National Day of Service

The 2025 Farmington 9/11 Day of Service was the fourth year for this community event. The inaugural Day of Service in Farmington was held in 2022.

2025 Day of Service Committee.

The Committee’s Chair was Seth Bingham, a local Farmington attorney. Committee members included the Executive Director of the Farmington Chamber of Commerce, a Lieutenant with the Farmington Police Department, the President of Rio del Sol Kiwanis, three local Farmington realtors, a retired nurse, a New Mexico Workers Compensation Judge, a paralegal, the Coach of the Farmington High School Boys Basketball team, a retired San Juan County Firefighter, and the Director of San Juan Catholic Charities.

Our 9/11 Day of Service Mission Statement

“The Farmington 9/11 Day of Service Committee strives to promote unity through volunteer service in our community in honor of those who were lost or valiantly served or sacrificed on September 11, 2001.”

Planning

Monthly Committee meetings began in April of 2025 at First Presbyterian Church. The City of Farmington and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were key partners in planning the events. The Committee selected projects that would show a broad interest in and support for lots of community members and other organizations, especially seniors. It was felt that the big projects needed to be “scalable”, meaning they could be structured in a way to expand if lots of people showed up to participate. The Committee included two larger projects with lasting effects and one larger clean-up project. It also held five other smaller projects including support for the Memorial Stair Climb at Ricketts Park.

Community Partners

The community partners for the 2025 Farmington Day of Service included the Farmington Memorial Stair Climb Committee, San Juan Rotary, Noon Day Civitan’s, Rio del Sol Kiwanis, Blue Star Mothers, Desert Gold Daughters of the American Revolution, Farmington Chamber of Commerce, Catholic Charities, Home 2 Suites by Hilton, Sam’s Club, West Main Walmart, Courtyard by Marriott, Family Crisis Center, New Beginnings, The Salvation Army, San Juan Medical Foundation, Uselman Construction, Southwest Building Block, Four Corners Materials, AMF Landscaping, Mesa Sand and Gravel, Doug Foutz Construction, Frank’s Supply, M & R Trucking, Desert Hills Dental, Summit Dental, Pinon Dental, St. Michaels Namaste, The Bridge, Three Rivers Estates, 100% San Juan Initiative, Keller Williams, Coca-Cola Bottling of Farmington/Durango, City of Farmington and Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs, Farmington Police Department, San Juan County, Farmington Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, First Presbyterian Church, Open Bible Baptist Church and the Boys and Girls Clubs of San Juan County.

Marketing

Marketing of the event included an article in the Tri City Record, posting on internet-based community calendars, distribution of 2000 flyers, use of local social and business media pages, Chamber of Commerce emails to its members, appearances on KSJE Radio, presentations to Civitan, Blue Star Mothers, Rotary, Kiwanis and the Farmington Chamber of Commerce’s monthly Red Coats lunch meeting, as well as distribution of flyers by local churches to their members.

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Volunteers for the Memorial Stair Climb at Ricketts Park

The Stair Climb is a fundraiser for fallen New York City firefighters and their families and helps support local fallen firefighters. This project is at Ricketts Park in Farmington. Event participants take pledges to secure donations and then climb the same number of stairs as the stairs in the World Trade Center towers. There were 577 participants in this year’s Memorial Stair Climb, the highest number of participants ever.

The 9/11 Day of Service Committee supplied a total of 35 volunteers who registered participants, handed out bracelets and provided water to people climbing the stairs or walking the field. The volunteers also monitored those Stair Climb participants who were on the field. This year’s volunteers came from members of the Farmington legal community, Blue Star Mothers, the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Farmington High School Cheerleaders. The 9/11 Day of Service volunteers provided 144.5 hours of service in support of the event. Our volunteers stated that “this was an amazing event” and reported that they had been asked to help again with next year’s Stair Climb.

Salvation Army Clothes Project

The Motto of The Salvation Army is “Doing the Most Good”. In addition to its ministerial efforts, the Army provides disaster services, emergency financial assistance, food and nutrition programs and an emergency shelter. Until the end of October of 2021, the Salvation Army operated a Thrift Store in Farmington. When the store closed, the clothing from the store was put into bales and the bales were then placed in a storage trailer in hopes of finding somewhere for the clothes to go and help others.

