Heather Pollard receives Deabel award for long-time service to Mesilla Valley Hospice

It was a big surprise for Heather Pollard Wednesday afternoon, Dec. 1, as one of Las Cruces’ most successful and beloved “givers” became, for a moment, a “receiver.”

With friends, admirers and fellow volunteers looking on, Pollard received the Gerald H. Deabel Legacy Volunteer of the Year award from Deabel Foundation President Don Beasley for her longtime service to Mesilla Valley Hospice (MVH) and many other Las Cruces nonprofits and causes.

In addition to the award itself, Pollard also received a $20,000 check from the Gerald H. Deabel endowment, which she said she and husband Warren would quickly reinvest in the community.

"I believe Heather is the epitome of what Gerald Deabel envisioned for outstanding volunteerism when he created this award, not only because of all she's done for Mesilla Valley Hospice but because of all she's done for this community as a whole,” MVH CEO Nina Salmon said. “She has given so much to our community."

Pollard spearheaded a major capital campaign for MVH in 2014, and in 2015 helped found The Emporium, a Las Cruces gift and antique store. One-hundred percent of The Emporium’s profits benefit MVH, and Pollard is one of about a dozen Las Cruces women who volunteer their time to run it.  

Pollard chaired the capital campaign to renovate the old Armory on Walnut Street as the shelter for La Casa for victims of domestic violence. She served as the downtown executive director in the movement to open Main Street and revitalize downtown. She has been president of the Amador Foundation to restore the historic Amador Hotel for the past eight years. She served as the first executive director of the Doña Ana Arts Council for 20 years.

The Deabel Legacy Society was founded in 2003 by Gerald H. Deabel (1934-2017). The Deabel Legacy Society, chooses a volunteer each year from MVH, the Salvation Army of Las Cruces or the Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico to honor.

Deabel, a native of Chicago, had a successful career in real estate and moved to Las Cruces in the early 2000s. When he died in December 2017, Deabel donated most of his estate to charity, including a $10 million donation to MVH.

Those attending the Dec. 1 award presentation included Salmon and other MVH staff, including CFO Christine May and MVH Foundation Executive Director Lorraine Padilla, along with Salvation Army of Las Cruces Capt. Michael Evans and Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico President and CEO Terra Winter.

Salmon, Evans, Winter and Las Cruces attorney Dana Kyle are directors of the Gerald H. Deabel Foundation.

Visit www.mvhospice.org.