Fall 2011.WebFinal

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fall 2011

THE VOICEof LA PUENTE

“If you really want to make a friend,go to someone’s house and eat with him...

the people who give you their food give you their heart.”- Cesar Chavez -



The Voice of La Puente2

CONTENT

Devin Forest Cornwall - Uncovering Value..........................................3-4 Jef Owsley - Springing Li e....................................................................5 Jordan Karp - Con icts o Care...........................................................6-7Sue Miller - Finding Friendship............................................................8-9Meghan Ibach - Success ul Support..................................................10-11Gardening and Gleaning In ormation...................................................12

Jordan Mcilveen - Te Roybal Family ....................................................13Kaitlin Porter - Gleaning or the Greater Good................................14-15Summer Review in Pictures..............................................................16-19Calvin Moreau - Potato Pulp...........................................................20-23Lance Cheslock -Te Guatamaleans o Alamosa..............................24-27Program Needs......................................................................................28How You Can Help .............................................................................29Devin Forest Cornwall - A Boy’s Prayer.................................................30Prayer o the Farmworker’s Struggle.......................................................31

Some names have been changed to protect anonymity

Te Voice o La Puente is a quarterly publication that is meant toprovide readers with a glimpse o day-to-day li e at La Puente’s programsby sharing the goals, challenges, accomplishments and greatest needs o the staf, volunteers, and guests.

La Puente is grate ul or all that our donors do to help us continueour services. Whether their contributions come to us in the orm o volunteer hours, nancial gi ts, material donations, or thoughts andprayers, we couldn’t do without them.

- To receive an electronic version, go to www.lapuente.net -

LaPuente Homein [email protected]

www.lapuente.net- Donate Online! -



FALL 2011 3

Tis past summer I participated ina three and a hal week program called“Coach or College” which helped connect

American Student-Athletes in the AtlanticCoast Con erence with Vietnamese collegestudents at Can To University in orderto promote higher education to eighth grade students in the Tuan Hungprovince.

wo and a hal months be ore arriving in Alamosa I was sitting on the weather-beaten bench o an open classroom in rural Vietnam with my shirtsoaked through with sweat. I had long ago abandoned the hope or a coolingbreeze, passing cloud, or even the warm rain o the monsoon season. Glimpseso rice paddies stretching of into the horizon peaked through the cracked andbroken windowpanes lining the ar wall o the classroom. I learned quickly

that the children and their amilies are o ten tied to the elds through nancialdependencies and generational passing o trade.

Weekday absences were a common occurrence at the school, especially during the monsoon season, which marked the start o the rice harvesting.Children were regularly expected to join their amilies in the paddies whenharvesting began, with school being a privileged activity or wealthier amilies.I ound, a ter spending a month in Vietnam, that I began to develop a closebond with a little boy named Dien, who, at the beginning o my time inVietnam had shrugged of the idea o college, believing that he would beneeded in the elds to help his amily.

At teen, Dien only came up to about my chest. He wore the largest smileI saw in Southeast Asia while playing soccer, basketball, volleyball and tennis,all o which he played bare oot. He was happy, but gritty, toughened by therealities o rural poverty. And so at the end o the program, when I turned inresponse to a shoulder tap to nd him standing there, tears streaming downhis ace, a Vietnamese coach he recruited as a translator by his side, I coulddo nothing but watch as broken Vietnamese owed rom his quivering lips.He told me, as the volunteer bus started up behind us, that ‘he promised he

would study and try as hard as he could in school. He would work hard and

Uncovering ValueDevin Forest CornwallCommunity Education




plan to go on to college.’ Te bus honked or us to load up and in partingDien said ‘he’d never orget what I had taught him.’ I bent down and gavehim a hug and reluctantly walked onto the bus.

Now a world away I sometimes wonder how Dien is doing. I hope he’sstill as determined as I le t him - teary-eyedand waving rom the middle o the school’scobblestone driveway. But as time moves

orward, so must I and as I sit writing thisintroduction wondering what La Puente

and Alamosa might have in store, I’mamazed at the similarities between my recent travels and here.

With gleaning season approaching rather quickly, visions o stooped riceharvesters dotting the paddies enter my mind and I begin to nd that thisact o giving, this physical service o collecting and distributing to the greatercommunity is something that might stay with me long a ter amiliar aces and

voices have worn with time. And I’m nding that the reason lies in the unity and sel essness I rst ound in Vietnam and now am discovering here withinLa Puente.

Troughout my years in college, I was continuously dedicated to my pursuits. I ran or the cross country and track and eld teams, which requiredimmense determination and dedication with very ew breaks - only two

weeks of the entire year. Alongside running I was also very involved in my education, and attempted to soak in as much o the lessons in my Marketingand English classes as I could. Te one thing I wan’t able to do was give a largeamount o time or service. All my activities centered around what I had inmind or mysel . And while I learned long ago that such activities are neededto maintain a healthy li estyle, but while our personal pursuits enrich our livesthrough interests and passions, service has a way o sharing the values andskills we’ve harvested with so many others.

Tis issue o “Te Voice o La Puente” is lled with stories about thevalues many o our authors have discovered here at La Puente. I hope youmay nd a story or two which sparks some thoughts about the values you havegathered and might share with willing and open hands.

