BY ALLAN SAENZ
SALA Event Center
Los Alamos
Los Alamos is facing a financial challenge we can’t ignore. From conversations with leaders across multiple organizations, it’s clear that times have changed. Many groups are struggling with fewer volunteers, fewer donors, and changing behaviors in how people give and shop. The Los Alamos Arts Council and Fuller Lodge Art Center are facing serious financial problems. The Senior Centers are looking at a funding gap of more than $200,000, driven in part by reductions in federal and state funding.
This is not an isolated case. Groups like 100 Men Who Care and 100 Women Who Care meet regularly, and every time there are multiple non-profits in urgent need of help. It shows just how widespread the challenge has become.
Many of our non-profits already carry a large share of the community’s needs through service contracts with the County. Organizations like the Los Alamos Historical Society, the Arts Council, the Senior Centers, MainStreet, and others provide essential programs that touch people’s daily lives. But too often, these contracts are not favorable. The amount of work and value they bring far outweighs the compensation. If these contracts were more balanced and supportive, these organizations could grow, strengthen their programs, and even better support local businesses. That would be a win-win for the entire community.
The question we need to ask is: how do we want our money to be used? Do we want to keep prioritizing projects and overhead while the programs that sustain our community fight to survive? Or do we want to shift our priorities toward the people and services that matter most?
And both the County and the Lab need to consider this too. It’s not enough to focus only on building more houses, as if housing alone will solve our problems. Homes matter, but without strong non-profits, community programs, senior services, and local businesses, those houses won’t make Los Alamos a stronger community.
In the end, it’s about priorities. Supporting our non-profits, seniors, families, and local businesses is how we show love for this community and each other.
And for us, fewer Amazon boxes — and more local.