Segment 1:
Paranormal research Investigations (PRI):
Amber Banda interviews Ramiro Galvan, Founder and Investigator for PRI, as well as Angie Lozano, PRI team member. They talk about their beginner workshops for people wanting to learn more about paranormal investigations, how they got into one, (Ramiro being the skeptic, Angie coming in as a non-skeptic), how they motivated the well know Ghost Adventures show to come to our area, and much more.
.
They have 2 upcoming events: A workshop on October 30th just outside Deming NM at the Adobe Deli starting at 7pm, and a super fun and spooky event in El Paso at "The Dripping Cauldron" Nov 1st from 6:30-8:30pm.Don't miss this spooky episode to close out the month of October!
.
For more information find them on Instagram and Facebook (PRIElPaso) and check out their YouTube page, https://www.youtube.com/@paranormalresearchinvestig175.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Segment 2: The Jr. League of El Paso Christmas fair is coming soon!
.
Amber Banda interviews Amy Field, 2025 President of Jr. League of El Paso, as well as Dahlia Garcia, 2025 A Christmas Fair chair. They talk about the Jr League and how they help various non-profits with funding, volunteers and projects year round, and how you can be a part of it!
.
Their signature fundraiser of the year, their annual A Christmas Fair 2025, is back and bigger and better than ever! Oct 31-Nov 2 at the El Paso Convention Center. Tickets on sale now at https://www.achristmasfair.com/
_______________________________________________________________________________
Segment 3: Alzheimer's Association, West Texas Chapter.
.
Did you know that El Paso is ranked #9 when it comes to prevalence of Alzheimer's, or that it's tied in first place with Lareda, TX? Did you know that El Paso is the flagship for the West Texas chapters of the Alzheimer's Association and they have a location and resources for you right here in the city? well you do now!
.
Amber banda interviews Valerie Sanchez, Executive Director for the Alzheimer's Association, West Texas Chapter. Listen to learn about resources available to you, warning signs that you or a loved one may need to get checked, and about Proposition 14 which could equal big money towards research for a cure!
.
Be a part of (as valerie puts it), the largest support group for Alzheimer's in El Paso: The 2025 Walk To End Alzheimer's. This is the largest fundraising/ awareness group and you can be a part of it! Registration is FREE, but you can donate and show up to show support and learn more. It will take place Saturday November 8th at Ascarate Park on Delta. Gates open at 9am, festivities begin at 10am.
.
For more information go to:
https://act.alz.org/site/TR/Walk2025/TX-WestTexas?pg=entry&fr_id=18940
NEW EPISODES EVERY SUNDAY AT 8AM! Follow Amber Banda, 96.3 KHEY Country, Power 102.1 or Sunny 99.9 on Instagram and/or Facebook for pictures of our guests and leave a comment. Be a part of the good going on in our community!
Paranormal research Investigations (PRI):
Amber Banda interviews Ramiro Galvan, Founder and Investigator for PRI, as well as Angie Lozano, PRI team member. They talk about their beginner workshops for people wanting to learn more about paranormal investigations, how they got into one, (Ramiro being the skeptic, Angie coming in as a non-skeptic), how they motivated the well know Ghost Adventures show to come to our area, and much more.
.
They have 2 upcoming events: A workshop on October 30th just outside Deming NM at the Adobe Deli starting at 7pm, and a super fun and spooky event in El Paso at "The Dripping Cauldron" Nov 1st from 6:30-8:30pm.Don't miss this spooky episode to close out the month of October!
.
For more information find them on Instagram and Facebook (PRIElPaso) and check out their YouTube page, https://www.youtube.com/@paranormalresearchinvestig175.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Segment 2: The Jr. League of El Paso Christmas fair is coming soon!
.
Amber Banda interviews Amy Field, 2025 President of Jr. League of El Paso, as well as Dahlia Garcia, 2025 A Christmas Fair chair. They talk about the Jr League and how they help various non-profits with funding, volunteers and projects year round, and how you can be a part of it!
.
Their signature fundraiser of the year, their annual A Christmas Fair 2025, is back and bigger and better than ever! Oct 31-Nov 2 at the El Paso Convention Center. Tickets on sale now at https://www.achristmasfair.com/
_______________________________________________________________________________
Segment 3: Alzheimer's Association, West Texas Chapter.
.
Did you know that El Paso is ranked #9 when it comes to prevalence of Alzheimer's, or that it's tied in first place with Lareda, TX? Did you know that El Paso is the flagship for the West Texas chapters of the Alzheimer's Association and they have a location and resources for you right here in the city? well you do now!
.
Amber banda interviews Valerie Sanchez, Executive Director for the Alzheimer's Association, West Texas Chapter. Listen to learn about resources available to you, warning signs that you or a loved one may need to get checked, and about Proposition 14 which could equal big money towards research for a cure!
.
Be a part of (as valerie puts it), the largest support group for Alzheimer's in El Paso: The 2025 Walk To End Alzheimer's. This is the largest fundraising/ awareness group and you can be a part of it! Registration is FREE, but you can donate and show up to show support and learn more. It will take place Saturday November 8th at Ascarate Park on Delta. Gates open at 9am, festivities begin at 10am.
.
For more information go to:
https://act.alz.org/site/TR/Walk2025/TX-WestTexas?pg=entry&fr_id=18940
NEW EPISODES EVERY SUNDAY AT 8AM! Follow Amber Banda, 96.3 KHEY Country, Power 102.1 or Sunny 99.9 on Instagram and/or Facebook for pictures of our guests and leave a comment. Be a part of the good going on in our community!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to ol Paso Public Forum, a weekly half hour
public affairs presentation of iHeartRadio El Paso for over twenty years,
featuring local news and interviews of interest to our listeners
in West Texas and southern New Mexico. All views and
opinions expressed on this program are those of the host
and guest, and not necessarily those of iHeartRadio Management and
now El Paso Public Forum.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Welcome back to the al Paso Public Forum. I'm our host,
Amber Banda, and today to close off the month of October,
we have some more paranormal activity going on here. We
have Ramiro Galvan he is investigator and founder of Paranormal
Research Investigations or pri ramidro. Thank you for talking with
us today, our pleasure.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
It's always a wonderful to come in and talk to
people such.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
As yourself, of course, and we also have Angie Lozano,
team member with Paranormal Research Investigations or pr I. Angie,
thank you for talking with us today. Thank you for
having us of course, So Ramiro, as the founder, I
want to ask what is pri I? What do you
guys do?
Speaker 3 (01:02):
We are basically a group of volunteers that dedicate our
time and are basically our efforts in investigating what we
call reported paranormal phenomena. We're always looking for the truth
behind it. We're looking at the historical basis, is there
something in the history that may have occurred at a
location that could be contributing to what is happening now.
(01:24):
But at the same time, we go in as skeptics,
and what we do is we try to first look
for any natural, man made or environmental causes for what
people are reporting before we take that next step.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
Right, That's something that you had told me earlier, is
you came you're the skeptic, right, And that's I think
one of the best angles to come at it by
because you're trying to prove that whatever is there doesn't exist.
So when you have that evidence that shows otherwise, that's really,
you know, how you're helping people to maybe open their
minds a little bit. Believe. One of the questions that
I have is when you do these investigations, whether you
(02:00):
know they're open to the public or not, is there
any anything cathartic that comes out of finding answers to
you know, is there something in this building?
Speaker 3 (02:09):
Well, what we try to do is we try to
help the client. And oftentimes the client may already be
on edge when we show up. So we try to
do is when we talk to them, we'll try to
keep things neutral. Instead of saying, oh, you know, we
walk in and go, hey, tell me about your ghost
and hauntings, that's going to put them more on edge.
So we want to keep things neutral. Hey, tell me
about your phenomena, tell me what you're experiencing. Once everything
(02:31):
is said and done and we've gone through everything, meaning
we basically scrub everything that we have, video, audio, photos,
and whatever's left over that we have no rational explanation for,
we then present it to the client and we go,
here's what we found. We have no explanation for this.
We don't try to convince them there's something paranormal. We
don't convince them there's not. Our job is to present
(02:53):
it to them and let them make their own decision.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
And what are the reasons that people would contact you for? Like,
you know, basically, why would someone contact you other than
just you know, for fun.
Speaker 3 (03:04):
Yeah, sometimes they'll have things happening at their location and
they want to know what's going on here? Is this
my imagination or is it something actually? Is there something
there that's causing this hectio or whatever they're experiencing.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
And Angie, as a team member, you said something interesting
to me before this. I hope I'm allowed to share,
but that you kind of don't come in from the
skeptical angle like you have this feeling. I guess more
that you have believed for a long time, since you
were younger. Can you explain to us what that is
and like why you got into this organization?
Speaker 4 (03:40):
Yes, definitely. So.
