The Counseling Center of Alamogordo walked away with an organization award and Nadia Sikes claimed a professional honor as Sacramento Mountains Foundation closed out its third annual Otero County Nonprofit Summit on Friday, recognizing local leaders navigating a tough year for the region's social safety net.
The summit was held at the CHRISTUS Southern New Mexico Conference Center on North Scenic Drive, according to 2nd Life Media Alamogordo Town News. Admission was free with breakfast and lunch included, and the day closed with an “Ask the Experts” panel followed by the awards ceremony where winners were announced live.
This year's summit was framed around “Hold It Together,” with a focus on the people and organizations behind Otero County's nonprofits. The Counseling Center was among the organizations recognized at the gathering. The Counseling Center is an organization.
A Half-Century of Service, With a Rocky Chapter
The Counseling Center's history includes a brush with statewide scandal. In January 2014, the New Mexico Attorney General's Office cleared the organization of criminal Medicaid fraud allegations after a 2013 statewide audit had frozen funding for 15 behavioral health providers across New Mexico — an episode that, per KUNM, involved repayments by two agencies. More than a decade later, the center's honor at this year's summit points to an institution that outlasted that disruption.
Nadia Sikes, this year's honoree, brings her own brand of civic reach to Alamogordo. She hosts the weekly Community Corner public affairs radio show on Alamo Sports + Talk, according to Alamo Sports + Talk, which notes Sikes relocated to Alamogordo approximately in 2013 while her spouse was stationed at Holloman Air Force Base.
Burnout and Resilience Took Center Stage
The summit's theme focused on burnout and resilience.
The program also focused on burnout and resilience.
A Funder Built From a Hospital Sale
Gerald Champion Regional Medical Center joined CHRISTUS Health, based in Irving, Texas, in 2023, according to Becker's Hospital Review.
The summit's awards recognize Otero County nonprofits.
COPE is another organization.
Taken together, the summit's programming and the foundation's role point to a broader effort to support Otero County's nonprofit sector. For a rural county where organizations serving overlapping needs are stretched thin, continued local support may help keep the safety net from fraying further.