Uncovering Value

*Dien sitting in the schoolyard



FALL 2011 5

Tink o how many people in the worldever see a natural spring bubbling romthe earth. Living close to the ContinentalDivide, we in Colorado’s San Luis Valley have a better chance than most to see one,

but such places are still very high in the mountains and normally require aheart pounding hike to get there.

On a recent trail run near South Fork, I stopped to take a picture o thetrans ormation taking place since the Million Forest Fire o 2002. Densegrowth o new aspen trees enveloped the base o a rolling sea o much tallerburned and scarred trunks. My thoughts were already centered on the beauty o healing rom such devastation, when in the high mountain silence my earscaught a aint trickling sound. I turned and noticed a bright green stripo growth in the distance that abruptly ended and was surrounded by thenormal, much dryer mountain ground cover. I smiled at the discovery. A closer look revealed pristine crystal water coming out o the earth, surroundedby lush growth o healthy grass and gorgeous wild owers. It was a spectacularsight.

As I went on with my run, Imeditated on how these pictures

in nature are actually seen daily insociety. People experience extremedi culties in li e, sometimes to thepoint o devastation. La Puente isa key, go-to organization when ourcommunity members experiencemajor setbacks. Many are at thepoint o near total loss, similar to

situations caused by re where they might only have the clothes on their back.

Restoration rom disaster takes a lot o time. Many people, most o themvolunteers, are critical throughout the process. Little by little growth sproutsand takes root. Tere is a sweet eeling o joy to witness new li e growing outo dust.

Springing LifeJeff OwsleyLa Puente Enterprises

*Scarred trees along the run




I’ve been here or six months and learned a lot. One o the largestlessons I learned was the ability to deal with the eeling o helplessness the

staf continually encounters when con icts arise with the children outsidethe program’s boundaries. One o the challenges o being a PALS staf member is the duality we have to endure with the children. At certain timesin the PALS program, we are encouraged to be a pseudo-parent and in many others are not allowed to. When disciplining a child in PALS, you are o tenshowered with proclamations o hate and sadness, but in knowing that theseearly lessons will help them make healthier decisions in the uture, suchcomments are easier to endure. Tough, sometimes you have to make adecision where there is no silver lining visible.

During drop ofs the other day, a PAL, Michael, began to cry in the van.He claimed that his stomach hurt and said he wanted to go home instead o being dropped of at his secondary day care. His mom was called and said she

would be there as soon as she could be. A sudden stomach ache is no big deal,but a ter re using to leave

the van the staf realized thatthere was more to the cryingthan just a simple stomachache.

“Michael, would youlike to tell me what’s really bothering you?” I askedhim. He shook his head no.I moved in closer and spokeso ter, “Buddy, is someonehere mean to you?” Heshook his head yes. Withhis answer, my co-worker

Conflictsof CareJordan Karp

PALS Children’s Program

*A PAL enjoying a piggyback



FALL 2011 7

and I were placed into a position where our legal obligations as PALS staf members took precedence over what we would have liked to have done orMichael. Te secondary daycare center was not an “unsa e” environment so

we couldn’t take him back to PALS, neither could we wait with him, or evendeliver him to his house. Our only option was to in orm a staf member

at the day care o his current distress, leave him in their care and trust thateverything would be okay. But it broke our hearts, and will continue to.

Having to manage our desires to care or a child and our legal responsibilitiesas employees is, at times, a very distressing position. Not being able to go ndthe kid bullying “ours” and havea stern talk with them; carryinga sobbing child you wish toprotect into an environment

where you know they don’t eelsa e goes against every naturalinstinct you have. Tat was themoment that I learned to accept

eelings o helplessness. O ten,in our eld o work, we cannot

do as much as we would liketo and this tears us apart, but it is essential to be okay with these types o situations i we wish to continue helping improve the children’s lives as wellas our own.

Tis situation did work out though, thank ully. We talked to Michaelthe next day and learned the bully’s name and told the staf at the day care.Te staf talked to the bully’s parents and told them that such behavior wasunacceptable and i it didn’t stop then they couldn’t come to the daycareanymore. Since then Michael has had a great time at the day care and hasn’tencountered and urther troubles. Helplessness sometimes teaches us how important our jobs really are and o ten how much o a diference we can makein someone else’s li e.

* * * “It’s not only children who grow. Parents do too.

As much as we watch to see what our children do with their lives, they are watching us to see what we do with ours. I can’t tell my children to

reach for the sun. All I can do is reach for it, myself.”

- Joyce Maynard

“...carrying a sobbing child

you wish to protect into anenvironment where youknow they don’t feel safe goes against every natural instinct you have..."




My husband, Gordon, and I are ulltime volunteers with the MennoniteVoluntary Service and work at theOutreach O ce at La Puente. I metGordon when we were both volunteering

with the Mennonite Disaster Service, andor 20 o our 33 years married years we have both been active volunteers with

Prison Fellowship. Gordon and I each elt that God had called us to volunteer work where we could eed the hungry, give drinks to the thirsty, give clothesto those needing them and visit the lonely and those in prison.

I work in La Puente’s Outreach Servicesprogram, assisting amilies acing nancialdi culties with their heating costs. Recently,

while visiting with an energy vendor I was

told about a client needing help. She was anelderly woman who had allen and brokenher ankle and struggled with putting woodin her urnace. Te vendor asked i we wouldbe able to assist this client with propane touse in a stove to make it easier on her to heather house.

