education, Enterprise Bank and Trust Community Endowment, and the Diane Warther Soran Endowment for Community Programs.
What are your giving goals? The Los Alamos Community Foundation is here to help you reach them. We accept checks, credit cards, required minimum distributions, LANL payroll deductions, stocks, bonds, and more. Learn more about giving at www.losalamoscf.org or email info@losalamoscf.org.
About the Los Alamos Community Foundation: Established in 2015, the Los Alamos Community Foundation seeks to improve the local quality of life by inspiring, facilitating and supporting enduring philanthropy, and building the capacity and success of our local nonprofit organizations. The Los Alamos Community Foundation currently stewards sixteen locally endowed funds and has total assets of over $1.5M. For more information about the Los Alamos Community Foundation or to donate, visit www.losalamoscf.org.
photo: Brandi Engeman (Executive Director, Los Alamos Arts Council) and David Hampton celebrate establishment of a Seed Fund.
Photo: Brandi Engeman (Executive Director, Los Alamos Arts Council) and David Hampton celebrate establishment of a Seed Fund.
LACF News – The Los Alamos Community Foundation announced today that longtime resident and community theatre participant, Ken Milder, has established the Los Alamos Little Theatre (LALT) Endowment Fund with a seed gift of $10,000. The purpose of the fund is to provide unrestricted operating support to LALT.
“I want to support the Little Theatre because it’s tough to sustain a performing arts center, put on plays, and provide educational programs and opportunities for experience and learning,” said Milder. “I also want to make sure that the Little Theatre has financial support in down years because things like the pandemic can be devastating, and unfortunately not every play makes money,” he added.
LALT, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community theater group, was founded in 1943 and has been providing entertainment since the days of the Manhattan Project. Productions take place in the Performing Arts Center (PAC), which LALT operates on behalf of Los Alamos County.
Milder, who worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory for 38 years, believes there is a strong relationship between science and the arts. “During my time at the Lab, what I observed almost without exception is that LANL Fellows have a strong foundation in the arts, humanities and music,” said Milder.
“A foundation in the arts helps people apply technical knowledge in creative and outside-the-box ways. For our country to remain a leader in science, engineering and design, we need the arts,” Milder said. “Personally, I’ve benefited greatly from the arts. I’ve been involved in performing arts since I was 13, and when I moved to Los Alamos the very first organization I joined was the Little Theatre.” Milder added, “We must add arts to science, technology, engineering and mathematics education and call it STEAM!”
Steve Laurent, Executive Director of LACF, noted that Ken’s contribution is just a first step. “There is a need to grow the endowment significantly so it can relieve LALT of the pressure to raise funds and allow it to focus on what it does best – providing the gift of theater to the community. I encourage anyone who has been a member of, or has been entertained or touched by, the Little Theatre to consider contributing to the fund,” Laurent said.
To donate to the LALT Endowment, go to losalamoscf.org/donate.
About the Los Alamos Little Theatre: Founded in 1943, LALT has been providing entertainment on the “Hill” since the days of the Manhattan Project. LALT serves the following purposes: to produce plays and other dramatic works; to promote the interest of the public in drama and dramatic productions; to instruct and educate members in the dramatic arts and related subjects; and to furnish the community of Los Alamos with a source of dramatic talent. For more information, visit www.lalt.org.
About the Los Alamos Community Foundation: Established in 2015, the Los Alamos Community Foundation seeks to improve the quality of life in our community by inspiring, facilitating and supporting enduring philanthropy and building the capacity and success of our local nonprofit organizations. The Los Alamos Community Foundation currently stewards fourteen locally endowed funds and has total assets of nearly $900,000. For more information about the Los Alamos Community Foundation, visit www.losalamoscf.org.
(LACF News) – Reminiscing about the importance of competitive sports in the growth and maturity of their children and their friends sparked in Paul and Jill Cook a special project in 2019. In collaboration with the Los Alamos Community Foundation, they decided to create an endowment that would provide perpetual financial support to further youth sports in Los Alamos County.
Initially funded with their seed contribution of $25,000, the Los Alamos Community Youth Sports Endowment has now grown to over $66,000 from additional contributions and investment earnings. Los Alamos Community Foundation is responsible for investing the fund corpus under the supervision of an investment committee while making available each year 4% of the endowment to a competitively-chosen local youth sports organization. After reserving an administrative fee to further the foundation itself, any financial growth above and beyond those distributions is reinvested back into the endowment for the future. As the endowment grows, so does its annual distribution, which means that more grant dollars become available over time to further the fund’s mission.
The Los Alamos Community Youth Sports Endowment made its first distribution in 2021 through a competitive selection process to which five nonprofits in Los Alamos County applied. Local roller derby team, The Cherry Bombs, was chosen to receive a $1,200 grant to fund their participation in away bouts and support hosting home bouts.
