Liana Star of Santa Fe has received a scholarship to continue her high school education at the United World College-Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
 
The daughter of Miranda Saint James, Liana recently completed her sophomore year at Mandela International Magnet School in Santa Fe. She was among 60 U.S. students selected for the merit-based Davis Scholarships. 

Liana’s article “Kindness Rocks, and So Do CASA First Youth Ambassadors,” in Tumbleweeds' Fall 2020 issue, won second place for articles on social issues in the New Mexico Press Women 2021 Communications Contest. 
 
UWC is an international high school for 16- to 19-year-olds with 18 campuses worldwide whose mission is to unite cultures through education, thus creating a peaceful, sustainable world. UWC students represent up to 90 countries at some campuses; many come from conflict regions.
 
UWC offers the international baccalaureate, a two-year pre-university program that is the most widely recognized secondary school diploma in the world. 
 
Applicants for Davis Scholarships must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents and be either 16 or 17 years old on Sept. 1 of the year they intend to enroll. Additional non-scholarship students may also be selected. These students will be offered partial or no financial support. To learn more about UWC-USA, visit www.uwc-usa.org. 

- Gwen Albers, Advancement and Communications Coordinator, United World College
 

The Santa Fe Children’s Museum is distributing a line of newly designed Grab and Go Kits designed by students from New Mexico Highlands University Media Arts & Technology Department. Created for New Mexico children and families without access to the internet, and as a way to serve the community during the pandemic, these kits provide hands-on STEM and art-based activities for the whole family.
 
Using the kit themes — Paper Rivers, Rain Jar, and Solar System String -- visual communications students from the Department of Media Arts and Technology designed new, creative brand packaging and curriculum materials for the Grab and Go Kit Program. 
 
“Sam Gallegos led the student team and played an important role in developing the logo mark, while Krislyn Padilla pitched some fun ideas for the ‘Solar System String’ lesson,” Advanced Design Practices course instructor Mariah Fox Hausman said. “This project was challenging, and I’m proud of the students’ hard work. The reward of seeing their designs reach communities in need throughout the state is not only priceless but a valuable educational experience.”
 
Leona Hillary, director of education, said she is grateful for the Highlands partnership and happy with the students’ work. 
 
“It hit home on our mission of discovering the joy of learning, play and community,” Hillary said. “We are very fortunate to be able to work with such an amazing pool of local talent.”
 
With donor support, the Children’s Museum has delivered more than 7,000 free kits to children and families across the state since March 2020. Kits have been distributed with the help of partners including:
 
● Keres Children’s Learning Center, Cochiti Pueblo 
● Mariano Elementary, Gallup 
● Northern Youth Project, Abiquiu  
● Railyard Park Conservancy, Santa Fe 
● Community Educators Network, Santa Fe 
● City of Santa Fe Homeless Shelter: Midtown Campus, Santa Fe 
● Espanola Public Schools, Homebound Services, Espanola 
● Gerard's House, Santa Fe 
● Santa Fe Public Libraries, All Locations 
● New Mexico Autism Society 
● Rio Arriba Independent Libraries, Rio Arriba County 
● Rio Arriba County Health Department, Rio Arriba County 
● Community Art Closet, Santa Fe Place Mall 
● Christus St. Vincent Regional Cancer Center serving families from Riberia, Questa, Taos, Las Vegas and Santa Fe.
 
During the next year, the Children’s Museum anticipates distributing 20,000 Grab-and-Go Kits to rural and Tribal communities throughout the state.
  
For more information, visit www.santafechildrensmuseum.org.
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- By Hannah Hausman, Santa Fe Children's Museum

On March 28, 2008, Darin “Bear” Cadman had what he described as the worst day of his life. 
 
He was driving his family to church in Missoula, Montana, early that morning when a car slammed into his pickup truck.
 
“I never heard [the other driver] hit the brakes," Cadman recalled. "I just heard the loud metallic crash. I couldn’t see for eight hours. I could hear the ambulance guys, but I couldn’t see anything. It slowly came back to me when I was lying in the hospital.
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Cadman had been working as a drywalling contractor, but after the hit-and-run, any strenuous movement sent waves of pain up his back. He suddenly found himself unemployed with no way to re-enter the construction field. Even worse, the strain from money troubles caused his family to break apart. At that point, Cadman, who comes from the Kickapoo and Navajo nations, decided to move back to his hometown of Shiprock, New Mexico.
 
With no other way to make income, Cadman turned to the thing he loved most: representing his Diné (Navajo) culture. He had started dancing in pow wows at 8 months old and maintained a deep love for his community and his culture. Bear busied himself with Diné art — warbonnets, bead work, eagle feather creations. He now has buyers from around the world — Canada, Switzerland, Tokyo, Dubai, Moscow – who have grown to appreciate the Diné culture that Bear displays in his work. 
 
But his next project hit closer to home: picture books to teach children the ABCs through Diné culture. 
 
“I thought it would be really nice to teach students of every color the Native American view of how we see the letters, how we use the letters, how the letters are involved in our language, and how the letters are involved in our cultures,” Cadman explained. “The clan names, the family names, the old names … it is a reintroduction to Native America through the alphabet … just teaching kids the ABCs with some images and words that are very special. 
 
“For instance, ‘B is for Bear. I am a bear. I walk on four legs. I used medicine. I chew medicine and plants. I put it on my wounds. I teach the two-leggeds how to heal.’ That’s the B in the alphabet book. It is all written from that perspective.”
 
B is for Bear: Alphabet Letters from the Diné, written and illustrated by Darin “Bear” Cadman and published in partnership with The Charity Gurus, is now available for $15, including shipping, at bearcadman.com.

- By Kelsey Sinclair

Resolve celebrates 20 years of violence prevention in New Mexico with a virtual Crystal Ball Gala at 6:30 p.m. Monday, May 17.
 
Tickets are free, but for an added charge you can add on a meal from Santacafe or Jambo Café that you can pick up and enjoy the night of the event. There will also be a virtual auction, opening May 11, which includes travel experiences, gift certificates and art. 

The celebration will highlight Resolve’s work and the impact in our community. It's an opportunity to learn more about the organization, how you can participate in their programs and how to support the work. 

Resolve (formerly IMPACT Personal Safety) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to prevent violence by building skills and inspiring individuals to be agents of personal, community and cultural change. They provide programs for youth and adults that teach skills such as setting boundaries, de-escalating conflicts, advocating for yourself and others, and verbal and physical self-defense strategies. The majority of their work is done in collaboration with schools, workplaces and community organizations.

Resolve was founded 20 years ago by community members who saw a need for effective, skill-based violence prevention education in Santa Fe. Over the last two decades, their work has expanded to meet community need. They now work in Santa Fe, Albuquerque and Northern New Mexico. Throughout the pandemic, they have continued to serve our community by providing virtual programs for adults and youth.

To learn more or get tickets, visit www.resolvenm.org/events.

- Marie Schow, Administrative and Development Coordinator
 

Tumbleweeds is excited to be a partner in the Santa Fe Public Library's NEA Big Read, a community-wide celebration of reading, by providing “Tumble Reads” Take-A-Book children's book give-away boxes at all three Santa Fe Public Library Branches.

The boxes are stocked with books for pre-K through young adult in English and Spanish, which have been removed from library circulation because of space limitations but are of good quality for use at home or at school. 

Although libraries remain closed to indoor visitors, Tumble Reads boxes may be accessed at any time, not just during regular curbside pick-up hours. Books don’t have to be checked out, returned or replaced — just taken home and enjoyed. They are filled and maintained by Friends of the Library, volunteers who "work year-round to get books to kids and teachers, every which way they can!" explained Friends president Susan Sheldon.