Trough the energy vendor, I metMaria, an intelligent lady who lives out inthe middle o “no-man’s land” with her catand a awn she rescued. A ter a month orso, I was able to assist her with propane. Shesent me a letter o thanks and visited me atthe Outreach o ce and since then we’ve

developed a riendship. A ter discussingbusiness in the o ce, we talked about otherthings and began to discover that our values

were very similar. Maria was interested in why my husband and I were volunteeringand also about our spiritual journey with

Finding FriendshipSue MillerOutreach Services

*A happy recepient at thisyear’s backpack drive, atwhich Outreach gave out 250backpacks be ore the start o school



FALL 2011 9

God, which ultimately lead us to Colorado and La Puente. Gordon and Idecided to meet Maria or dinner and since she couldn’t drive, we said we’dpick her up. We entered Maria’s address into our GPS and ollowed thedirections to her mailbox, which was still a lengthy mile away rom her home.

A ter arriving and introducing my husband, Maria got in the car and was

immediately interested in the GPS, giving it the name “Susan.”

“Will ‘Susan’ be able to get us to our restaurant?” Maria asked.

While the trip to the restaurant was unevent ul, with the exception o “Susan” leading us to a dead end, which urther tested Maria’s trust in thelittle gadget, our dinner together, was delight ul. We learned more abouteach other’s lives and discussed many diferent topics, including exploring themeaning o service.

Maria wondered what Jesus meant in Matthew chapter 28, where Hesaid to teach others toobey His commands.Not only are we toserve others, but

to teach Jesus’commandments as well. Maria sharedhow she was looking or ways to serve others and wondered how she could dothat. Who needs her help? She lives in the Valley with very ew neighbors andnot a lot o resources.

Maria’s questions at dinner reminded me o questions I once askedmysel . Sometimes it seems hard to uncover the hidden tasks and needs o a community, but that’s just the thing. I we ask, then, quite o ten, we shallreceive. Searching or ways to contribute and help is easily the rst step in

nding use ul ways to give back to your community. O ten times some needspreviously not met can be solved with new ideas and skills.

Gordon and I hope to continue to meet with Maria. And althoughMaria may not know it, she continues to encourage both o us to serve ourcommunity through the li e she lives. Even though li e has not been easy,Maria has orgiven situations and choices o others who have afected her. Shehas le t bitterness and grudges behind. Because o choosing the diferent alleysthat have led her to this road in li e, she is a joy and inspiration. I pray we can

ollow her choices as we continue to try and live more giving lives.

“Maria wondered what Jesusmeant in Matthew chapter 28,

where He said to teach others toobey His commands."




“I know you, you’re garden lady!”

It’s a phrase I’ve heard more o ten than not in the past our months.Mainly it comes rom kids younger than 10, and boy they can spot me outin a crowd! It’s also a phrase that warms my heart, and makes me so happy tobe in my line o work. I am the Alamosa Community Garden Coordinator,

working or La Puente and the community at large. I teach garden lessonsin classrooms during the school year, I help run a ree garden camp in thesummer, and grow ood or the Alamosa Food Bank Network as well as theLa Puente Shelter. I love my job.

I’ve not always been a gardener. In act, or most o my 24 years I’ve hadquite the black thumb. I could kill a plant with just glance. I came here romCharlotte, North Carolina, where I have a large and loving amily who’vesupported me through all my endeavors and am very blessed to have themin my li e. I came to Alamosa or the job—working in a community garden,teaching nutrition education, and providing resh, healthy produce to people

who need it the most. I didn’t know anyone, and I really didn’t even understand where Alamosa was, letalone what kind o placeit would turn out to be.I was also nervous tobegin my job. Yeah I’vehad a garden be ore -using starter plants and

about a 50% successrate. But gardening or acommunity? Oh boy.

So needless to say,this summer hasn’t been

SuccessfulSupportMeghan Ibach

Community Gardens

* Garden Camp kids enjoy a cra t project



FALL 2011 11

the easiest. Not only have I been trying to gure out this whole “growingplants or ood” thing, but also the whole “growing plants in a high alpinedesert with winds up to 60 mph and possibly (hope ully) a sprinkle o rain”thing. Oh, and grow all o this within a less than three month window o good

weather. No, it’s true, the San Luis Valley is not an easy place to grow ood,

but they did mention that when I took this job. “I you can grow ood here,you can grow ood anywhere.” I hope that much is true, although only time will tell; that and the scale I use to weigh the produce when I bring it to the

ood bank.

But that’s just the beauty o it all. Although I’m a novice at community gardening, I’ve gotten so much support rom people around me: ellow gardeners, other La Puente volunteers, school teachers, shelter guests, andthe community at large. I lovecommunity garden nights every

uesday, when you don’t know who’s going to walk into thegarden to start helping. Somethingabout weeding helps people openup and start talking about their

lives. You meet people large and small, who all have their own story to tell. Iloved garden camp, not just or the amazing group o kids I got to know, butor the wonder ul group o community members who showed up each week,

just to help out and join in the un. My job is just as much getting to know people as it is to grow ood or the ood bank, and wow, I love it.

