Focus on Lea County Fall 2014

FALL 2014

Giving

Science: It’s a Girl Thing Help is Just a Phone Call Away The Salvation Army of Love Isaiah’s Soup Kitchen Sheri’s House of Hope John Wise: Driving Fellow Vets

Hope&Love A CELEBRATION OF VOLUNTEERISM IN LEA COUNTY

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FALL 2014

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Read entire issues online!

FOCUS ON CARLSBAD FOCUS ON ARTESIA FOCUS ON LEA COUNTY ARTICLES, EVENTS, BLOGS, PHOTOS & MORE!

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FROM THE EDITOR

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FOCUS ON EDUCATION

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FOCUS ON THE 2-1-1 HELP LINE

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FOCUS ON THE SALVATION ARMY

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FOCUS ON RECIPES

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FOCUS ON WRITING

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FOCUS ON FOOD

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FOCUS ON VOLUNTEERING

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INSPIRED BY SCIENCE HELP IS JUST A PHONE CALL AWAY

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ARMY OF LOVE LET’S EAT

WRITER, MOTHER, TIME TRAVELER THE KIND OF FAST SHE HAS CHOSEN

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VOLUNTEER WITH LOVE by JONATHAN SENA TIDBITS & TRIVIA

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FOCUS ON HOPE

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FOCUS ON VETERAN SERVICES

HOPE ON THE HORIZON DRIVING FOR HIS FELLOW VETS

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ABOUT THE COVER

Local volunteers and organizations help people throughout Lea County. Pictured are a few you will learn about in this issue: Kim Wheeler (United Way), Jan Lobeck (Sheri’s House of Hope), Les and Sue Spousta (Salvation Army).

Photo by Cornerstone Photography • www.cornerstonehobbs.com

Kyle Marksteiner, Editorial Director - Adrian Martinez, Advertising Photography by Cornerstone Photography, Adrian Martinez & Submitted Photos Special Contributors: Leah L.M. Wingert, Jonathan Sena, Stella Davis FOCUS ON LEA COUNTY IS PUBLISHED QUARTERLY BY AD VENTURE MARKETING

Ad Venture Marketing, Ltd. Co. • 866.207.0821 • ad-venturemarketing.com Focus Magazine & FocusNM.com are Published by Ad Venture Marketing.

All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without permission of the publisher is prohibited.

Every effort was made to ensure accuracy of the information provided.

The publisher assumes no responsibility or liability for errors, changes or omissions.

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F O C U S from the editor

LET’S GET STARTED! WELCOME TO THE VERY FIRST EDITION OF FOCUS ON LEA COUNTY, A QUARTERLY PUBLICATION WE HOPE WILL CONTINUE TO BLOOM AND GROW.

KYLE MARKSTEINER Editorial Director

We have a mission at Focus, and it’s a surprisingly simple one – we want to find interesting stories and pass them on to everyone else. It seems almost inevitable, therefore, that our very first batch of stories be about volunteerism and giving.

FOCUS ON LEA CO.

A survey I read a couple of years ago concluded that citizens of the United States volunteer and give more than almost anyone else. We take a lot of heat from the world for being loud, bad at foreign languages, and generally preferring high scoring sporting events to low scoring ones, but I think time will tell that, as a culture, we have a high proclivity toward looking around for ways to help those less fortunate.

I’m very proud to live in a place that takes its faith, and its need to help others as a way of honoring that faith, seriously.

So we featured some people who spend an awful lot of their time helping the folks around them.

The local United Way’s 2-1-1 program is one of the best in the business.

Other United Way programs around the state basically say, “If you want to figure this out, check out how it is

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FOCUS ON LEA COUNTY | FALL 2014

being done in Lea County.”

House of Hope is currently undergoing one of its biggest mission expansions ever, and Isaiah’s Soup Kitchen is also expanding. The Salvation Army is running strong right now, and we must never forget the good work being done to support our veterans. Finally, we took a quick look at a program aimed at teaching young ladies the wonders of science.

These are familiar stories for many of you, but it’s sometimes nice to revisit an old friend, just for an update. Furthermore, southeastern New Mexico has a rapidly changing population right now due to the oil boom. In other words, many of our friends and neighbors have only been in town for a few months. It is our hope that the stories in this edition will inform newcomers about some wonderful places to volunteer.

Speaking of help – we could use your help with future editions of Focus on Lea County. We’re on the lookout for photographers, writers and people who have some good ideas about future articles. Our goal is to keep it interesting; we just want to tell stories.

If you have suggestions of any sort, shoot me an email at editor@adventuremarketing.com. I look forward to hearing from many of you.

I would also like to introduce Adrian Martinez, our local marketing consultant. Adrian is a native of Lea County. She has worked with Ad Venture Marketing for eight years and is excited to bring the Focus magazine franchise to Lea County, saying she “believes that it will be a great asset to the community.”

We hope you enjoy the first edition of Focus on Lea County. We have a lot of good stories left to tell.

A B O U T T H E E D IT O R

Kyle Marksteiner is the Editorial Director for Focus on Lea County and Focus on Carlsbad. He has more than 15 years of professional experience in journalism, editing and writing.

Kyle can be reached by emailing editor@ ad-venturemarketing.com.

PHOTOS: A few snapshots from some of the stories featured in this edition of Focus on Lea County.

F O C U S on education

Inspired by Science

by Kyle Marksteiner

TEST TUBES AND ROBOTS HAVE REPLACED SWIMMING AND SUNBATHING AS THE MOST POPULAR SUMMER ACTIVITIES FOR MANY HOBBS GIRLS. Every year, female elementary and secondary students from local schools make the short trip to Lubbock to participate in the summer Science: It’s a Girl Thing camp. The program is part of Texas Tech University’s Division of Institutional Diversity, Equity and Community Engagement program.

