[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 110 (Wednesday, July 24, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1359-E1360]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       ALEXANNA PADILLA HEINEMANN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BILL RICHARDSON

                             of new mexico

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 24, 1996

  Mr. RICHARDSON. Mr. Speaker, it is with great respect and admiration 
that I honor today a fellow New Mexican, good friend and great 
American, Alexanna Padilla Heinemann.
  Alexanna Padilla Heinemann is a fifth-generation New Mexican. Her 
father, Alex Padilla, now deceased, was a respected and committed Santa 
Fe City councilman, who was a courageous advocate for the common 
citizen. Alexanna is continuing in the family tradition of responding 
to the needs of those whose circumstances have placed their lives in 
harm's way. She has been especially attentive to the troubled 
conditions of young children by serving as a founding member, committee 
chairman and board member of the acclaimed Buckaroo Ball, an annual 
event held in Santa Fe, NM, that aids children at risk.
  In its 3-year existence, the Buckaroo Ball has donated a total of 
$1.3 million to charitable entities. Only the 11-year-old Santa Fe 
Opera annual fund-raiser in Santa Fe rivals the financial success of 
the Buckaroo Ball. Alexanna Padilla Heinemann recently served as 
cochairman of this June 22 event, and a lion's share of the credit can 
be given to her for its success. Her leadership, combined with 
tireless, dedicated and skillful efforts, resulted in a $500,000 net 
profit. The funds will be donated to painstakingly chosen programs and 
agencies that provide food, clothing, shelter, protection and love to 
children in jeopardy.
  I am including an article which was published in the Santa Fe New 
Mexican on June 27, 1996, in order to provide my esteemed colleagues in 
the House of Representatives additional information about the Buckaroo 
Ball.
  In addition, I am sharing a July 1, 1996 commentary by Alexanna 
Padilla Heinemann, which was also published in the Santa Fe New 
Mexican. I provide it to my colleagues because it demonstrates 
Alexanna's unselfish spirit and altruistic philosophy toward all those 
who are fortunate enough to be associated with her.
  I am extremely proud and grateful to know Alexanna Padilla Heinemann. 
I respectfully invite all of my colleagues in the House of 
Representatives to join me in giving tribute to this esteemed New 
Mexican.

               Newcomers, Natives Both Have the Solutions

                    (By Alexanna Padilla Heinemann)

       Santa Fe. A place of astonishing beauty and startling 
     anger, with plenty of printed space locally and nationally, 
     devoted to both. Stories abound about the divisions between 
     races and classes, between native and newcomer, with almost 
     celebratory coverage given to this purported fissure. But 
     there is a seed of change being planted in Santa Fe and I 
     have seen it up close and personal.
       On a clear, starry night, June 22, the citizens of Santa Fe 
     had reason to cheer. The plight of children at risk mobilized 
     this community and a committee of 80 women volunteers to 
     produce the third annual Buckaroo Ball. The count came in a 
     couple of days later: the Buckaroo Ball had netted $500,000, 
     which it would hand over to meticulously researched 
     children's programs and agencies.
       As Buckaroo Ball co-chair this year along with Elizabeth 
     Smith, I can be proud of a committee and grateful for a 
     community that could make it possible to pour this 
     unprecedented amount into a cause that desperately needs it. 
     But there is a subtle dynamic at play here, no less profound 
     than the splashy party or abundant funding the Buckaroo Ball 
     affords.
       As a fifth-generation New Mexican with a father who was a 
     city councilman and an uncle who designed the state license 
     plate, my regional roots are firm. I have had my turn at a 
     lamenting, divisive frame of mind. But those years of 
     criticizing and complaining were fed by an erroneous notion: 
     that newcomers are coming here to leave their cash and build 
     their flash without giving one crumb beyond self-serving 
     consumption. The error and harm that lie in this notion hold 
     the potential to undo this community.
       What I have seen as a founding member, committee head, 
     board member and, finally, co-chair of the Buckaroo Ball is a 
     vision that totally disputes that erroneous notion; one that 
     should command the attention and inspire the reflection of 
     the community: there are newcomers with the means and 
     energy who, not content with simply writing a check, want 
     to use their resources to better the community. They are 
     searching for ways to help.
       In a perfect position to guide them are the native and 
     longtime local Santa Feans who, keyed-in to their community, 
     can shape the incoming resources in an informed and 
     professional manner. One may have a bed the size of a ship; 
     the other, a desk the size of a file folder, but each have 
     talents essential to the process. It is a waste of time for 
     the native or newcomer to show anything but appreciation for 
     the other's assets.
       Short-term, righteous anger may satisfy. But how far can 
     that take us in getting the job done? The surge of adrenaline 
     may serve as a motivating force but being either the victim 
     or the blamed leaves neither in the position to help the 
     community.
       Conversely, an idea driven by a clear understanding, 
     appreciation, and implementation of all the resources in the 
     community has a life of its own.
       The questions then become, ``Who has a good idea?'' and 
     ``Who has the ability to get it done?''
       In one arena at least, the walls have come down and, three 
     years later, the children of Santa Fe are over a million 
     dollars richer for it. You don't have to have an agenda, you 
     simply have to love children and feel that gnawing sickness 
     in your gut when you encounter a little one who doesn't have 
     enough: enough food, or safety or love.
       You don't have to be either rich or have roots embedded in 
     this dusty soil, to make a big difference in this town. You 
     simply have to be a clever funnel of talent, energy, and 
     resources. The more ideas brought to the pot, the better.
       Think of the children who might have lost these benefits 
     had we not chosen to keep our eyes open to possibilities.
                                                                    ____


