A welcome oasis on the Santa Fe Plaza

Bienvenidos, as we should all know in Santa Fe, means “welcome” in Spanish. And that is exactly what the volunteers do at the Plaza Tourist Information Booth from early May until the second week of October. They welcome our visitors, answer questions and give directions. They make Santa Fe a more welcoming place.

Started in 1961 as the Woman’s Division of the Chamber of Commerce, the group was renamed Bienvenidos in 1995 and today has both male and female members. Funded by the Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce, it also has generous assistance from local banks and businesses (its new formal name is the Volunteer Division of the Chamber). We appreciate the generosity of the individuals and organizations that contribute to this volunteer effort.

And, oh, what volunteers. They aren’t simply staffing the Plaza booth, as important as that is. They are working hard to understand Santa Fe so that they can do the best job possible for tourists with questions. More than 30,000 visitors stop by over the summer.

Volunteers attend luncheon meetings 10 months of the year (skipping the busy months of July and August) where they learn more about Santa Fe and the surroundings from speakers. After all, it does no good to have people ready to answer questions if they do not know the answers or have the wrong information.

The men and women who take part in this important service generally are active in our community in other ways, too.

They serve in museums, at the Randall Davey Audubon Center & Sanctuary, The Santa Fe Opera and El Rancho de las Golondrinas, just to name some of their contributions. The group aalso supports The Food Depot and helps out at the local homeless shelter, as well as participating in major community events such as the Santa Fe Indian Market and the Fiesta de Santa Fe. What a resource across all segments of our community.

These 100 or so volunteers of Bienvenidos make a difference in Santa Fe, which both tourists and locals have come to depend. As the summer season begins — a ribbon cutting for the booth took place last week — we should take a moment to be grateful to the people who are making Santa Fe a more friendly town. The booth is by the First National Bank on the Plaza. Be sure to send visitors there if they need a helping hand.