Speaker 5 (03:41):
I just remember as a child, I would smell things,
sense things, hear things that others wouldn't be able to hear.
I'd see things through the corner of my eyes and
I just couldn't understand them. And I was always intrigued
in the paranormal. I lived in a home where my
five year old daughter wouldn't go anywhere in that house
without anything, and I had sensations there and stuff.
Speaker 4 (04:04):
So go to all the ghost adventure things that they had,
the tours and whatever, and that's how I met Ramiito.
Speaker 5 (04:11):
I went to one of his investigations where he was
doing a class, and then we did a mini investigation afterwards,
and it was really spooky to go to that place
that we were at we was at the Doniana County
Courthouse jail courthouse, so that was kind of freaky. And
stayed behind and started talking to him, and then that's
(04:33):
when he told me he has a class that he
provides folks so that they can join the team, and
I was very interested. My husband joined because he's a
he's not a believer, and he joined because he didn't
want me to go on my own. He's like, no,
you know, you're being doing late nights and stuff. So
it's been very interesting some of the things that we've
encountered and I've experienced while with the team.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
So before we get into some of the events that
you have coming up, I'm going to ask you first, Andrew,
what is of the reactions you get when you tell
people I am an paranormal investigator.
Speaker 5 (05:05):
The eyes wide open? I do, yes, Like, why would
anybody want to do that? I am a human resources person,
so when I do when you hire orientation, we're supposed
to tell them something a fun fact about each other.
So that is my fun fact. And I get.
Speaker 4 (05:23):
A lot of what and what do you do? And
why would you do that? And it's just very it.
I just I'm amazed by it, to be honest.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
That's awesome. And Domato same thing. What's the reaction you
get when you say, not only am I an investigator,
but I founded the pri I.
Speaker 3 (05:40):
I really don't tell people much.
Speaker 4 (05:43):
Okay, Yeah, I figure.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
If I tell people that, then I feel like I'm
coming off like a braggert, Right, Yeah, I really don't
want to.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
It's a really cool flex though. And then but then
you're gonna have people going around like, who are you
gonna call? Right making that joker? I'm sure you guys
have heard it a million times. And again, if you're
just tuning in, we have Ramiro Galvan, investigator and founder
of Paranormal Research Investigations, and Angie Lozano, team member of
Paranormal Research Investigations. Now, you know, especially around the spooky season,
(06:14):
people want to get involved in spooky activities. So you
have a couple of events coming up October thirtieth and November. First, Lamido,
can you tell us first about the event coming up
on October thirtieth?
Speaker 3 (06:25):
Sure, it's at a place. We're going to be doing
a workshop at a place called the Adobe Deli. It's
about ten miles out side of Deming used to be
a two room schoolhouse. We investigated there multiple times. The
last one we did was in twenty sixteen. The results
of what we found broadcast adventures into film and episode there.
Oh wow, So what we do and because we've you know,
they're really great people there, they'll periodically call us and hey,
(06:48):
you know, we've got people are interested in learning moral office.
So we'll do a two hour class and then keep
giving them the basics of how to use equipment and
so forth. And then after that, using what they've learned,
will then take them into two of the rooms that
are considered the most active rooms in that building, and
we'll do a mini investigation to our many investigation afterwards.
(07:08):
And sometimes the results that we get are pretty amazing
for these folks.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
Right.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
Oh, so that's at the Adobe Delhi outside of Demi.
And by the way, the food is awesome.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
I'm sure usually the places in New Mexico that are
especially like remote like that, they tend to have the
best food. And then November one at the Dripping Cauldron
that's here and I'll pass.
Speaker 3 (07:28):
Over that is correct?
Speaker 2 (07:28):
On can you tell us a little bit about that?
Speaker 3 (07:30):
Sure, it's a coffee shop. And then right next door
is an auto body shop or auto shop called Sinister Customs.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
Appropriate names right and out of body, I understand.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
So anyway, so yeah, we're going to be doing an
event there November first. What we did is we earlier,
it was September, early September, we investigated that place. We
did a workshop and after which we spent some time
in there because they had reported seeing a little girl
when they first opened up there about three years ago.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
Always a little girl.
Speaker 4 (07:59):
Yeah it is.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
But they also had some other interesting phenomena that occurred
there where, namely one of them being that there was
a certain area where people, some of their staff would
feel an overwhelming hurts to mop Why no idea, But
we've spent.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
Some time that house.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
So yeah, so they you know, it was so interesting
because you hear the stories. Now the question is can
we validate them or is it something something that's basically
people's imagination. So we actually found some things we could
not explain, and so November first, we're going to do
a workshop there as well, starting at six point thirty,
and then after the workshop, we're going to reveal the
(08:40):
results of what we found there. And I think what
we found there may wind up surprising even the owners.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
Really bring Ghost Adventures back into al Pasa.
Speaker 3 (08:49):
Well, we actually one time did it. Well, we used
to do community College were the only group ever allowed
to investigate the entire campus downtown Mario Brand Campus. Okay,
and at one time because of what we found there,
Ghost of Vendors want to come in and film an
episode there, and they even had the contract drawn up.
Unfortunately from what I understand, the city or not the city,
(09:11):
but the board said no, we're not really interested. And
Ghost of Adventures even put said well, hey, we'll put
up a five million dollar bond in case anything breaks.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
Wow, that's amazing. I mean that just goes to show
that there may be more truth to this than some
people believe. I mean, like myself, I've had a couple
of you know, encounters. I guess you could say where again,
I'm not completely skeptical, but I'm not like a super believer,
but I'm not saying it's not out there. So, you know,
with that being said, Angie, is there anything else that
(09:39):
you would like to tell the listening audience.
Speaker 5 (09:43):
It's just very interesting it not only just the paranormal,
but also going in and investigating a building learning about
its history. What transpired there. It's just all very interesting
for me and I'm sure others would love to learn about.
I'll pass so and then neighborhood areas surrounding areas Las Truesdays,
New Mexico.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
Yeah, investigating is also a unique way, like you said,
to learn about the building the architecture have appreciation for
it as well. And amido, is there anything else that
you would like to tell the listening audience.
Speaker 3 (10:12):
Well, one of the things that we do is before
we investigate a location, we dig into the background. We
do a lot of historical research first to see if
there's any connections that may not be readily apparent. And
we've actually came across some really surprising stuff that we
found about Alpaso High School, which might explain a lot
of the things that people are reporting there, especially the girl.
(10:33):
Yes and so Yeah, so there's actually historical documentation showing
you about students and how they actually passed away and something.
Two of them were young females around the ages of
fourteen fifteen who died horrible suicide diaths. So there's actual
documentation on that.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
Oh wow.
Speaker 3 (10:53):
We also went looking for La Yourna over there in
Anthony because there was an Anthony police officer who we
have his radio transcript was sent to us and he
was encountering somebody he described as a woman dressed in
white carrying what appeared to be us baby covered in
red like blood.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 3 (11:11):
But we looked into the historical aspect and there was
a YouTube professor that was actually points to the fact
that RNA was not something recent but in actuality traces
back all the way back to the Aztec Empire. Oh wow,
And so anyway, I'm sorry.
Speaker 2 (11:26):
No, it's fine. So again, if you'd like more information
on Instagram and Facebook, and they even have a YouTube channel,
you could look up pr il Paso on Instagram and
Facebook or Paranormal Research Investigations pr il Paso, Texas on YouTube.
And of course you can always find more information on
Power two point one Sunday ninety nine point nine and
(11:46):
ninety six point three k Cuntry, Instagram and Facebook. Lamido
and Angie, thank you so much for being here with
me today.
Speaker 4 (11:51):
Thank you, thank you for having us.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
Welcome back to the al Paso Public Forum. I'm your host,
Amber Banda and I'm so excited to be talking about Christmas,
even though you know, it's so kind of early on.
I guess I'm here with Amy Field. She is the
twenty twenty five president of Junior League of al Paso. Amy,
thank you for talking with us today. Thank you for
having us, of course. And we also have Dalia Garcia
(12:18):
twenty twenty five, a Christmas Fair chair. Dahlia, thank you
for talking with us today. Thank you Amber of course.
So today we're going to be talking about one of
your biggest events. This the signature annual fundraiser for Junior
League of Alpaso the Christmas Store. But before we get
into that, I want the listening audience to learn a
little bit more about what is the Junior League of
(12:40):
al Paso. So, Amy, what is it?
Speaker 6 (12:43):
The Junior League of Alpasso is a nonprofit. We're over
one hundred and sixty five active members, wow, and then
about five hundred total members. And we are committed to
advancing women's leadership, proving the health and wellbeing of El
Paso through volunteerism and collaboration. We've been a nonprofit here
(13:08):
for ninety three years. Oh wow, so a very well
established nonprofit.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
So the Junior League of Alpasto. I know there's other
nonprofits by a similar name. But is this like just
in ol Passo or is it like a nationwide thing.
