A gala auction benefit for Placitas Community Library planned at Santa Ana Star

—JOHN ORNE GREEN
How would you like to suddenly find yourself in possession of a lovely piece of fine art at exactly the price you wanted? Two nights at the colorful Nativo Lodge in Albuquerque? A condo for four days at Winter Park in the Colorado Rockies? Maybe you'd like to bid on a Bill Doyle original water color of fly fishing in New Mexico.

All the above and much much more will be available at the dinner and live and silent auction benefit for the Placitas Community Library on May 19 in the Bosque Ballroom at the Santa Ana Star Casino.

"It's going to be wonderful. I'm floored by the beauty and amazing variety of the donations we've received," said Pam Buethe, organizer and event co-chair.

The auction items should entice and intrigue all who attend and fit all pocket books, from tens of dollars to a few thousand. Live auction items include a gourd mask by artist Susan Jordan, a splendid acrylic by Ann Pollard and a mini beaded warrior shirt by Glen Peterson, all of Placitas.

Most of the donations will be offered in the silent auction, in which attendees write their bid on a sheet by the item. These include jewelry, sculpture, paintings, photography, weavings, stained glass and other art works by top-notch local artists. Attendees can also bid on massage and spa treatments, crafted furniture, gourmet foods and meals at fine local restaurants, greens fees at Paako Ridge and Twin Warriors, a men's golf bag, a fishing rod from Charlie's Sporting Goods and much more.

Sheriff John Paul Trujillo will preside over the Live Auction and guests will be met at the entrance to the casino and escorted to the Bosque Ballroom by the First Sergeants from Kirtland Air Force Base, who are volunteering for the occasion.

Judy Labovitz, Chairman of the Placitas Community Library, said "It's going to be a fabulous night for the community and our library. We hope to make this an annual event."

The silent auction begins at 6:00 pm with a buffet dinner served at 7:00 followed by the live auction. Tickets are $60 per person and can be purchased by contacting Tina Thomas at 771-1299 or Pam Buethe at 771-8941. All proceeds will benefit the Placitas Community Library.

“Maintain Your Brain” program gears up

“Maintain Your Brain,” a series of educational programs on how to live a brain-healthy lifestyle, will be offered by the New Mexico Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, in conjunction with Wild Oats, on Tuesdays at 9:30 a.m. throughout the coming months. For information, call the Chapter office at (505) 266-4473, visit a Wild Oats location near you, or visit the Chapter website at www.nm-alzheimers.org.

Recreational bike ride Tour of the Nations travels Indian Country

Adventure Gallup & Beyond is offering a remarkable behind-the-scenes look at a landscape most of New Mexico's visitors would love to see via the first-ever Tour of the Nations Recreational Bike Tour August 5-10, 2007.

This five-day, 234-mile recreational and educational bike ride, will travel through four of New Mexico's Native American Pueblos and past two national monuments, giving the riders both a visual and physical experience they will long treasure. The average daily ride is 47 miles.

Riders will stay as guests at the Isleta, Laguna, Acoma, and Zuni Pueblos, where they will be treated to a tour, traditional meal, and traditional performances. The ride finishes in Gallup, where the participants receive tickets to the 86th annual Gallup Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial. The Inter-Tribal Ceremonial attracts Native American participants and New Mexicans and their visitors from across the United States, Canada, and Mexico and Europe.

For more information, contact Matthew O'Mara, momara@nwnmcog.com or 505-722-4327; or write Adventure Gallup & Beyond, 409 S. Second Street, Gallup, New Mexico 87301; or visit www.thegallupchamber.com/totn/totn.html.

Outcomes Inc. Sandoval Senior Connection offers help

Mental health for seniors is an important quality of life issue, but one that is often neglected. Seniors in rural Sandoval County may have additional difficulty in accessing mental health services. Sandoval Senior Connection was created to provide a professional level of mental health services through volunteers who are also seniors. These volunteers, called Peer Counselors, make home visits, supportive phone calls, and even provide referrals to community resources. As seniors, they understand first-hand some of the issues facing seniors, such as loneliness, isolation, grief and loss, changes in health, and perhaps changes in their level of independence. The program’s purpose is to recruit and train the Peer Counselors and then provide ongoing supervision.

Requirements for Peer Counselors include the following: volunteers must be fifty-five years old or older, and in overall good health; volunteers must make a one-year commitment to the program following training; volunteers must participate in supervision; volunteers must be open to working with diverse clients; volunteers must pass a background check; and volunteers must maintain confidentiality for clients. As Peer Counselors, volunteers receive mileage reimbursement, supervision twice a month from the Program Director, extensive training (36 hours), job satisfaction, and new friendships with other counselors.

Trainings are conducted in both fall and spring out of fourteen sites in Sandoval County. There will be a total of nine sessions at various sites.

Contact Cindy Anderson, MSW, LISW, Program Coordinator, or Debbie Trujillo, Administrative Assistant at (505) 243-2551, or email or for current training schedules.