WELCOME to the first Monday in February. Pro tip for you: Valentine’s Day is next Monday. Don’t say you weren’t told. On this Monday we’re counting down to the annual Adams State Gives Day, the Rio Grande State of the Basin Symposium, and a note from Judge Martín Gonzales on the pressing issue of the San Luis Valley.
Busseys, SLV Federal offer $100,000 match for Adams State Gives Day
Adams State and its supporters are counting down to the third annual Adams State Gives Day on Feb. 15, and they’re doing so in a big way. Duane and Lorey Bussey, along with San Luis Valley Federal Bank, have collectively created a $100,000 match to help Adams State on its fundraising day.
“Lorey and I are happy to partner with San Luis Valley Federal Bank, my employer for the last 39 years, to provide matching funds for the upcoming ASU Gives Day,” Duane Bussey said. The Busseys were inspired by last year’s $100,000 match, made by Paul Morley, Class of 1966. “His contribution inspired us to give more for the 2021 Gives Day, and we’re hopeful our support, combined with the bank’s, will motivate others to give during this year’s event,” Duane Bussey added.
SLV Federal CEO Mark Bechaver also understands the significance of a matching gift. “When the Busseys stepped up to offer this gift, the San Luis Valley Federal Bank doubled the match to equal $100,000.”
All donations during Adams State Gives Day will be tripled, thanks to the $100,000 match. “I
can’t think of a better incentive for sharing your financial resources with Adams State,” Bechaver said. “You would have to look high and low to find a better return on your investment. Not just the incentive of the match, but the impact of relieving the financial burden for current and future students ripples out for generations.”
Adams State Gives Day begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 15. This year, participants may join the event live in Richardson Hall Auditorium, or view online at adams.edu/live. Masks are required in all Adams State indoor spaces. Students will staff a live telephone bank to accept pledges made during the talent show. Viewers can call in to make a gift or a pledge to 1-844-GIVE-ASU or 844-448-3278.
To learn how you can join Adams State University in its vital mission and do well by doing good with tax-wise gifts, please contact Karen A. Wibrew, philanthropy officer, at 719-587-7165 or kwibrew@adams.edu.
Judge Martin Gonzales weighs in
on water rights in the San Luis Valley
Retiring 12th Judicial District Court Judge Martín Gonzales recently joined us for a podcast taping to talk about his pending retirement and life after the court. We covered a lot of ground with the judge, not all of which made it into our Sunday profile, which you can read here.
Here’s what he had to say when we asked for his perspective on the San Luis Valley: “In mind the seminal struggle for the Valley is water. I think that ability to nurture the land is near and dear to Hispanic families. I’m fifth-generation to the Valley. We still own the land that goes back 150 years in my family and that’s meaningful to me. I think it’s important to keep agriculture alive. I think it’s important to have the water to keep it alive, kept in the Valley. That’s in my mind the seminal struggle by which I define as ‘If you don’t win that, you may not win anything else.’
“I think there are other struggles, and I think one of those struggles again is the struggle to raise up the importance of diversity of culture and diversity of political perspectives, and pushing that forward as a way of democratization of the Valley. The Valley struggles on these points at various times.”
We appreciate the chance to sit down with Judge Gonzales. His perspective will continue to be important.
ASU’s Salazar Center to host 2022 Rio Grande
State of the Basin Symposium
Maria E. Montoya, a Global Network associate professor of history at New York University and the dean of Arts and Sciences at NYU Shanghai, is the keynote speaker Feb. 26 at the 4th annual “Rio Grande State of the Basin Symposium.”
“We’re looking forward to hearing a new voice and a global perspective on water scarcity and communities from our keynote speaker this year, historian Dr. Maria E. Montoya in her presentation, ‘A Look at Water Scarcity Globally: From the American West to China,’” said Salazar Center Director Rio de la Vista.
Echoing the words of late Colorado Supreme Court Justice Greg Hobbs, this year’s theme for the symposium is “In Scarcity, Opportunity for Community.” The event is organized each year by the Salazar Rio Grande del Norte Center at Adams State University.
Maria E. Montoya
The community is invited to join the virtual event on Saturday, Feb. 26, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Co-hosted by the Salazar Rio Grande del Norte Center at Adams State University and the Rio Grande Water Conservation District, the event is free and open to the public. Register for the event here.
In case you missed it …
Finally, ICYMI, here’s our photo gallery of vendors at last week’s 40th annual Southern Rocky Mountain Ag Conference. Color us impressed by this year’s event and the new Ski-Hi Regional Events Center in Monte Vista. It’s a great building that certainly can accommodate any convention or gathering looking to show up in the greater San Luis Valley and south-central region of Colorado. Photo gallery: https://www.alamosacitizen.com/say-hi-to-the-ag-conference-vendors/
Photo by Madeleine Ahlborn: A beautiful sunny day this weekend near Big Meadow Reservoir. Round trip from trailhead to Shaw Lake is just over 8 miles for folks looking for a nice long day in the snow.
