NMSU students, faculty and staff bring holiday warmth to Juarez, Mexico

Date: 12/13/2005
Writer: Lorena Sanchez, 575-646-2913, lorsanch@nmsu.edu
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Many families who face poverty and hardship in Juarez, Mexico, were given a reason to celebrate, thanks to students, faculty and staff at New Mexico State University.

panic Faculty Staff Caucus and Hispanic student organizations at NMSU worked together to organize the Be Kind to Kids Coat and Toy Drive during the month of November.At the end of the drive, more than 1,000 items were collected to give to needy families in the Anapra area of Juarez.

Cynthia Bejarano, a criminal justice professor, and Sylvia Acosta, assistant dean of the College of Business, traveled to Anapra with 17 NMSU students to distribute more than 800 coats and toys. Because there was a limit on items allowed across the border, another 300 items were donated to La Casa and the First Step clinics in Las Cruces.

"I think this was a good learning experience for all of us," Acosta said in a prepared statement. "This truly represented what this season is all about."