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Letter from the Editor
In 1993, two Sisters of Mercy and fourteen women from the Anthony community looked around and saw a need; a place where women could learn, grow, and build a future together. They said yes, and from that simple act of courage, the Women’s Intercultural Center was born.
Built with their own hands from compacted earth and tires, sustained by volunteers and the women themselves for more than thirty years, WInC stands as a living testament to what faith, community, and determination can create. It is not just a building; it is an ecosystem of healing, empowerment, and generational transformation.
Every class, workshop, and conversation here carries the same spirit that founded the Center, the belief that when women are given tools and trust, they build bridges that last for generations. WInC is the story of trauma transformed into strength, of isolation turned into connection, and of a sacred promise between women across decades: to lift one another, to learn together, and to keep the circle of empowerment alive.
This is more than history. It is a living legacy, one that continues to grow with every woman who walks through our doors and says yes to her own future.
Here’s to the next chapter of courage, community, and generational healing.
Mary Carter
Editor & Executive Director
Women’s Intercultural Center
When You Empower a Woman, You Elevate an Entire Community
Every so often, a message arrives that perfectly captures the spirit of the Women’s Intercultural Center and this beautiful review from volunteer pixietrekker does just that.
They wrote about how WInC is far more than a “center.” It is a sanctuary, a classroom, and the beating heart of women’s empowerment in the borderlands. Within its walls, people from all walks of life find acceptance, learning, and connection. As pixietrekker shared, “When you empower a woman, you elevate an entire family, and by extension, an entire community.”
That truth lives in every class, every conversation, and every act of kindness that happens here. Each story shared helps others discover the power of community and compassion. Transformation begins with one person choosing to lift another.
If WInC has touched your life, we invite you to share your experience at 👉 https://greatnonprofits.org/org/womens-intercultural-center-inc
Your words help others find their way to hope, healing, and empowerment.
A Little Library Filled With Big Love
Sometimes the smallest shelves hold the greatest acts of kindness. This week, our WInC Little Library received a special addition: baby formula placed out for whoever needs it.
No questions, no barriers, just a quiet gesture of care for a parent who might be having a hard day, a long week, or a moment when resources run thin. This is what community looks like. One person sharing what they can, another finding exactly what they need.
At WInC, we believe generosity doesn’t have to be grand to be life‑changing. A can of formula on a shelf can ease a worry, lighten a burden, and remind a family that they are not alone.
To everyone who continues to fill our Little Library with love, thank you for helping us build a community where compassion is always within reach.
A Behind‑the‑Scenes Peek We’re Loving!
Shoutout to our amazing participant, Alma, for this awesome behind‑the‑scenes look into our guitar class! Her sneak peek perfectly captures the focus, fun, and rhythm that fill the room each week.
From tuning up to practicing new chords, there’s a whole vibe happening and thanks to Alma, we all get to feel a little closer to the music.
We’re catching the energy, the joy, and the community spirit that make this class so special. Thank you, Alma, for sharing the moment and showing us a sneak peek of how creativity comes alive in the guitar class.
Spotlight Alert!
We are absolutely thrilled to share that our incredible Executive Director, Mary Carter, has been featured in the Lowe’s Mercado Local Community Spotlight!
Mary’s dedication, vision, and heart continue to inspire everyone who walks through our doors. Her leadership reflects the strength, resilience, and generosity of the women and families we serve, and we are so proud to see her recognized in our wider community.
Thank you, Lowe’s Mercado, for highlighting the meaningful work happening at the Women’s Intercultural Center and for uplifting the leaders who make a difference every day.
Join us in celebrating Mary’s well‑deserved spotlight!
Celebrating Rocio Betancourt’s Achievement
This week we celebrated Rocio Betancourt, who has officially passed her citizenship interview and exam. Her preparation, focus, and determination carried her to this milestone, and we couldn’t be prouder of everything she has accomplished.
Now we look forward to the next step making it official at the Naturalization Ceremony in July, where Rocio will take her oath and become a proud Naturalized U.S. Citizen. It will be a moment filled with meaning, courage, and the fulfillment of a long‑held dream.
Rocio, your hard work is an inspiration to everyone at the Women’s Intercultural Center. You showed up, you studied, you believed in yourself, and you kept going. This beautiful accomplishment is yours, and your journey continues from here.
We are honored to walk alongside you as you take this next step into your future.
Art, Community, and Fresh Veggies!
This week’s art class came with an unexpected burst of joy and a whole lot of fresh color. A huge THANK YOU to La Semilla Food Center for surprising our artists with beautiful boxes of fresh vegetables to take home.
