NNMC President Hector Balderas
NNMC News:
ESPAÑOLA — Northern New Mexico College (NNMC) invites the community to a Celebration and Plaque Unveiling to honor Jemez House, Inc., for their generous donation to the Northern New Mexico College Foundation Endowed Scholarship Fund.
The $299,257 donation is the largest in the Scholarship Fund’s history. The unveiling is 10 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 17, in the Joseph Montoya Administration Building Rotunda.
Jemez House Thrift Store operated in White Rock, N.M., for more than 20 years. An out-growth of the Jemez House Youth Ranch, it was founded to support the higher education of state group-home alumni.
From 2006 to 2020, proceeds from the non-profit thrift store provided $610,385 in scholarships to more than 145 students. When the thrift store closed in 2018, the Board of Directors voted to donate the remaining proceeds to the Northern’s Endowed Scholarship Fund. The donation was received during the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown, delaying the official recognition of the endowment.
“We are so grateful for the generosity of the Jemez House, and we are honored to carry a permanent marker on our campus that commemorates that generosity,” NNMC President Hector Balderas. “Community champions like Jemez House are not only critical to supporting our students’ success, but they are a part of the very fabric of the Northern community and what makes this place so special.”
The event will honor Jemez House, Inc., for this generous donation, which will benefit Northern New Mexico College students for years to come.
Jemez House Celebration Agenda:
- Event MC – Judith Pepper, Major Gifts Officer
- Welcome – President Hector Balderas, JD, CFE
- Introduction to the Jemez House – Mr. Lio Castro, Jemez House Board Member
- Unveiling of plaque celebrating the Jemez House Gift – President Hector Balderas and honored guests
- Closing Remarks – President Hector Balderas
- Refreshments
