In early August, Crossroads for Women celebrated 25 years! Our 25th Anniversary Gala was a night of good food, laughter, and good conversation. Past Crossroads board members, Executive Directors, and founder Lisa Simpson reminisced about the startup and early days of the organization, while current Executive Director Cory Lee discussed the exciting future of Crossroads. Special video messages congratulating Crossroads on 25 years of service were also shown from Senator Martin Heinrich and Mayor Tim Keller.
Cory Lee led an impassioned speech about what the women of Crossroads have not only taught her, but the community. She calls serving the women and families of Crossroads a privilege and reminds us that with support, compassion, empathy, love, understanding, and services, positive change is possible. “Whether it is a first chance or a fourth chance, the women of Crossroads have taught those that have been fortunate enough to be part of this organization that they need us to stand beside them.”
Cory ended her speech with an exciting announcement! Crossroads received an executive order from Mayor Tim Keller, and has proclaimed August 3rd, 2022, as “Crossroads for Women Day.”
The following day, we held our “Leading the Transformation, Together” conference. We were honored to have special guest speaker Dr. Stephanie Covington present her training Moving from Trauma Informed to Trauma Responsive to a packed ballroom. Following Dr. Covington’s presentation, we held an informative lunch panel that included members from the New Mexico community who are active in healthcare, recovery, and the judiciary system. The lunch panel was an open discussion about what can be done to be proactive and responsive to trauma.
We concluded the day with a breakout session that gave groups an opportunity to create a community trauma informed response plan. This information was than compiled and discussed with Commissioner Adriann Barboa. Crossroads for Women will be issuing a report and recommendations based off the contributions of the conference attendees
It was a busy, fulfilling two days. We want to say a huge thank you to those who attended our 25th Anniversary Gala, attendees at our “Leading the Transformation, Together” conference, Dr. Stephanie Covington, our panelists, and of course our sponsors for the conference; BHI, Molina, and OPRE.