Volunteerism and the Socorro Mission Preservation Project

 

 

Prepared by:

Jean Fulton, Assistant Coordinator, Socorro Mission Preservation Project

Staff, Cornerstones Community Partnerships (Santa Fe, NM)

 

The non-profit organization Cornerstones Community Partnerships has developed a successful model that intertwines historic preservation and social activism. This model engages local at-risk youths, and employs under-skilled adults, in conserving cultural traditions and energizing community revitalizations.

 

The on-going preservation of the historic adobe Socorro Mission (Socorro, TX) provides a pivotal case study of the Cornerstones model. Although $1.4 million has been raised to date through a variety of grants and imaginative fundraisers, the project faces a $152,000 shortfall in terms of salaries, tools, and materials.

 

As of last December 2003, the full-time crew of 18 had been whittled down to two. For the past year, work has proceeded at a steady pace thanks to the dedication of the two remaining crewmembers, and to the mobilization of volunteers.

 

This presentation will address the Cornerstones model in general and the Socorro Mission Preservation Project in particular. The talk will focus specifically on the wide variety of volunteers who have been contacted and organized to assist in the absence of adequate funding. This presentation will assist similar projects in suggesting ways to locate and attract unpaid community helpers. Although challenging, and at times difficult day-to-day, the long-term benefit of engaging local volunteers is profound.

 

Highlight Fundraisers, and Volunteers: