We are responsible for shaping our community

Guest Essay by Elizabeth Martineau, director of the Los Alamos Community Foundation

By Elizabeth Martineau

• In what kind of community do you want to live?

• What needs does our community have?

• What do you want Los Alamos to look like in the future?

• Who is responsible for shaping our community? 

Your actions and donations shape our community. Every time you show up, voice your opinion, donate to causes, and volunteer, you are adding your fingerprint to the structure that forms Los Alamos. 

We have local needs

Sometimes our local needs are obscured by positive statistics, and this makes it difficult for local non-profit organizations to receive grants and assistance. Because the need in surrounding areas is “greater,” they are able to receive funding. Local needs, however, do exist. Recognizing that our community has needs is the first step in meeting them. Thank you to Boomtown for shining a light on some of those needs. 

Brandi Weiss, Los Alamos Community Foundation (LACF) program manager, explained, “Being able to recognize and understand when an individual is struggling is a…