The goals of the four-day, three-night camp, according to Texas Tech’s website, “are to provide girls with strong role models and dispel myths and misconceptions about science and careers in science.”

“We have a strong partnership with the Hobbs school district and the Maddox Foundation,” stated Isaac Flores, assistant director of the program.

Many Hobbs young women, from fifth through eleventh grade, attend on scholarships, and a portion of a grant provides busing for students who can’t afford transportation.

Hobbs students make up a sizeable portion of the total number of participants, thanks to the scholarship.

“We take them over on Monday and they stay on campus at Texas Tech,” noted Hobbs science teacher and program coordinator Denise Sims.

“It’s an opportunity to [be in] a college atmosphere and [get] a first-time feel of independence.”

According to Debbie Cooper, superintendent of instruction with

Hobbs Municipal Schools, elementary school teachers are asked to recommend students who show an interest or are high achieving in science.

“Over the years, we’ve been able to increase our numbers,” she confided. “Typically, we allow two girls per grade level, but we have some flexibility.

One thing we try not to do is repeat people. We try to look for different girls who have not been there before.”

However, many camp alumni decide to go back after they reach high school.

If the scholarships run out, Texas Tech has generously offered attendance at a low tuition cost.

The camp itself varies from year to year, but recent projects have involved learning about robotics, extracting DNA from strawberries, making slime and touring a farm. Before attending camp, the girls are asked to write a short autobiography explaining their interests, and they are assigned classes based on their essays.

According to the Hobbs educators, 101 students from the district participated during the two camps this June on scholarships. There were also eight private pay students from the district who attended each camp. The program averages around 100 students from Hobbs every year.

For some of the elementary-aged girls, the camp is their first trip away from home. There have been a few girls in previous years who didn’t make it on the bus to Lubbock due to anxiety, but everyone was apparently feeling brave this year. Sims said the young women who attend the camp often experience a dramatic transformation. “Usually, when they ride over on the bus, they’ll

PHOTO: Participants in the Science: It’s a Girl Thing

program at Texas Tech University. Science: It’s a Girl Thing features experiments and field trips designed to meet the interests of each camper.

Photos courtesy of Texas Tech University.

be very quiet,” she recalled. “It’s totally the opposite on the way home. You can really see more of the personalities.”

Parents interested in the Science: It’s A Girl Thing program can contact their school principal. Additionally, flyers are sent to students while teachers around the district have received additional background about the program.

Some students like the camp so much that they come back even as college students. For example, former Hobbs student Evonne Heredia, in her second year as a Texas Tech student, now helps coordinate summer programs.

On the final day of camp, the girls get to finish with a party at Main Event Entertainment, usually featuring pizza, bowling and laser tag. It’s no wonder the program usually gets rave reviews.

For more information about Science: It’s a Girl Thing, visit www.depts.ttu.edu/ diversity/ideal/science_girl_thing.php.

FALL 2014 | A COMMUNITY MAGAZINE

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F O C U S on the 2-1-1 help line

Help is Just a Phone Call Away KIM WHEELER SOLVES PROBLEMS. THEY ARE THE KIND OF PROBLEMS THAT WOULD THROW MOST OF US FOR A LOOP, AND SHE SOLVES THEM DAILY. Wheeler is the local program coordinator for the 2-1-1 Help Line, funded through the United Way of Lea County. Each day, people who are hungry, cold, broke, scared or confused give Wheeler a call and she

navigates their often complex cases.

2-1-1 is a national health and human services help line (211us.org), but Lea County is ahead of the game when it comes to implementing the service.

“We started the 2-1-1 program in 2004,” recalled Kristi Martinkewiz, executive director of the United Way of Lea County. “At the time, there were not a lot of 2-1-1 programs in the state, but we were determined to bring it to Lea County.”

Another nonprofit agency had a referral hotline, but the phone number had not really taken off, Martinkewiz explained. United Way of Central New Mexico helped get the Lea County project going. One of the biggest challenges was getting all phone providers on board with the switchboard change so that calling 2-1-1 anywhere nearby takes you to the same place.

Once word about the service began to spread, it became an important part of the community. These days, Wheeler responds to 150-200 calls each month, along with a number of walk-in visits to her office located in suite B at 320 N. Shipp in the Windstream Building.

She also helps feed hundreds more through the program’s food bank service. Daily calls and visits come

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from the homeless, the elderly, victims of spousal abuse and many more.

“Some people prefer to talk face to face,” offered Wheeler. “It’s just a preference. This is a demanding job.

You are working with girls who are eight months pregnant, who have no food or utilities. You are talking to a Vietnam veteran who feels like he has been shunned since the Vietnam War, and why should he be homeless?”

Calls to 2-1-1 vary according to the season. For example, there will be more calls for air conditioning help in July and calls for heaters in December.

Sometimes people call about their own needs, but calls are often made by concerned neighbors or social workers.

“Food is a big need during the summer,” noted Martinkewiz. “We think about food (for the needy) in October through December, but food is always a big need. We also usually have two calls for rent a day.”

But 2-1-1 is much more about finding answers than offering handouts.

Wheeler, who has a background in mental health, is the right person to handle a difficult daily decision making process. “I think some 2-1-1 offices just want to give out a phone number and get you on your way,” she stated. “But I will do follow-up to find PHOTO LEFT : Kim Wheeler, 2-1-1 program coordinator with the United Way of Lea County, takes a phone call at her desk. The 2-1-1 Help Program helps hundreds of Lea County residents each month.

FOCUSNM.COM

out if the services were provided.”

Calls can be heartbreaking or frustrating, but may also be confusing.

For example, one caller reported that the magic had run out of his hands.

The caller obviously had mental issues, but instead of hanging up on him, Wheeler was able to work out what agency assistance was needed. “They don’t have to give me their name, but we do ask for a zip code for statistical purposes,” she remarked.

