Local Couple Establishes Community Endowment Fund For UNM-Los Alamos

UNM-LA CEO Dr. Cindy Rooney, Community Endowment for UNM-LA donors Pat Soran and Ann Hayes, and UNM-LA Advisory Board Chair Steve Boerigter met Friday in Dr. Cindy Rooney’s office at UNM-LA to discuss the new Community Endowment for UNM-LA. Photo by Kateri Morris/UNM-LA

Pat Soran and Ann Hayes established an endowed donor designated fund, the Community Endowment for UNM-LA, through the Los Alamos Community Foundation. They signed the papers Friday to make it official. Photo by Kateri Morris/UNM-LA

 
By CAROL A. CLARK
Los Alamos Daily Post
caclark@ladailypost.com

Longtime Los Alamos residents Pat Soran and Ann Hayes have acknowledged the importance of the University of New Mexico-Los Alamos (UNM-LA) by founding the Community Endowment for UNM-LA through the Los Alamos Community Foundation (LACF) with a $10,000 gift.

The couple provided an additional $5,000, which will be used to match any contributions made to the Endowment by other donors within the next two years.

UNM-LA CEO Dr. Cindy Rooney invited Soran and Hayes to the campus Friday where they signed the endowed donor designated funds paperwork.

“We are so pleased and honored that Pat Soran and Ann Hayes have established this endowment for UNM-Los Alamos,” Dr. Cindy Rooney said. “On behalf of our campus, I express my sincere gratitude for their financial support and their continued encouragement for UNM-LA. The endowment that Pat and Ann have established is important; they are investing in education and in our community.”

Soran and Hayes, who are strong proponents of education, considered how they could help grow and sustain UNM-LA, which has been part of Los Alamos for more than 30 years.

“UNM-LA provides a smorgasbord of learning, with classes ranging from physics to welding,” Soran said. “There is something for everyone on a beautiful campus. People should be aware of the caliber of the faculty and the first-class support provided to the students. It’s a gem.”

Soran is a member of both the UNM-LA Advisory Board and the Los Alamos Community Foundation.

“Los Alamos has been very good to us. We feel it’s important to give back,” he said, adding that he hopes that the $5,000 match will inspire others to support the Community Endowment for UNM-LA.

Hayes completed her Masters of Computer Science degree on the UNM-LA campus.

“It’s very important to continue UNM-LA’s success. It is an important asset to the community,” Hayes said. “We are lucky to have such a good university extension in Los Alamos.”

As a community foundation, LACF is a public charity dedicated to improving the lives of people in Los Alamos. Through LACF, individuals can create donor designated funds, endowments, and general funds to direct their philanthropic support to the community. Nonprofit organizations can house their endowments at LACF to expand their asset base and grow organizational capacity in the long term.

“The Los Alamos Community Foundation is thrilled to have been able to help Pat and Ann establish the Community Fund for UNM-LA,” LACF Executive Director Rachel Kizielewicz said. “This endowed donor designated fund will give Pat and Ann, and other future donors to the fund, a chance to see their generosity benefit a local institution for years to come.”

The Los Alamos Community Foundation exists to facilitate and promote local philanthropy by Los Alamos residents and those with strong local connections, to highlight unmet needs and investment opportunities within our community, and to meet these needs through financial and organizational support to local nonprofits. For more information about the Los Alamos Community Foundation, visit www.losalamoscf.org.

Those with questions about the endowment or interest in contributing should reach out to Kizielewicz at 412.298.6441 or rachel@losalamoscf.org.

UNM-Los Alamos is an innovative, rigorous, and affordable comprehensive branch community college that provides foundations for transfer, leading-edge career programs and lifelong learning opportunities.

Pat Soran and Ann Hayes shake hands with UNM-LA CEO Dr. Cindy Rooney, right, after signing papers to create the Community Endowment for UNM-LA. Photo by Kateri Morris/UNM-LA

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