Will you join us in leading the transformation for the next 25 years?

Dear Friends,

I am always amazed how fragile a butterfly appears, and yet the transformation from caterpillar to butterfly is so fierce. This transformation is often a metaphor for how the women of Crossroads have worked so hard to change their lives and the lives of their children.

Their work and your faith in them over the past 25 years has culminated in increased employment opportunities for them and given the voiceless a voice and a home that is solely for women. We ask you to you walk with the women in leading the transformation for the next 25 years.

We know we can lead the transformation by ensuring the women we serve can make changes to systems only they have experienced. That is why Crossroads has invested back into itself and back into our women more than ever before.

In response to the pandemic, Crossroads advocated for funding to provide new walk-in services for justice-involved women. This led to increased employment opportunities for program alumni. In fact, 20 percent of our current staff are program graduates, and we have the highest number of alumni employed in Crossroads’ history.

We also know that the voices that should be the loudest are not always the ones consulted. Because of this, Crossroads has supported women by creating safe spaces for them to share their experiences to improve the lives of others who do not have a voice yet. Since 1997, women have advocated for statewide changes, including Ban the Box, additional services for women, and addressing issues with the TANF guidelines, including advocating for women with felonies to be eligible for TANF in the early 2000s.

We have continued that tradition, and this fall our community’s ongoing collaboration with the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty gained national attention for statewide changes to TANF guidelines with a story featured on ProPublica entitled, “These Single Moms Are Forced to Choose: Reveal Their Sexual Histories or Forfeit Welfare.” And recently, one woman shared her experience advocating for her rights at the U.S. Supreme Court with Torres V. Madrid. With the support of Crossroads, women have now advocated for change at all levels of government.

This year, we took a step many years in the making and invested back into our community’s foundation by purchasing a new building, Crossroads Village. While I’m thankful for technology’s ability to keep us connected throughout the pandemic, at Crossroads, we know that having a physical, communal space where we can safely gather is crucial, not only to maintain but to strengthen our community.

We are grateful to have a village of supporters, like you, who are making it possible to create a beautiful, permanent space for the women of Crossroads. Already, our new building has helped us strengthen our community by providing more essential services and employment opportunities, engaging new community partners, and deepening our commitment to systems change.

We have achieved so much together this year, and your support is needed now more than ever as we embark on our largest project to date—the estimated $2.5M southside renovation of Crossroads Village, which will become the new home of Maya’s Place. This renovation will allow even more of our community to be united under one roof while strengthening our ability to provide therapeutic services in a more efficient and community-focused way.

Will you help us lead the transformation for the next 25 years? Visit our year-end giving page to discover the many ways your gift can make an impact.

Transformation is at the heart of who we are. What was once a small, grassroots nonprofit with a case manager working out of the trunk of her car is now a multi-million-dollar agency preparing to celebrate its 25th anniversary.

I hope that you will join us during numerous events in 2022 to celebrate this milestone, but more importantly, to celebrate how working together we can empower and strength our community to carry us through the next 25 years. Thank you for your continued support and happy holidays!

In gratitude,