“Nearly 46 million Americans, or 18 percent of the population under the age of 65, were without health insurance in 2007,” says the US Census Bureau in its most recent data. With rising poverty levels, this number is sure to rise.

Many jobs that previously offered healthcare benefits have revoked them, according to the National Coalition on Healthcare (NCHC).

In even larger numbers, employees who could previously afford their premiums are facing a 117 percent increase between 1999 and 2007 on employee spending for health insurance coverage, according to the NCHC.

However, the problem isn’t just big numbers, it’s also right at home.

Chelsea Niven, a 19-year old Yavapai student, feels the pain of being uninsured daily. “I think about [insurance] because it’s something I should have, but it’s just too stressful,” says Niven.
Niven is currently in need of a root canal and a procedure to remove her four wisdom teeth.

It gives me headaches, it hurts so bad,” she says.

The two procedures total over $2,000 without insurance; as a student and part time waitress, Niven cannot afford that.

Between living and school expenses, insurance simply isn’t an option for Niven. She says, “I have too much to pay for already… insurance rates are just out of hand.”  According to Niven, she hopes to save up enough money to have the root canal procedure and eventually have her wisdom teeth removed two at a time.

“You don’t want to get sick because you worry about how much it costs.”

In the meantime Niven sticks to over the counter pain medicine and hopes she doesn’t get sick. She says, “You don’t want to get sick because you worry about how much it costs.”

Other options do exist, though. The government funded Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) “is Arizona’s Medicaid agency that offers health care programs to serve Arizona residents,” according to the AHCCCS website.

Dependent on income, an uninsured Arizona resident can receive partial or complete medical coverage according to the website.

On campus there is another option, the Yavapai Health Center. Yavapai College is one of the few community colleges lucky enough to run such a program.

If you are a registered student you can receive treatment from the health center for only $5 a visit, not including lab fees or prescriptions, according to Rebecca Oldani one of the three nurse practitioners at the Yavapai Health Center.

“We can do nearly anything a doctor’s office can do,” says Oldani. “We’re only charging you the price to cover what we spend.”

Oldani believes that the health center can provide a huge relief in stress to students who, like Niven, are uninsured.

“Most things are minor problems,” she says. “It costs a huge amount to go to the ER and for some people it’s just not an option.”

The Health Center sees nearly 120 people a week in the 20 hours it is open. And of those, at least 85 percent are uninsured, according to Oldani.

“Most insurance is not adequate, not affordable,” says Oldani.

The Health Center hopes to alleviate some of the pressure in a difficult economic time and hopes to continue growing past its 500 percent increase in growth since the first year, according to Oldani.

Along with these solutions comes hope of impending reform.

Ongoing discussions regarding universal healthcare and other possibilities are up in the air.
A proposed reform offers relatively cheap individual policies with the condition that a person will be fined for not having one, according to the Washington Post.

Whether it is mandatory insurance, free standing clinics, government programs or simply payment plans, the uninsured masses are seeking solutions.

“Receiving a check that always cashes is one of the best benefits of nursing,” says Yavapai Regional Medical Center (YRMC) Nursing Supervisor, Shelly Beal. 
Beal is commenting on the current state of the economy and the lack of stable jobs.

She has been working at YRMC for 18 years and according to Beal, she has never had any regrets about her career choice. 

Hannah Singleton, a student at Yavapai College, is choosing to pursue nursing because it is a “recession proof job.”

Although she has been encouraged since childhood, to join this profession, she just recently decided to go for it. 

“I have other interests, but it comes down to having a job or being broke and struggling,” says Singleton.

From nurses to nursing students, everyone is in agreement that the financial benefits are a key part of his/her decision. 

There are other benefits as well. Beal describes her other benefits at YRMC as health insurance, paid time off, discounts on prescribed medication and excellent shifts.

“I am able to work the shifts that best fit into my family’s schedule. I worked night shifts for 12 years, so that I could be home during the day for my kids,” says Beal. 

Troy Alderete, a YRMC nurse, also enjoys the flexible and plentiful shifts available. “My wife’s hours were cut at work and I was able to pick up extra shifts so our budget wasn’t affected. There are always extra shifts for those who are willing to work,” says Alderete. 

Even nursing students working as certified nurse assistants (CNAs) have the chance to work extra hours. 

“I never expected to earn this much while attending school…”

“I never expected to earn this much while attending school as well. I have never had to worry about having my hours cut,” says Yavapai nursing student, Tonya Fealtman. 

With all these amazing benefits, why wouldn’t everyone want to be a nurse?

“This job can be difficult as you get older. The long shifts take a toll on your body after awhile. It also gets harder to pull and move patients around,” says Beal. 

