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The Challenge We Face
Albuquerque’s International District is a very compelling place. It is representative of struggling urban neighborhoods across the country, but with its own unique regional twist. Churches in the neighborhood are struggling - like churches across the country—ESPECIALLY in low-income, high-need urban settings.
What is needed is a whole new approach. A new paradigm. A new model. Therefore, we are exploring an opportunity and a model that the community in decline will be able to plug into.
Why is Albuquerque Leadership Foundation Initially Focused on the International District?
The International District is a neighborhood in southeast Albuquerque, New Mexico. It is centered on Central Avenue, the historic alignment of U.S. Route 66, and contains the New Mexico State Fairgrounds. The community is one of the most diverse areas of the city and is home to a large number of international restaurants and stores, as well as the city's "Little Saigon" Vietnamese enclave. It is also one of the poorest areas in the city and has an extremely high violent crime rate. A recent survey showed the median income of the South San Pedro Neighborhood where we are based is $15,000 per year. Although re-branded by city officials as the International District in 2009, Albuquerque residents continue to refer to the neighborhood by its longtime nickname, the "War Zone.”
As of the 2010 Census, the International District had a total population of 29,796. In 2016, an estimated 41% of neighborhood residents were below the federal poverty level. The racial makeup of the neighborhood was: 34.6% Latino 23.8% White 8.2% Native American 5.7% Black or African American 2.6% Asian 0.1% Native Hawaiian “Other Pacific Islander 5.3% Multiracial (two or more races)
by the numbers
Leadership Foundation's Impact
volunteers
member cities
touched by lf cities
joint initiatives
Our Current Solutions and Projects
Children’s Promise Centers are early childhood development centers and are the premier education and early childcare centers in Albuquerque for children from 6 weeks to 5 years of age. Most of our families receive free services including childcare, hot meals and development. At our second location in the Alvarado Neighborhood of the International District, care is provided from 6AM until 2AM for families needing after hours care. More than childcare, we seek to build relationships and community with the families in our centers. In Children’s Promise Centers we have learned how essential it is to involve the Faith Community in our Centers. The staff is very busy doing quality childhood development. By involving the faith community, relationships and community relationships have been built. This is the essence of what our vision for a church “Ally” can accomplish – coming into ours and other ministries to build relationships and community that build the ministry, their congregation and God’s Kingdom.
After 14 years working with the families in our first location, we came to realize that we need to support the whole family, not just the children. This has resulted in opportunities to build churches through their engagement in the ministries. With this initiative, we will build community with the families and neighbors through weekly “family” meals and celebrations, sit down breakfast with the family unit before dropping off the children, take home meals for the families with family activity plans – all while using “Ally church partners” to sponsor and build relationships and community. We envision church “Allies” facilitating things like regular “faith journey” exploration groups and special educational classes on topics such as cooking (our facility will have a large commercial kitchen and eating area), finances, family life, gardening, crafting, etc. With our Ally Network.
children's promise centers
Inside Children’s Promise Centers Albuquerque, we have set aside 4,000 square feet where resources and services that families need are reachable within a single location. It is the vision of Albuquerque Leadership Foundation to expand to many other programs and ministries that reach the family unit as way of improving their lives by connecting the churches and ministries in Albuquerque.
Albuquerque Leadership Foundation envisions Christian based family education, support, and community development through a campus approach providing a one-stop shop for the community for connecting churches and ministries with the needs of the community. We seek God’s peace for our city through the creative, compassionate, and prayerful development of people and communities.
The Albuquerque Leadership Foundation Ministry and Family Resource Center
To meet the immediate and long-term physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental needs of the community of Albuquerque. We will accomplish this by providing safe and quality programming that supports families through relational experiences that are examples of Christ's love. We aim to expand the kingdom of God one person and one neighborhood at a time.
our Mission
Promise Investments is our impact property ministry that currently owns the child development center properties. Currently a $5M+ portfolio. We seek other kingdom investment opportunities for people and organizations interested in “investing for good” aligning with the philosophy of our partner organizations: CCDA, Lupton Foundation and Mile High Ministries in Denver. We are focused on building the South San Pedro Neighborhood of Albuquerque’s International District with comprehensive family resources.
As an “impact investment” we are currently negotiating for the purchase of a 42-unit apartment complex directly across the street from our center, we plan to create an affordable living complex that builds on community and relationships. Alvarado Square is an apartment complex in the heart of the Alvarado Neighborhood in the International District that we are working to purchase, renovate and create a restorative affordable apartment community. We are seeking legacy investors that want to gain a return on their assets while at the same time doing good.
promise investments
Albuquerque Leadership Foundation hosts a neighborhood and community meeting space open to organizations of good faith and good will. There we provide coaching, mentoring, and collaboration with those that share our vision. Current capacity is meeting space for up to 100 people.
With a full commercial kitchen, this space is envisioned to use for ministry, seminars, neighborhood and multi-cultural meetings in the Alvarado Neighborhood by reservation. All is focused on building a community of support, encouragement, and development.
Foundation’s Ministry and Family Resource Center
In 2022 Albuquerque Leadership Foundation became a part of the CrossPurpose network. (www.crosspurpose.org).
CrossPurpose is a non-profit organization in Denver, CO abolishing relational, economic, and spiritual poverty through career and community development. In 2021 CrossPurpose in Denver graduated over 500 individuals, 100% of which were placed in career positions paying living (or better) wages. As part of the CrossPurpose National Network, we have completed preliminary training and have a formal agreement with them to duplicate all their systems, programs, evaluation tools, curriculum, etc. at no additional cost to us. Planned launch in 2024.
We already have started an Early Childhood Development and Mentorship program to not only train and prepare our staff but also to the greater Albuquerque Early Childhood network.
Career Training & Placement
We are working with the neighboring churches to create a large family and resource center in the Alvarado Neighborhood to provide incarnational resources for the neighboring families. Our vision is to house a multitude of resources including counseling, senior services, career training youth programs (sports, leadership) as well as program and business incubation such as low-cost office space and support for programs and ministries as well a ministry incubation and a family community center.
Additional developing projects: Food Coop, Going Troubled Youth, Outdoor Ministries.
Alvarado Neighborhood Family Resource Center
Our Developing Projects
Creating meaningful and productive relationships between experienced leaders, passionate local advocates and community stakeholders.
albuquerque & beyond
