Catholic Charities

Generations @ West Mesa Grand Opening

Archbishop John C. Wester blesses Generations

Older adults face a severe housing shortage in Albuquerque – the city estimates that an additional 200+ units are needed to meet the demand for affordable housing. In collaboration with real estate developer Gorman & Co., Catholic Charities has spent years developing and building Generations @ West Mesa, an affordable living community serving older adults caring for grandchildren. The Grand Opening Ceremony for the facility took place on February 27 th , opening with a blessing by Archbishop John C. Wester and followed by addresses from Jim Gannon of Catholic Charities, Brian Swanton of Gorman & Co., and local officials.

Residents of the new complex, who began moving in as early as January, joined in the festivities and shared their experiences at Generations with Catholic Charities staff and community partners. Many of the new residents are excited and relieved to be able to rely on stable housing for themselves and their grandchildren, and appreciate the special features such as a walking track, exercise room and playground that serve the needs of both older adults as well as children. Catholic Charities will continue to recruit new residents for Generations and will also staff the complex with a Resource Coordinator who will help residents access other public services and community resources.

In his blessing of the new complex, Archbishop Wester said, “May God always be here among us. May He nurture the love found here. Share in their joys, comfort them in their sorrows. … May God seek to make this new home before all else a dwelling place of love, diffusing far and wide the goodness of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”

Services Expand in Santa Fe

Catholic Charities’ Santa Fe office has provided services through its Center for Immigration and Citizenship Legal Assistance for many years. We are excited to announce the expansion of its services, which will be managed by a full-time Catholic Charities case manager in the Santa Fe office on San Felipe Ave. The case manager has assisted families and individuals in Santa Fe with direct referrals to housing, public benefits (such as SNAP, TANF and SSI), and mental and behavioral health services for over a year. Catholic Charities identified a gap in transportation for seniors in the area and we are expanding the Senior Transportation Program to Santa Fe, where the new program will be called Partnering for Seniors. The new program hopes to connect the senior population of Santa Fe with Catholic Charities programs as well as other community resources and supports.

Looking for Stories!

As our 75 th anniversary nears, we are looking for stories of the impact that Catholic Charities has had in the community over the past three quarters of a century. If you are a current or former client, employee, volunteer, board member, or community member, we want to hear from you! We hope to compile stories as a narrative memory of our history to honor the 75 years of service that Catholic Charities has invested in the Central New Mexico community. Please visit www.ccasfnm.org/story to submit a story about how Catholic Charities has impacted your life and/or the lives of others.

Longtime Volunteer Says Goodbye

Talk about longevity! Clara Mae Vanzura wins hands down as she has been a volunteer at Catholic Charities for over 20 years since she registered as a driver for Senior Transportation Services in June of 1997. She goes so far back that we did not have the electronic means of calculating all the hours she has logged. Conservatively speaking, in 20 years she has logged an estimated 6,000 volunteer hours. It is safe to say she has probably scheduled over 20,000 trips in that length of time. This is not an easy task and entails additional clerical duties. After recently celebrating her 90 th birthday, Clara Mae has decided to retire from volunteering. We are so grateful for the thousands of hours she has dedicated to helping the organization honor human dignity, and will miss her cheerful presence around the office. Thank you, Clara Mae!

Help reunite refugee and asylum-seeking families!

After surviving war, persecution, disaster, and being separated from their loved ones, refugees, asylees and asylum seekers only want one thing: to be reunited with their family. But when that crucial moment comes, the cost of a flight prevents the majority from being together. That’s where your frequent flyer miles can help. United Airlines & American Airlines miles are their most urgent need right now. In partnership with Miles4Migrants, Catholic Charities accepts frequent flyer miles to reunite families around the world. Donate yours here: www.miles4migrants.org/givemiles

Heydt, Trujillo

Mr. L.A. (Tony) Trujillo and Miss Ellen Marie Heydt were joined in holy matrimony on April 18, 1970 at St. Stephen Church in Bradshaw, Maryland.

Tony is formerly from Taos, New Mexico and Ellen from Kingsville, Maryland. They have been blessed with three children: Melanie (Matthew) Mascarenas; Jason (Laura) and Sean and four grandchildren; Kainoa (8) and Charlie (6) Trujillo and +Michael Mary Luke and +Regina Chiara Mascarenas.

Tony is still active as a real estate broker for Nu Mex Realty, their firm, for over 45 years; Ellen is in her 16th year as a flight attendant with Southwest Airlines. Their lives have been richly blessed and they have been parishioners at Our Lady of Annunciation Parish since 1973. The Trujillos give thanks to God for the many years of blessings from church, family, friends and good health.