While some may assume nursing is an easy occupation, it can be physically and emotionally demanding. Helping patients can be rewarding but on the other hand witnessing pain and suffering is stressful. This can be one of the major downfalls of nursing, according to Beal. 

Another challenge is actually becoming accepted into the nursing program. There are a limited number of spots available each year and many students are vying for these few positions.

“The competitiveness and arbitrary requirements of the program are the only negative things I can say about nursing at this point,” says Singleton. “To sign up for the nursing assistant class I had to show up a couple of hours early because there were so many people there.”

Students must have received credit for College Algebra, College Composition I, Human Biology, Anatomy and Physiology and have a current CNA certification before they can even apply for the nursing associate degree program. 

Although students may see the rigorous program as a negative aspect, nurses appreciate the amount of effort needed to complete it.

“The difficulty of the classes deters many people who aren’t serious about the level of commitment it takes to achieve this degree,” says Alderete. 

In every occupation, there are both pros and cons. When determining the compatibility of a person and a profession it becomes about weighing the good against the bad. 

While nursing may not be suited for everyone, there are many who feel the benefits far outweigh the negative aspects. 

“I have always enjoyed my job, and in 22 years have never had any regrets about my decision to become a nurse,” says Beal.

It will open in early December before the holidays,  according to Michelle Zdanowski, Prescott Gateway Mall’s marketing manager. Bed Bath and Beyond will save quite a bit on building costs as they will be moving into the 30,000 square foot space that housed Linens ‘N Things, she says.

The building has been empty since Linens Holding Co., the parent chain of Linen ‘N Things filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last year, according to the Pittsburgh Business Times. 

A national retailer

“Bed Bath and Beyond recognized the unique opportunity to enter a vibrant and growing economy without going to the expense of building a new facility,” says Jane Bristol, The City of Prescott’s Economic Development Director. 

Steve Norwood, Prescott City Manager says, “The addition of Bed Bath and Beyond to this market is a vote of confidence that economic conditions are on the upswing.”

In fact, this is the biggest retailer to come to Prescott since Lowes opened in November 2007, according to Zdanowski. 

“The addition of Bed Bath and Beyond to this market is a vote of confidence that economic conditions are on the upswing.”

“It will definitely be nice to have a national retailer in our backyard to keep people local and keep them shopping local,” says Norwood.  “It’s filling a void, not only of 30,000 square feet but also for those types of items they carry: home items, housewares, all that.” 

Indoor/Outdoor appeal

Bed Bath and Beyond typically does not go into shopping centers like this. They are usually found in strip malls, according to Zdanowski.

However, Prescott Gateway Mall is fortunate because as well as an indoor mall, they provide an outdoor village as well.

According to her, Prescott Gateway will be able to provide Bed Bath and Beyond with the same type of location that they prefer. 

This will most likely increase traffic to the center and people will travel into the mall. 

Increased consumer traf

The hope of increase traffic is important to a mall that has been suffering with current economic times.

Prescott Gateway Mall has had five businesses close in the last year. “It wasn’t necessarily the situation here in the mall, it was more or less their internal financial situation,” says Zdanowski. 

Mall employees are hopeful that Bed Bath and Beyond will promote business, according to Zdanowski. 

According to one mall employee, there will be more traffic in the store due to name mix ups. “Sometimes customers come in here looking for towels and linens which will bring them in, and we will show them something we have and we will end up making a sale.”

Perhaps the most excited is Maggie Lamper, co-owner of Celtics Crossings Irish Pub. “Business has been pretty bad since Linens ‘N Things left. It is a huge place and if it gets opened up, it will bring a lot more traffic in. When it was Linens-N-Things, we had so much traffic, both shoppers and employees,” says Lamper.

Other businesses don’t really see it as a change. Travis Gunderson, a cell phone salesman at Digitell doesn’t see the benefits for his company. 

“We are already starting to see an increase in sales over last year. We aren’t an impulse buy store. People come to the mall specifically to buy cell phones so adding another store might increase traffic but not necessarily increase traffic into Digitell.”

So what’s next for the Prescott Gateway Mall? Zdanowski says, “A lot of times when large retailers come into a smaller market like this, other retailers like to follow them, so it’s a great thing for our community.”

Freire’s philosophy, although much more complicated and in-depth than the breadth of a single sentence, is the same philosophy held by many social activists, as displayed by one of the more prominent activist collectives in Prescott, AZ: the unique, volunteer run Catalyst Infoshop.

A cross between radical bookstore and movement archive

According to Infoshop.org, “an infoshop is a cross between a radical bookstore and a movement archive. Activists go there to read or buy movement literature; buy paraphernalia such as stickers, masks and spray paint; attend meetings, lectures or films; or just plain hang out.” The Catalyst Infoshop is no exception to that description, which gives an accurate idea of a movement in Prescott.

