Current work sites are in Bernalillo, Albuquerque, Lamy, La Jara, and Tajique, New Mexico, as well as Socorro, Texas, to name a few. Did You Know Adobe building materials and techniques have been used in the American Southwest for nearly 1,000 years. It provides support in the form of hands-on assistance, technical advice, youth training, and community workshops. Communities usually hear about Corner-stones through word of mouth, and the first step is a call to the office. Sometimes follow-up visits are scheduled, especially when technical services such as structural engineering are needed.
Cornerstones maintains a pool of volunteer specialists to call on in such cases.
After the assessment, Cornerstones often provides the communitywith a written and illustrated report, explaining the problems found and recommending solutions. Once a community has expressed a desire to undertake a project, they begin the work of raising funds. Matching grants for the purchase of materials are available from the Santa Fe-based McCune Foundation and are administered by Cornerstones. But money is never the biggest obstacle to a successful project. The most vital elements are volunteer commitment and enthusiasm.