Calling 2-1-1 guarantees an answer, Wheeler observed, but that does not mean she will solve your problem.

“There’s no guaranteed referral or help.

Sometimes, we may be telling you a service is not available.” Wheeler’s previous training also helps her weed out callers who may be trying to abuse the system for free handouts.

Many of the calls throughout the year involve the elderly. While 2-1-1 is a non-emergency number, “generally, anyone who calls me is in a crisis, and most of the calls are last minute,” she added.

explained Martinkewiz. “We were able to use some direct assistance money and help them keep their lights on.”

When she gets a call or visit, the first thing Wheeler does is conduct an assessment to decide whether or not she should give a referral. No issue is black and white, and sometimes the topic of the phone call is not really the issue. While Wheeler helps callers and visitors, it is Martinkewiz and the rest of the United Way staff who then help Wheeler.

Some calls can be solved very quickly, however. For example, Wheeler recently received a call from a woman who said her family had a bill due that day, but her husband wasn’t getting paid for four more days. “It took me two seconds to call the utility company and get back to her,” she said, adding that the local gas company knows her very well. “I appreciate

when I can get the customer to help themselves.”

Another woman thought unemployment was automatic, so Wheeler told her how to apply for benefits. Wheeler may provide a referral to another local charity service, find a way to provide some direct assistance or flat out say she cannot help in a particular circumstance.

She also runs the program’s mobile food pantry in Lea County, where she helps feed hundreds of residents in the county. “In the winter time, when other people are taking vacations, I can’t leave,” she stressed. “During that time, people need jackets and heaters.

I take my vacation in March.”

Martinkewiz notes an additional benefit to the program in that Wheeler has direct information on

Hours are 8:00 a.m. to noon and 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Wheeler responds to weekend voicemails when she comes to work on Monday.

When the federal government entered a shutdown period in 2013, calls to the local 2-1-1 line increased significantly. For example, many of the employees who staff senior programs were not allowed to come to work, so the programs to help seniors were not being addressed.

“We had nobody to help many of our families with utilities,” FALL 2014 | A COMMUNITY MAGAZINE

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what needs exist in the community.

“It provides a real time community needs analysis,” she explained. “Many times, a government entity or college will hire someone to come in and do a needs analysis, but the landscape has changed a bit by the time the analysis is completed.”

Instead, the 2-1-1 program provides a living, breathing record of what needs are surfacing in the community. “We know what is coming through our door right now, and that’s huge,” she pointed out. “There have been times where the city or county have used our information to make decisions.”

For example, when a local affordable housing crisis hit a few years ago, not all elected officials knew what was going on. But Wheeler had spoken to a resident who was paying 60% of her income on rent.

Wheeler mentioned she has worked with some high dollar out-of-town

consultants in the past, “and I’m sometimes dumbfounded by how little they know. I think we live in this cloud. Unless you are in it, you don’t know.”

2-1-1 is one important program of the local United Way, which also operates additional projects, works with a number of partner agencies and provides grants to numerous organizations. Martinkewiz said one of the organization’s other big services is its community innovation grant, in which agencies are encouraged to think outside of the box to find new ways to help.

communicating with the public,” she observed.

Wheeler seems to enjoy her role as a problem solver, but the list of challenges thrown her way on a daily basis can be overwhelming. “People say they’ve heard it all,” Wheeler concluded. “Let me tell you. You have not heard it all!”

These days, the United Way’s 2-1-1 program is bigger and better than ever. Wheeler provides training to area police dispatchers to make them more aware of the program. She also runs an active Facebook page and has hundreds of visits. “Social media is one of the best things as far as

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FOCUS ON LEA COUNTY | FALL 2014

F O C U S on the Salvation Army

Army of Love

by Kyle Marksteiner

LES SPOUSTA CARRIES A HUGE RING OF KEYS, AND IF YOU SPEND ANY TIME WITH HIM, IT’S EASY TO SEE WHY. Les and his wife, Sue, run the Salvation Army of Hobbs, located in a sprawling network of buildings at 820 S. Fowler Street that includes a chapel, office, activity center, thrift store and an enormous food pantry.

What is the Salvation Army? It’s a church and a charity organization wrapped up in one that is run in a quasi-military fashion. The Army was founded in Great Britain in 1865 by a former Methodist minister named William Booth. He later reorganized the mission and gave it a military structure. Les and Sue are both captains. Though its theology is similar to Methodist theology, the

focus is instead on service, but as Les explained, “A part of our ministry is spiritual therapy. In fact, a lot of people don’t think of the Salvation Army as being a church.”

The Salvation Army came to Lea County in 1935 but shut down during World War II. Food pantry distribution through the local Salvation Army began in 1989.

Les and Sue arrived at the local facility in 2011. “We’re originally from New England,” Sue stated. “But we came here out of Kingman, Arizona. Before that, we were in Sun City, Arizona.

Before that we were in training school and before that we were in Alaska.”

The Spoustas received their calling while they were living in Alaska. He has a master’s degree in nursing and she taught at a Christian school and also served as a Christian clown. There were several children of

Salvation Army officers attending the school in Sitka, Alaska.

“He had it before I did,” recalled Sue about their decision to join. “I originally went kicking and screaming.

I said ‘Lord, if you want me to do this, You have to help me sell three cars and a German hutch and my furniture.’

Within 24 hours I had three phone calls (asking to buy the listed items).”

The Salvation Army hires married couples to take over facilities. You can become an officer if you are single, but you are ultimately expected to marry another officer. The training program takes two years, and there are separate paths for core officer or for adult rehabilitation. Students live and work on campus.

The Spoustas spent six years on their first assignment in Alaska and eleven months in Sun City. They plan to finish their term of service in Hobbs.

“We’ve asked to stay for four years before we retire,” Les noted. “We have a lot of work to do here.”

