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For ten years I operated a homeless meal program self-funded and self-sustained from the kitchen of my home: personally preparing, delivering and serving late Saturday nights when the shelters had closed the kitchens for the evening. At the park was an older woman known as 'the chicken lady' (yes, she served chicken), and at the Ankeny Street fountain were my wife and I who served a favorite meal by most accounts. At times there were a hundred people in line waiting for our arrival and it was always difficult when I had to call “all out”, leaving many without a meal that night. Moving to New Mexico brought a close to the program by which time we estimated over 60,000 meals had been served. We also operated a much smaller door-to-door program collecting hats, scarves and gloves for distribution to the homeless.
While on a missionary trip to the Philippines I'd venture to the worse area of the city almost daily, to the area where the homeless congregated to help the elderly women with money and food. On my way I'd stop at Jollibee's to pick up a dozen burgers and fries for the children. In the midst of horrible poverty the sorrowful state of so many teeth was painfully obvious. So I went to the local dentist and told her what I wanted. I ran out of money before I ran out of children so I called my friend Sande and told her to send cash. She asked what it was about and upon telling her she offered extra.
Not to neglect (wo)man's best friend, on the same missionary trip, I always liked to feed the emaciated stray dogs. One day, as I was feeding a shy and fearful dog a man purposefully passed between the dog and I, kicking at the dog to scare it off. Perhaps he had difficulty previously with the dog but other than to hear the sound of his own laughter the business between the dog and I wasn't his to meddle in. I stood up not knowing what to do but resolved. The man walked half a block to a site of construction and joined a crew working. From where this came I honestly don't know, Tagalog I don't speak but neither did he utter a word, so I walked straight to the man looking straight at his face, said nothing but looked down and spit right next to his shoe. Not yet turning I looked straight at his face, made no sound and walked away. I fully expected to be hit in the back of the head. I just walked. Though the man may have continued to harass other creatures not once did he interfere with my business again.
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I am a retired English teacher who began my career in my home state of North Carolina, then continued teaching around the world from Saudi Arabia, the Philippines, Guam, Sicily, and Japan. My husband and I retired to New Mexico in 2009. I have three children, ranging in age from thirty to fifty, and four grandchildren, ranging in age from eight months to eighteen years. I became interested inin GNA through lengthy discussions with members of the board, especially Jake Forest, about what a homeowners association should do to be a true representative of the homeowners. I was elected to the GNA board in December, and my wish is to serve the community to the best of my abilities.
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Senior Scientist
Planetary Science Institute
I received my Ph.D. from New Mexico State University in 1979 and since then have worked as an astronomer, in the field of Planetary Science, at the University of Arizona, Caltech's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Mission Research Corporation (under a contract with the US Air Force), the University of New Hampshire, and the Planetary Science Institute.
While living in New Hampshire I served as the Chair of the Fitts Farm Condominium Association's Bylaws Revision Committee for one year and as President of the Association for two years.
I moved into a home in Las Maravillas Unit III in January 2010 at which time, as part of the documentation I received from the Title Company on closing, I obtained copies of the Good Neighbor Association's (GNA's) Covenants and Bylaws. It was not until several weeks after moving in that I found out that the Valley Improvement Association (VIA) also claimed to serve as the Homeowners Association for Las Maravillas Units I, II, and III.
Upon investigating this situation I concluded that the VIA was not a Homeowners Association, was not answerable to the homeowners, had over 11,000 members (most owners of undeveloped lots), and has what is, in essence, a closed Board not one member of which lived in Las Maravillas. On the other hand, I found that the GNA was a recently formed true Homeowners Association, responsible solely to the property owners of Las Maravillas Units I and II, was formed based on a petition signed by over 75% of the property owners in those Units, and whose stated purpose was to operate as a Homeowners Association controlled by the people who lived here.
In spite of the GNA's having signatures from the vast majority of Units II and III's property owners, expressing their decision to amend the VIA's Covenants and Bylaws and replace them with the GNA's, developed with input from the community, and duly recorded with the Public Regulation Commission on 13 July 2009, the VIA filed a lawsuit against the GNA.
Given this, I decided to support the GNA. When, in June 2010, I was approached to run for a position on its Board of Directors (as required by the New Mexico Nonprofit Corporation Act to be held one year from the date of incorporation) I agreed.
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My name is Joyce Bernard. I’ve been married to Gary for 49 years, raised 5 children and have 6 grandchildren and 1 great grandchild. We have lived in New Mexico for 5 years. I am the treasurer for Las Maravillas Good Neighbor Association. I have worked as a bookkeeper, my duties included accounts receivable and payable, inventory control. For the last 25 years I have ran a home based business, which included ordering supplies, manufacturing my products, travel arranging, shipping my products and all the bookkeeping duties.
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