So yes I will measure my success by poundage produced and how long

I can extend our growing season, but I also want to measure it with lessquanti able results - watching a amily take home pounds o resh produce atthe ood bank; the greetings by shelter guests when harvesting ood rom theGrow Dome, which they will eat or dinner; hearing a little rst grader answer“photosynthesis” because he remembered my garden lesson rom two weeksago; helping two little boys pick garden produce so they can have resh oodto eat. We can all be success ul in li e, but we all need some support and helpalong the way. For as much support this community has given me, I just hopeone day that I can give as much back to them.

* * * “ e fair-weather gardener, who will do nothing except when the wind and weather and everything else are favorable, is never master of his [her] craft.”

- Henry Ellacombe

“Something about weeding helps peopleopen up and start talkingabout their lives."




Te gleaning program is a coordinated efort between the Food Bank Network o the San Luis Valley, local armers, and the Alamosa Community

Gardens to bring otherwise unused produce to community members who needit most.

During the harvest season, rom mid-August to mid-October, generousvolunteer groups rom around the state come to Alamosa to spend a Saturday gleaning in a local armer’s eld. Overnight accommodations are available atlocal churches or gleaning groups.

o get involved with our gleaning project contact the Food Bank Network at [email protected], to nd more in ormation on the speci cso gleaning and what it entails, check online on our website:

- www.lapuente.net/gleaning -

The Gleaning Project

Te Alamosa Community GardensProject is a collaboration between localschools, non-pro ts, and the community to teach gardening and nutrition whileproviding healthy produce to bene t

garden participants and community services such as the local ood bank. While our main garden is on the cornero 11th and State Avenue, we are alsobuilding a garden at the new AlamosaElementary School. With garden nightsevery uesday rom 5-7pm, and gardenmornings every Friday rom 9-11am,

June through October 8th, i you’d liketo stop by.

To get involved in the Alamosa Community Garden Project please contact us at [email protected].

the CommunityGARdEn



FALL 2011 13

April 24, 2010: this was the day the Roybal amily’s li e changed orever.Tis was the day one troubled mother,

our small children, and our bags ew rom West Virginia to Colorado, not

knowing what the uture held.

Tis brave mother, Kim, was married or seven years to a man she loved, but who held her captive in an unrelentingly abusive relationship. On that Aprilday, Kim opened the door o her house to nd three men standing outside,one dressed in uni orm and two in suits. “We’re here or your husband,” onesaid. And just like that, they took him away to jail.

As Kim watched her husband slumped in the back o the police car, she was able to stand a little taller as her mind was lled with images o a brighter

uture. “Freedom, independence!” she thought! He couldn’t hurt themanymore. Tey could nally live however they wanted! She pictured a sweetlittle house with her children playing happily in the backyard and the chanceto have all o their riends and neighbors over to eat.

Suddenly she stopped in the midst o her excitement as reality set in: how were they going to make it? Kim’s credit had been destroyed by her husband’soverspending; she had our children, the youngest an eight month old and theoldest a kindergartener, and now her only nancial resource was going to jail.

* * *

e rest of Jordan’s story will be featured as part of the Adelante Family PosterProject at the Grand Opening of the new Alamosa Food Bank and AdelanteFamily Services building on Saturday October 1st, from 11 am to1 pm. Come

out to tour the new building and enjoy the refreshments and fun.

The roybalFamilyJordan Mcilveen

Adelante Family Services




Gleaningfor The

Greater GoodKaitlin PorterFood Bank Network

Te long awaited gleaningseason has nally arrived andon Saturday morning, a groupo volunteers headed out to our

rst arm to glean potatoes as ourguinea pig group. Sure enough, the trip didn’t go per ectly smoothly. Fromthe combination o the new volunteer’s un amiliarity with the area, mysel

sometimes orgetting how small certain towns are, and general directionsbased of o obscured landmarks, we eventually made it to our gleaning spotand ollowed the “yellow brick road” o abandoned golden potatoes to the

eld.

As we scoured the eld or potatoes in the hot sun, Jackie celebratingher ability to nd the smallest potato, James awkwardly pouring a shirt ull

o potatoes into a crate, Evacarrying a crate back to thevan on her head, and Craig inoveralls overseeing the generalprogress o our small group, Irealized what a rare and special

opportunity gleaning is. It is hard work, giving us an extreme appreciation orpeople that spend all week harvesting these crops, especially since it’s probably not the rst choice o many people as to how they want to spend their Saturday morning—the sun is hot, the crates get heavy quickly, and soon all the rows o potatoes look the same, but it is a tangible service.

A lot o what we do to serve people here at La Puente is intangible and itbecomes even more di cult – almost entirely impossible - to see something

“A lot o what we do to servepeople here at La Puente isintangible...”



FALL 2011 15

through rom beginning to end. It’s hard to know that you’re achieving apositive result; that any moment might prove signi cant to another person.o be a part o providing ood or the Food Bank Network—not just going to

pick up ood at Wal-Mart—but to actually retrieve the ood rom the earth,transport it back to the ood bank and know that Monday morning, the people

o the San Luis Valley will have resh produce is something to be cherished.Not only is the Gleaning Program a way o providing a direct service or thedistribution o resh produce, but it’s also a way or the ood bank and local

armers in the area to connect in a meaning ul activity.