There’s something special about watching creativity and community care meet in the same room. Brushes were moving, conversations were flowing, and then in walked these vibrant veggie boxes, adding another layer of brightness to the day. Nothing fuels imagination quite like fresh, local food grown with love.
It was the perfect blend of art and healthy food. Nourishment comes in many forms, and our WInC community thrives when we share what we have.
Thank you, La Semilla, for feeding both body and spirit.
Pure Joy and Ninja Skills!
There is nothing quite like seeing the world through a child’s imagination. This week, we got a burst of pure joy, ninja moves, and the kind of playful energy that lights up an entire room.
Many of our volunteers often say, “We never stop growing up, we just keep that child‑like sense of wonder alive.” And they’re right. As children, everything feels like a discovery waiting to happen. The world isn’t simply full of miracles; it is a miraculous world.
Watching him leap, imagine, and transform into a tiny warrior showed us that wonder is a form of wisdom. It keeps us open, curious, and connected to the joy that lives inside all of us.
Here at WInC, we celebrate that spark in our participants, in their children and in our volunteers, and in every moment that teaches us to see the world with fresh eyes.
Here’s to keeping that magic alive.
Turning Searches into Support: A Monthly Gift That Makes a Difference
This month, our Executive Director donated 5,706 Microsoft Rewards points to the Women’s Intercultural Center, a simple, everyday action that transforms into real support for the women and families we serve.
On their own, these points may seem small. Yet together, they help sustain the classes, workshops, training, services, and safe spaces that empower our WInC community every single day. Each point becomes part of a larger circle of care: strengthening programs and ensuring that women have the tools and resources they need to grow, heal, and thrive.
We are deeply grateful for this generosity and for everyone who chooses WInC as their cause. Your daily searches truly add up to meaningful change.
If you’d like to join in, it’s easy to get started. Visit https://www.bing.com/give and follow the steps in the infographic to sign up. Once you select WInC as your nonprofit, every search you make helps fuel our mission.
Thank you for helping us build a stronger, more compassionate community one point at a time.
Our May 2026 Impact: Powered by Community
As we look back on May, one thing is beautifully clear: everything we accomplish happens because of all of you. Our volunteers, donors, participants, and community members continue to pour their time, energy, and love into the Women’s Intercultural Center and the results speak for themselves.
Here’s a glimpse of what we achieved together this month:
Community Care in Action!
Every class has one person who makes sure everyone is taken care of and for us, that person is Alicia.
This month, she has become our official spokesperson for keeping the class fully stocked, gently reminding everyone to grab some lens wipes and dishwasher pods before they head home. It’s a small gesture, yet it speaks volumes about the way our community looks out for one another.
Good looking out, Alicia! Your kindness keeps us sparkling clean, seeing clearly, and feeling connected. It’s these everyday acts of care that make WInC such a special place to learn, grow, and belong.
Here’s to the people who make our WInC community feel like family.
A Birthday Gift That Gives Back
For her birthday this year, Angelle Villegas chose a gift that goes far beyond celebration, she’s inviting YOU to join her in supporting the Women’s Intercultural Center. Her generosity is already rippling outward, strengthening the lives of women and families across our border region.
Angelle shared that the Center’s mission means a great deal to her, and she hopes others will join her in giving. Every contribution, no matter the size, helps her move closer to her goal and directly supports a place where women learn, grow, and build their social, spiritual, economic, and political potential.
If you’re able, consider supporting Angelle’s Facebook birthday fundraiser by clicking the link below: 👉 https://www.facebook.com/donate/1643542333398951/1444522657717250/?fundraiser_source=feed
Your support helps ensure that women in our community continue to have access to the tools, resources, and safe spaces they need to thrive.
Thank you, Angelle, for choosing to celebrate your birthday by lifting others, and thank you to everyone who joins her in giving.
Community Connection in Action
This week, we welcomed Mayor Martin Lerma of the Town of Anthony, TX, who stopped by to share updates on the upcoming 4th of July Parade hosted by the city. This yearly celebration is one of our region’s most cherished traditions, a moment when residents from both the Town of Anthony and the City of Anthony come together in pride, joy, and shared community spirit.
Mayor Lerma also spoke about the town’s ongoing efforts to create a Senior Center, an important project dedicated to uplifting and supporting older residents. This future space will offer connections, services, and a welcoming environment where seniors can gather, learn, and thrive.
Collaboration across our border communities strengthens the place we all call home. When leaders, neighbors, and organizations work together, we build a region rooted in care, tradition, and shared purpose.
Here’s to unity, progress, and the celebrations ahead.
You Never Have to Figure Things Out Alone
At the heart of our mission is a simple promise: you never have to figure things out alone. Whether someone walks through our doors with a stack of paperwork, a question they’ve been carrying, or a worry they don’t know how to navigate, they are met with care, patience, and support.