Speaker 6 (13:22):
It's actually an international organization.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
International organization. Yes, And so you know, as I've done
this program, because it is for nonprofits, I've learned that
there's nonprofits for specific things, and then there's nonprofits that
provide funding for various nonprofits. And is that more the
what the Junior League of Alpasto is providing funding for
like various nonprofits.
Speaker 6 (13:43):
So we provide funding through the through community assistance grants,
and then we also the primary thing that we do
is we provide volunteers and also funding through our volunteer
efforts with local nonprofits. So we partner with others.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
And you say that you've been a part of this
organization for twelve years, correct, Yes, I mean I just
met you a few minutes ago. You're fabulous. So you
know what drove you to be a part of this
and what are maybe some of the some of the
impact that you've seen.
Speaker 6 (14:14):
Oh so I moved to El Paso about thirteen years ago.
And where are you from if you don't want me,
I'm from the Dallas Fort Worth area. Okay, we actually
moved here from Austin, Okay. And my realtor at the
time said, you must join Junior League. You'll meet a
lot of people and you'll get to know a lot
about the community. And so I took her advice and
(14:36):
I joined. And I'm so glad that I did, Yeah,
because I have absolutely learned so much about the l
Paso community. And I've learned and I've met so many
wonderful people that I would have never met otherwise.
Speaker 2 (14:46):
Oh yeah, And the Junior League has their hands and
a whole lot of nonprofits, like you said, helping with
funding and volunteering. And Dahlia, I want to ask you,
you know, I know you're gonna answer a lot of
questions about the event coming up, but why did you
decide to join first? And and also what kind of
impact have you seen the Junior League of All Passo
have on the community.
Speaker 7 (15:05):
So, the Junior League of All Passo really evaluates what
our community needs at any given time, and then we
structure our projects and our outreach based on what our
current community needs. So for me, I thought that was
super interesting, because yes, every nonprofit is super important to
our community, but every year we have something else going on.
Some years we need more mental health assistants. Some years
(15:27):
we need more assistance with our children. And so the
Junior League of ol Pastor really tries to hone on
that and make our funds go as far as they
can and really be as impactful as they can.
Speaker 2 (15:37):
Yeah. Yeah, and I just met you a few minutes
ago as well, and you're fabulous too, So I can
see why this. You know, you guys make it feel
like Christmas in here already. I don't know if it's
because this is the topic we're on, but you know, I,
you know, I hear a lot about the Junior League
of All Passos. So again, if you're just tuning in,
we have Amy Field, the twenty twenty five president of
Junior League of All Passo and Dalia Garcia, a part
(15:59):
of the twenty twenty a Christmas Fair chair. So now
we're going to get into talking about Christmas the signature
and it's just funny for me because I just did
an interview right now talking about Halloween. Right now, we
go right straight to this. So the signature annual fundraiser
for Junior League of I'll pass so a Christmas Fair. So, Dahlia,
can you first give like the basics, where is it,
(16:20):
when is it, and then we'll start talking about more
of the fun stuff.
Speaker 7 (16:23):
Absolutely, a Christmas Fair is on its fifty second year wow,
and it's our biggest fundraiser for the league. It will
be October thirty first through November second at the Convention Center.
Friday and Sunday hours are ten to five, Saturday hours
are ten to seven. We do have a VIP special
event on the thirtieth. It's going to be phenomenal. We
(16:43):
open it up to three hundred guests only, and so
please go get your tickets now because they're selling fast.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
We'll have the VIP event.
Speaker 7 (16:51):
Yes, it's like a shopping experience. We bring in five
extra vendors or our VIP vendors. We have music or derves,
we have a tequila tasting, the burn tasting, champagne, and
just a lot of fun. So please join us. That's Thursday,
October thirtieth, five to nine.
Speaker 2 (17:06):
Oh nice. So this year like the first official day.
You can show up in your Halloween costume and get
your shopping done right please do We have lots of
photo ops. So we talked a little bit about this
off air. Do you think that because you had explained
that the event is usually the first weekend in November,
which happens to be, you know, falling on Halloween this year.
(17:26):
Do you see any kind of difference in attendance when
it's on Halloween?
Speaker 7 (17:30):
We don't think so, especially because that Friday, which is
the Halloween Day, we normally have a lot of people
that come in that are not necessarily working full time
or that their employer gives them time off to go
to this event. And since we close by five o'clock,
parents still have time to go home, take their kids
tricut trading, and so come on in. It's a great
time to relax before you go out into the madness exactly.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
And you know, for the Christmas Fare, what, of course,
there's going to be a lot, a lot, a lot
of Christmas vendors and just different holiday vendors. But what
else can we expect from a Christmas fair?
Speaker 7 (18:02):
Oh, we have cookies with Santa. We have special events
for the kids where they can decorate you know, little birdhouses,
and decorate cookies and make their own pancakes and just
so very curated for a family experience. We have a
lot of new vendors. We have a Farmer's market, which
is mostly local vendors that are really bringing in their
homemade type of crafts. And so you have a variety
(18:24):
from really well established, very loved Ella Blue to newer
vendors that are really bringing in some crochet and wreaths,
and so we really encourage you to come and experience
it all.
Speaker 2 (18:36):
So if you're looking for as I've gotten older, I
found that I either want to buy a experiences from
my family or be very things that are homemade, handmade
that you can't get anywhere else. And a Christmas Fare
is the perfect place to do that holiday shopping. Get
it done early. It's not going to be something where
someone else has the same thing, and you're supporting local,
which is very important, you know. And so Amy in
(18:58):
your words, can you explain like your experience or what
a Christmas Fair is to the listening audience.
Speaker 6 (19:03):
A Christmas Fair is a wonderful event. And for I
don't know if Oli l. Passo knows this, but the
Junior League members actually set up the entire convention center,
so what you walk into is all done by volunteers,
Oh my god. And so we spend days, actually we
spend a year planning and then we spend days transforming
(19:26):
the convention center into the theme. And so this year
it's an enchanted Christmas and it'll be enchanted for sure,
and so when they come in, it's just an incredible
you just step into another world. And like Dahlia was saying,
there are so many different vendors local. We do have
(19:48):
some that are more well established. You know that our
vendors from around the United States, and it's just it's
it's so much fun to spend time shopping with your
friends and your family, and then also knowing that that
ticket that you buy to come in and your support
(20:11):
of those vendors is supporting our community exactly.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
That's exactly what I wanted to get into. So you know,
you have the biggest fundraiser of the year at Christmas Fair.
But of course, like you said, when you buy that ticket,
those funds go to Junior League of Al Pasos. So
how do you utilize those funds?
Speaker 6 (20:29):
So the funds support our projects and programs of the
Junior League of El Paso, and our primary focus this
year is mental and physical wellness, and so our projects
and programs target those two focus areas. We have one
program that we've actually had for now thirty six years
(20:52):
and it's called Music Therapy for the Elderly, and we
have members who go to nursing homes and adult day
cares and seeing and provide those residents with just wonderful
experiences and they have incredible stories about how healing those
interactions can be. We're also working with Hospice of El
(21:15):
Paso and we've got a project called Butterfly Haven. It's
a therapeutic outdoor garden for reflection and healing for the
families that are receiving services at Hospice of El Paso.
We also have one called Connections, and this is with
the Rio Grande Cancer Foundation and we provide ongoing wellness
(21:38):
sessions for the individuals affected by cancer, so those survivors
as well as their caregivers and families. We also are
partnering with Healthy Beat Healthy Bites or it's a program
called Healthy Bites, and we're partnering with a nonprofit called
You Eat, I Eat, and we're providing nutrition just after
(22:00):
school snacks and health education for children in northeast El
past So. And then we have one called Instant Impact
where we're taking services and we're going to different nonprofits
in the community. And helping to expand their efforts to
promote mental and physical health and wellness.
Speaker 8 (22:19):
So we have a lot.
Speaker 2 (22:20):
Yeah, I can see why you're real to recommended that
you join this. I'm getting ready to join you. I
probably would have if I wasn't so busy. But what's
really cool is that not only do you provide funding
and volunteers to you know, nonprofits so they can use
them at their discretion, but then you also have money
that you use within your within the organization. We're like, hey,
we're going to go and provide this service to this
(22:42):
nonprofit or to this organization, like you said, you know,
the music for the elderly, And I don't think i've
ever heard a nonprofit that doesn't. You know, either either
they'll just give the money, not just right, they'll give
the money or the volunteers, or they themselves use it
in a certain way because they are the nonprofit. So
I think that's really interesting that you're do that.