Volunteer operation

“The Catalyst Infoshop is a bookstore, lending library, zine archive and safe space for hosting community events,” reads their mission statement. “It is a volunteer run resource center dedicated to environmental and social justice. Through commitment to collective education and action, folks can learn to value each other as parts of their communal economy.”

“We do a lot of processing,” says Michael, a volunteer who preferred not to share his last name because he has a “beef with journalism.” He explains that many of those at the Catalyst subscribe to Freire’s praxis philosophy and participate in building theoretical foundations, acting and then reflecting. “It’s important to have access to info,” he says, “that’s a big part of the Catalyst.”

“Through commitment to collective education and action, folks can learn to value each other as parts of their communal economy.”

One of the main functions the Catalyst serves in the community is a safe, sober environment for people to come to meet, organize, or just hang out. They also do a number of community-oriented programs and host a variety of local musicians as well as touring ones.

Food Not Bombs and Karma Farm

One of the Catalyst’s largest efforts is Food Not Bombs (FNB), at which they serve a free vegan meal of donated food at the Courthouse Square every Friday and Sunday at 3 p.m. “The idea for me is it brings people together…just to share a meal together…to find some commonality,” says Yorke Brown, another volunteer.

Karma Farm is another movement backed by the Catalyst, where food is planted in backyards and other donated areas around Prescott and given away free. “Karma Farm is a really radical movement,” says Brown, with its goal being to shift the food economy to a “more local, economically sustainable” system.

The Catalyst is also involved with things like animal rights, indigenous solidarity, Maasai community survival, radical art, prison outreach programs like Books Behind Bars and various other initiatives that fit within their mission statement. The Catalyst has a community kitchen (where the food for FNB is prepared) and acts as meeting space for discussion and reading groups. They are also a venue; there are free all-ages shows at the Catalyst throughout the year, ranging from metal bands to solo artists.

The Catalyst is not run for profit and is maintained by volunteers, while being funded by private donations, book sales and fund raisers. “The Catalyst is always looking for really committed and inspired people to volunteer,” says Brown, as well as “book donations, food donations and financial contributions.”

One of the longest running infoshops

It has been in operation for five years, making it one of the longest running Infoshops in America. “To have an Infoshop run for five years is an amazing feat,” says Michael.

Located at 109 N. McCormick St., the Catalyst is free and open to anyone. For more information, a listing of shows and events, or to volunteer, go to the building on McCormick Street, check out their Myspace at myspace.com/catalystinfoshop, or e-mail at catalystinfoshop@riseup.net.

Arizona’s education system is facing sizable budget cuts with the state legislature’s decision to cut $133 million from K-12 education and another $142 million from state universities for 2008-09, according to abc15.com.

The budget for next year hasn’t been determined yet but it’s expected to afford substantially less money to education. There’s a lot of anxiety surrounding how extensive the changes will be. 

“The 2009-10 state budget… may total as much as $891 million in additional cuts to K-12 public education funding,” says Prescott Unified School District (PUSD) Superintendant Kevin Kapp in an update on prescottschools.com. “Districts throughout the state are being asked by the legislature to plan for cuts that could amount to up to 18-20 percent of their total budgets because the state budget deficit could exceed $3 billion.”

“We don’t anticipate that we’ll have the same money available next year as we have this year to run our district,” says Dr. Chris Reynolds, PUSD assistant superintendent for Human Resources.    

$2-$3 million in State cuts expected

According to Kapp’s update, PUSD has reduced approximately $500,000 from the 2008-09 budget and “is expecting to make between $2 and $3 million dollars in cuts for next year.”

“There’s a lot of uncertainty and a lot of fear,” says Charles Menken, a teacher at Northpoint Expeditionary Learning Academy.

“[The state legislature] hasn’t started nailing down all the different things that will happen,” he explains, but “programs across the district could be affected, from physical education to the arts.”

P.E. and the arts

“Every program and every position in the district is being reviewed,” says Reynolds.  “Some programs may be eliminated, others may be severely reduced.” This would affect everyone from teachers to parents to students.

“There’s a lot of uncertainty and a lot of fear.”

The removal of programs is just one of the many possible effects of the budget cuts, which could lead to even more drastic measures like shutting down smaller schools like Northpoint, removing full day or early Kindergarten, or going to a four-day work schedule.

“Arizona has a policy of immediately targeting education when it needs to cut the budget,” says Melissa Wagoner, another teacher at Northpoint, “because education takes up the majority of the state budget.” 

Education cuts outside AZ

However, the economy’s effect on education isn’t just happening in Arizona. “Right now, most states are struggling with the budget [like]hiring freezes in Clark County [Nevada], the largest and fastest growing school district in America, furloughs in Oregon, program cuts in Arizona…” says Wagoner.

