Helen Finch is no stranger to people in the Española Valley. On any given day, she can be seen handing out loaves of banana bread she baked to her neighbors in La Mesilla, to businesses who have donated their money or their time to one of her causes, to complete strangers she has just met or to her friends and family.
She learned to be around people from a very early age.
“My mother would have neighbors over and she would cook tortillas for them,” Finch said. “That is what I remember in my childhood. She was always doing that.”
Finch has been a fixture in the Valley. She has never lived anywhere else and, perhaps more importantly, she never wanted to.
Finch grew up in a large, two-story home just off Riverside Drive with her 10 siblings. Her father was a businessman who, along with her uncle, owned and operated a convenience store in the Valley.
“We were all very happy,” Finch said. “There was no such thing as someone having a bedroom. We did not all have a bicycle. We did not all have a car. We were taken care of, fed, clothed, had everything we needed. We didn’t have a lot of toys but we were happy.”
The store sold a variety of items and as Finch recalls and names them, it takes her back to a time long ago, a time when life was very different. Very few of the items she counted off could be found on the shelves of a local convenience store.
“If I remember, I think it was like a country store,” Finch said. “I think it had clothes, lard, coffee and I think clothing.”
Using the store’s profits, her father invested in a lot of real estate in the Valley. The family sold its property across the street from where she grew up. The very same space that WalMart currently occupies.
Her mother worked in the home, taking care of the growing family. Finch has very fond memories of her childhood, even with how busy it was. Her dedication to her family is undeniable. She never attended college after high school. She abdicated her education to care for her ailing mother.
“I took over a lot of the duties in the house as a young girl and I don’t think I wanted to leave my mother,” Finch said.
She later met her husband, an insurance salesman in the area and had three children. All of them live near her. Her daughter married a dentist and her younger daughter manages the office. Her son works at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Finch has a granddaughter who is about to graduate from New Mexico State University with a degree in biology.
“I was secretary at the Española High School and he came down from New Mexico State University to substitute for one semester and we met there, and he never left,” Finch said.
McCurdy’s angel
If anyone wants proof of the type of person she is, look no further than what many of her colleagues have to say about her.
Patricia Alvarado is the director of McCurdy Ministries and has known Finch for 13 years.
“She is a very giving person and knows so many people,” Alvarado said. “She talks to everybody, very personal and deeply cares about the community. She doesn’t just help us. She helps Holy Cross, she helps the Rotary and she helps the Española Valley Chamber of Commerce. You name it. At any given time we can see Helen walking in with very delicious banana bread loaves.”
Alvarado ended the conversation with one parting thought.
“I am so glad you are doing a story on Helen (Finch),” Alvarado said. “It is about time she is recognized for the work she does in the community.”
Finch learned to give of herself very early and some have said it was simply ingrained in her from the very moment she was born.
It is safe to say she is a giver. She gives lavishly of her time and her effort to the causes that are most dear to her, the children of the Valley.
It is precisely for this reason she works so diligently raising money for McCurdy Charter School.
“I have raised a lot of money for McCurdy Mission because I want these kids to get a good education,” Finch said. “I want them to go on in life. It is a passion of mine so I really liked doing the gala.”
Every year McCurdy Mission hosts its gala to raise funds for the students who attend the school and every year Finch has been very involved in the gala to help raise awareness for the event and funds for programs the children will need.
Finch will garner sponsors for the event. She will find advertisers for the program pamphlet. She will also gather auction items for both the silent and live auctions McCurdy hosts that night.
“She helps us contact local area businesses as well as some alumni to see if they want to lend us support with in kind donations or monetary funding, for the biggest fundraiser we have here at McCurdy,” Alvarado said.
Many of the items she collects are from local residents in Española and the surrounding communities.
“They would be a wooden chest, beautiful retablos in different shapes,” Finch said. “We would have Nambé pieces, homemade quilts, jewelry. We have had people donate diamond jewelry. We would have Indian jewelry.”
Some of the pieces were memorable.
