Bethel Orphanage director Anna Franklin speaks at the Rotary fundraiser at Rainmakers Resort and Club.
The Rotary Club of Ruidoso hosted a special fundraiser on May 30 at Rainmakers Resort and Club to benefit Bethel Orphanage in Juarez, Mexico. The facility serves children who have been the victims of abuse, neglect, and other different situations.
The club has supported the orphanage for more than 30 years and dinner and silent auction raised more than $8,000 to help address some pressing needs that the orphanage has experienced.
Through the years, the club has donated heaters, paid the orphanage’s monthly gas bill, sent supplies, and offered other forms of support. Orphanage director Franklin recently spoke to Ruidoso Rotarians about the orphanage and how their efforts have made a difference for children who faced so many hardships.
In May 2026, Rotary clubs throughout District 5520 answered a global call with local hands. The EPIC Day of Service — a worldwide Rotary movement where clubs pick a community need and tackle it together on a single day — brought 18 projects to communities across New Mexico and El Paso. The work ranged from building ramps and clearing parks to stocking food pantries and recycling a few hundred pounds of bottle caps.
What do you do with a mountain of plastic bottle caps? If you're the Roswell Rotary Club, you turn it into a park bench.
For their Epic Day of Service project, Roswell Rotary members and community partners have been collecting plastic bottle caps and lids to be recycled into durable, colorful benches destined for local parks, schools, and downtown spaces. On May 16, 13 volunteers put in a combined 30 hours to sort and weigh nearly 300 pounds of caps — a meaningful step toward the next finished bench.
On a bright Friday in May, a small crew from the Rotary Club of Del Sol spent the morning building something deceptively simple: a ramp. By the end of the day, two women who rely on walkers could get in and out of their home safely — something most of us never think about until a single step becomes a wall.
The build was part of Rotary District 5520's Epic Day of Service, and it happened in partnership with New Mexico Ramps, a local organization run by Del Sol club member Greg Hallstrom. That partnership is what turns a one-day volunteer effort into something durable: New Mexico Ramps brings the expertise and materials, and Rotary brings the hands.
This particular project had no shortage of hands. The crew included Bruce, Jerry, David, Kaleigh, and — in a small coincidence that kept roll call interesting — not one but two volunteers named Brad. Several brought reinforcements: Bruce brought one of the Brads, the other Brad brought a friend, and Kaleigh brought her dad. It's a small detail, but a telling one — service tends to multiply when people invite the folks they care about to come along.
On May 16, 2026, 25 Rotary members from the Rotary Club of Albuquerque Metro and the Rotary Club of Albuquerque Rio Grande, friends of Rotary, and Willdan volunteers gathered at Bike In Coffee in Albuquerque for what turned into an epic day of service. In less than two hours, the team collected 35 full bags of garbage from the arroyo and bike path area, restoring a well-loved outdoor space used by cyclists, walkers, and families.
2026 Don Chalmers Grant Recipients and Rotary Del Foundation Members
Eight New Mexico nonprofits walked away from a Thursday morning Rotary meeting with checks totaling $56,393. The Rotary Del Sol Foundation has now given more than $302,000 to charities serving New Mexico children in just five years of grant-making. Before the grant making started, the RDS had given over $1 million to children's charities through the Governors Ball Fundraiser.
The May 14 grant presentation at the Rotary Club of Albuquerque Del Sol brought together executive directors from organizations across the state, each receiving funding for work that touches thousands of children annually.
Scholarship winners Cassidy Byrd, Rachel Baudo, Madison Lutterman, Cade Holland, and Titus Rust with Rotary member Charles Centilli.
Ruidoso NM - Five Lincoln County graduating seniors received scholarships from the Rotary Club of Ruidoso at the club's May 5 meeting, continuing a tradition of investing in the educational futures of local young people.
The scholarships, funded by the club's popular Enchilada Dinner and Bingo Night held each March and October, went to students heading to universities across three states to pursue careers in education, healthcare, entrepreneurship, and the sciences.
A record crowd at the biannual Rotary Club of Ruidoso Enchilada Dinner & Bingo Night
When the Rotary Club of Ruidoso fired up the serving line for its biannual Enchilada Dinner & Bingo Night, organizers had a problem most nonprofits would envy: too many people wanted to come. So they moved to a bigger venue, rebuilt the serving system, and fed a record 700 guests in under an hour—raising nearly $13,000 for Lincoln County student scholarships in the process.
The March 31 event at the Ruidoso Convention Center marked the 51st year of a fundraiser that has become a pillar of the club's scholarship program. This year brought an expanded venue, redesigned serving lines, and an upgraded PA system—changes that could have introduced complications but instead delivered the smoothest event in the program's history.
