LULAC Council 8003 was established in 1981 from Council 8005, when Apolonio “Polo” and Donna Sierra, decided a shift was needed to move the council in a new direction. Born and raised in Silver City, Polo was a U.S. Army veteran, who landed in Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944. Donna worked at John Hopkins before returning to Silver City as a librarian at Western New Mexico University’s Miller Library. Both understood the importance of education and the limited means of many Grant County residents, and envisioned 8003 as a scholarship-producing machine for Hispanics.
The first meetings of the council were held in various locations around Silver City before a building – formerly La Primera Iglesia Hispana Baptist Church on the south side of Chihuahua Hill – was purchased in the early 1980s. Polo put down his own money for the down payment on what would become LULAC Council 8003’s current hall.
Determined to give back to the community and contribute to the continued education of Grant County’s Hispanic youth, council members developed new partnerships with the Silver and Cobre school districts, and with WNMU. The local organization received little outside funding, relying primarily on fundraisers. With as few as six people, members began hosting bingo nights to raise money. Later, members began selling enchilada dinners, now one of their most profitable fundraisers.
LULAC Council 8003 has provided scholar- ships every year since its foundation in 1981. Current Council President Fred Baca recounted the rough start to the scholarship program: “The first scholarship was $250. We couldn’t find anyone to take it, so we had to go hunting door-to-door to give it away.” The scholarship program has greatly expanded since then, with as much as $20,000 awarded in some years. Today, the local effort has been recognized at the national level, with the LULAC National Scholarship Fund matching up to 60% of local funds raised each year. Since its inception, Council 8003 has awarded more than $200,000 in scholarships. Scholarship recipients choose where they will attend school, and these graduates are now living all over the country as community leaders, doc- tors, government officials, business owners and contributing members of their community.
The members of LULAC Council 8003 have been recognized many times for their work, including being named National Council of the Year five times, and State Council of the Year many more. It’s easy to see why. For 40 years, LULAC Council 8003 has served as a home-grown community support system, spanning generations. My mother was a recipient of a LULAC scholarship in the 1980s, as was I some 30 years later. The Council is truly a community-based organization. Everything earned is a result of the hard work of its members, and the generosity of the community – people who give back because they understand what it’s like to live without opportunity.