When Los Alamos Community Foundation’s Spring 2022 grant cycle opens on April 1, nonprofits in Los Alamos will again have the opportunity to apply for a grant. Thanks to the generosity of donors and prudent investment of this fund, $1,700 is available this year from the endowment. Visit LACF’s website for more details on this soon-to-be-announced grant cycle.
Los Alamos Community Foundation is proud to help civic-minded community members like the Cooks create endowments that align with their passions. If you would like to have a conversation about supporting your philanthropic passions in Los Alamos, contact the foundation’s Executive Director, Rachel Kizielewicz, at 505-661-4420 or rachel@losalamoscf.org.
About the Los Alamos Community Foundation: Established in 2015, the focus of the Los Alamos Community Foundation is to build enduring philanthropy to empower our community’s nonprofit organizations. The Los Alamos Community Foundation currently stewards 14 local endowed funds and has total assets of more than $975,000. For more information about the Los Alamos Community Foundation, visit www.losalamoscf.org.
(LACF News) – Georgia Strickfaden has always had a love affair with Los Alamos history. It might have begun as a young teen exploring on horseback the northern mesas and canyons of Los Alamos County. In the Stable Area on North Mesa, she was intrigued by two unique homestead houses among the other more recently constructed barns.
“By studying, reading history, exploring and volunteering at the History Museum, I became aware of the remnants of the overlooked and forgotten Hispanic influence, especially our homestead era 1880-1942…hand-made wagon roads, homestead houses of logs and deteriorating barbed-wire fencing dating to US Forest Service grazing allotments,” said Strickfaden.
Now Strickfaden has turned that love for history and preservation into action by creating the Pajarito Plateau Heritage Preservation Endowment at the Los Alamos Community Foundation with an initial gift of $10,000.
“I am pleased to be able to utilize savings that was accrued by Buffalo Tours/Atomic City Tours for preserving Los Alamos History, in particular pre-WW II homestead cabins and New Mexico agricultural heritage,” said Strickfaden. “I just call it the Cabins Fund for short.”
The purpose of the fund is to provide for the preservation of the historic heritage of primarily the Pajarito Plateau region. Preference will be given for the preservation of the Homestead Era environment, to potentially include things such as buildings, features, and the study of agricultural practices.
“Recognizing and assisting in the preservation of homestead cabins, roads and the agricultural pre-WW II heritage of the Pajarito Plateau is the reason I am establishing the Cabins Fund through the Los Alamos Community Foundation,” Strickfaden said. “Recognizing, valuing, and teaching about an era that abruptly ended with the Manhattan Project take-over of the Pajarito Plateau will enhance the depth of our current existence in this wonderful place.”
Currently, the Los Alamos Historical Society is not able to take on the restoration of homestead cabins on North Mesa. Strickfaden hopes that by establishing this endowment, funds will grow to assist in preservation and restoration projects and even heritage education surrounding the Pajarito Plateau.
Elizabeth Martineau, executive director of the Los Alamos Historical Society echoed the need for preservation dollars. “Preservation is a worthwhile, but expensive endeavor. We look forward to the additional support that the Pajarito Plateau Heritage Preservation Endowment will provide to preserve homesteading properties and our local history,” said Martineau.
“We hike and ride on the roads and trails that were built by hand, we cultivate gardens where there once were large fields, we revel in the same landscape where livestock once grazed, and we endure the droughts and storms as they did as they worked for their livelihoods,” said Strickfaden. “By preserving history, we learn more about ourselves.”
Public contributions to the fund are welcome, and can be made at https://alamos.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/list.
About the Los Alamos Community Foundation:
Established in 2015, the mission of the Los Alamos Community Foundation is to build enduring philanthropy to empower our community’s nonprofit organizations. LACF stewards twenty-four permanent endowment funds and supports local nonprofits through training, initiatives, and grantmaking. For more information about the Los Alamos Community Foundation, visit www.losalamoscf.org.
(LACF News) – Judy Dudziak had a strong passion for music, which she pursued from childhood throughout the rest of her life. She played piano and violin in her youth. Then later, the recorder and French horn, the latter in the Los Alamos Symphony, the Municipal Band, and as a member of the orchestra for many theatrical plays. Judy encouraged all her children to play instruments and often supported the Los Alamos High School Band and Orchestra.
To honor Judy’s lifelong passion for music, her husband Don Dudziak has created the Community Endowment for Music Organizations at the Los Alamos Community Foundation. The initial gift of $10,000 includes a dollar-for-dollar match by Dudziak of up to $5,000.
“I was always aware of the financial needs of the orchestras and bands in which Judy played French Horn, so when I heard about the Community Foundation. I thought it would be an ideal vehicle for establishing an endowment to support groups such as those in which Judy played,” said Dudziak.
