«Return to News ListingSanta Fe Children and Youth Commission Grant

June 21, 2017 – 

We would like to recognize the Children and Youth Commission (CYC) of the City of Santa Fe for their continued support of our program again this year.  For several years, we have received a generous grant from the CYC, whose mission is to improve the lives of Santa Fe’s youth by providing funding and support for local nonprofit organizations. For each of the past two years (2016-2017 and 2017-2018), NMCTR received a $10,000 grant allowing us to provide services to individuals with special needs and at-risk teens.  With this funding, NMCTR can sustain our programs that help reduce substance abuse, youth crime, and drop-out rates by providing meaningful work to young people who otherwise feel disengaged from their community.  Our youth programs also aim to more broadly increase quality of life and independence, and improve the physical and mental health of all our young participants. 

The need for therapeutic riding, internships, and special programs for at-risk youth and children/youth with disabilities is enormous and growing. The New Mexico Health Dept. considers the lack of adolescent physical activities in Santa Fe County to be “of concern.” In addition, Santa Fe has 1500+ special education students enrolled in the public schools (as listed in Santa Fe Public Schools Benchmarks for Special Education) who could benefit from community-based therapy/instruction and 1000+ homeless youth who could benefit from NMCTR empowering youth development programs. National, state, and local concern regarding these issues highlights the need for our innovative, research-based programs for at-risk Santa Fe youth. Consequently, our outreach to these populations is expanding every year, thanks to the support we get from grants like this one. 

Thank you, City of Santa Fe Children and Youth Commission for your continued support of our work in the community!  We look forward to opening hearts and opening doors for Santa Fe’s youth again this year.