The Salvation Army has a presence in 126 countries. The United States is divided into four districts, with Hobbs sitting on the far eastern end of the western district. “We have to drive a long way to some of our meetings,” observed Les. Story continues on page 10 >>>

PHOTO: Les Spousta shows off a cart of donations at the Salvation Army’s food pantry.

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PHOTO: The Salvation Army’s food pantry feeds hundreds of residents each month, thanks to the enormous storage warehouse.

In Hobbs, the Salvation Army’s focus is largely on social services, especially food distribution which takes place throughout the week at the local pantry. Packages are prepared in a large warehouse a block or two south of the chapel and office.

Additionally, the Salvation Army is offering a “Be Healthy, Be Active” program to recipients of the food pantry. Sue teaches classes on diet and nutritional meal preparation. “If they complete all their classes, they get a slow cooker or other equipment,” she explained. “We’ve also had several kids come, so for example, we will teach them how to make a healthy smoothie.”

They’ve retooled the class schedule a little bit to try to meet everyone’s needs, but the program appears to be running well. Sessions of two hour classes for two hours a week seem to work best.

In a recent class, students learned about the nutritional value of different grains. They learned what to look for on labels and even practiced some easy movement therapy using elastic bands from food. Other classes focus on spices or fruits, and all classes are translated into Spanish.

The Salvation Army provides food to more than 300 families a month. The organization keeps track of a number of statistics due to funding needs. “When we came here, we were giving out 125 food boxes a month,” beamed Les. “Now we’ve been up to 500.”

The Salvation Army’s thrift store is another established part of the program. Historically, area thrift stores have been used to help fund adult rehabilitation centers. Thrift stores in Clovis and Alamogordo have recently closed their doors, but the store in Hobbs can help supplement funding. Families in need are presented with vouchers that allow them to obtain clothing without charge.

The food pantry and the thrift store are only a part of the Salvation Army’s total package.

Les delivers a sermon every Sunday while Sue spends six hours a week helping with quilting at the senior center.

No one ever said being in the army was easy, but Les and Sue Spousta certainly seem to find it rewarding.

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LET’S Slow Cooker Carne Adovada Ingredients:

• 4-5 pound boneless pork butt roast cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces • salt and pepper • 3 Tbsp soy sauce • 2 onions chopped • 1/2 cup chili powder • 8 garlic cloves, minced • 3 Tbsp vegetable oil • 1 Tbsp minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce (add more if desired) • 2 tsp dried oregano • 3/4 cup chicken broth • 1/2 cup brewed coffee • 1/3 cup all purpose flour • 1/4 cup dried apricots (or raisins) • 1/3 cup minced fresh cilantro • 1 tsp grated lime zest • 1 Tbsp lime juice

Directions: • Season the pork with salt and pepper, then combine the pork with soy sauce in the slow cooker. Combine the onions, chili powder, garlic, oil, chipotle, oregano, and 1 tsp salt in a bowl. Microwave covered until onions are soft, about 7 minutes, stirring once.

Eat! Taco Pie Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter • 2/3 cup milk • 1 package Taco Bell seasoning mix • 2 1/2 cups mashed potato flakes (you could also use left over mashed potatoes and omit the butter and milk) • 1 pound ground beef • 1/2 cup chopped onion • 1/2 cup salsa • 1 cup shredded lettuce • 1 medium tomato, chopped • 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded • sour cream, optional

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium sauce pan, melt butter. Add milk and 2 tablespoons taco seasoning. Remove from heat and add potato flakes until incorporated. Press mixture into the bottom of a 10-inch pan.

• Bake for 7-10 minutes until it just BARELY turns golden brown.

• In a medium skillet, cook beef and onions until beef is browned and cooked through. Drain. Add salsa and remaining taco seasoning. Cook until bubbly.

• Pour into crust. Bake for 15 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.

• Let cool for 5 minutes. Top with cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes. Cut and serve with sour cream.

• Put broth, coffee, flour, apricots (or raisins) and onion mixture in a blender and puree until smooth, about 1 minute.

Add blender contents to slow cooker, scraping any sauce from sides down into cooker with spatula. Cover and cook 5-6 hours on high or 7 hours on low until pork is tender.

• Turn off slow cooker and let sit 5 minutes, then skim excess fat from surface with spoon. Stir in lime juice and zest. Let sit for 10-15 minutes, then serve sprinkled with fresh cilantro.

• We served with rice, tortillas, refried beans and a green salad. We also served habanero sauce on the table for those who wanted an extra kick.

Recipes from www.cookeatshare.com

FALL 2014 | A COMMUNITY MAGAZINE

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F O C U S on writing

Writer, Mother, Time Traveler

LEAH L.M. WINGERT

Special Contributor FOCUS ON LEA CO.

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I

became a time traveler last October. I made the great leap from central Texas to southeastern New Mexico, and for the first time in my life I no longer lived in Central Standard Time. I am ten minutes from the Texas border and one hour into the past. I love the idea of time travel, so crossing the border has given me the opportunity to do just that, an accomplishment I can cross off my bucket list. To think there are those who believe time travel is impossible!

Every time I call my family back in central Texas I feel like Phineas Fogg with his hot air balloon or the Doctor with his TARDIS. I’ve spent my life from childhood until now, writing and reading stories of princes and kings, of walruses and carpenters,

FOCUS ON LEA COUNTY | FALL 2014

submerged in tales of other worlds, wanting to travel forward or backward within the stream that is time.

Like so many transplants to this area, my family came to Lea County chasing opportunity. My husband, a newly minted accountant, was offered an interview, so we loaded up the car and made the trip to New Mexico.