As we nished loading the crates o potatoes into the van, we were metby one o head armhands who stopped by to see how we made out in ourcouple hours o work. He ofered to show us the machinery that harveststhe potatoes, ollowed by an excursion to the potato storage area, where themassive amount o harvested potatoes were held be ore shipping them of allaround the country. Since agriculture is such a huge part o this area, people

want others to know how their arms work and gleaning is a valuable way wecan gain a bit o that knowledge. We are lucky enough to have planned outa gleaning season with many people willing to share their knowledge as wellas their crops.

Our group o volunteers returned to Alamosa a little dirtier and sunburnedthan we le t it, but had pockets lled with potatoes too small to give out andproud o our work and the ood we had acquired or our community members.I think we all had complete respect and a little more understanding or what

armers and their workers go through while harvesting ood or others. Plus,despite it being hard work,it turns out gleaning is a ungroup project and many o the volunteers requested tocome again the ollowing

week to help. For just aew hours on a Saturday

morning we will continueto help glean and withinour voluntary labors we willcontinue to discover thevalues, sometimes lookedover, o giving somethingdirectly back to ourcommunity.

*Fellow gleaner, and ull-time volunteer,Cory Karalekas, fnds a tiny potato




We’ve been busy,Here’s what we’ve been up to

While the ever continuing shelter lunches kept our bellies ull, and wonder uldaydreams occupied our ree hours, many sunny days were spent leading work groups, ra ting and lots o other outdoor activities. Browse through and see what we’ve been doing behind the scences.

*Pictured on this page:1) Thanks to Dan & DebbieBowers o CIA Leavitt andsta , PALS got the chanceto go ra ting. It was amilestone day or PALSand created many lastingmemories or the kids.2) Freshly pickedcarrots rom the BoydCommunity Garden.



FALL 2011 17

Pictured above:1) The lunch line at the shelter is always busy.2) Wild Bill enjoys the wonder ul summer weather on the shelter’s outdoor patio.




Pictured above: 1) The Alamosa Food Bank stays busy throughout the year.2) A giant gleaning fnd during one o the work group gleaning projects.



19FALL 2011

Pictured above: 1) A migrant worker picking up lettuce rom the feld duringharvesting season. 2) Volunteers in a gleaning workgroup orm a potato assemblyline. 3) A workgroup gleaning in the felds during harvest season.




On a sweltering July night Richard stepped out on the porch

acing state avenue or a hot dose o resh air. Tis had been a hard day

to digest, tougher than alligator meat. Te homeless Vets he is in charge o had just nished taking down the U.S. and P.O.W. ags.

La Puente was settling down or the night. Tat’s when Juice, the ex-

town drunk, came staggering up. He’d quit drinking years ago, but the nameand the stagger stuck. He looked out o breath and seemed worried tonight,stumbling up the sidewalk to Richard.Long time since I’d seen him like this ,Richard thought.“Oh no, no sir.” Te old veteran stammered. “I just walked ast as these oldlegs would go—maybe three miles, to tell somebody what I saw in the river;

a submarine just like in the war, but in the Rio Grande? I must be crazy, youthink?”“Maybe you’re just hungry. Come in and I’ll x you up a bowl o chili.”Richard said as helped Juice up the steps. Something scared him bad, hethought. Just as Juice nished his story, sirens began to wail all over town.“El , gather up the vets quick. eddie come here, something’s up. We needyour talent.”“No eddie, don’t go,” one o the two ladies on the couch with eddie said.“You’re terrible eddie,” the other one just muttered.

At sixty, he was beginning to believe it—a ter all, they can’t all be wrong.He elt or his wallet. Ten he stared into space searching through hissubconscious, a talent he’d picked up since he’d joined the writing workshop.“What do you see?” Richard asked.“I see…I see why they tell you to dig your latrine a hundred eet rom theriver— No it’s more like a giant bratwurst, or maybe a submarine. Yeah, it’s asub alright. I see a big gun on the deck. Now it’s submerging, sir.”“ eddie, I’ve asked you be ore not to call me sir, just Richard.”

Te phone rang moments later and Richard answered. It was Rudolph atthe employment o ce.

Potato PulpCalvin MoreauCommunity Member



FALL 2011 21

“Tey’ve got the whole o ce surrounded. I can’t get any o this paperwork done. Tey keep calling or me to come out with my hands up.”“Who, who’s calling you Rudol ?”“Te cops. I’m not moving till I get all o today’s applications into thecomputer. I I don’t, the Valley will be ooded with broke, homeless amilies.”

“Ok, calm down Rudol . Hold ‘em of as long as you can, and I’ll see what thevets can do about it.”

Big John pulled up ront in the truck a ew minutes later.“We’ve got the truck loaded, ready to go. Any idea where?”“Yeah, Milagro’s or cofee. You got the weapons and ammo loaded?”“We’re ready or anything,” Big John said.

Inside Milagro’s they sat on the ew vacant chairs they could nd. A tercofee and conversation they regrouped outside.“Well what have we got?” Richard asked. One name repeatedly came up -Le Sewer. Te manager, Jay, said he lived upstairs on the third oor at thatno one else would rent. “Let’s go have a “talk” with Mr. Le Sewer.” Richarddecided.

Te door to the stairway was locked.“We’ll have to take the re escape, but rst we’ll have to split up. El , you andBig John take the truck to the river, see i you can nd out what that sub is upto. eddie, you and Jerry come with me.”