Tumbleweeds is pleased to help in any way we can. Look for Tumble Reads in our big plastic red or green distribution boxes outside the Main, LaFarge and Southside branches of Santa Public Library, near the curbside pick-up area.

Santa Fe Public Library is one of 84 nonprofit organizations selected to receive an NEA Big Read grant, in partnership with Arts Midwest, to broaden our understanding of our world, our communities, and ourselves through the joy of sharing a good book. The NEA Big Read in Santa Fe County focuses on Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea, with special events and activities through June. 

Walter Cook, youth services librarian, reviews several companion books for younger readers in The Big Read Puts Us in Immigrants' Shoes, in the Spring 2021 issue.

Visit the SFPL NEA Big Read Program Guide for a complete schedule of events, from the kick-off concert and scavenger hunt to author talks, book discussions, contests and closing celebration. 

For programs specially geared to children and youth, including creative writing and poetry workshops, storytelling, story times, craft projects and concerts, see Tumbleweeds Calendar of Family Events.
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 Around 200 people, including families, single individuals, young and old, come through to receive and donate art supplies at Vital Spaces' Community Art Closet on Jan. 23, the first of what will be a monthly program to provide free art supplies to the community, particularly youth and families.

Community art closets are like food pantries but with art supplies instead of food. Vital Spaces' new program, driven by a belief that art and creative expression should be a right for all, not a privilege, will be stocked with a range of art supplies for all skill and age ranges, including coloring sheets and activity prompts for younger artists from partner arts organizations.

Based on the success of its first Community Art Closet, where they gave away most of what they had in stock, Vital Spaces is already working on restocking for next month's event, Feb. 20 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

If you have supplies to donate, drop them off on Thursdays from 2-4 p.m. at Vital Spaces, in the SW Annex, Midtown Campus, 1600 St. Michael’s Drive, Santa Fe, NM 87505 (on the campus of the former Santa Fe University of Art and Design). They accept new or gently-used supplies, as well as other materials that could be repurposed for artworks. Organizations and individuals may also participate by committing to a monthly subscription or one-time donation of money or art supplies. Every dollar donated goes towards purchasing art supplies – none towards administration or overhead.

And stop by to pick up free art supplies for yourself and your family on the third Saturday of each month! 

Vital Spaces is a Santa Fe-based 501(c)3 organization whose mission is to sustain and enhance Santa Fe's cultural vibrancy by creating affordable spaces for artists working in all media to create, present, connect and teach. Their focus is on fostering a collaborative creative community and supporting people, ideas, and art forms that are underrepresented in Santa Fe's commercial art scene.

The Vital Spaces Team - Raashan, Rica, and Hannah - extend their thanks to the Santa Fe Children's Museum, Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, Meow Wolf, Museum of Contemporary Native Arts, Kathryn O'Keeffe Foundation, and the Kind World Foundation, and individual donors, and "to all you artists out there who have been itching to make art and inspire us."

​Over the past two decades, United Way of Santa Fe County has focused on early childhood care, education and policy, and though we have been an affiliated member organization with United Way Worldwide since 1955, we have not operated as a traditional United Way in many years. As such, we will end our membership with United Way Worldwide at the end of this year. Beginning in January 2021, we will change our name to Growing Up New Mexico: The Early Childhood Partnership. 

We will have a new name, but our organizational mission, vision, focus, and work will remain just as they are. Our board of directors and staff worked diligently to choose a name that fully encompasses our identity, and I think we have achieved that in Growing Up New Mexico. 

By changing our name to Growing Up New Mexico: The Early Childhood Partnership, we are signaling our commitment to New Mexico’s children and the adults in their lives. What matters most is that word up, because passion and aspiration fuel everything we do. We’ve directed programs and policy around early childhood education and care and created the public awareness and political will for investment in early childhood education and care in New Mexico for many years.  We will continue to do the same important work, just with a new name. 

For more information, please go to: www.uwsfc.org/newname.

- By Abby Bordner, Vice President of Resource Development for United Way of Santa Fe County.