We prayed in the parking lot, then he went in for the interview and I looked around town; I was amused by its size but I longed for my husband to have a good, real, professional job for the first time in years. He was offered the position and moved to Hobbs in August last year; my daughter

followed a month later, and I came trekking along a month after that. We are a nuclear unit, the three of us, as content with each other as any family could be. We play games and read books, watch movies and sunsets, write stories and sing songs as if our life were a musical. We have spent far too much time apart in the hustle and bustle of a larger city where it took us an hour to get to the grocery store and both of us spent

over two hours in traffic to get to work. We spent more time commuting than we did with each other.

Once we were all together again in November, it took a month before I became accustomed to the pace of life; it seems as if we have so much more time. After nearly a year, it still feels as if the sun stays longer in the sky than it did before. After dinner and homework, after dishes and bath time, there is still time to breathe and to enjoy the tiny nucleus that is our family.

I’ve been able to take up new hobbies and watch a few more sunsets. We’ve fed ducks and learned about cowboys. For

my birthday in a few weeks we’re going to go watch a movie in the park, surrounded by crickets and fireflies. Most importantly, I have time to write, to at last finish the stories whose characters have been hounding me to finish or those whose stories they’ve been begging me to begin. I have the time to discover you and I am excited to encounter this community with all the things that make this section of Lea County unique. I look forward to knowing you, writing about you and learning your stories.

It will be my honor and my privilege and I look forward to the journey.

6610 N. Lovington HWY, Hobbs, NM 88240

Phone: 575-392-6561 Toll Free: 800-530-4400 E-mail: admission@usw.edu Website: usw.edu FALL 2014 | A COMMUNITY MAGAZINE

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F O C U S on food

by Kyle Marksteiner

ONCE UPON A TIME,

Renee Madron went on a fast, and the inspiration she received from that fast has resulted in her helping to feed the hungry of Lea County for the past 19 years.

Madron’s then-preacher, George Sanderson, delivered a sermon based on Isaiah 58, a Biblical passage which proclaims the power of fasting, or voluntarily going without food in order to focus on God. Madron began her own fast and wound up finding a lifelong inspiration. “The Lord said, ‘This is the fast; give up a meal to feed the poor,’” she reflected. “It’s really a fast for a whole life.”

Prior to her fast, Madron had not been heavily involved in programs feeding the hungry. However, she does recall a situation where she and her family were in the park eating pizza when they noticed a bunch of other children playing nearby. “I called them over and offered them some. They had never had a pizza before in their life,” she recalled. “I think maybe the Lord was leading me to help feed the poor.”

Sanderson, who has since passed away, helped Madron found Isaiah’s Soup Kitchen, which serves breakfast and lunch to dozens of people six days a week.

PHOTO ABOVE: From left, Mary Jackson,

Larry Flores, Eva LaSoya and Wilma Castleman make up some of the volunteer crew at Isaiah’s Soup Kitchen.

PHOTO RIGHT: Joshua Garcia pauses while preparing lunch.

“We serve 75 to 80 people a day. We feed seniors on fixed incomes, the homeless, single moms with children and others.”

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FOCUSNM.COM

“We serve 75 to 80 people a day with a turnover every three or four months,” she explained. “We feed seniors on fixed incomes, the homeless, single moms with children and others.”

Isaiah’s Soup Kitchen receives funding from the United Way. Many volunteers assist Madron with preparing and providing meals. Food boxes are provided to the needy over the weekend, and the kitchen collects and distributes clothes and hygiene items as well.

Madron arrives at work at 8:00 a.m. and the kitchen usually has its doors open for breakfast by 9:00, which might be pancakes, scrambled eggs and donuts. Lunch is served a few hours later. “For lunch, we are famous for our meatloaf,” Madron bragged, but “today, we’re having a zucchini casserole with rice.”

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One of Madron’s goals is to always provide a meat item, a drink and even a dessert. “God help me, I’m going to give that to them. I want it to feel like a real meal,” she declared. “It encourages their hearts and fills their stomachs, so they can go back out there and try to figure it all out.”

There’s no screening for who gets a meal, but everyone who attends has to sign in, even if it is just with an “X”.

There’s also a short Bible message during the meal.

Madron enjoys talking to the guests, and many of them refer to her as “the soup kitchen lady.”

“We don’t actually serve much soup,” Madron revealed, “but I wanted to call it a soup kitchen to let everyone know that we are giving freely without selling or demanding.” The name Isaiah, of course, refers to the Bible passage that first inspired her.

In late summer or early fall this year, Isaiah’s Soup Kitchen is going to do a teardown at its location at 304 W. Harden Boulevard. The new facility will have more dining space and include showers. Meals will be served at the nearby Manna Outreach, located at 909 S. Selman, until remodeling is complete.

Madron said her three children were pretty much raised in the soup kitchen. Her three boys are all doing well, and the youngest is working on becoming a pastor. She volunteered at the soup kitchen for the first ten years, but received free rent in a low-income apartment as compensation. “I took care of people worse than me,” she added.

Hobbs is growing by leaps and bounds, Madron stated, but some people are getting left behind. “There are so many single moms out there who make $7.50 an hour and work 40 hours a week and are trying to raise their children, but rent is $900 a month,” she lamented.

There is no specific type of person who needs help; Renee Madron and others want to assist everyone.

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F O C U S on volunteering

Volunteer with Love VOLUNTEERISM IS GIVING OF YOUR TIME, RESOURCES AND ABILITIES TO SERVE OTHERS.

Volunteerism occurs in many ways and many places throughout the community.

It’s not necessarily complicated nor arduous. However, it can be something that can change a person’s life for the better. I’ve seen firsthand how volunteerism has positively impacted my life and the lives of others through small acts of kindness.

Let me give you an example.

JONATHAN SENA Commissioner

CITY OF HOBBS

16

Last week I was having a terrible day.