Speaker 6 (23:00):
A critical point that's lost too is the training that
the women who are actually the volunteers receive, So we
receive leadership training wow in order too, or when we're
when we're we're facilitating these projects, when we're planning them.
And so you know, earlier you had asked, you know
about what I had, you know, learned or gained from
(23:20):
Junior League of Bell pass so, and that's one of
the reasons why I've been in for twelve years and
I commit so much time because we also have learned
important leadership skills and opportunities.
Speaker 2 (23:33):
That's kind of a ghost right right.
Speaker 7 (23:37):
Before.
Speaker 2 (23:37):
So well, I'm glad I can help facilitate that. But
you know, you both are amazing to talk to, and
you know you you're very you speak very well for
the organization. And with that being said, Dahlia, is there
anything else that you would like to tell the listening audience.
Speaker 7 (23:50):
You know, we're just very excited to bring this to
the community. Over four thousand hours of volunteer time goes
into just the week of Christmas flour and so all
that time really is the reason for the season. Yeah,
our fundraising goes to the community and we're passionate about it,
So please join us in our passion.
Speaker 2 (24:09):
I love it, And Amy, is there anything else that
you would like to tell the listening audience.
Speaker 6 (24:13):
We're just so grateful for the support that we've had
over the years and that the Christmas Fair has become
a you know, a tradition for so many families, and
so we invite you all, if you haven't been in
a few years, please come back. It's going to be
an amazing weekend and we're just so grateful for the
support of the community.
Speaker 2 (24:30):
Shopping for a good cause on de la at Christmas
Fair dot com for your tickets and more information, or
you can also go to www dot jl EP dot
org and also on PA one O two point one Sunday,
ninety nine point nine and ninety six point three k Country.
We'll have more information there on our Instagram and Facebook.
Dolly and Amy, thank you so much for talking with
us today.
Speaker 4 (24:49):
Thank you Amber, Thank you Amber.
Speaker 2 (24:56):
Welcome back to the Alpasso Public Forum. I'm your host,
Amb Banda, and today we are talking with Valerie Sanchez,
executive director for the Alzheimer's Association West Texas Chapter. Valerie,
thank you for talking with us today.
Speaker 8 (25:11):
Oh, thank you for having me. Really appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (25:13):
Of course, so again Alzheimer's Association West Texas Chapter. Valor,
you are telling me some really interesting things about Alzheimer's
the disease itself. But before we get into that can
you let the al Paso community know what the Alzheimer's
Association is and the fact that it is in fact
here and local to help the community.
Speaker 8 (25:32):
Absolutely, thank you, yes once again. Our West Texas chapter,
we are the flagship for West Texas and we cover
five major markets in West Texas and Alpaso is the
flagship area. So we have our offices here located on
Masa Park Drive, and folks can come in and pick
up information regarding Alzheimer's resources from our support groups to
(25:53):
our helpline, how to use our helpline. So we're the
resource hub here for El Pasowin's, especially with our prevalence rate.
We are here for the community. We're here to provide
what they need as they begin their caregiving journey because
they're not alone in community exactly.
Speaker 2 (26:08):
So, you know, you get that diagnosis and then you think, well,
with any huge diagnosis, where do I go? What do
I do? And like you had said before the interview,
you know, you get the diagnosis and maybe your doctor says,
all right, come back in a few months. So what
do you do in the meantime if it gets worse,
if something happens. Now you told me a very alarming
fact about where we're at as far as the rate
(26:28):
of Alzheimer's in the country, Can you share that with
the listening audience.
Speaker 8 (26:31):
Yes, absolutely. Starting here in Texas alone, we have over
four hundred and sixty thousand individuals living with a disease.
Of that, you have sixteen thousand l Paso alone and
those are known diagnosis, so imagine those and the rural
areas or areas that people have not yet been diagnosed.
So right now, as it stands, we are number nine
(26:51):
in the nation nation wide, and which nation with our
prevalence rate? And currently we are tied with Loretto for
the number one spot in Texas and we're working to
change that. We will be known for something else, not
our prevalence rate. So that's what we're working towards exactly.
And Alzheimer's. You know, you think, okay, so I have
to have that specific diagnosis. But for some people that
(27:13):
aren't aware, can you explain a little bit that it's
not just the Alzheimer's diagnosis of people that can get help,
it's actually various brain diseases. Correct, Yes, absolutely, so. Dementia
is the base term for any type of different types
of cognitive decline, So it's dementia. Alzheimer's happens to be
the most common form of dementia, the most prevalent type.
(27:35):
Then you have others that we've heard of, like frontal temporal,
like Bruce Willis, he made it famous with his diagnosis.
You have a lowis body and other forms of dementia
that are more aggressive and various types. But Alzheimer's, with
cognitive decline and the way it impairs the body and
the mind, that is the most common form. At least
(27:56):
sixty percent of diagnoses of dementia will be Alzheimer's.
Speaker 2 (28:01):
And do you feel comfortable enough to give the listening
audience maybe some things to look out for that should
give you some red flags to go get checked or
go to your doctor.
Speaker 8 (28:09):
Oh absolutely. You know, many times we all talk about,
oh I forgot a birthday, or I forgot where I part.
We're multitasking, and so I always remember, our brain is
on overdrive. We're multitasking, and what we have is what
we call our ten warning signs. Okay, and so the
first thing to look at is functionality. Many times we
lose our keys. Okay, I lost my keys. I found them.
(28:29):
But when the loved one comes to you and says,
what are these for? Like, what do I have these?
What's the function? That's the first big red flag. If
you notice behaviors and judgment all of a sudden, maybe
mom or Dad is withdrawing large sums of money for
a project. You're like, Mom, what are you doing? Why
are you doing this? Questioning their judgment. Maybe bills aren't
being paid. The funds are there, but they thought maybe
(28:51):
they paid them. But you realize you have these past
du notices, there's a change in their judgment and behavior.
So being aware of that and sometimes people will begin
you know, misplacing items, or you put the coffee back
in the washroom instead of in the kitchen and you're like, okay,
well why did I do that? Sometimes we are absent minded,
but you start looking at these patterns of behavior, impaired
(29:11):
judgment again, the functionality of certain common things. That's what
you start looking for and have that conversation with your doctor.
And we do provide the ten warning signs in print.
Come down, it's on either on our website or come
down in person. We'll provide this information so that arms
you with information to give you the courage to have
that conversation with your doctor, because remember Alzheimer's people related
(29:33):
as a natural part of aging, but it's not. It
is a disease that impacts our brain. And now we're
seeing early onset as a young ass in our thirties
with people being impacted. So it's no longer this notion
of okay, well, it's a disease of aging, not necessarily
not anymore.
Speaker 2 (29:51):
Right, And like you said it, with us being nine
in the nation, there's something very important going on right
now with early voting. Can you explain a little bit
to the listening audience about Proposition fourteen.
Speaker 8 (30:02):
Yes, Proposition fourteen is a once in a generation opportunity
for Texans to vote to establish the Dementia Prevention Institute
of Texas. This is a major research hub for the
state of Texas. It models after the current this is
known as deeprint. But the current model for cancer is
(30:24):
secret to the same cancer prevention research institute. But now we're
pivoting to dementia research given our prevalence rate, and this
was one area where both it was bipartisan support complete
by partisan support to create this institute. We just need
the voters to allow the funding for this and this
is an investment of over ten years, three billion dollars
(30:46):
over ten years, and this does not impact taxes and
all getting into the weeds of that. This comes from
the reserves and when they from their surplus, I'm sorry,
from the surplus, and that investment will happen. To have
this happen in Texas, Texas will be leading the nation
in research, accelerating access to treatment, accelerating access to additional
(31:10):
FDA proof of treatments as we're moving towards this, towards
a cure, and that is our goal, is to find
that cure. But the economic impact for researchers, for our institutions,
you know, our medical institutions, everyone Texas can lead the way.
But we need voter approval for Proposition fourteen. So we're
encouraging everybody to please come out and support it. Given
our prevalence not only in al Passo but statewide, and
(31:33):
to be the leader in finding this cure. Right, it's
just again once in a generation opportunity.
Speaker 2 (31:38):
Being tied with Laredo in Texas as the number one
for the prevalence rate. We need to go out and
vote again Proposition fourteen. Early voting going on right now
and if you're just tuning in, we have Valerie Sanchez,
executive director for the Alzheimer's Association West Texas Chapter. Now,
I've been to one of your walks before. What we're
going to get into right now, it's just like you
(31:59):
stay the largest support group. I love that because it
really was. It is the twenty twenty five Walk to
End Alzheimer's, the largest awareness fundraiser for Alzheimer's as well
as you said the support group. So Valerie, can you
give us details? When will it be, where will it
be and how can people get involved?