The Salvation Army Clothes project on September 13, 2025, started at 9 am and consisted of breaking apart ten bales of clothing and placing the clothes into 50 bags for easier transport to Albuquerque based “Clothes for Kids” who wanted the clothing. Volunteers were from Civitan, Key Club and the BYU Alumni Association. 25 volunteers worked on the project and donated 63 hours of service. Volunteers described the atmosphere as one of “good cheer and unity” as they worked on a project that benefited the poor and homeless.

New Beginnings Donation Hub Project

New Beginnings is a social service agency sponsored by the Navajo United Methodist Church and operates on the eastern end of the Navajo Prep campus. They operate a domestic violence shelter and transitional housing facility for women and children as well as a childcare center and they sponsor a community garden. They accept donations to support their clients and the community at large.

New Beginnings is in the process of acquiring a small building to serve as a Donations Hub to both accept donations and distribute items back to those in need. The building was to be delivered before September 13th and they asked for help to move, organize and display donated items in their new building. Unfortunately, the building will be delivered after the 2025 9/11 Day of Service.

The New Beginnings Project was held on September 13th from 9 am to 11 am. Volunteers moved, organized and created additional storage space for New Beginnings. 6 volunteers helped on this project and provided 12 hours of service.

The Hygiene Kit Project

The 9/11 Day of Service Committee strongly believes that seniors who can’t go out and do physical work in service should still be given an opportunity to serve their community. For the third year in a row, the Committee asked seniors living at St. Michael’s Namaste, The Bridge and Three Rivers Estates to assemble Hygiene Kits for the Homeless. The recipients of this year’s hygiene kits were Catholic Charities, People Assisting the Homeless (PATH), New Beginnings, the Salvation Army, Youth Homelessness Program, Navigation Center Giving Room and Family Crisis Center. 600 hygiene kits were assembled during the week of September 8th.

Donations for this year’s hygiene kits came from Home-2-Suites, Courtyard by Marriott, Farmington Walmart West, Sam’s Club, Desert Hills Dental, Summit Dental, Pinon Dental, Catholic Charities, St. Michael’s Namaste and the 100% San Juan Initiative. There were 22 volunteers that worked on the kits, and 66 hours of service were performed.

San Juan Medical Foundation Walkathon

San Juan Medical Foundation supports the provision of medical services at San Juan Regional Medical Center and sponsors the Connelly Hospitality House, where families of cancer and other seriously injured patients, who don’t live in Farmington, can stay when their family member receives treatment. To raise money for the operations of Connelly House, the San Juan Medical Foundation sponsors an annual Walkathon. This is the Walkathon’s 45th year. There were 300 participants in this year’s 5K Walkathon.

On September 13th, volunteers arrived at 7:00 am at Locke Street Eats (corner of Locke and Arrington) and received their assignments and they served until 11:00 am. The 9/11 Day of Service Committee provided 15 volunteers to help support the Walkathon by handing out water and directing participants along the 5K course. Those volunteers provided 45 hours of service. Volunteers came from the Farmington Chamber of Commerce, Noon Day Civitan’s and San Juan Rotary.

Downtown Farmington Clean-Up

Downtown Farmington is the heart of our community. Governmental offices, the hospital, medical offices, businesses and private residences are all found in the lower downtown area. To keep the heart of the city in good shape, the 9/11 Day of Service Committee helped clean up the lower downtown area. Headquarters for this project was behind Catholic Charities at 119 West Broadway where the Mobile Farmington Police Command Post was located for the cleanup event.

On September 13th, 22 volunteers helped pick up trash from nine to noon in the area from Miller Street, on the east, to Lake Street, on the west, and Broadway south to Pinon Street. The city provided a roll off trash container, trash bags and pick tongs. Groups of volunteers were asked to pick up trash in smaller sections of this lower downtown area. The Downtown Cleanup Project volunteers provided 47 hours of service. Volunteers for this project came from Catholic Charities, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and members of the community.