Although as a city commissioner and a youth director I’m generally expected to smile and be in a good mood, I was not feeling festive. In light of that, I knew I needed to write my monthly column for the local newspaper. So I called the local senior citizen center and asked to help serve lunch and to interview the staff about their programming. What happened next was totally unexpected. As I put on the hair net, plastic gloves, and the white apron, a kitchen employee brought in the food and asked me to serve the gravy on their popular meat loaf. As the sweet, gray-haired patrons with broad grins shuffled through the line and thanked us for the wonderful food, I began to forget about the stress and problems of my day. A lump formed in my throat and tears of appreciation formed in the corners of my eyes as one after another, our community’s seniors passed in front of me bringing back fond memories of my late Grandma and Grandpa Treadwell. Then, one of the staff members asked me to accompany her around the lunchroom to give out second helpings of meat loaf. As we criss-crossed the Agnes Kastner Cafeteria, I placed the heralded entree onto the plates of grateful seniors--some who hadn’t been able to carry their own trays due to health concerns. After I sat down to eat, I felt good. I had come in with the purpose of writing a column, but

FOCUS ON LEA COUNTY | FALL 2014

had left invigorated and inspired by volunteerism.

Although I personally experienced the pleasure of serving others through that experience at the Agnes Kastner Center, we can all experience volunteerism in different forms. Volunteerism can involve transporting food from the Meals on Wheels program to seniors in their homes, thanking an overworked cashier, taking a bag of groceries to an income-challenged neighbor, driving a friend to a medical appointment, or even offering to help at church.

Volunteerism can include serving as a facilitator for young girls with My Power, Inc. or donating time at the Legacy Pregnancy Resource Center.

Volunteerism is helping to paint a house in the Operation Homefront program, ringing the bells for the Salvation Army at Wal-Mart, or running for public office. Volunteerism can also involve serving on one of many community-oriented boards who help to better the lives of others.

Volunteerism in the form of a simple, kind act of service can make us feel personal satisfaction and can also transform a life in need of compassion.

Mother Teresa once said, “Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” By giving of ourselves in small ways to those in need, you and I can permanently and positively impact the city of Hobbs.

Cartoon Trivia

Cartoons are serious business! Here is some trivia about a few cartoons from days gone by. (TAKEN FROM MULTIPLE SOURCES) 1 • In Disney cartoons, what was Goofy’s nephew’s name?

2 • What was the name of the horse who was the friend of Casper the Friendly Ghost?

3 • In the 1938 Mother Goose Goes Hollywood cartoon, what famous actress was caricaturized as Little Bo-Peep?

4 • Schroeder, of Peanuts fame, is a big fan of whose music?

5 • What cartoon hero was in love with Sweet Polly Purebred?

6 • How many years after the debut of Mickey Mouse did Minnie Mouse make her first appearance?

7 • What little green alien from the planet Zetox was assigned to serve Fred and Barney in a 1965 episode of The Flintstones?

8 • What blue-skinned cartoon characters arrived in North America in 1981?

9 • Which Cartoon Network show features an organization of kids battling adult and teen tyranny?

10 • Besides I.M. Weasel, who is the other main character in I Am Weasel?

ANSWERS

1A: Gilbert • 2A: Nightmare • 3A: Katherine Hepburn • 4A: Beethoven’s • 5A: Underdog • 6A: They appeared the same year 7A: Gazoo • 8A: The Smurfs • 9A: Codename: Kids Next Door • 10A: I.R. Baboon

Brain Benders PUZZLE #1 • An annual state tournament

is participated in by 97 baseball teams.

The champion is chosen for this tournament by the usual elimination scheme. That is, the 97 teams are divided into pairs, and the two teams of each pair play against each other. The loser of each pair is eliminated, and the remaining teams are paired up again, etc. How many games must be played to determine a champion?

PUZZLE #2 • At a family reunion were the following people: one grandfather, one grandmother, two fathers, two mothers, four children, three grandchildren, one brother, two sisters, two sons, two daughters, one father-in-law, one mother-in-law, and one daughter-in-law.

But not as many people attended as it sounds. How many were there, and who were they?

PUZZLE #3

• You must cut a birthday cake into exactly eight pieces, but you’re only allowed to make three straight cuts, and you can’t move pieces of the cake as you cut. How can you do it?

PUZZLE #4 • You have an old-fashioned

refrigerator with a small freezer compartment capable of holding seven ice cube trays stacked vertically. But there are no shelves to separate the trays, and if you stack one tray on top of another before the ice cubes in the bottom tray are fully frozen, the top tray will nestle into it, and you won’t get full cubes in the bottom tray. You have an unlimited supply of trays, each of which can make a dozen cubes. What’s the fastest way to make full-sized ice cubes?

PUZZLE #5

Four switches can be turned on or off. One is the switch for the incandescent overhead light in the next room, which is initially off, but you don’t know which. The other three switches do nothing. From the room with the switches in it, you can’t see whether the light in the next room is turned on or off. You may flip the switches as often and as many times as you like, but once you enter the next room to check on the light, you must be able to say which switch controls the light without flipping the switches any further. (And you can’t open the door without entering, either!) How can you determine which switch controls the light?

•

ANSWERS ANSWER #1: 96. All teams but the champion team will lose a game exactly once.

ANSWER #2: There were two little girls and a boy, their parents, and their father’s parents, totaling seven people.

ANSWER #3: Use the first two cuts to cut an ‘X’ in the top of the cake. Now you have four pieces.

Make the third cut horizontal, which will divide the four pieces into eight. Think of a two by two by two Rubik’s cube. There are four pieces on the top tier and four more just underneath it.

ANSWER #4: You can make 120 cubes (ten full trays) in the time it takes to freeze two trays. First, fill four of the trays with water and turn the other three upside down and use them to space the four apart. That gives you 48 cubes. Next, empty the four trays and put two ice cubes in diagonally opposed corners of each of six of the trays. Fill the remaining holes -- and the entire seventh tray -- with water.