Every day, neighbors come to the Women’s Intercultural Center seeking guidance, and every day, we show up for them. Sometimes that means helping fill out important forms. Sometimes it means answering questions or connecting someone to the right resource. And sometimes it simply means listening, offering encouragement, and reminding them that they don’t have to face life’s challenges by themselves.
Our doors are always open. Our community is always welcome. And our commitment remains the same: to help, to empower, and to walk alongside our neighbors with compassion and respect.
This is the WInC community, people supporting one another, one step at a time.
New Mexico Makes History Again
New Mexico is once again making national history. Former U.S. Representative and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland has secured the Democratic nomination for governor, positioning her to become the first Native American woman governor in the United States.
She’ll appear on the general‑election ticket with Maggie Toulouse Oliver, who won the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor. Together, they form one of the few all‑woman gubernatorial tickets in U.S. history. As noted in recent reporting: “Haaland and Toulouse Oliver will be the second all‑woman gubernatorial ticket to win a general election.”
Women are also strongly represented across statewide and congressional races this year, including an all‑woman contest for secretary of state and an all‑woman matchup in the 1st Congressional District.
Yet this moment also highlights a deeper reality:
Even with generations of women leading in New Mexico, from tribal nations to state government, the state still trails many others in overall representation, economic opportunity, and long‑term pathways to leadership. The progress is real, yet the gaps are too.
These milestones matter because they show what becomes possible when communities insist on opening doors wider. New Mexico continues to lead symbolically, even as it pushes to catch up structurally.
Disclaimer: This story is shared by the Women's Intercultural Center for community information only. WInC is not affiliated with or endorsing any candidate, campaign, or political organization.
Creativity in Full Bloom
Seeing creativity flourish in our community is always so inspiring. There’s a special kind of peace and focus that comes from artistic expression like the quiet rhythm of brush to paper, the soft blending of color, and the shared joy of creating side by side.
This week, our art class was filled with that gentle magic as one of our participants worked on a beautiful watercolor piece. Even in its early stages, you can feel the calm, the intention, and the confidence growing with every stroke.
Art brings us together, helps us breathe a little deeper, and gives us space to express what words can’t always hold.
Look at this lovely watercolor progress, a small glimpse into the creativity blooming at WInC every day.
A Sweet Day Supporting Local at the Vinton Farmers Market!
This week, our WInC volunteers headed out to Applegate Park to support local vendors at the Vinton, TX Farmers Market, and what a wonderful afternoon it turned out to be.
We were thrilled to bump into some of our amazing participants, including the Cervantes family, who had an incredible setup filled with flan, cheesecake, cookies, refreshing aguas frescas, and the cutest little crochet buddies. Their table was full of color, creativity, and so much heart.
Of course, we couldn’t leave empty‑handed. We grabbed some delicious aguas frescas to enjoy on the spot and brought home a pineapple cheesecake and a flan. The cheesecake didn’t stand a chance, it was gone instantly. But we did manage to snap a photo of the flan before it disappeared. Not only did it look beautiful, but it also tasted amazing.
If you’re looking to treat yourself while supporting local families, reach out to Hope & Faith Pastelitos and More to place your future orders:
📞 Selma: 915‑256‑0785 📞 Cindy: 915‑206‑8078
For adorable Crochet Buddies, contact: 📞 Beatriz: 915‑599‑7892
Showing up for one another, celebrating local talent, and enjoying the flavors and creativity make our region so special.
Adorable, Practical, and Made with Love
If you’ve ever seen those little flat animal faces and thought, “Oh, what cute potholders!” you’re right…yet here’s a fun twist: some of them are potholders, and some are used to keep tortillas warm!
Only in a creative community like ours do you get kitchen tools that are both adorable and practical, stitched with personality, purpose, and a whole lot of joy.
This week’s crafting session was filled with laughter, good company, and that peaceful focus that comes from working with your hands. Every animal face, every stitch, every color choice reflected the care and creativity of the maker behind it.
We are incredibly proud of everyone’s beautiful stitches. These little creations brighten the kitchen and our hearts.
A Fresh and Fragrant Thank You to Sam’s Club!
A huge shoutout and heartfelt thank you to our amazing partners at Sam’s Club!
Thanks to their generous support, our Center is fully stocked and ready to welcome everyone with a fresh supply of Febreze to keep our spaces smelling wonderful, and plenty of coffee pods to keep our WInC community energized throughout the day.
Partnerships like this make such a meaningful difference. They help us create an environment where people feel comfortable, cared for, and at home the moment they walk through our doors.
We are always grateful for Sam’s Club’s continued support and for helping us maintain a warm, inviting space for all who visit the Women’s Intercultural Center.
