Who We Are and What We Do
Today’s blog is the first in a series called “Get to Know the MCC”, in which I will be further explaining our organization by detailing day-to-day operations, highlighting our board members and partner organizations, and sharing our organizational goals. Today’s blog will be a basic overview of the Mora Creative Council, so keep reading to learn more about us!
First, we’ll dive into the history of the Mora Creative Council. As some of you may know, the MCC hasn’t always been the MCC, but rather we’ve evolved into the organization you see today. NM MainStreet came to Mora in 2014 to assess the potential to become an Arts & Cultural District. From there a steering committee was created. We became the first certified Arts & Cultural Compound in the state (compound because of our size). Today, the Mora Creative Council is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with the mission of stimulating, preserving, and enhancing Mora, New Mexico through education, historic preservation, creative economy, beautification, and promotion of community and civic pride. You may recognize us from some of our projects including the annual Fall Festival, the guest reading program at Mora Elementary, our various summer camps, or Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
This year, we also became affiliates of New Mexico MainStreet and Main Street America, both of which are organizations that revitalize historic commercial districts to build vibrant neighborhoods and thriving economies. With this designation, we have the opportunity to revitalize downtown Mora and create a thriving retail sector. Our ultimate goal is to create a vibrant downtown area where Mora residents and visitors alike can shop, work, and play. This will be done in phases with emphasis on small but impactful projects. These projects will be concentrated within our official Main Street boundaries, which extend from the old Alfonso’s restaurant to the Mora post office. Despite these boundaries, we are also dedicated to assisting Mora businesses in any way possible. This includes connecting entrepreneurs to various organizations that can help with business plans, hiring employees, pricing products and services, or building an online presence.
2020 has truly been a building year for us. We have been attending trainings and webinars, applying for grants, creating curriculum, welcoming new board members, and developing economic transformation strategies. Our first strategy, Main Street Phase 1, entails beautifying downtown Mora by installing trash cans and recycling bins, planters, fixing the banner poles on the streetlights, improving the appearance of downtown buildings, and installing fun programming options for all ages. A landscape architect from New Mexico MainStreet is helping us to design a cohesive plaza area at the County Complex that can be used for various community events. We currently have funding secured for some of these projects and are applying for more grants to complete Main Street Phase 1. This is just the tip of the iceberg, so look out for more projects and programs from the MCC!
None of this work is possible without the help of New Mexico MainStreet, our incredible volunteer board of directors & various community partners, and of course our wonderful community members. We are grateful for all the support we have received over the years, whether it be monetary donations, volunteer work, contributions to our newsletter and website, or a simple follow on our social media platforms. Our dedicated team is so excited to continue working on community and economic development to enhance Our Mora.
Questions or comments? Email us at ourmoranm@gmail.com