Using the ice cubes to hold the trays apart, stack all seven (the seventh tray should go on top), and freeze them. You’ll get an additional 72 cubes. You can get 72 cubes for every batch except the first, for which spacer ice cubes are not yet available.

ANSWER #5: Turn on switches three and four and wait fifteen minutes or so. Then turn switch three off, turn switch two on, and enter the room. If the bulb is dark and cool, switch one controls it. If the bulb is bright and cool, switch two controls it. If the bulb is dark and warm, switch three controls it. If the bulb is bright and warm, switch four controls it.

Content from www.rinkworks.com

FALL 2014 | A COMMUNITY MAGAZINE

17

F O C U S on hope

18

FOCUS ON LEA COUNTY | FALL 2014

HOPE ON THE HORIZON

by Kyle Marksteiner

THERE’S A BIG DREAM

on the horizon in Hobbs right now. Jan Lobeck and her co-volunteers keep looking for ways to help people get out of violent domestic relationships, and they’ve found something pretty significant.

Lobeck is the executive director of Sheri’s House of Hope, Inc., a program named in memory of her daughter, Sheri Lobeck Snapp, who died in a domestic violence altercation in 2004. House of Hope operates its Thrifty Boutique at 921 W. Sanger Street, and the business can be reached at (575) 393-4673.

“I’m trying to turn a tragedy into a triumph,” Lobeck asserted. “I’m trying to get past my pain.

I’m trying to help others so nobody else dies behind closed doors.”

Since the death of her daughter, Lobeck has continually searched for more and better ways to help victims of domestic violence. In 2009, she wrote a book called Not in Vain, which was basically a mother’s diary and memoir about Sheri’s death and Lobeck’s fight for justice.

Shortly after her daughter’s death, she began a nonprofit organization that focused on presentations and an awareness campaign.

“Violent crimes can be prevented if parents and children start understanding early what the signs are,” she stated.

She soon saw another need. When a woman PHOTO: Jan Lobeck stands outside of the property that will

soon be turned into a Lea County House of Hope.

Photo by Adrian Martinez

FALL 2014 | A COMMUNITY MAGAZINE

19

leaves an abusive relationship, she sometimes does not have anything with her but the clothes on her back.

She opened a survivor’s closet, which offered donated clothing and hygiene items for women and children trying to get away from dangerous situations.

As more donations came in, the storage unit Lobeck rented kept growing. “I wondered, ‘What am I going to do with all these blessings?’” she confided. “Then it came to me to open a House of Hope.”

The House of Hope Thrifty Boutique sells items to the public, but women and children leaving domestic violence situations are provided with items for free. Lobeck is also able to donate items to other local charities as well. “All of our proceeds from the store go to help victims of domestic violence,” she stressed, but “we also help fire victims.”

Everything donated is put to use.

Even blankets and sheets that are not good enough for human use are given to a local animal shelter. “We’re very picky,” she stated. “We really want to sell top used items and clothing.

Our motto is ‘gently used for a gentle price.’”

Lobeck wants to do more, and her current project is to provide an extension to existing local shelter services for battered women. “What we want to do is create a long term transitional housing facility where women and their children can stay for up to 18 months,” she disclosed. “We need a House of Hope.”

Women staying at the home will receive classes in nutrition, applying for jobs and “learning how to rebuild their lives,” Lobeck explained. The shelter will be open for all of Lea County.

“We want to do something right away.

We don’t want to wait four years to build this house,” she maintained. “We want people to see what we are doing and what we are going to do.” It’s going to be awhile before the entire facility can be built, however, and right now the organization is shooting for a four to five bedroom residence.

Lobeck stressed that the program also serves children, not just women in violent domestic situations. “You have boys growing up thinking that (a violent relationship) is the way to treat a woman,” she pointed out. “You have little girls growing up thinking that’s what a wife is for and they don’t know any different. They don’t know that a normal life is not living in fear.”

Jan Lobeck described her daughter, Sheri, as a very loving woman who worked as a dental assistant. Sheri had two children from a previous marriage when she met a new man, who “said everything women like to hear,” Lobeck recalled. They married and had another child together, moving to Germany for his military assignment.

morning of May 13 on the floor of her apartment in Hobbs. Her husband was charged the following day for her death. A trial began, but eventually he pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter.

Lobeck said her biggest concern at the time was for Sheri’s children, especially the youngest, who was 22 months old and at the apartment when his mother died. “We went underground for two years,” she remembered. “There was a custody effort to try to give the boy back, but I thought I would go to jail before I let that man have the child.”

The boy, now 12, has received years of counseling. “He heard his mother cry out for help,” Lobeck exclaimed.

“He was in a crib, but he’s since said, ‘Grandma, I could have saved her!’

There are parents who think their kids don’t know what’s going on, but they are wrong. They suffer at a very young age from domestic violence.”

A short time later, Sheri contacted her mother in Hobbs and revealed the relationship was abusive; her husband had been arrested three times while the couple lived in Germany.

She moved back to Hobbs with her children to get away from him.

The land purchased for House of Hope also has a special meaning for Lobeck. It’s near the location where someone she was working with also died due to domestic violence. The last time Lobeck spoke to her, she told Lobeck that the man loved her and would never hurt her. He later killed her.

“Because they shared a son, he kept track of where they lived,” Lobeck acknowledged. “He’d send her flowers twice a week.”

“We’re going to tear it all down and build hope on that property,” she declared. “It’s the perfect place to do a memorial.”

On April 30, 2004, her estranged husband was released from military service. He, according to Lobeck, “talked his way back into her apartment.” Sheri was found the

“God is the one who has guided me through all of this,” Lobeck reflected.

There is still a lot of work left to be done to help victims of domestic violence in Lea County.