Te alley was a dark, deep canyon. Climbing the re escape they oundthe re exit locked, so they traversed the ledge to the nearest open window a

ew eet away. Down the hall the only occupied room was locked. Richardlistened at the door and heard giggling.“Alright eddie, take her down.”

Te heavy antique door splintered when eddie’s bulk struck it. A girllounging in an armchair, presumably the source o the giggling, covered her

ace with the summer issue o “Te Voice o La Puente” she had been reading.eddie grabbed Le Sewer rom behind.

“Hold him there eddie.” Richard said. Jerry pulled out a spoon and stoodready. Richard began, “OK, Le Sewer, tell us about the submarine.”“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”“You’ll talk or else. Jerry, give him a taste o inspiration.” Jerry held the spoonabove his bald head and began to tap lightly.“No. No. Stop, please. My mother used to beat me with a spoon. I can’t standit.”




“Well…?” Richard prodded.“OK, they paid good to set up the diversion at the employment o ce. Tey plan to re botulism contaminated potatoes into the elds to destroy theharvest.”

Te con ession that poured rom Le Sewer le t a rank smell in the air, likea Bourbon Street alley at Mardi Gras. Richard pulled of his belt.“OK, that’s enough. Here eddie, tie these two up tight and let’s get out o here. It’s 9:45 and bed check is at 10.”“You can’t just leave us here tied up like this,” the girl whined.“Don’t worry honey. Your ride’s on the way.”

* * *In the meantime, Big John and El were busy setting up their weapon at

the river. El opened the ammo crate, pulled out a zucchini and looked up atBig John in bewilderment.“What happened to the potatoes?”“It’s too early or potatoes, so we’ve got to use the zukes,” Big John explained.

El began to load the homemade potato gun when Big John stopped him.“No, wait. We need to stuf ‘em rst. Hand me a tablespoon o that le tover

chili.” He slit the zucchini with his pocket kni e, slapped the chili in, thenstufed it into the barrel o the gun. El packed the rest o the chili into theother end o the tube.“You got a light Big John? I can’t nd my lighter.”“No, I quit smoking.” Big John replied proudly.“Hold on, I’ve got an idea.”

El cut a willow branch, tied a piece o string to each end, and set it aside while he carved a point on a dry stick. He split a dry branch or a re boardand began drilling steadily into it.“Hurry El , they’re loading the gun now.”“I can’t hurry this. It takes a certain oneness with the wood to bring a littlecoal to li e with a bow drill. It’s an ancient art.”“We don’t have time or art.”

El care ully touched the ame rom a little stick to the dripping chili atthe rear o the tube. Te chili ignited with a woosh, throwing Big John downbackwards into El . Te river erupted in a blinding ash o light, cracking thesilent darkness with a dea ening explosion.“We got it! El , their gun is gone.”“Will you get of o me? All I see is mud.”



FALL 2011 23

* * *Te an in the o ce merely annoyed the stif, hot air. Te chair Richard

sat in creaked when his relie walked in to work the graveyard shi t.“You ok, Richard?” Big John asked.

Richard rubbed remnants o the dream rom his eyes.“I can’t see why you care so much,” Big John added.

Richard replied through the lingering dream, “Can you imagine a soldierghting without a homeland—or a veteran hoping without a home?”

e Shelter Veteran program has been up and running for almost a year. e goal of the program is to empower veterans to live independantly, with dignity. During the past year, we’ve served 10 homeless veterans. Our case manager works individuawith each veteran to develop a program that ts their needs.

We connect each veteran with partner organizations throughout the San Luis Valley to help in job training, rehabilitation, assistance with nding work and assistance with veterans bene ts. Last month, the American Legion dedicated the pole outside the shelter. Each morning the veterans at the shelter raise the AmericaPOW ags. If you know a homeless veteran in need, or wish to aid in the veteran program, please contact Richard Duarte at [email protected] .

*Some o our veterans (Calvin at ar right) take down the ag




Lance spent part of July in Guatemala studying the history and culture of the Mayan natives.

Isabela is an amazing gem o a person. Her li e is an epilogue in the story o the dozens o Guatemalans who, having ed the terror and poverty o thecivil war in Guatemala years ago, passed though the doors o La Puente insearch o political asylum.

Isabela’s story can be traced back to the early eighties, when a stream o indigenous Maya rom Guatemala ound their way to Alamosa and La Puente,Tey were part o a large in ux o Guatemalans who made their home in theSan Luis Valley during that time period. Tis unique culture o people havehad a distinctive and signi cant impact in the Valley’s economic and culturalli e, with nearly 200 established amilies making the valley their home.Given La Puente’s history and relationship with members o the Guatemalancommunity, I wanted to explore with you how they ended up here.

Right rom the start, I learned that the Guatemalan Mayas do not wantto be re erred to as “Hispanic,” as they quickly point out that their roots in

Central America go back over 3800 years - millennia be ore the arrival o Spanish invaders. Tey pre er to be re erred to as “Mayan” or “indigenous.” Within Guatemala, the 8,900,000 Maya are comprised o 21 separate tribes,demarked by both geography and individual Mayan dialects. Te largest tribeis the Quiche, numbering 1,255,000.

Te Guatemalan Maya o Alamosa are predominantly Q’anjob’al, part o a small tribe (60,000) originating in the Cuchumatan Mountains o a tiny region o northwest Guatemala. Te largest town and economic center o thearea is Santa Eulalia, located in the heart o the sheer, rugged mountains, over9 hours rom Guatemala’s capital.