“I had one guy give me the most beautiful tin piece that I have ever seen,” Finch said. “This was the most incredible piece. It was tough tin. It was not flimsy like other tin pieces. I have never been able to get him to give me another one because he just doesn’t have the time.”
The amount of money she helped raise for the school has been staggering. According to the gala program book, McCurdy has collected a little less than $900,000 for the past 15 years the gala has existed. That does not include this past year when the school collected nearly $60,000. With that included, the number is just under $1 million.
It is not an easy mission and there is no rest for Finch, who admits it is a constant undertaking.
“I worked on it all year long,” Finch said. “The minute it ended I was working on the next year’s gala. That is how far in advance I have been working on it.”
Gala proceeds
Proceeds from the event support a number of programs for McCurdy Mission and the Charter School. According to the gala flier almost half of the earnings fund the McCurdy Charter School’s athletic program. The funds will be used for uniforms for the various teams, sports equipment or travel expenses when teams visit other sites for games or tournament play.
Another 43 percent will go to Project Cariño. The program has existed for 30 years and, according to its website, the program is a faith based behavioral health program sponsored by McCurdy Ministries.
Cariño staff work with others from the Charter School to provide mental health services for students and their families. The program includes individual and family counseling as well as conflict resolution services for those who need assistance.
Cariño also hosts several workshops on different topics such as public safety, bullying and drug and alcohol abuse. They also provide referrals for community members who are seeking advice and help for a variety of mental issues.
The remaining portion, approximately 15 percent, will fund the McCurdy Foundation. Aside from its work with Project Cariño the foundation provides a number of services as part of its humanitarian mission.
McCurdy Ministries administers a preschool as a resource for parents and to prepare children for their time in kindergarten.
The ministry also provides a summer camp called Camp Stars. Stars is an educational program that combines a curriculum in science, technology, engineering and mathematics while bringing exposure to Christianity for the children who attend. While at the camp students participate in service projects and go on field trips.
Finch’s other causes
Finch and her family also fund-raise for Amigos del Valle, a local nonprofit that serves seniors in the area.
According to its website Amigos is a community-wide service program that provides seniors with basic needs to allow them to live independently.
Founded in 1977, the program provides transportation services to the doctor, pharmacy, hospital, grocery store and the bank. Amigos also provides seniors with minor home repair and delivers wood for cooking and heating purposes.
The program has grown since its inception. It now has two full-time caregivers, a host of volunteers and a budget of more than $119,000.
Dennis Heffner is the founder and former director of Amigos del Valle and has known Finch for the better part of 40 years.
“She is a fun-loving lady, mother of the community, pillar of the community,” Heffner said. “She just has a lot of passion and compassion for the Valley and is a hard-working volunteer.”
Heffner also said Finch’s giving mentality is part of a family affair.
“Her husband Gene (Finch) was a mover and shaker in the community in terms of caring for people and a businessman,” Heffner said. “He was part of the mentality, ‘We are all in this together.’ It is that community attitude that Helen has, that Gene had and that her family has. That is Helen. Her faith is very important to her.”
“It (Amigos) provides in-home services for people who fall through the cracks that would not get help otherwise, due to income limitations or help with some things Medicare will not do,” Heffner said.
Finch, along with her late husband, oversaw the organization’s annual golf tournament. She procured sponsorships for the event, going from business to business and asking them to provide money in exchange for advertising. She also marketed the event; she and her husband secured golfers who would play a round. The fees can be hefty, to the tune of $100 per golfer.
“I was always asking for money,” Finch said. “I would go after the $100 sponsors. If you go small and you hit enough people you will make enough money. We always make good money. We always had a lot of people play in our golf tournaments and they asked when the next one was going to be.”
Heffner testified to the importance of the Finch’s work to Amigos’ cause.
“Helen has helped raise thousands of dollars for our program,” Heffner said. “This program could not exist without her help. She has been very important to what we do and I cannot thank her enough.”
Stephanie Fresquez is the current director of the Amigos del Valle program and has known Finch for three years.