There was a lot of progress this summer. On June 13, House of Hope acquired nine acres of land in Hobbs.

“The land is ours; now we just need to clear it off and build our House of Hope,” Lobeck added. “We’re starting to raise money.”

The complete vision of the $2.2 million house is pretty spectacular and includes 15 dorms, classrooms, a library, kitchen, nurse’s station, office and eating area. There are even plans for a salon, with the idea that hairdressers and others can make the women staying there “feel more like a person,” Lobeck emphasized.

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FOCUS ON LEA COUNTY | FALL 2014

FOCUSNM.COM

F O C U S on veteran services

Driving for His Fellow Vets

I

by Stella Davis

t was supposed to be a temporary volunteer situation to drive service veterans in Hobbs to Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals and clinics. Today, five years and thousands of miles later, John Wise is still driving veterans to their VA medical appointments.

A Vietnam veteran who served two tours of duty, Wise is the sole driver in Hobbs for the non-profit, Roswellbased Southeast New Mexico Veterans Transportation Network (VTN) that serves the counties of Lea, Chaves, Eddy and Lincoln. Although he wishes more people would step up to the plate as drivers, Wise says he has no plans to quit his volunteer work. “Sure, I didn’t expect to be driving this long.

The way I see it, it gives me something

John Wise, a Vietnam veteran, volunteers his time to drive veterans to their VA medical appointments.

PHOTO:

to do and prevents me from being a hermit, which I was before I started driving.”

His day often starts in the wee hours of the morning, when he picks up fellow veterans from their homes in Hobbs and transports them to various Texas VA facilities in Big Spring, Amarillo, Seminole and Lubbock. If veterans have appointments at the VA hospital in Albuquerque, Wise will drive them to Roswell; from there, a Roswell VTN driver picks up the second leg of the trip. At one time Hobbs was in the Albuquerque VA hospital jurisdiction. But that has changed in recent years, requiring Wise to drive even longer distances.

Since January of this year, Wise has logged

FALL 2014 | A COMMUNITY MAGAZINE

21

, 724 819 FACTS: SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO

VETERANS TRANSPORTATION NETWORK

• Total number of veterans transported to VA medical facilities in New Mexico and Texas for July – 144 • Year to date total number transported – 864 • Total miles logged in July – 19,992 • Total miles logged since 2008 – 724,819 with no accidents For more information about becoming a driver, call (575) 622–0729 between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday or on Fridays from 9:00 a.m. to noon.

over 3,000 miles and expects that to probably double by the end of the year. The voluntary driver job was supposed to be only three days a week, but that’s rare these days. Generally, Wise is on the road five days a week.

So why does he continue to volunteer?

There are many reasons. For one, he feels strongly about paying it forward.

“About six years ago I was diagnosed with diabetes. During that time I was running a print shop until the owner absconded with all the money and I was out of a job. I was scratching for pennies to go to my VA medical appointments. I learned about the service offered for veterans that got them to their appointments. It was a life saver for me.”

He said when the volunteer driver who took him to his medical appointments quit, he volunteered to fill in until a permanent driver could be found. “I can’t quit now,” he declared. “There is no one to drive the vets to their medical appointments.

Besides, I have bonded with many of the vets, some of whom have become friends over the past five years. I know a lot of vets would drive, if they were paid. But this is strictly a volunteer job.

Often, I have planned to do something with my wife, but those plans change quickly when I get a call from a vet in need of a ride. It’s a no-brainer

22

FOCUS ON LEA COUNTY | FALL 2014

for me. Fortunately for me, my wife understands.”

Wise, who suffers from a number of ailments including post-traumatic stress as a result of his war experience, said he considers himself in “tip-top” condition compared to many of the veterans he transports for medical attention. “I remind myself of that frequently,” he emphasized. “Some of these guys are in real bad shape.”

He said his wife, Janis, encourages him to keep driving, adding with a laugh,” I think she likes the idea of me driving.

It keeps me busy and out of her hair.”

Magil Duran, Southeast New Mexico VTN president, said the organization was formed as a non-profit in 2012.

Prior to that, it had loosely operated since 2001. “Some Vietnam veterans needed to get to their medical appointments in Albuquerque, but they had no way of getting there unless friends took them,” Duran explained.

“Word spread, and other veterans began asking their fellow veterans to drive them to their appointments. We filed for non-profit status and we have a board of directors. No one gets paid.”

organization are constantly on the road. Those vans will be replaced shortly with new ones to be purchased through a legislative grant and a state contract. The organization also operates on funds received from United Way, Southeast Community Action Corporation and donations from businesses and individuals.

“Our drivers are safe drivers. They have logged a total of 742,819 miles with no accidents since 2008,” Duran beamed. “The oldest driver is 83 and the youngest is 50.”

Wise admitted he is excited at the prospect of receiving a new van. He hopes an additional driver will be found in Hobbs soon who will not only provide him with some driving relief but will help keep the old van in Hobbs as well. “We are lucky to have John in Hobbs,” Duran affirmed. “He is doing a marvelous job. He needs help. We are seeing more veterans in need of transportation to their medical appointments. Not only in Hobbs, but all the communities we serve.”

In addition to Wise in Hobbs, the organization has two drivers in Carlsbad, two in Roswell and one in Artesia. Six vans owned by the FOCUSNM.COM

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Expertise.

When your heart’s on the line, choose an Accredited Chest Pain Center.

Lea Regional Medical Center is Lea County’s first and only hospital to be accredited by the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care.* Rigorous evaluation has shown that we consistently deliver care that meets or exceeds the highest national standards of care to patients who come to us with chest pain.

Surviving a heart attack starts with knowing you’re having one.

So know the warning signs: Shortness of breath • Nausea • Dizziness • Chest pain • Arm pain • Cold sweat And if you experience any of them, call 911 right away.

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*As of August 2014