Speaker 8 (32:16):
All right? Perfect, Yes, We're going to be at a
scott at the Park November eighth, and a scott out
there is a perfect home for us because it's known
as making memories, either cruising or fishing. Well, while you
make those memories, we're working to preserve those memories. So Saturday,
November the eighth, we're going to be there. You know,
within communities, gates open up at nine am and if
it's the ceremony and festivity start at ten with the walk.
(32:37):
So bring your pets. I won't be your mind because
he's not well behaved, but well behaved pets well at
least you know better, Yes, exactly, So bring your well
behaved pets, your family. Registration is free. Donations, of course
are encouraged because that is how we fund all the
free programming locally in community. So again, Saturday, November eighth,
at a scott At Day, come on down, be a
(32:58):
part of it, share your share your experiences and being
community because again we're not alone in this journey. We're
all together in this and we want to commemorate those
that we've lost, those that we're caring for, and those
that have started their journey and those that support the
mission to come together and push this. And especially we
would love to celebrate after election having passed Proposition fourteen.
(33:19):
Oh yeah, and so we're looking forward to celebrating that
feit because it's a big it'll be a big day
for Texas.
Speaker 2 (33:24):
Definitely, come on down. Everyone knows someone that's been affected
that they know personally from Alzheimer's or some sort of dementia.
So you can go to alz dot org slash West
Texas Walk just click an all passl for more information
and the information will also be available on pound of
two point one sending that in nine point nine and
ninety six point three k country, Instagram and Facebook. You
(33:46):
can also find them on Instagram and Facebook as well.
Alzheimer's Association West Texas Chapter. Valerie, is there anything else
that you would like to tell the listening audience.
Speaker 8 (33:55):
Yes, one, You're not alone in this journey. If you
all have already are facing a a diagnosis, or you're
on this journey and don't know where to start, please
call us, call us locally or please call our helpline.
That is so important for you to get connected to
local resourcing and so you can reach us at one
eight hundred two seven two thirty nine hundred and we
(34:15):
hope to see you at the walk. Come out and
connecting community. At the walk, there's also local resources attending,
local vendors and exhibitors, so please come out. We're here
for you. Join us. It's free. Donations again are encouraged,
but it's free to register. Come out and join us.
We want to see level Passo term purple and November
eighth perfect.
Speaker 2 (34:33):
Valerie, thank you so much for talking with us today.
Speaker 8 (34:35):
Thank you so much for inviting us again. I'm greatly
appreciate you all.
Speaker 1 (34:38):
Thank you You've been listening to El Paso Public Forum.
A weekly public affairs presentation of iHeartRadio l Passo. If you,
your organization or event would like to be featured on
an upcoming program, please email to ep Forum at iHeartMedia
dot com or call us at nine one five three
five one five four zero zero. Tune in again next
(34:59):
week for another a day of El Paso Public Forum.
The preceding program was recorded at the studios of iHeartRadio
El Paso,
Welcome to ol Paso Public Forum, a weekly half hour
public affairs presentation of iHeartRadio El Paso for over twenty years,
featuring local news and interviews of interest to our listeners
in West Texas and southern New Mexico. All views and
opinions expressed on this program are those of the host
and guest, and not necessarily those of iHeartRadio Management and
now El Paso Public Forum.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Welcome back to the al Paso Public Forum. I'm our host,
Amber Banda, and today to close off the month of October,
we have some more paranormal activity going on here. We
have Ramiro Galvan he is investigator and founder of Paranormal
Research Investigations or pri ramidro. Thank you for talking with
us today, our pleasure.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
It's always a wonderful to come in and talk to
people such.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
As yourself, of course, and we also have Angie Lozano,
team member with Paranormal Research Investigations or pr I. Angie,
thank you for talking with us today. Thank you for
having us of course, So Ramiro, as the founder, I
want to ask what is pri I? What do you
guys do?
Speaker 3 (01:02):
We are basically a group of volunteers that dedicate our
time and are basically our efforts in investigating what we
call reported paranormal phenomena. We're always looking for the truth
behind it. We're looking at the historical basis, is there
something in the history that may have occurred at a
location that could be contributing to what is happening now.
(01:24):
But at the same time, we go in as skeptics,
and what we do is we try to first look
for any natural, man made or environmental causes for what
people are reporting before we take that next step.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
Right, That's something that you had told me earlier, is
you came you're the skeptic, right, And that's I think
one of the best angles to come at it by
because you're trying to prove that whatever is there doesn't exist.
So when you have that evidence that shows otherwise, that's really,
you know, how you're helping people to maybe open their
minds a little bit. Believe. One of the questions that
I have is when you do these investigations, whether you
(02:00):
know they're open to the public or not, is there
any anything cathartic that comes out of finding answers to
you know, is there something in this building?
Speaker 3 (02:09):
Well, what we try to do is we try to
help the client. And oftentimes the client may already be
on edge when we show up. So we try to
do is when we talk to them, we'll try to
keep things neutral. Instead of saying, oh, you know, we
walk in and go, hey, tell me about your ghost
and hauntings, that's going to put them more on edge.
So we want to keep things neutral. Hey, tell me
about your phenomena, tell me what you're experiencing. Once everything
(02:31):
is said and done and we've gone through everything, meaning
we basically scrub everything that we have, video, audio, photos,
and whatever's left over that we have no rational explanation for,
we then present it to the client and we go,
here's what we found. We have no explanation for this.
We don't try to convince them there's something paranormal. We
don't convince them there's not. Our job is to present
(02:53):
it to them and let them make their own decision.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
And what are the reasons that people would contact you for? Like,
you know, basically, why would someone contact you other than
just you know, for fun.
Speaker 3 (03:04):
Yeah, sometimes they'll have things happening at their location and
they want to know what's going on here? Is this
my imagination or is it something actually? Is there something
there that's causing this hectio or whatever they're experiencing.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
And Angie, as a team member, you said something interesting
to me before this. I hope I'm allowed to share,
but that you kind of don't come in from the
skeptical angle like you have this feeling. I guess more
that you have believed for a long time, since you
were younger. Can you explain to us what that is
and like why you got into this organization?
Speaker 4 (03:40):
Yes, definitely. So.
Speaker 5 (03:41):
I just remember as a child, I would smell things,
sense things, hear things that others wouldn't be able to hear.
I'd see things through the corner of my eyes and
I just couldn't understand them. And I was always intrigued
in the paranormal. I lived in a home where my
five year old daughter wouldn't go anywhere in that house
without anything, and I had sensations there and stuff.
Speaker 4 (04:04):
So go to all the ghost adventure things that they had,
the tours and whatever, and that's how I met Ramiito.
Speaker 5 (04:11):
I went to one of his investigations where he was
doing a class, and then we did a mini investigation afterwards,
and it was really spooky to go to that place
that we were at we was at the Doniana County
Courthouse jail courthouse, so that was kind of freaky. And
stayed behind and started talking to him, and then that's
(04:33):
when he told me he has a class that he
provides folks so that they can join the team, and
I was very interested. My husband joined because he's a
he's not a believer, and he joined because he didn't
want me to go on my own. He's like, no,
you know, you're being doing late nights and stuff. So
it's been very interesting some of the things that we've
encountered and I've experienced while with the team.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
So before we get into some of the events that
you have coming up, I'm going to ask you first, Andrew,
what is of the reactions you get when you tell
people I am an paranormal investigator.
Speaker 5 (05:05):
The eyes wide open? I do, yes, Like, why would
anybody want to do that? I am a human resources person,
so when I do when you hire orientation, we're supposed
to tell them something a fun fact about each other.
So that is my fun fact. And I get.
Speaker 4 (05:23):
A lot of what and what do you do? And
why would you do that? And it's just very it.
I just I'm amazed by it, to be honest.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
That's awesome. And Domato same thing. What's the reaction you
get when you say, not only am I an investigator,
but I founded the pri I.
Speaker 3 (05:40):
I really don't tell people much.
Speaker 4 (05:43):
Okay, Yeah, I figure.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
If I tell people that, then I feel like I'm
coming off like a braggert, Right, Yeah, I really don't
want to.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
It's a really cool flex though. And then but then
you're gonna have people going around like, who are you
gonna call? Right making that joker? I'm sure you guys
have heard it a million times. And again, if you're
just tuning in, we have Ramiro Galvan, investigator and founder
of Paranormal Research Investigations, and Angie Lozano, team member of
Paranormal Research Investigations. Now, you know, especially around the spooky season,
(06:14):
people want to get involved in spooky activities. So you
have a couple of events coming up October thirtieth and November. First, Lamido,
can you tell us first about the event coming up
on October thirtieth?
Speaker 3 (06:25):
Sure, it's at a place. We're going to be doing
a workshop at a place called the Adobe Deli. It's
about ten miles out side of Deming used to be
a two room schoolhouse. We investigated there multiple times. The
last one we did was in twenty sixteen. The results
of what we found broadcast adventures into film and episode there.
