A Few Examples of How Organizations May Use the Funds
Of all the cultural treasures in the community, none is more used and valued than the free public library. “The first thing we (with Quality of Life funds) would do is increase our hours,” said a library spokesperson. “That’s what the community’s been asking for. We’d like to have Monday and evening hours again in many more of our branches. We could have more literacy programs, more outreach, more after-school programs. We could also bring our basic service levels up to national standards for cities our size, and increase training programs for our employees.”
Among the programs that could be enhanced or extended to many more children is the Summer Reading Program, an unqualified success. Thousands of stories could illustrate the importance of this program to familes. This is one of them:
"I’m the mother of six boys and one daughter, newborn to 15 years old, and I can’t brag enough about the Albuquerque Public Library’s Summer Reading Club.
 We frequent the Taylor Ranch Branch Library and even though we visit it often, I’ve worried that my children’s reading skills would backslide this summer.
Without the Summer Reading Club that might be true. With the Summer Reading Club, they not only don’t backslide, they stay at the front of the pack. For example, my ten-year-old, who is in the fifth grade, blossomed over the summer. He became a terrific reader, devouring the newest Harry Potter book.
A teacher once informed me that children who love to read will always do well in school. I credit the Summer Reading Club for providing the environment that makes it exciting for my children to read.
The boys learn how to set and meet goals. They keep progress logs and when they reach their goals, they have their logs stamped and receive small prizes. My younger boys try to see how many awards they can win, and my 15-year-old and 13-year-old sons enjoyed volunteering for the club. They especially enjoyed stamping children’s reading logs and assisting young children pick out their prizes.
This past summer the library added an Adult Reading Program too! Complete with prizes. My children love to encourage my husband and me to read right along with them.
It’s pleasing for a parent to know that her children look forward to going to the library and gratifying to know that they have a sound literary base that will benefit them forever.
Sincerely yours,
Camille Moses"
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Keshet Dance Company
Keshet Dance Company, in addition to being a professional repertory dance company, provides a comprehensive training curriculum for young dancers interested in pursuing a professional dance career. This curriculum includes a high level of community involvement and mentorship. Keshet provides classes and performance opportunities that reach out into the community.
With QOLI funding, Keshet would:
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Expand number of dancers in the company. That in turn, increases number of mentorships available to children, touring opportunities within the state, the number of classes offered at Keshet, as well as in its outreach programs that serve the homeless and incarcerated youth at the Bernalillo County Youth Diagnostic and Development Center.
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Expand the level of recognized dancers/choreographers and guest artists Keshet brings to its recently started guest artist series.
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Dramatically expand the number of community classes with unlimited, non-competitive scholarships, offer more and varied classes, increase the number of students served by the pre-professional program by increasing the limited number of scholarships.
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Develop new programs to serve youth in mental health institutions and serve those young people after their release from the YDDC program, helping them to reintegrate into society.
“Currently, 50 percent of Keshet’s operating budget comes from fundraised revenue. With a small staff, a growing program and intense competition for available philanthropic dollars, fundraising results are often limited. With QOLI funding, we could inspire more passion and open unlimited possibilities through the experience of dance.”
- Shira Greenberg, Founder and Artistic Director, Keshet Dance Company
Tricklock Company
 Tricklock Company creates, produces, performs and tours original theatrical works and published and classic works. Tricklock is the theater company-in-residence at the University of New Mexico, provides educational programs and outreach, hosts workshops and trainings with visiting artists and is the presenter of The Revolutions International Theatre Festival.
Tricklock would use QOLI funding to:
- Provide and expand existing free performances and workshops and continue discounted ticket rates to groups, students, and seniors, plus free summer programming.
- Work in collaboration with other arts/culture based agencies to provide free workshops in schools serving low-income communities.
- Extend the educational opportunities inherent in the annual Revolutions International Theatre Festival by bringing visiting artists for longer stays, organizing more workshop/training opportunities for students younger than high school and college age during the festival.
- Expand the stay of companies at other times of the year to longer residencies of 10-14 days during which the companies would teach more workshops at schools and community centers.
- Reinstate educational programs for children ages 4-13 during the summer, add weekly workshops for other age groups and allow students to attend tuition free.
- Expand the number of workshops in the public middle and high schools to encourage students to write plays and to consider theater and the arts an important part of any community.
- Produce a new original work and then tour to larger cities like Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, and New York and several international cities, thereby continuing our goal being emissaries of Albuquerque throughout the world.
- Produce and host international companies that are difficult because of their size, remoteness, or politically charged environment of their country, like Africa, South America, Cuba, and Korea.
“Extra funding would allow the freedom to expand our existing outreach programs to include more schools and community centers in these opportunities.”
Joe Peracchio, Artistic Director
Elsa Menéndez, Education Director
Chad Brummett, Producing Director
New Mexico Holocaust and Intolerance Museum
 The New Mexico Holocaust and Intolerance Museum is dedicated to combating hate and intolerance through education. The organization is one of the few of its type in the United States to include other genocides that have affected people around the world. We are not limited to one religion, culture, geographic area or time.
The New Mexico Holocaust and Intolerance Museum does not charge admission.
With QOLI funding, the Museum would:
- Expand all of our programs and exhibits.
- Pay for transportation for students to visit the Museum.
- Create additional special programming and exhibits geared to students.
- Offer discounts to special events where admission is charged.
- Expand the amount and geographical scope of our mailing of educational materials.
“Bottom line, nonprofit organizations struggle with funding their day to day operations. Foundations and individual donors are very generous with funding for specific projects. The QOLI funding would help with day to day operations for the museum.”
- Andrew Lipman, President/CEO
The National Atomic Museum
The National Atomic Museum (soon to be renamed the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History) is the nation’s only Congressionally chartered museum of nuclear science and history. The museum and educational center encourages visitors to explore how nuclear science continues to influence our world and pursues historical activities work.
With QOLI funding, the Museum would:
- Expand our well-respected Summer Camp program to new areas in the city and expand our ability to offer scholarships for kids to come at reduced rates.
- Develop a strong after-school program in science and math.
- Increase our ability to catalogue our historical artifacts for academic study by scholars.
- Provide an interactive science education web service to students about nuclear science.
- Increase our ability to provide maintenance to our historic aircraft collection.
- Expand lectures to adults about physics and sciences.
- Offset some transportation costs for schools to assure the students can travel to field trips at the museum.
- Create or secure an interesting new temporary exhibit about nanotechnology, materials science, molecular imaging or other technology of the future.
“Support of this initiative will allow the National Atomic Museum to reach deeper into our audience and help kids earn more about math and science, help adults appreciate history and tourists who come to New Mexico become excited about a unique historical feature.”
- Jim Walther, Museum Director, National Atomic Museum
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