Who was it that said, "All good deeds go unseen"? Maybe no one did, but it's the only quote I could think of that perfectly prompted this blog entry. So, I said it. I said, "All good deeds go unseen." Winston Churchill didn't. I did. But, New Mexico Community Foundation says otherwise. In fact, New Mexico Community Foundation says (I'm paraphrasing), "All good deeds go seen, and twelve of those do-gooders will be rewarded." On Nov. 12, 12 nonprofit New Mexican recipients will be awarded a $7,000 unrestricted grant. Ladies and gentleman, these are the Chispa Awards.
The thing is, these nonprofit organizations don't know what's coming. This Monday, the recipients will be unveiled and the checks will be signed (I'm imagining one of those monster-size checks that get handed out in supermarket sweepstakes). The whole process—from the nominators to the committee to the recipients—is stamped "top-secret."  Modeled after the MacArther Genius Awards, the Chispa Awards continue the tradition of grant-giving. Forget geniuses, it's about the samaritans.

For more information about the awards and the New Mexico Community Foundation, visit www.nmcf.org