Reel Fathers
Nurturing Creative Expression
REEL FATHERS is a Santa Fe-based social nonprofit founded in 2009 to support fathers, youth, and families in building strong, vital relationships. We work with men to add meaning, enjoyment, and skill to the lived experience of fatherhood. We work with youth to provide a felt understanding of personal identity and how it’s shaped by father, family, and culture. In 2022, we served over 700 youth in four schools with a highly engaging program of social emotional learning featuring expressive writing and visual art work. This creative approach helps meet an urgent need of many youth who are struggling with family disruption, anxiety, depression, and trauma.
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The Santa Fe Community Foundation invited local nonprofits to submit stories related to our September topic of Education.
Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian
Last year, the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian opened Carved Stories by Hopi artist Mavasta Honyouti. Featuring all sixteen low-relief carvings from the Coming Home series — created in tandem with Honyouti’s children’s book Coming Home: A Hopi Resistance Story — the exhibit recounts his grandfather Clyde Honyouti’s experience at an off-reservation federal boarding school. This Indigenous-led project offers a powerful and visually compelling reflection on Hopi life, culture, and history. As Brian Vallo notes, “Carved Stories… is both powerful and beautiful.”
Kha'p'o Community School
With support from the Native American Advised Fund, sixth-grade students at Kha’p’o Community School embarked on Our Voice, Our Stories — a year-long documentary project blending traditional Tewa arts and modern digital storytelling. Through pottery, weaving, sewing, and film, students explored their cultural identity and celebrated their voices as young Tewa people.
Truchas Services Center Preschool
The Truchas Services Center Preschool serves children from all the surrounding communities, providing supervision and appropriate curriculum for children ages 3 to 5 years old. The mission of the Pre-School program is "Children learning through playing".
