By BERNADETTE LAURITZEN
Executive Director
Los Alamos Retired & Senior Organization

Throughout the year, I try and take a moment to say thank you to someone who might never expect it.

There are so many people who do really wonderful things, never meaning to gain thanks, just want to do good. So, my column this week is to play catch up for past works and look ahead, during this holiday of love.

I’ll start way back during the big holiday seasons that included Hanukah and Christmas. I saw this community come together and support seniors in our home on the hill. The gift drive with Home Instead resulted in donations of gifts, hot meals and gift cards for prescriptions and food. It has allowed us to help our seniors in many ways.

Then came the donation of time, by Pojoaque High School student, Maia Dominguez. Dominguez and her sisters donated their time and talent to create handmade 50 holiday cards. These cards were part of a class project from teacher Marc Martin, for An Act of Kindness. Her effort was to brighten the day of homebound seniors that receive our Home Delivered Meals. The ability to create individual cards, was nothing short of spectacular and time consuming, but one done out of love. The cards allowed our chefs and their staff to make a meal with love and then add an extra special touch to go with it.

Then as we came upon Valentine’s Day, a Los Alamos High School senior Katie Laintz, did yet another good deed. Laintz crafted handmade Valentine’s to boost spirits for the holiday of Love. Each one was made with love and thoughtfulness, to brighten the day of our elders.

Since the town is so small, I will tell you how full circle things get here. When I worked as the Prevention Specialist at Los Alamos Middle School, Laintz was a student in a program called WEB Crew. The program, which stands for Where Everybody Belongs, was designed to be welcoming, accepting and helpful. She attended as a beneficiary the first year the program ran, when she was an incoming seventh grader. Then in eighth grade, she was a WEB Crew leader. So, it is no surprise that now, as a high school student, she still serves others.

We have lots of high school students that serve in many ways, from Naval JROTC students to special education students developing their work skills. They are loved when they come to play games, in our Day Out program, color or do puzzles. We love youth and enjoy their presence. So if you are lacking some grandparents and just want to pop in for a visit, feel free to stop by and say hello.

Courtesy photo

Courtesy photo