"This was incredible," said Rotary Club President Gavin Bigger. "Every year we grow a little bit and we add some changes. This year was particularly bigger and there were some changes with our serving line and our PA system. So there was a lot of potential for things to go wrong, but the team seems to have really hammered it out. We got about 700 people fed inside of an hour, which is incredible, and we started playing bingo on time. So I'm thrilled."
A five-year-old boy lay in his hospital bed at UNM Children's Hospital, his oxygen levels dangerously low. He'd been there for a week, surrounded by monitors and medical equipment, far from everything familiar and safe.
And he kept asking for one thing: his train set from home.
He asked over and over. His father tried to explain why he couldn't have it—the logistics, the hospital rules, the complications of a medical crisis. But the boy kept asking.
A nurse overheard. And she brought him a miniature train set.
"Just like that, everything shifted," said the boy's father, who later shared the story with an Albuquerque Rotarian. "The fear softened. The room felt a little less overwhelming."
The Rotary Club of Albuquerque Sandia collected 2,651 servings of pet food and $100 in cash donations during their Pet Food Drive on Saturday, April 4—ensuring low-income seniors in Albuquerque won't have to choose between feeding themselves and feeding their companion animals.
The drive gathered 630 ounces of canned cat food, 27.8 pounds of dry cat food, 451 ounces of canned dog food, and 323 pounds of dry dog food. Volunteers also collected treats including 24 ounces of milk bones and 10 ounces of meal toppers. All donations will be distributed through Silver Horizons, a nonprofit that serves financially vulnerable seniors and veterans in the Albuquerque area.
What started eight years ago with 10 to 15 students has grown into a district-wide movement of over 100 young people tackling food insecurity, financial literacy, and community needs—one project at a time.
Lending a Paw, the student-led service organization founded at Los Lunas High School with support from the Rotary Club of Los Lunas, recently earned statewide recognition when Nusenda Credit Union awarded founder and Los Lunas Schools Capstone Community Coordinator Jessica Baldonado the 2025 Financial Education Innovation Award.
The $5,000 award recognizes innovative approaches to teaching financial literacy while addressing real community needs—exactly what Lending a Paw has been doing since its founding by Baldonado, Cecilia Adkins, and Linda Ole.
When police bring children to Bethel Orphanage in Juarez, Mexico, they arrive with nothing but the clothes on their backs—survivors of abuse, neglect, and situations no child should endure. Some have never experienced three regular meals a day.
What they find at Bethel is a family spanning three generations of women who have dedicated their lives to breaking cycles of trauma. And for the past three decades, the Rotary Club of Ruidoso has been an essential partner in that work—paying monthly gas bills, donating heaters, sending supplies, and providing the operational support that transforms crisis response into sustainable care.
1) Santa Fe: Get Grounded & Inspired Gather in Santa Fe, where history, culture, art, and landscape will create the perfect setting to slow down, reflect, and reconnect with your fellow Rotarians.
2) Rediscover your passion for Leadership Be energized by bold ideas and real-world leadership insights that help Rotarians lead with courage in their clubs, careers, and communities.
3) Service and Community in Action Reunite and make new friendships with Rotarians from across the District, celebrate collective impact, and leave with renewed motivation to serve and strengthen your local and global communities.
Not convinced? See for yourself. Check out the Agenda here!
Top 3 Reasons to Attend the District Conference inSanta Fe
On a Saturday morning outside Albertsons grocery store in Ruidoso, the Ruidoso community showed up in force—delivering a record-breaking $6,000 in monetary and food donations to ensure Lincoln County children wouldn't go hungry during winter break.
The Rotary Club of Ruidoso partnered with Food 4 Kids for their annual "Pack the Bus" fundraiser, collecting food items that would be packed into backpacks and delivered to families before schools closed for the holidays.
District Governor Tom Simon brought Rotary's mission to a new audience through his appearance on the "All Things Real Estate" podcast, discussing how professionals can leverage their vocational expertise for community impact—a theme that will anchor the District 5520 Conference in April.
The podcast conversation explored Rotary's unique approach to service: using professional skills, business connections, and industry knowledge not just for profit, but for community transformation.
When Roselva Zuniga spoke at a Deming Rotary Club meeting about a simple program that could save lives, the club listened. Now, thanks to her initiative and a partnership with Deming's first responders, the Vial of Life program is rolling out across the city to protect homebound and vulnerable residents.
The Vial of Life is a national program designed to help people who live alone or are homebound provide critical medical information to first responders in emergencies. Zuniga learned about the program from a friend in Phoenix and immediately saw its potential for Deming.
