HOUSE MEMORIAL 77

49th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2009

INTRODUCED BY

James Roger Madalena

A MEMORIAL

IN RECOGNITION OF THE CHAMIZA FOUNDATION AND OF GIFFORD AND JOANN PHILLIPS FOR THEIR TWENTY-YEAR COMMITMENT TO SUPPORTING THE CULTURAL INTEGRITY OF NEW MEXICO'S NINETEEN PUEBLOS.

     WHEREAS, the Chamiza foundation, a private, independent family foundation, was conceived and founded by Gifford and Joann Phillips in 1989 with an endowment of two million dollars ($2,000,000) and is devoted exclusively to the support of the nineteen Pueblo Indian tribes in New Mexico; and

     WHEREAS, the Chamiza foundation was guided in its formative stages by Ohkay Owingeh elder and scholar, Alfonso Ortiz, and by writer and scholar, Edward T. Hall; and

     WHEREAS, the Chamiza foundation's mission has been to mitigate the influences of acculturation by supporting grassroots programs to enable the pueblos to retain, restore and nourish traditional life ways; and

     WHEREAS, over the past twenty years, Chamiza foundation grants have supported a wide spectrum of community endeavors in all nineteen pueblos, including language instruction, traditional arts, youth education, traditional agriculture, collecting and documenting tribal historical and archival information and strengthening intergenerational relations; and

     WHEREAS, the Chamiza foundation's impressive record is only part of a larger and inspiring story in which the pueblo communities of New Mexico are working, often in the face of difficult challenges, to sustain their culture; and

     WHEREAS, Gifford and Joann Phillips continue their commitment to the Chamiza foundation with the involvement of their son, James L. Phillips, and their daughters, Marjorie Phillips Elliott and Alice Phillips Swistel, all of whom are active members of the Chamiza foundation board of directors; and

     WHEREAS, the Chamiza foundation is privileged to have on its fifteen-member board seven pueblo members, the largest single group of pueblo directors sitting on any foundation board in the country, which pueblo members include Cynthia Chavez Lamar, arts and cultural scholar; Ted Jojola, educator; Hayes Lewis, educator; Diane Reyna, artist and educator; Beverly Singer, artist and educator; Mia Toya, artist and educator; and Brian Vallo, artist and cultural preservationist; and

     WHEREAS, the Chamiza foundation is also honored to have as members of its board Jonathan Batkin, director of the Wheelwright museum; Mrs. Letitia Frank, historian; and Estevan Rael-Galvez, the New Mexico state historian; and

     WHEREAS, philanthropic giving to New Mexico Indian nations, tribes and pueblos is one percent of total annual charitable giving in New Mexico; and

     WHEREAS, the Chamiza foundation has been and continues to be the single most significant private source of grant funds for New Mexico's pueblos;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the Chamiza foundation and its founders Gifford and Joann Phillips be commended for their leadership and work in support of the nineteen pueblos in New Mexico; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, particularly in these challenging economic times, philanthropic organizations be encouraged to consider increasing their partnerships with Indian nations, tribes and pueblos and provide greater opportunities for Native Americans to serve at every level in philanthropic organizations, such as the Chamiza foundation has done; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to each of the members of the board of directors of the Chamiza foundation.

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