McGee Park Pig Barn Paint Project

McGee Park is the home of the San Juan County Fair and the center of Four H activities in San Juan County. As part of those activities, area youth raise, care for and work with animals as they learn husbandry skills. Raising pigs is one aspect of those activities and the county has a Pig Barn to house and show those pigs while at the fairgrounds.

On September 13th, volunteers helped paint the railings of the Main Show Ring and some of the pens on the inside of the “Pig Barn”. San Juan County supplied the paint, brushes, containers and gloves. Volunteers painted from 9 am to Noon. There were 49 volunteers who worked on this project. Those volunteers provided 200 hours of service. Participating volunteers came from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Farmington High School Boys Basketball team, Open Bible Baptist Church, members of the Farmington community and employees of San Juan County.

Family Crisis Center Paver Project

Family Crisis Center (FCC) operates a shelter for the victims of domestic violence. The Shelter (or “Marge’s Place” as it has become affectionately known) is a secure location with a cinder block perimeter wall with controlled access to protect the residents and employees. In 2023, a second building (the former Payless Grocery store), at the corner of Apache and Wall Streets was remodeled and added to the shelter compound. Last year, the 9/11 Day of Service volunteers and project partners landscaped the exterior of the new building. This year, 9/11 Day of Service volunteers landscaped the interior courtyard of the new building by installing pavers and putting down landscape fabric and gravel.

The Farmington business partners on this project were Uselman Construction, who formed, poured and cleaned up the concrete border, Mesa Sand and Gravel, who supplied the cement, Southwest Building Blocks, who donated all the pavers, Doug Foutz Construction, who supplied the sand, AMF Landscaping, who donated the landscape fabric and pins, Four Corners Materials, who donated the gravel, M & R Trucking who transported the gravel and Franks Supply who donated the use of a skid steer to move the gravel. The Farmington Scorpions Boys Basketball Team and coaches (23 team members and 6 coaches) installed the pavers in the courtyard over a three day period (144 hours). This work was all done over the summer of 2025. Uselman Construction provided 14 employees who worked 811.25 hours on this project.

The Family Crisis Center Paver Project was completed on September 13, 2025. Starting at 7 am, members of the Young Single Adult Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints cut and installed the landscape fabric. At 9 am, additional volunteers arrived to move and spread the gravel to complete the landscaping project. The landscape project was broken down into six separate work zones with a captain who led the work for each crew. Work was done using shovels, rakes and wheelbarrows. The Frank’s Supply skid steer and another volunteer, who brought his garden tractor, were critical in moving the large amount of gravel into the courtyard. Volunteers for this phase of the project were from San Juan Rotary, Desert View Counseling, Family Crisis Center and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In total, there were 104 different people who worked on this project and provided 1112 hours of service.

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Summary

The 2025 Farmington 9/11 National Day of Service helped provide service to our community through eight separate projects conducted at eight different venues from June 24th to September 13, 2025. The eight projects involved 278 different people who provided 1689 hours of service.

In September 2024, the 9/11 Day of service took place on September 9th and the Memorial Flag walk was on September 10th. There were six different projects:

Berg Park Clean-Up

A trash clean-up project was held at Berg Park in Farmington, New Mexico. Volunteers checked in at the gazebo and were assigned to different zones throughout the park, each led by a captain. Cleanup efforts focused on the trails, riverbanks, and areas near the parking lots. Participants brought work gloves, hats, and sunscreen, while water and trash bags were provided. Collected trash was transported to a roll-off dumpster in the parking lot. The project took place in one of Farmington’s most popular parks, known for its extensive trail system and scenic wildlife along the Animas River.

Farmington Lake Clean-Up

A trash clean-up project was held at Farmington Lake, the city’s municipal water reservoir and a popular recreational area. Volunteers checked in at the Farmington Police Department Mobile Command Center and were assigned to one of five zones, each led by a captain. Cleanup efforts focused on areas in and around the lake. Participants brought work gloves, hats, and sunscreen, while water and trash bags were provided. Full trash bags and large items were transported to a roll-off dumpster near the Mobile Command Post.