Oh wow, So what we do and because we've you know,
they're really great people there, they'll periodically call us and hey,
(06:48):
you know, we've got people are interested in learning moral office.
So we'll do a two hour class and then keep
giving them the basics of how to use equipment and
so forth. And then after that, using what they've learned,
will then take them into two of the rooms that
are considered the most active rooms in that building, and
we'll do a mini investigation to our many investigation afterwards.
(07:08):
And sometimes the results that we get are pretty amazing
for these folks.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
Right.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
Oh, so that's at the Adobe Delhi outside of Demi.
And by the way, the food is awesome.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
I'm sure usually the places in New Mexico that are
especially like remote like that, they tend to have the
best food. And then November one at the Dripping Cauldron
that's here and I'll pass.
Speaker 3 (07:28):
Over that is correct?
Speaker 2 (07:28):
On can you tell us a little bit about that?
Speaker 3 (07:30):
Sure, it's a coffee shop. And then right next door
is an auto body shop or auto shop called Sinister Customs.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
Appropriate names right and out of body, I understand.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
So anyway, so yeah, we're going to be doing an
event there November first. What we did is we earlier,
it was September, early September, we investigated that place. We
did a workshop and after which we spent some time
in there because they had reported seeing a little girl
when they first opened up there about three years ago.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
Always a little girl.
Speaker 4 (07:59):
Yeah it is.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
But they also had some other interesting phenomena that occurred
there where, namely one of them being that there was
a certain area where people, some of their staff would
feel an overwhelming hurts to mop Why no idea, But
we've spent.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
Some time that house.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
So yeah, so they you know, it was so interesting
because you hear the stories. Now the question is can
we validate them or is it something something that's basically
people's imagination. So we actually found some things we could
not explain, and so November first, we're going to do
a workshop there as well, starting at six point thirty,
and then after the workshop, we're going to reveal the
(08:40):
results of what we found there. And I think what
we found there may wind up surprising even the owners.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
Really bring Ghost Adventures back into al Pasa.
Speaker 3 (08:49):
Well, we actually one time did it. Well, we used
to do community College were the only group ever allowed
to investigate the entire campus downtown Mario Brand Campus. Okay,
and at one time because of what we found there,
Ghost of Vendors want to come in and film an
episode there, and they even had the contract drawn up.
Unfortunately from what I understand, the city or not the city,
(09:11):
but the board said no, we're not really interested. And
Ghost of Adventures even put said well, hey, we'll put
up a five million dollar bond in case anything breaks.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
Wow, that's amazing. I mean that just goes to show
that there may be more truth to this than some
people believe. I mean, like myself, I've had a couple
of you know, encounters. I guess you could say where again,
I'm not completely skeptical, but I'm not like a super believer,
but I'm not saying it's not out there. So, you know,
with that being said, Angie, is there anything else that
(09:39):
you would like to tell the listening audience.
Speaker 5 (09:43):
It's just very interesting it not only just the paranormal,
but also going in and investigating a building learning about
its history. What transpired there. It's just all very interesting
for me and I'm sure others would love to learn about.
I'll pass so and then neighborhood areas surrounding areas Las Truesdays,
New Mexico.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
Yeah, investigating is also a unique way, like you said,
to learn about the building the architecture have appreciation for
it as well. And amido, is there anything else that
you would like to tell the listening audience.
Speaker 3 (10:12):
Well, one of the things that we do is before
we investigate a location, we dig into the background. We
do a lot of historical research first to see if
there's any connections that may not be readily apparent. And
we've actually came across some really surprising stuff that we
found about Alpaso High School, which might explain a lot
of the things that people are reporting there, especially the girl.
(10:33):
Yes and so Yeah, so there's actually historical documentation showing
you about students and how they actually passed away and something.
Two of them were young females around the ages of
fourteen fifteen who died horrible suicide diaths. So there's actual
documentation on that.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
Oh wow.
Speaker 3 (10:53):
We also went looking for La Yourna over there in
Anthony because there was an Anthony police officer who we
have his radio transcript was sent to us and he
was encountering somebody he described as a woman dressed in
white carrying what appeared to be us baby covered in
red like blood.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 3 (11:11):
But we looked into the historical aspect and there was
a YouTube professor that was actually points to the fact
that RNA was not something recent but in actuality traces
back all the way back to the Aztec Empire. Oh wow,
And so anyway, I'm sorry.
Speaker 2 (11:26):
No, it's fine. So again, if you'd like more information
on Instagram and Facebook, and they even have a YouTube channel,
you could look up pr il Paso on Instagram and
Facebook or Paranormal Research Investigations pr il Paso, Texas on YouTube.
And of course you can always find more information on
Power two point one Sunday ninety nine point nine and
(11:46):
ninety six point three k Cuntry, Instagram and Facebook. Lamido
and Angie, thank you so much for being here with
me today.
Speaker 4 (11:51):
Thank you, thank you for having us.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
Welcome back to the al Paso Public Forum. I'm your host,
Amber Banda and I'm so excited to be talking about Christmas,
even though you know, it's so kind of early on.
I guess I'm here with Amy Field. She is the
twenty twenty five president of Junior League of al Paso. Amy,
thank you for talking with us today. Thank you for
having us, of course. And we also have Dalia Garcia
(12:18):
twenty twenty five, a Christmas Fair chair. Dahlia, thank you
for talking with us today. Thank you Amber of course.
So today we're going to be talking about one of
your biggest events. This the signature annual fundraiser for Junior
League of Alpaso the Christmas Store. But before we get
into that, I want the listening audience to learn a
little bit more about what is the Junior League of
(12:40):
al Paso. So, Amy, what is it?
Speaker 6 (12:43):
The Junior League of Alpasso is a nonprofit. We're over
one hundred and sixty five active members, wow, and then
about five hundred total members. And we are committed to
advancing women's leadership, proving the health and wellbeing of El
Paso through volunteerism and collaboration. We've been a nonprofit here
(13:08):
for ninety three years. Oh wow, so a very well
established nonprofit.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
So the Junior League of Alpasto. I know there's other
nonprofits by a similar name. But is this like just
in ol Passo or is it like a nationwide thing.
Speaker 6 (13:22):
It's actually an international organization.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
International organization. Yes, And so you know, as I've done
this program, because it is for nonprofits, I've learned that
there's nonprofits for specific things, and then there's nonprofits that
provide funding for various nonprofits. And is that more the
what the Junior League of Alpasto is providing funding for
like various nonprofits.
Speaker 6 (13:43):
So we provide funding through the through community assistance grants,
and then we also the primary thing that we do
is we provide volunteers and also funding through our volunteer
efforts with local nonprofits. So we partner with others.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
And you say that you've been a part of this
organization for twelve years, correct, Yes, I mean I just
met you a few minutes ago. You're fabulous. So you
know what drove you to be a part of this
and what are maybe some of the some of the
impact that you've seen.
Speaker 6 (14:14):
Oh so I moved to El Paso about thirteen years ago.
And where are you from if you don't want me,
I'm from the Dallas Fort Worth area. Okay, we actually
moved here from Austin, Okay. And my realtor at the
time said, you must join Junior League. You'll meet a
lot of people and you'll get to know a lot
about the community. And so I took her advice and
(14:36):
I joined. And I'm so glad that I did, Yeah,
because I have absolutely learned so much about the l
Paso community. And I've learned and I've met so many
wonderful people that I would have never met otherwise.
Speaker 2 (14:46):
Oh yeah, And the Junior League has their hands and
a whole lot of nonprofits, like you said, helping with
funding and volunteering. And Dahlia, I want to ask you,
you know, I know you're gonna answer a lot of
questions about the event coming up, but why did you
decide to join first? And and also what kind of
impact have you seen the Junior League of All Passo
have on the community.
Speaker 7 (15:05):
So, the Junior League of All Passo really evaluates what
our community needs at any given time, and then we
structure our projects and our outreach based on what our
current community needs. So for me, I thought that was
super interesting, because yes, every nonprofit is super important to
our community, but every year we have something else going on.
Some years we need more mental health assistants. Some years
(15:27):
we need more assistance with our children. And so the
Junior League of ol Pastor really tries to hone on
that and make our funds go as far as they
can and really be as impactful as they can.
Speaker 2 (15:37):
Yeah. Yeah, and I just met you a few minutes
ago as well, and you're fabulous too, So I can
see why this. You know, you guys make it feel
like Christmas in here already. I don't know if it's
because this is the topic we're on, but you know, I,
you know, I hear a lot about the Junior League
of All Passos. So again, if you're just tuning in,
we have Amy Field, the twenty twenty five president of
Junior League of All Passo and Dalia Garcia, a part
(15:59):
of the twenty twenty a Christmas Fair chair. So now
we're going to get into talking about Christmas the signature
and it's just funny for me because I just did
an interview right now talking about Halloween. Right now, we
go right straight to this. So the signature annual fundraiser
for Junior League of I'll pass so a Christmas Fair. So, Dahlia,
can you first give like the basics, where is it,
(16:20):
when is it, and then we'll start talking about more
of the fun stuff.