Te region’s economy is primarily agricultural, with the locals workingsmall plots o land to grow corn and beans. Te steep, rocky gardens are

Alamosa’sGuatemalan

CommunityLance CheslockExecutive Director



FALL 2011 25

o ten located miles rom inhabited villages, requiring long commutes on ootand rigorous hand labor to work the land. Te current eld worker’s wage isabout one dollar an hour. Tis is the lot o the majority o the people therebecause they do not own any land. Te poverty is extreme, yet culture andli e conditions have ormed a group o people with a robust work ethic and

tremendous determination to better their lives.

Back in 1980, Guatemala was in her 20th year o a vicious civil war. Teindigenous Maya were having the rights to their land stripped rom them by the a uent urban elite and the Guatemalan oligarchy. Te ensuing clash wasa losing battle or the Maya, who had no established system in place to “title”land that they had lived and worked on or dozens o generations, and littlemeans to de end themselves. Altogether, the 36 years o war resulted in over200,000 casualties and the destruction o over 400 Mayan villages.

Te war violence cameto a crescendo in the 1970’s,

when the Guatemalan military received tens o millions o dollars o weapons and training

rom the United States. Amnesty International documentedthousands o human rightsabuses, with over 50,000 Mayakilled in that period, mostly civilians. Te violence began to

reach deep into Guatemala’s rural highlands where the government soughtto purge any community that was suspected o being anti-government orsupportive o land re orm. In July, 1982, government orces reached thecommunities surrounding Santa Eulalia, killing hundreds o Maya civilians,

wiping out the Q’anjob’al settlements o Puento Alto and Barillos. Tis ledto the exodus o many o those who had survived the government atrocities.

Juana, Isabela’s mother, grew up in Santa Eulalia. She had eloped with hersweetheart Francisco at age 13 a ter her mother had tried to sell her to anotherman who was looking or a wi e. Soon Juana gave birth to her rst born, a boy

whom she and Francisco named Richard. Li e was di cult or them, giventhe poverty and limited work in the Santa Eulalia community. Franciscocould not make enough to support his new amily just arming small plots o corn and wheat on the steep mountain slopes. He le t his amily behind ormore lucrative work at the cofee plantations north o Santa Eulalia.

*The steep slopes o Guatemala




In the months that passed, Juana struggled with the efects o poverty andsufered the loss o their son, Richard, while Francisco was away working.Te tragedy deeply afected them. She and Francisco subsequently decidedto leave Santa Eulalia, to work alongside one another picking cofee. Duringthat period, their daughter Isabela was born.

Te year was 1982, and the civil war arrived at their doorstep. Franciscoand Juana heard news o the killings in Puento Alto and Barillos, and learnedthat government soldiers were on their way to Santa Eulalia. Upon the news,they ed back and joined the community in praying to “Saint” Eulalia orprotection. Stories are told o how the soldiers elt a mysterious cloud rushingaround them as they marched towardsthe settlement,and a sense o

oreboding warnedthem not to hurt theinhabitants. SantaEulalia was indeedspared, and to this

day the community celebrates an annualestival in honor o

the saint.

With the heat o war around them, and the subsequent strangle o poverty, Juana and Francisco continued to ear or their lives. Feeling there was noother option, Francisco set of on a trek to enter into and cross Mexico, withthe hope o securing sa ety and a job in the United States. His passage took him on oot through the Sonoran desert, passing near Nogales. Troughouthis voyage, Francisco had heard o Colorado’s San Luis Valley, and how many

who had traveled be ore him had ound work at a mushroom arm. He set hissights northward and continued his strenuous journey.

Exhausted, Francisco made it to Alamosa, and learned o La Puente. A terrecuperating rom his odyssey, and getting out tted with some clothing andbasic necessities, Francisco started work at the Rahkra Mushroom arm. Soonhe saved up enough to send or Juana and Isabela. His amily was grantedamnesty due to the circumstances o the war, and they made their home in

Alamosa.

*“Tienda” selling Mayan ceremonial provisions



FALL 2011 27

Isabela grew up under the in uence o her hard-working parents. Shelabored in the elds at age 11 cutting spinach, learned to drive her ather’struck at age 12, and continued working the spinach harvest to help supporther amily until she graduated rom Alamosa High. oday, Isabela uses hergi ts with children and her tri-lingual skills to teach at “Jardin de los Nin” a

preschool in Alamosa that is also a welcoming place or other Guatemalanchildren. Her husband, Mateo, works at the mushroom arm.

Te Guatemalan war ended in 1996, when an armistice was signed. Teow o re ugees stopped and a good number o Guatemalans returned home.

Yet many amilies who had made their home in Alamosa stayed, and haveevolved into a close-knit community. Numerous amilies still employmentat the Rakhra Mushroom Farm. Over the years, Rakhra has grown to deeply appreciate the work ethic and important role the Guatemalan community plays in the success o the arm. Don Clair, an operational manager atRakhra, told me that the vast majority o their 130 mushroom pickers are

rom Alamosa’s Guatemalan community. He couldn’t speak highly enough o their sense o community, dedication, and the pride they take in their work.“Indeed,” said Don, “they are one o the greatest assets that Rakhra has.”