Members of the Rotary Club of Ruidoso serve residents during the 50th Anniversary Enchilada Dinner & Bingo Night
Ruidoso, NM — October 28, 2025
The line stretched out the door of the Ruidoso Convention Center just before 5 p.m. on October 28 as residents arrived for the Rotary Club of Ruidoso's 50th Anniversary Enchilada Dinner and Bingo Night. By the time the last bingo number was called, the club had served more than 20,000 handmade enchiladas to around 600 people and raised over $14,000 for scholarships—a new record for the beloved community event.
Rotarians Lincoln Devault and JayBe Barrett help load dozens of briskets onto the cooker
Farwell, Texas — March 25, 2025
The smell of dozens of slow-cooked briskets filled the air at Farwell High School as more than 400 people gathered for the annual FFA Auction—a tradition that has raised over $1 million for local agriculture education since 1995.
Mitch Selking and Rotary Del Sol Club President John Heck joined Rotary International General Secretary John Hewko and thousands of Rotarians worldwide in El Tour de Tucson, one of the largest cycling events in the United States, to raise funds for Rotary's Polio Plus prevention programs.
The two District 5520 Rotarians completed their rides before desert rains arrived, battling persistent wind to finish alongside more than 9,000 cyclists participating in the annual event.
Downtown El Paso transformed into a celebration of wine, food, and community impact as the Rotary Club of El Paso hosted its 12th Annual El Paso Winefest on Día de los Muertos.
The event drew record attendance and stronger sponsorship support than previous years, raising funds that directly support local Rotary initiatives—most notably the club's Christmas Children's Party, a tradition serving 4,500 Head Start children that has run for over a century.
When children arrive at UNM Children's Hospital or El Paso Children's Hospital, many are facing not just medical challenges but life-altering transitions—including entrance into the foster care system. For these children, a small gift can provide a moment of normalcy in circumstances that feel anything but normal.
That's the mission behind Year of Cheer, a District 5520 initiative led by the Rotary Club of Albuquerque Del Norte in partnership with UNM Children's Hospital and El Paso Children's Hospital, both members of the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals.
Under the vision "May Peace Prevail on Earth," the Rotary Peace Conference 2025 brought together global peacemakers, local leaders, and community members at La Fonda Hotel in Santa Fe.
Hosted by the Rotary Club of Santa Fe Centro Passport Club and the Rotary Club of Los Alamos, the conference featured presentations on diplomacy, reconciliation, and community-driven peace building—connecting global lessons from Hiroshima to local action in New Mexico.
El Paso, TX / Ciudad Juárez, Mexico — November 21, 2025
As winter temperatures drop across the border region, more than 200 children in Ciudad Juárez received warm jackets through a cross-border collaboration between the Zaragoza Rotary Club of El Paso and Club Rotario Juárez Paso del Norte.
In the days leading up to the holidays, when food banks face their heaviest demand, the Rotary Club of Ruidoso and the Ruidoso/Lincoln County Association of REALTORS showed up where it mattered most: on the warehouse floor.
In just six hours on a Saturday morning, volunteers at Crossroads Bible Church in Los Alamos assembled 25,000 meals for families across northern New Mexico.
The Rotary Club of Los Alamos partnered with Meals of Hope and The Food Depot for their annual meal-packing event, bringing together volunteers of all ages and abilities to address food insecurity in the region. From 9 AM to 3 PM, assembly lines of volunteers measured, scooped, sealed, and boxed nutritious meals that will reach families through local food distribution networks.
On a Saturday morning in southeast Roswell, volunteers from the Rotary Club of Roswell gathered with the New Mexico Ramp Project to build something simple but life-changing: a wheelchair-accessible ramp for a mobile home.
High school juniors from across New Mexico and Far West Texas spent a transformative week at Manzano Mountain Retreat, participating in District 5520's RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) camps. Separated into boys' and girls' weeks, 130 students challenged themselves through high ropes courses, climbing walls, speaking contests, and community service projects—all designed to develop self-awareness, leadership skills, and community-mindedness.
50 Years of Service: Rio Grande Rotary Celebrates Half a Century of Community Impact
Las Cruces, NM — September 12, 2025
Rio Grande Rotary is marking its 50th anniversary with something most organizations can only aspire to: founding members still actively serving alongside the next generation of community leaders.
Since 1975, this Las Cruces club has built a legacy of sustained impact through programs that address education, health, accessibility, and youth development. Their approach is simple but powerful—identify a community need, create a solution, and keep showing up year after year.
The Rotary Club of Albuquerque Sandia collected 2,651 servings of pet food and $100 in cash donations during their Pet Food Drive on Saturday, April 4—ensuring low-income seniors in Albuquerque won't have to choose between feeding themselves and feeding their companion animals.