Speaker 7 (16:23):
Absolutely, a Christmas Fair is on its fifty second year wow,
and it's our biggest fundraiser for the league. It will
be October thirty first through November second at the Convention Center.
Friday and Sunday hours are ten to five, Saturday hours
are ten to seven. We do have a VIP special
event on the thirtieth. It's going to be phenomenal. We
(16:43):
open it up to three hundred guests only, and so
please go get your tickets now because they're selling fast.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
We'll have the VIP event.
Speaker 7 (16:51):
Yes, it's like a shopping experience. We bring in five
extra vendors or our VIP vendors. We have music or derves,
we have a tequila tasting, the burn tasting, champagne, and
just a lot of fun. So please join us. That's Thursday,
October thirtieth, five to nine.
Speaker 2 (17:06):
Oh nice. So this year like the first official day.
You can show up in your Halloween costume and get
your shopping done right please do We have lots of
photo ops. So we talked a little bit about this
off air. Do you think that because you had explained
that the event is usually the first weekend in November,
which happens to be, you know, falling on Halloween this year.
(17:26):
Do you see any kind of difference in attendance when
it's on Halloween?
Speaker 7 (17:30):
We don't think so, especially because that Friday, which is
the Halloween Day, we normally have a lot of people
that come in that are not necessarily working full time
or that their employer gives them time off to go
to this event. And since we close by five o'clock,
parents still have time to go home, take their kids
tricut trading, and so come on in. It's a great
time to relax before you go out into the madness exactly.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
And you know, for the Christmas Fare, what, of course,
there's going to be a lot, a lot, a lot
of Christmas vendors and just different holiday vendors. But what
else can we expect from a Christmas fair?
Speaker 7 (18:02):
Oh, we have cookies with Santa. We have special events
for the kids where they can decorate you know, little birdhouses,
and decorate cookies and make their own pancakes and just
so very curated for a family experience. We have a
lot of new vendors. We have a Farmer's market, which
is mostly local vendors that are really bringing in their
homemade type of crafts. And so you have a variety
(18:24):
from really well established, very loved Ella Blue to newer
vendors that are really bringing in some crochet and wreaths,
and so we really encourage you to come and experience
it all.
Speaker 2 (18:36):
So if you're looking for as I've gotten older, I
found that I either want to buy a experiences from
my family or be very things that are homemade, handmade
that you can't get anywhere else. And a Christmas Fare
is the perfect place to do that holiday shopping. Get
it done early. It's not going to be something where
someone else has the same thing, and you're supporting local,
which is very important, you know. And so Amy in
(18:58):
your words, can you explain like your experience or what
a Christmas Fair is to the listening audience.
Speaker 6 (19:03):
A Christmas Fair is a wonderful event. And for I
don't know if Oli l. Passo knows this, but the
Junior League members actually set up the entire convention center,
so what you walk into is all done by volunteers,
Oh my god. And so we spend days, actually we
spend a year planning and then we spend days transforming
(19:26):
the convention center into the theme. And so this year
it's an enchanted Christmas and it'll be enchanted for sure,
and so when they come in, it's just an incredible
you just step into another world. And like Dahlia was saying,
there are so many different vendors local. We do have
(19:48):
some that are more well established. You know that our
vendors from around the United States, and it's just it's
it's so much fun to spend time shopping with your
friends and your family, and then also knowing that that
ticket that you buy to come in and your support
(20:11):
of those vendors is supporting our community exactly.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
That's exactly what I wanted to get into. So you know,
you have the biggest fundraiser of the year at Christmas Fair.
But of course, like you said, when you buy that ticket,
those funds go to Junior League of Al Pasos. So
how do you utilize those funds?
Speaker 6 (20:29):
So the funds support our projects and programs of the
Junior League of El Paso, and our primary focus this
year is mental and physical wellness, and so our projects
and programs target those two focus areas. We have one
program that we've actually had for now thirty six years
(20:52):
and it's called Music Therapy for the Elderly, and we
have members who go to nursing homes and adult day
cares and seeing and provide those residents with just wonderful
experiences and they have incredible stories about how healing those
interactions can be. We're also working with Hospice of El
(21:15):
Paso and we've got a project called Butterfly Haven. It's
a therapeutic outdoor garden for reflection and healing for the
families that are receiving services at Hospice of El Paso.
We also have one called Connections, and this is with
the Rio Grande Cancer Foundation and we provide ongoing wellness
(21:38):
sessions for the individuals affected by cancer, so those survivors
as well as their caregivers and families. We also are
partnering with Healthy Beat Healthy Bites or it's a program
called Healthy Bites, and we're partnering with a nonprofit called
You Eat, I Eat, and we're providing nutrition just after
(22:00):
school snacks and health education for children in northeast El
past So. And then we have one called Instant Impact
where we're taking services and we're going to different nonprofits
in the community. And helping to expand their efforts to
promote mental and physical health and wellness.
Speaker 8 (22:19):
So we have a lot.
Speaker 2 (22:20):
Yeah, I can see why you're real to recommended that
you join this. I'm getting ready to join you. I
probably would have if I wasn't so busy. But what's
really cool is that not only do you provide funding
and volunteers to you know, nonprofits so they can use
them at their discretion, but then you also have money
that you use within your within the organization. We're like, hey,
we're going to go and provide this service to this
(22:42):
nonprofit or to this organization, like you said, you know,
the music for the elderly, And I don't think i've
ever heard a nonprofit that doesn't. You know, either either
they'll just give the money, not just right, they'll give
the money or the volunteers, or they themselves use it
in a certain way because they are the nonprofit. So
I think that's really interesting that you're do that.
Speaker 6 (23:00):
A critical point that's lost too is the training that
the women who are actually the volunteers receive, So we
receive leadership training wow in order too, or when we're
when we're we're facilitating these projects, when we're planning them.
And so you know, earlier you had asked, you know
about what I had, you know, learned or gained from
(23:20):
Junior League of Bell pass so, and that's one of
the reasons why I've been in for twelve years and
I commit so much time because we also have learned
important leadership skills and opportunities.
Speaker 2 (23:33):
That's kind of a ghost right right.
Speaker 7 (23:37):
Before.
Speaker 2 (23:37):
So well, I'm glad I can help facilitate that. But
you know, you both are amazing to talk to, and
you know you you're very you speak very well for
the organization. And with that being said, Dahlia, is there
anything else that you would like to tell the listening audience.
Speaker 7 (23:50):
You know, we're just very excited to bring this to
the community. Over four thousand hours of volunteer time goes
into just the week of Christmas flour and so all
that time really is the reason for the season. Yeah,
our fundraising goes to the community and we're passionate about it,
So please join us in our passion.
Speaker 2 (24:09):
I love it, And Amy, is there anything else that
you would like to tell the listening audience.
Speaker 6 (24:13):
We're just so grateful for the support that we've had
over the years and that the Christmas Fair has become
a you know, a tradition for so many families, and
so we invite you all, if you haven't been in
a few years, please come back. It's going to be
an amazing weekend and we're just so grateful for the
support of the community.
Speaker 2 (24:30):
Shopping for a good cause on de la at Christmas
Fair dot com for your tickets and more information, or
you can also go to www dot jl EP dot
org and also on PA one O two point one Sunday,
ninety nine point nine and ninety six point three k Country.
We'll have more information there on our Instagram and Facebook.
Dolly and Amy, thank you so much for talking with
us today.
Speaker 4 (24:49):
Thank you Amber, Thank you Amber.
Speaker 2 (24:56):
Welcome back to the Alpasso Public Forum. I'm your host,
Amb Banda, and today we are talking with Valerie Sanchez,
executive director for the Alzheimer's Association West Texas Chapter. Valerie,
thank you for talking with us today.
Speaker 8 (25:11):
Oh, thank you for having me. Really appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (25:13):
Of course, so again Alzheimer's Association West Texas Chapter. Valor,
you are telling me some really interesting things about Alzheimer's
the disease itself. But before we get into that can
you let the al Paso community know what the Alzheimer's
Association is and the fact that it is in fact
here and local to help the community.
Speaker 8 (25:32):
Absolutely, thank you, yes once again. Our West Texas chapter,
we are the flagship for West Texas and we cover
five major markets in West Texas and Alpaso is the
flagship area. So we have our offices here located on
Masa Park Drive, and folks can come in and pick
up information regarding Alzheimer's resources from our support groups to
(25:53):
our helpline, how to use our helpline. So we're the
resource hub here for El Pasowin's, especially with our prevalence rate.