Family Crisis Center Landscaping Project

A landscaping project was completed at the Family Crisis Center (FCC), which operates a secure shelter for victims of domestic violence. The project focused on the exterior of a second building recently added to the shelter compound, which had previously been the parking lot of an old grocery store. As part of the city’s rezoning approval, the area was required to be landscaped. Volunteers carried out tasks including the installation of landscape fabric and plants, spreading gravel, and placing cobblestone. The project was broken into separate tasks, each led by a captain, and all necessary tools were brought by participants. Water was provided for volunteers.

The following Farmington businesses partnered on the project:

• Jaynes Corp – Asphalt removal and regrade
• AMF – Landscape plan and sprinkler install
• Four Corners Materials – Provide gravel and cobble
• Empire Concrete – Remove and replace driveway curb cuts with standard curb and gutter and install sidewalk
• San Juan Nurseries, Inc. – Provide plants for landscaping
• M&R Trucking, Inc. – Haul gravel from FCM to Family Crisis Center
• Mesa Sand and Gravel – Ready mix for redoing driveway curb, gutters, and new sidewalk
• Great Western Stone – Landscape fabric and anchors
• Basin Pump – Sprinkler system supplies
• Frank's Supply Company – Skid steer to move gravel and cobble
• Board Chair of Family Crisis Center – Facility coordination

Jaynes Corp mobilized on site, contributing equipment and labor to help complete the project.

Salvation Army Kids Clothes

A volunteer project was held at the Salvation Army Community Center in Farmington to prepare baled children’s clothing for donation. The clothing had been stored since the closure of the Salvation Army Thrift Store and was designated for the Albuquerque non-profit Clothes Helping Kids. Volunteers broke apart the bales and bagged the clothing for transport.

Volunteers for the Memorial Stair Climb at Ricketts Park

A volunteer project was held at Ricketts Park in support of the Stair Climb fundraiser, which honors fallen New York City firefighters and supports their families, as well as local fallen firefighters. Participants climbed stairs to match the number in the World Trade Center towers. Volunteers assisted by handing out water, helping with registration, and supporting event operations throughout the evening.

The Hygiene Kit Project

Local charities serving the homeless requested hygiene kits for individuals in need, and residents of several senior living facilities (The Bridge, St. Michaels Namaste, Three Rivers Estates, and The Beehive Houses) assembled the kits as part of the 9/11 Day of Service. Supplies for the kits were donated by area businesses, including the Courtyard by Marriott, local dentists, Delta Dental of New Mexico, St. Michaels Namaste, Target, Sam’s Club, and Walmart stores on East and West Main. No additional volunteers were needed for this project.

In September 2023, the 9/11 Day of service took place on September 9th and the Memorial Flag walk was on September 10th. There were six different projects:

Volunteers for the Memorial Stair Climb at Ricketts Park

The Firefighters on the 9/11 Day of Service Committee, who were also involved with the Stair Climb, asked if the 9/11 Committee could supply ten volunteers to hand out water to support the Stair Climb participants.

Farmington Lake Clean-Up

Farmington Lake is 250 acres in size and the shoreline is over 2 miles in length. The Lake shore was divided up into five zones for cleanup. The city provided a trash dumpster, trash bags, pick up tongs and the Farmington Police Department's Mobile Headquarters Unit was supplied as the project's Headquarters. Community volunteers worked for 2 hours and included church groups, the Farmington High School Girls JV and Varsity Soccer Teams and area families and individuals. The volunteers and city employees working on this project totaled approximately 150 individuals. The total hours of service provided was 300.

The Childhaven Projects

Childhaven asked if the grounds around its five buildings could be cleaned and if all of the vehicles it uses in serving children could be thoroughly cleaned. The City of Farmington supplied trash bags and a trash dumpster that was shared with the Brookhaven Park Clean-up project. 10 Volunteers worked on this project and provided 20 hours of service.

Brookhaven East and West Park Clean-Up

Brookhaven East Park is located next to Childhaven, includes approximately five acres of unimproved park land which is connected to Brookhaven Park West via a paved trail. The Brookhaven Park project included both the improved parks, the unimproved park lands, the trail system between the two parks, Airport Drive between the two parks and West Apache down to Navajo Prep Academy. The project was divided up into eight zones. When volunteers filled their trash bags, they left the bag on Airport Drive or on Apache Street where it was picked up and taken back the Brookhaven Park East. 200 Volunteers worked for 2 hours and they provided 400 hours of service.