Annual distributions from the fund will provide support for organizations in Los Alamos County whose work expands knowledge and appreciation of genres such as classical orchestral and band music, light opera, marching band, and choral performances.
To match funds, please visit: https://alamos.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/list
About the Los Alamos Community Foundation: Established in 2015, the focus of the Los Alamos Community Foundation is to improve the quality of life in our community by inspiring, facilitating and supporting enduring philanthropy, and building the capacity and success of our local nonprofit organizations. The Los Alamos Community Foundation currently stewards eleven local endowed funds and has total assets of more than $800,000. For more information about the Los Alamos Community Foundation, visit www.losalamoscf.org.
(LACF News) – The Diane Warther Soran Endowment for Community Programs was recently established at the Los Alamos Community Foundation. Annual distributions from the fund will underwrite expenses associated with conducting nonprofit training programs, donor training programs, or other community training programs that the foundation develops over time.
The fund was created by Denise Soran Brown and P. David Soran in honor of their late mother, Diane Warther Soran.
Rachel Kizielewicz, Executive Director of the LACF, says for now the annual distributions from the endowment will partially underwrite expenses associated with its nonprofit training program and a soon-to-be-announced program to provide philanthropy-related training to donors and community members.
“Our non-profit training series, now in its fifth year, has become a pillar of our work at the foundation. The creation of this endowment will support the growth of these programs, and will allow us to expand our offerings to include philanthropy education for community members. We are thrilled for the opportunity this brings,” said Kizielewicz.
Upcoming nonprofit training workshops include: “Leading with Vision: From Strategic Planning to Strategic Doing”, conducted by Angelo Gonzalez on Thursday, March 18 from 9:00am – 12:00pm. And “Board Governance for Effective Leadership”, conducted by Linley Daly on Wednesday, April 7th from 9:00am – 12:00pm. For more information and to register, go to: losalamoscf.org/ticket.
About the Los Alamos Community Foundation: Established in 2015, the focus of the Los Alamos Community Foundation is to improve the quality of life in our community by inspiring, facilitating and supporting enduring philanthropy, and building the capacity and success of our local nonprofit organizations. The Los Alamos Community Foundation currently stewards eleven local endowed funds and has total assets of more than $800,000. For more information about the Los Alamos Community Foundation, visit www.losalamoscf.org.
Los Alamos, N.M. – The Los Alamos Community Foundation announces the establishment of the Paul and Susan Bombardt K-12 Music Education Endowment for Los Alamos Public Schools. The fund will benefit students in music education in Los Alamos by providing funding for performing artists to give demonstrations, classes, or workshops that will expose, engage, and excite students (K–12). The fund will also support teachers in their efforts to attract and retain music students throughout their education and provide student access to musical instrument (rental) where needed.
Paul and Susan were fortunate to experience music in their early education and were inspired by their music teachers. Paul studied the violin and enjoyed playing in both school and community orchestras. Susan studied piano, clarinet, bass clarinet, and tenor saxophone and played in concert, stage and marching bands. She also sang in her school chorus and church choir.
“Although Susan and I pursued careers in science, we understood how we benefited from our music education in numerous ways,” said Bombardt. “We believe music added another perspective to our scientific and technical careers.”
The Bombardt’s hope is that through this endowment fund, music educators in LAPS will be able to further excite, engage and retain students in the musical arts so that they in turn will similarly benefit from life enriching and inspiring experiences.
“Our music education taught us teamwork and to appreciate music of all varieties and provided us an avenue for making new and lifelong friends,” said Bombardt.
In addition to their initial gift, the Bombardts have made a provision in their estate that will direct a substantial gift to their endowment after lifetime. “It’s our desire to leave this type of legacy for Los Alamos and have our fund continue to grow with an after-lifetime contribution,” said Susan Bombardt.
The Bombardt endowment fund is administered by the LACF and the distributions will be administered through the Los Alamos Public Schools Foundation.
“The Los Alamos Community Foundation is grateful to Paul and Sue for entrusting us with the opportunity to bring their philanthropic vision to life through the creation of this fund,” said Rachel Kizielewicz, LACF Executive Director.
“This is an incredible gift for students in Los Alamos both now and in the future,” said Jenny McCumber, Executive Director of the Los Alamos Public Schools Foundation. “LAPS Foundation is grateful to the Bombardts for their generosity and looks forward to the impact their gift will have on music education in Los Alamos Public Schools.”
About the Los Alamos Community Foundation: Established in 2015, the focus of the Los Alamos Community Foundation is to improve the quality of life in our community by inspiring, facilitating and supporting enduring philanthropy, and building the capacity and success of our local nonprofit organizations. The Los Alamos Community Foundation currently stewards ten local endowment funds and total assets of more than $575,000. For more information about the Los Alamos Community Foundation, visit www.losalamoscf.org.