                Buckaroo Ball Nets $500,000 for Charity

                           (By Hollis Walker)

       For the third year in a row, the 80 women who put on the 
     Buckaroo Ball proved they could do a better job than they 
     predicted.
       Preliminary accounting shows last Saturday's ball, a three-
     year old charity benefiting Santa Fe County children, netted 
     about $500,000 -- $200,000 more than the Buckaroo Ball 
     Committee pledged to raise.
       After this year's contributions are made, the ball will 
     have donated nearly $1.3 million to charities.

[[Page E1360]]

       Buckaroo Ball co-chair Alexanna Padilla Heinemann said she 
     could not credit any single aspect of the multi-faceted fund-
     raising effort for the increased success this year.
       ``But this party had a particularly good feeling about 
     it,'' she said. ``Everybody's spirits were so high; Pam 
     Tillis was an incredibly energetic performer; the tent 
     decorations, which only cost $500, looked great.
       ``And it even rained for us, just before the party,'' she 
     said. ``It was perfectly cool and wonderful.''
       Regular sales of 1,000 tickets to the event (at $200 apiece 
     and up for sponsors) raise only about $70,000, she said. 
     Private and corporate donors contribute the rest.
       This year's largest single donor was Ron and Susie Dubin, a 
     Connecticut couple who have a home in Santa Fe. The Dubins 
     contributed $25,000 toward the entertainers' fees, Heinemann 
     said.
       The only other fund-raiser in Santa Fe that rivals the 
     financial success of the Buckaroo Ball is the 11-year-old 
     Santa Fe Opera gala weekend, which begins tonight with its 
     annual ball at Eldorado Hotel. The gala weekend raises at 
     least $500,000 a year for the opera's apprentice program.
       Heinemann said the Buckaroo Ball committee soon will begin 
     conducting its usual research to develop its list of 
     charities to which it will contribute next year. That 
     research also will be used to determine to which charities 
     the extra $200,000 raised at this year's ball will be 
     donated, she said. Decisions will be made by late August.
       Charity projects already slated to receive money from the 
     proceeds of this year's ball are:
       The renovation of the Teen Center at the Santa Fe Boys & 
     Girls Club;
       A salary for an adult leader for an after-school program 
     offered by Girls Inc.;
       Children's educational opportunities and pediatric dental 
     equipment for La Familia Medical/Dental Center, which serves 
     primarily low-income families;
       The expansion of grief support and counseling for youth in 
     10 Santa Fe County elementary schools offered by the Life 
     Center for Youth and Adults;
       And a program to identify and treat children and teen-agers 
     with eating disorders coordinated by Women's Health Services.

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