The Hygiene Kit Project

The 9/11 Day of Service Committee strongly believed that seniors who couldn't go out and do physical work in service or participate in the Memorial Flag Walk, should still be given an opportunity to serve their community. A service project with senior citizens living at a local senior living facilities making hygiene kits for Catholic Charities, People Assisting the Homeless (PATH), New Beginnings and Family Crisis Center was approved. 400 hygiene kits were assembled during the week of September 4 th by the residents of St. Michael's Namaste, the Bridge, Three Rivers Estates and the Beehive Homes. In addition to the Courtyard by Marriott, donations for the kits came from both Farmington Walmart Stores, Target, Sam's Club, Desert Hills Dental, Clark Family Dentistry, Delta Dental of New Mexico, and St. Michael's Namaste. 67 residents, staff and volunteers worked on the kits, and 74 hours of service was provided.

The 2023 Memorial Flag Walk

The Memorial Flag Walk took place on Sunday, September 10th . The location of the Flag Walk moved from Berg Park to the Farmington Civic Center and a flag walk route that went down Main Street in downtown Farmington. The City of Farmington supplied First Responder vehicles and the large U.S. flag stretched between 2 ladder trucks. Participants were given a small U.S. flag if they didn't bring their own flag. After a short program that included an opening prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, 2 songs and a short address by the Chaplain at San Juan Regional Medical Center, the Memorial Flag Walk then took place. Along the walking route were QR posters that participants could scan and learn more details about various aspects of the 9/11 story. At Orchard Park, students from Mesa Verde Elementary School performed 3 songs. The participants and City of Farmington Police, Fire and Civic Center employees supporting the event totaled approximately 280 persons.

The first 9/11 National Day of Service took place in Farmington on September 10th and 11th, 2022. There were three service projects that took place on September 10th. On September 11th, there was a Memorial Flag Walk, to honor First Responders and community military veterans.

San Juan Mission Cemetary Cleanup

The San Juan Mission Cemetery is located in far southwest Farmington. The cemetery is essentially unimproved and is owned by the Episcopal Church in Navajoland. It was utilized almost exclusively to provide a no cost place for burial of members of the Navajo Nation. The cemetery is full. Burials are marked with simple wooden crosses, some having names and many without any name on the cross. The Cemetery was overgrown with weeds and the wooden crosses were weathered. The service project was to remove weeds and trash and then to repair and paint the crosses with a coat of white paint to recognize and honor the persons who are buried there.

Trash Pickup in Downtown Farmingtion

Volunteers were asked to mobilize at the parking lot of Citizens Bank and do trash pickup in the central part of downtown using trash bags provided by the City of Farmington. On arrival, small groups were formed and were given street assignments. Volunteers were asked to walk the sidewalks, streets, and areas in front of buildings and pick up trash. Full bags of trash were then collected by the city for disposal at three different trash dumpster locations in the downtown area.

Animas Park Cleanup

Animas Park is part of Farmington Riverine Park System. The Park has nature trails, walking and bicycling trails, a white-water rafting feature and numerous educational areas. The park receives heavy use throughout the summer and is the location of the City's annual Riverfest celebration over Memorial Day Weekend. Because of that heavy use, the City of Farmington was very interested in partnering with the 9/11 Day of Service Committee to support a general cleanup of the park

The Memorial Flag Walk

For the Memorial Flag Walk, community members gathered at the pavilion at Berg Park where handheld flags were distributed to participants. There was a short program with an opening prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag and the sharing of a 9/11 experience. Participants then walked a loop along one of the walking paths to the City of Farmington's Veteran's Memorial and back to the pavilion. Along the path of the Memorial Walk, there were patriotic musical performances, and 6 QR codes that linked to audio recordings that provided information about the 9/11 tragedy. The motto of the Memorial Flag Walk is "It's a walk to honor and an honor to walk".