We know that great ideas can come from anyone and anywhere. That’s why at LOR we take a different approach: listening. If you’ve ever chatted with Questa community officer Maria Gonzalez, you know we don’t have predetermined solutions or a checklist of projects we think Questa should pursue. Instead, Gonzalez sits down with residents, hears their ideas, and supports solutions that come from the people who know Questa best.
One Sunday at the Questa Farmers Market, Gonzalez found herself visiting with Claire Coté, founder of Land, Experience and Art of Place (LEAP), and Localogy’s Daniel Hutchison. They shared a concern that many in the community have expressed: how can Questa preserve the stories, language, and traditions of its elders before they’re lost? A few weeks later, Coté and Hutchison came to Gonzalez with a solution: create the Voices of the Northern Rio Grande oral history project. With LOR’s support, the project will record interviews with Questa’s elders, host story-sharing events at the library, and create digital archives to preserve these voices for current and future generations.
“Listening is at the heart of everything we do,” Gonzalez says. “We listen to Questa residents, and we find ways to help them make their solutions possible. The Voices of the Northern Rio Grande is exactly the kind of project we want to support because it emerged from truly listening to what matters most to our community.”
Another recent LOR-supported project also aims to make sure that everyone in the Questa community is heard. Many parents and community members are deeply invested in the Questa Independent School District, but sometimes disconnects arise. School leaders have consistently heard from parents who want greater involvement and collaboration, so one principal came up with the idea to strengthen community connections through outreach and events. With funding from LOR, the district has begun hosting parent workshops, family engagement nights, and community trainings that bring families, teachers, and residents together. The goal is simple: listening to the Questa community to create more opportunities for student success.
“The most powerful thing about listening is that it builds trust,” Gonzalez says. “When schools, parents, and community members really hear each other, barriers start to come down. That’s when collaboration happens, and that’s when students thrive.”
When Gonzalez talks with Questa residents, one challenge comes up again and again: affordable, accessible housing. Do you have a housing idea? If so, Gonzalez wants to hear it. Maybe it’s a repair network, an exchange program, or a new approach to intergenerational housing. We know locals already have the solutions—they just need support. Reach out to Gonzalez at maria@lorfoundation.org or (575) 665-2001 to share your idea and learn how LOR can help. We know that every great community project starts the same way: with someone willing to listen.
LOR works with rural communities in the Mountain West to enhance livability and prosperity while preserving the character that makes each community unique.