It is well known that war spawns homelessness, either with the displacemento people in the speci c geography o con ict, or the casualties who returnhome, like the countless veterans that come to La Puente. Yet, healing comesover time, although sometimes it spans generations.

Te Guatemalancommunity in Alamosa

would not be here i it wasn’t or the war. Teviolence and ear led to agreat exodus, and at onepoint Alamosa struggledunder the burden o thedisplaced re ugees. oday,a generation later, theemergent Guatemalancommunity blesses us

with people like Isabela and her amily. Te warmth and beauty o theirculture, the hard work ethic and strong sense o amily strengthens us, and isre ective o many other stories o re ugees and pilgrims who have enhanced

Alamosa and our country.

*Joy ul youth o Guatemala




ShelterGrocery Gift Card Work Gloves - Hats

Shampoo - Baby Formula Aluminum foil - Canned goods

MilagrosForks - New front door

Co ee cups - Wireless mouses Keyboards and mouse pads

Hand towels and wash cloths

Rainbows End Mannequins - Clothing Racks Cash register - Storage containers Walkie talkies or intercom system

community GARden

Large toolbox - New drip systemLong Hoses - Lumber - Garden Tools

Food Bank

Kid friendly food Produce of any kind

Cereal - Gas certi cates Tomato product (diced or sauce)

PALS Childrens Program

T-shirt Sponsor Volunteer carpenter Funding for ooring Gas Gift Certi cates

Sponsors for eld trips

Outreach ServicesDesk calendars

O ce Supplies - Copy paper New Scanner - Toner for copier Fax machine - Cleaning supplies

Adelante Family Services

Scanner Washers and dryers - Gas cards

Copier paper - Hanging le folders

Volunteer Coordination &Community Education

First Aids Kits

Weed Eater Frames for Milagros Art Professional display board

Workgroup tools - Vehicle Safety Kits

Administrative Off ice

O ce Supplies Copy Paper Pens

Dry erase markers Locking le cabinet

Program Needs

*We are also in need of a reliable economy car. If you have one which you would like to donate, please contact us by phone, or e-mail:

(719) 589 - [email protected]



FALL 2011 29

Everyone has a gift to share...Te continuous support that La Puente receives rom the extended

community is what allows us to continue to serve those in crisis. Weare very grate ul or the time, money and generous donations that arereceived rom near and ar by all. I you are interested in becoming moreinvolved in helping the La Puente community, consider these options.

Securities Any gi t o stocks, property, or appreciated securities can be converted

into services that eed and shelter people, and give you a ull tax deduction.

Colorado Donors: Get the extra tax credit!Te State o Colorado has cut back on many Enterprise Zone ax

Credits, but La Puente’s 25% tax credit support isstill available . Your donation provides you with the traditional Federal and State taxdeduction PLUS a 25% Colorado State ax Credit. For example, i you were to donate $500, to La Puente through the Enterprise Zone,the Federal and Colorado State deductions would reduce your taxesby about $160, and the tax credit would reduce your taxes an addi-tional $125! Tat’s nearly a $300 return to you or a $500 gi t to us!

• Gi ts must be at least $100 to quali y • Make checks payable to “Enterprise Zone”• Designate “La Puente” in the lower le t-hand corner• Mail it to us in the envelope provided

• Upon receipt o your donation, we’ll mail you a receipt!Please call our main of ce at 719 589-5909 with questions

Provide Food & Shelter as a Legacy Write a clause in your will or trust that identi es “La Puente

Home, Inc.” as a bene ciary to any portion o your estate. Tis is asimple way to arrange or a signi cant gi t in support o our mission,

while leaving you in control o your assets during your li etime.

*Donate online*It’s a sa e and easy way to provide or all the people we serve!




As a boy, he pretends to know nothing more than the emotional motiveso Freddie Cruger. Tat and the migrating patterns o imaginary gold shtrapped inside tightly capped mason jars.

With a smooth, unblemished ace, nails kept at a hygienic length, andde ning, deep red hair, he is, as he proclaims, a “good” Freddie Cruger.

His cereal is good Freddie Cruger ood. And his mother and ather are goodFreddie Cruger people. And he promises, or a majority o the time, to do

you no harm.But today, as I watch him staring into the busy street, his ace pressed againstthe loosely tted window screen, squashing his nose so that it lies at abovehis lips, I’m convinced that he’s praying with his eyes open. Praying, or

ear that i they closed, everything would go away.

I imagine that he prays to anything, to anyone because he’s scared. For, asar as I know, the land beyond the screen, the dirt, the cars, the people, the

moutains stretching into the sky, are all hes ever known. And as I watch him, I wonder i , in all his youth ul dayreams, he everthought Freddie Cruger could be scared too.

A Boy’s PrayerDevin Forest CornwallCommunity Education



FALL 2011 31

Prayerof

the Farm Workers’ StruggleShow me the sufering o the most miserable;So I will know my people's plight.Free me to pray or others;For you are present in every person.Help me to take responsibility or my own li e;So that I can be ree at last.Grant me courage to serve others;For in service there is true li e.Give me honesty and patience;So that I can work with other workers.Bring orth song and celebration;So that the spirit will be alive among us.Let the spirit ourish and grow;

So we will never tire o the struggle.Let us remember those who have died or justice;For they have given us li e.Help us love even those who hate us;So we can change the world.

- Cesar Chavez



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Documents

Fall 2011.WebFinal