We are here for the community. We're here to provide
what they need as they begin their caregiving journey because
they're not alone in community exactly.
Speaker 2 (26:08):
So, you know, you get that diagnosis and then you think, well,
with any huge diagnosis, where do I go? What do
I do? And like you had said before the interview,
you know, you get the diagnosis and maybe your doctor says,
all right, come back in a few months. So what
do you do in the meantime if it gets worse,
if something happens. Now you told me a very alarming
fact about where we're at as far as the rate
(26:28):
of Alzheimer's in the country, Can you share that with
the listening audience.
Speaker 8 (26:31):
Yes, absolutely. Starting here in Texas alone, we have over
four hundred and sixty thousand individuals living with a disease.
Of that, you have sixteen thousand l Paso alone and
those are known diagnosis, so imagine those and the rural
areas or areas that people have not yet been diagnosed.
So right now, as it stands, we are number nine
(26:51):
in the nation nation wide, and which nation with our
prevalence rate? And currently we are tied with Loretto for
the number one spot in Texas and we're working to
change that. We will be known for something else, not
our prevalence rate. So that's what we're working towards exactly.
And Alzheimer's. You know, you think, okay, so I have
to have that specific diagnosis. But for some people that
(27:13):
aren't aware, can you explain a little bit that it's
not just the Alzheimer's diagnosis of people that can get help,
it's actually various brain diseases. Correct, Yes, absolutely, so. Dementia
is the base term for any type of different types
of cognitive decline, So it's dementia. Alzheimer's happens to be
the most common form of dementia, the most prevalent type.
(27:35):
Then you have others that we've heard of, like frontal temporal,
like Bruce Willis, he made it famous with his diagnosis.
You have a lowis body and other forms of dementia
that are more aggressive and various types. But Alzheimer's, with
cognitive decline and the way it impairs the body and
the mind, that is the most common form. At least
(27:56):
sixty percent of diagnoses of dementia will be Alzheimer's.
Speaker 2 (28:01):
And do you feel comfortable enough to give the listening
audience maybe some things to look out for that should
give you some red flags to go get checked or
go to your doctor.
Speaker 8 (28:09):
Oh absolutely. You know, many times we all talk about,
oh I forgot a birthday, or I forgot where I part.
We're multitasking, and so I always remember, our brain is
on overdrive. We're multitasking, and what we have is what
we call our ten warning signs. Okay, and so the
first thing to look at is functionality. Many times we
lose our keys. Okay, I lost my keys. I found them.
(28:29):
But when the loved one comes to you and says,
what are these for? Like, what do I have these?
What's the function? That's the first big red flag. If
you notice behaviors and judgment all of a sudden, maybe
mom or Dad is withdrawing large sums of money for
a project. You're like, Mom, what are you doing? Why
are you doing this? Questioning their judgment. Maybe bills aren't
being paid. The funds are there, but they thought maybe
(28:51):
they paid them. But you realize you have these past
du notices, there's a change in their judgment and behavior.
So being aware of that and sometimes people will begin
you know, misplacing items, or you put the coffee back
in the washroom instead of in the kitchen and you're like, okay,
well why did I do that? Sometimes we are absent minded,
but you start looking at these patterns of behavior, impaired
(29:11):
judgment again, the functionality of certain common things. That's what
you start looking for and have that conversation with your doctor.
And we do provide the ten warning signs in print.
Come down, it's on either on our website or come
down in person. We'll provide this information so that arms
you with information to give you the courage to have
that conversation with your doctor, because remember Alzheimer's people related
(29:33):
as a natural part of aging, but it's not. It
is a disease that impacts our brain. And now we're
seeing early onset as a young ass in our thirties
with people being impacted. So it's no longer this notion
of okay, well, it's a disease of aging, not necessarily
not anymore.
Speaker 2 (29:51):
Right, And like you said it, with us being nine
in the nation, there's something very important going on right
now with early voting. Can you explain a little bit
to the listening audience about Proposition fourteen.
Speaker 8 (30:02):
Yes, Proposition fourteen is a once in a generation opportunity
for Texans to vote to establish the Dementia Prevention Institute
of Texas. This is a major research hub for the
state of Texas. It models after the current this is
known as deeprint. But the current model for cancer is
(30:24):
secret to the same cancer prevention research institute. But now we're
pivoting to dementia research given our prevalence rate, and this
was one area where both it was bipartisan support complete
by partisan support to create this institute. We just need
the voters to allow the funding for this and this
is an investment of over ten years, three billion dollars
(30:46):
over ten years, and this does not impact taxes and
all getting into the weeds of that. This comes from
the reserves and when they from their surplus, I'm sorry,
from the surplus, and that investment will happen. To have
this happen in Texas, Texas will be leading the nation
in research, accelerating access to treatment, accelerating access to additional
(31:10):
FDA proof of treatments as we're moving towards this, towards
a cure, and that is our goal, is to find
that cure. But the economic impact for researchers, for our institutions,
you know, our medical institutions, everyone Texas can lead the way.
But we need voter approval for Proposition fourteen. So we're
encouraging everybody to please come out and support it. Given
our prevalence not only in al Passo but statewide, and
(31:33):
to be the leader in finding this cure. Right, it's
just again once in a generation opportunity.
Speaker 2 (31:38):
Being tied with Laredo in Texas as the number one
for the prevalence rate. We need to go out and
vote again Proposition fourteen. Early voting going on right now
and if you're just tuning in, we have Valerie Sanchez,
executive director for the Alzheimer's Association West Texas Chapter. Now,
I've been to one of your walks before. What we're
going to get into right now, it's just like you
(31:59):
stay the largest support group. I love that because it
really was. It is the twenty twenty five Walk to
End Alzheimer's, the largest awareness fundraiser for Alzheimer's as well
as you said the support group. So Valerie, can you
give us details? When will it be, where will it
be and how can people get involved?
Speaker 8 (32:16):
All right? Perfect, Yes, We're going to be at a
scott at the Park November eighth, and a scott out
there is a perfect home for us because it's known
as making memories, either cruising or fishing. Well, while you
make those memories, we're working to preserve those memories. So Saturday,
November the eighth, we're going to be there. You know,
within communities, gates open up at nine am and if
it's the ceremony and festivity start at ten with the walk.
(32:37):
So bring your pets. I won't be your mind because
he's not well behaved, but well behaved pets well at
least you know better, Yes, exactly, So bring your well
behaved pets, your family. Registration is free. Donations, of course
are encouraged because that is how we fund all the
free programming locally in community. So again, Saturday, November eighth,
at a scott At Day, come on down, be a
(32:58):
part of it, share your share your experiences and being
community because again we're not alone in this journey. We're
all together in this and we want to commemorate those
that we've lost, those that we're caring for, and those
that have started their journey and those that support the
mission to come together and push this. And especially we
would love to celebrate after election having passed Proposition fourteen.
(33:19):
Oh yeah, and so we're looking forward to celebrating that
feit because it's a big it'll be a big day
for Texas.
Speaker 2 (33:24):
Definitely, come on down. Everyone knows someone that's been affected
that they know personally from Alzheimer's or some sort of dementia.
So you can go to alz dot org slash West
Texas Walk just click an all passl for more information
and the information will also be available on pound of
two point one sending that in nine point nine and
ninety six point three k country, Instagram and Facebook. You
(33:46):
can also find them on Instagram and Facebook as well.
Alzheimer's Association West Texas Chapter. Valerie, is there anything else
that you would like to tell the listening audience.
Speaker 8 (33:55):
Yes, one, You're not alone in this journey. If you
all have already are facing a a diagnosis, or you're
on this journey and don't know where to start, please
call us, call us locally or please call our helpline.
That is so important for you to get connected to
local resourcing and so you can reach us at one
eight hundred two seven two thirty nine hundred and we
(34:15):
hope to see you at the walk. Come out and
connecting community. At the walk, there's also local resources attending,
local vendors and exhibitors, so please come out. We're here
for you. Join us. It's free. Donations again are encouraged,
but it's free to register. Come out and join us.
We want to see level Passo term purple and November
eighth perfect.
Speaker 2 (34:33):
Valerie, thank you so much for talking with us today.
Speaker 8 (34:35):
Thank you so much for inviting us again. I'm greatly
appreciate you all.
Speaker 1 (34:38):
Thank you You've been listening to El Paso Public Forum.
A weekly public affairs presentation of iHeartRadio l Passo. If you,
your organization or event would like to be featured on
an upcoming program, please email to ep Forum at iHeartMedia
dot com or call us at nine one five three
five one five four zero zero. Tune in again next
(34:59):
week for another a day of El Paso Public Forum.
The preceding program was recorded at the studios of iHeartRadio
El Paso,
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