The 2012 Pinon Awards, given each year (for 26 years) by the Santa Fe Community Foundation, was a lovely and successful event this past Tuesday evening October 9th. It was different from recent years where the community was invited to a free open celebration at the Lensic Theater and then a somewhat pricey dinner event was held to raise funds for the Foundation. The $35 per person ticket to a dinner and ceremony at the historic La Fonda Hotel seemed to go down well with everyone there. It was a big crowd of happy philanthropists and charitable organizations brought together to celebrate good works. And the food was good too – though surprisingly not New Mexican fare.
Pinon Awards 2012
On a personal note, I was thrilled to be there as part of the Santa Fe for Students team because we won the Visionary Award that “honors an organization that is making measurable progress toward a well-articulated and achievable vision for what is to come… an organization that sees the ultimate outcome of their work being achieved far beyond the present, can anticipate the unmet needs of future generations, and has the stamina and patience to develop a path to success.”
And that is exactly what Santa Fe for Students has done for 15 years. Bill and Georgia Carson and their team of volunteers have brought the community into schools that really need support and resources. It’s been a great success and they are now becoming part of the national education organization, Communities In Schools. It’s a win, win win. Yay! And as their fundraising and marketing consultant for the past 9 months, I’m glad I helped them along the way. I’m ready for my next adventure in consulting.
All my best,
Irene