“She is a very community-oriented person,” Fresquez said. “She has helped our organization tremendously. She is the first one to go out there, without asking, and get us donations. People love her. She takes them baked goods, everywhere, for no reason.”
It is this love of people and the joy she receives from their company that motivates her to get involved in several causes in Española, particularly with those who had a profound impact on the lives of her children and grandchildren.
Fresquez discussed the importance of the organization.
“I think as you get older you do not want to go into a nursing home,” Fresquez said. “You want to stay in your house as long as you possibly can. If you have someone there to help you. You are comfortable in your own home. Nursing homes are very depressing. If you really think about it that is not where your long term goals are, wanting to be in a nursing home.”
Her faith
Finch is a devout Catholic and she makes sure she makes time to serve the church she attends regularly. Finch helps her church, La Iglesia de Santa Cruz de la Cañada (Holy Cross), host its own gala, albeit smaller than the one she assists McCurdy with.
“I have been involved with them three or four years,” Finch said. “I do the same thing. I get sponsors. Holy Cross is just a smaller gala. No way near as big as McCurdy. Nor do we make tons of money. That is why I am able to continue to do that one. It is not as big and it is not as stressful.”
Supporters are treated to a salmon and steak dinner as well as an auction. Again Finch was tasked with finding sponsors for the event as well as procuring items for the auction.
The funds are used to support the church’s programs and the school.
Guiding principles
To those who know her, Finch is a force to be reckoned with. According to them she is an effective fund-raiser and many wonder how she does it. It is no surprise to Finch. To her, the rules are simple and mastering them provides her with results.
“I like people,” Finch said. “I like being around them and so I have no problems with people. Everybody has been so good to me. I can’t tell you why or what it is but I have no problems.”
Finch understands the importance of relationships.
“She is so well-liked,” Fresquez said. I don’t know what it is about her. It is just her personality. You can tell she cares about what she is doing, where she is going. It doesn’t feel like she is getting pushed on you.
Finch understands it is very difficult to influence people without understanding who they are and what motivates them. The baked goods are nice, talking is nice but it is also a profoundly practical tactic. The best part is that no one knows the effect she has, not even Finch. That simple idea has propelled her success for acquiring funds for the causes she holds most dear to her.
Worried for youth
Even with all she has done she still has her set of worries. Most recently, her biggest concerns are for the children of the Valley and for their futures.
“I am worried about them,” Finch said. “A lot of children are not finishing school. They are dropping out. It is very discouraging to me. It is truly a concern to me because I truly love working for the young people.”
As Finch reflected on her childhood she admits that life is different now than when she was growing up.
“I didn’t even know anything about drugs,” Finch said. “I didn’t worry about my kids leaving the house and raising my kids. They weren’t even a concern to me in those days. Now, it is very evident it is worse.”
She never had to worry about some of the issues that children are growing up with now. She points to a number of issues that concern her as she wonders what is in store for them as they grow into adults. This includes her own grandchildren who are finding their way through their adolescent years.
“Of course when I read in the papers how the drug population is so high in the schools and I wonder what happened to these young people,” Finch said. “Our young people are our future so I wonder what is going to happen to these young people.”
All she wanted
Finch emphasized how simple a life she has lived, how she rooted herself here and how she never wanted to leave the very place she grew up and called home.
“We were raised with all of these other families and we all grew up as one big family in this Valley,” Finch said. “I have always been a family person. That is important to me so I have grown to love the people in this Valley. They became a part of my life.”
She also said she had very simple expectations for herself and her family. Finch had no specific goals for her children.
“The only thing I wanted them to do was to grow up to be good abiding citizens,” Finch said. “I wanted them to stay as clean as they could. I wanted them to get an education and to be respected by other people. I wanted them to treat people as they wanted to be treated. I have to say I reached that goal.”
Despite having never left she said she does not have a single regret and is very happy with the life she has lived.
Finch has slowed down in recent years. She has sciatica and bad knees so she is not as active as she once was but she continues to bring in money for her church. She continues to be involved in her community.
We should all be so lucky.