2-04-2024 6:16pm

A Community Comes Together for Dudley and Maryland Street Gardens

Chris Edwards Editor

A crew from Holloman Air Force Base joined 30 other volunteers and Mayor Pro Tem Sharon McDonald for the Dudley Community Center Cleanup from the arson attack

When there is a crisis or an attack on something that is important, inspirational and meaningful to our Alamogordo community politics and division can be set aside and real solutions come about.

Sunday afternoon at the Dudley Community Center that sense of community with a purpose shined through.

Last week we had the pleasure of highlighting a story of community pride and collaboration as 3 different nonprofit organizations were collaborating together and sharing manpower and resources to rebuild and recreate the Dudley School building complex. The three nonprofit collaborating with the city of Alamogordo are transforming an abandoned and derelict school to a thriving community center with a new mission, a new purpose and to include a kids park and a community garden. Last weekend was the ribbon cutting of the community garden and a sense of pride.

Then concurrently we had to run a second story that firefighters were called out to the Dudley School around 10:15 p.m. on Saturday and got it extinguished minutes later..

This was a shocking development and then we further learned it was a well executed plan that if not caught could have seriously damaged the structure and was an arson attack.

Then Joe Lewandowski, Courtney McCary Squyre and Sharon McDonald collaborated and called for a community cleansing and cleanup of the smoke damage at the Dudley for Sunday 2-4-24 beginning at 2 pm. And yes the community came out with sponges and buckets, cleaner and muscle to scrub the walks and floors, to remove the smoke residue and to help build the gardens. Over 50 community members from the most diverse backgrounds showed up worked together and showed support. A team of volunteers from Holloman Air Force Base came.

and more volunteers came and scrubbed…

and cleaned, and scrubbed and built planters and shoveled dirt and got grubby on this cool winter day in service to the greater community.

AlamogordoTownNews.com and KRAZY KALHRadio.org runs a series that spotlights those organizations and individuals that make a contribution and a difference to our community in a positive way. Today we shine the spotlight on the 50 plus individuals that gave time today to the Dudley Community Center and the adjacent Maryland Street Community Gardens. You each exemplify the best in Alamogordo and are Alamogordo Proud.

The individual or individuals that attempted to damage the Dudley Community Center and adjacent gardens did create a spark. That spark was to ignite the hearts and souls of our community to set aside political differences and bias and to work together towards a positive outcome. All ages and a diverse workforce of volunteers gathered today for that we salute you and thank you.

Mayor Pro Tem Sharon McDonald issued the following statement concerning the volunteer cleanup from the fire at Dudley…

“It was a great day for volunteers. There must have been 40-50 people out today with children.

The volunteers packed Dudley School cleaning so if you got there at 2:00 pm you just moved across the street to the community garden.

Men, women and children all came for the event. It was totally awesome. Cars, trucks and people all helping to get things ready for painting and planting. Hoorah for the Volunteers!”

Hoorah indeed! Great work Alamogordo!

More photos in the carousel below scroll to include photos from Jess Lewandowski and With Many Hands Alamogordo’s Karen DeGuire…