One of the major effects on teachers across the state of Arizona is the decision to send Reduction in Force (RIF) letters to all school employees hired in the last two or three years. Menken has been in the district for six years so he won’t be receiving a letter, but he says “there’s a lot of stress for a lot of teachers.”

RIF letters go out

The RIF letters mean any school employee hired after July 1, 2006 or 2007, will lose their job, although they may be able to get it back. The RIF letters are basically saying to teachers that the district is “unable to renew your contract,” Menken explains. Once employees are sent RIF notices, the district will start to hire back as many as the budget allows, starting by seniority and working its way forward.

“We’re operating under state law that requires us to notify teachers by April 15,” says Reynolds. According to him they’re expecting to send out as many as 260 RIF letters.

“PUSD uses the RIF to protect itself from over-budgeting,” says Wagoner. She explains: “The district can only spend the money given to it.  When school districts over-budget, no one gets paid.  So PUSD uses the RIF to only staff the positions it can pay…the district says that they expect to rehire most of the teachers who are RIFed, but they wouldn’t RIF …on a whim.”

“A three year RIF is unusual and severe,” adds Wagoner. “This is very serious.” 

Decisions still pending as of press time leaned toward a two, rather than three year RIF, which would reduce the total number of RIFed employees. 

While Wagoner has been in the district long enough that she won’t be receiving a RIF notice, she understands that it’s going to be difficult for a lot of people. “Leaving a job you love is devastating,” she says “Teachers in general are extremely dedicated to their work.”

AZ ranked last in per pupil funding

Arizona is already ranked near the bottom in terms of per pupil funding. “Funding in Arizona and PUSD in particular, was already atrocious before the economic crisis,” says Wagoner. 

The state ranks 49 out of 50 for per pupil funding and over the past 20 years spending has actually decreased just under one percent per student, while it has risen over 36 percent nationally, according to prescottschools.com. For the 2006-07 school year Arizona spent an average of $6,248 per student, less than two-thirds of the national average of $9,963.

Reynolds says PUSD and others have been meeting to determine what they can do and what has to be reduced. “We’re coming up with recommendations on how we can trim [spending],” he says, depending on what the budget for the next year is. They plan to present their recommendations to the Governing Board in mid-April and once they get their endorsement, “then we’ll implement those decisions based on our budget restraints,” says Reynolds.

The difficulty is, without a budget from the Arizona state legislature, it’s hard for people to know exactly what they’ll have to work with next year.

Waiting on the State

“We’re waiting for the state legislature [to tell us the budget],” Reynolds says, “that will determine how many people will be able to return to work.” The sooner they have a budget the better, but that could be as late as June. “I think it is extremely unfair for the Arizona Legislature to even think about asking for a delay on the funding decisions, which delay the district decisions about the RIF, until June,” says Wagoner. “How is it ethical to ask so many people to just wait and see how it turns out?” she asks.

While there’s a lot of uncertainty and fear involved, one thing’s for sure: it’s a difficult time and education is an area that’s likely going to suffer. “These are incredibly challenging times for us as a district,” says Reynolds, “…we hope we’ll be able to ride it out.”

Photos by:  Ted Hosey

With over 100,000 teenagers and young adults traveling over the border and into Mexico for Spring Break each year, according to US Department of Travel, the “increase in violence” including “Mexican and foreign bystanders be[ing] injured or killed in violent attacks in cities across the country” and “dozens of U.S. citizens be[ing] kidnapped across Mexico” may cause some students to rethink this destination as a Spring Break party place.

As explained in the US Department of Travel’s Alert Mexican drug cartels are battling not only between each other, but also with local police to secure narcotic trafficking routes along the United States Mexico Border. The attacks are said to resemble, “small-unit combat, with cartels employing automatic weapons and grenades.”

Arizona’s universities have all issued a warning similar to the Department of Travel’s. University of Arizona Dean of Students, Dr. Carol Thompson, wrote, “The University of Arizona Dean of Students Office strongly advises students to avoid travel to Mexico at this time and during Spring Break.”

Some students aren’t worried

However, some students such as John Paul Devers, a junior at University of Arizona, feel comfortable enough to continue with their plans to travel to Mexico. “My parents own a condo in Rocky Point, it’s for tourists and I know my way around,” says Devers, who will travel to Mexico for the third year in a row for spring break.

Devers is not incredulous of the news reports telling of violence and dangers. “I see it as a real problem,” Devers admits. “It kind of scares me, but I’m going to treat this like it’s any other trip, only maybe be a little bit more cautious.”

Devers, along with other students in Arizona and across the nation cannot ignore the truth of the violence, but he does not see it as a direct threat.  “I don’t think they are overreacting, I just know how to stay safe,” says Devers, who is excitedly counting down to his long-awaited vacation. “I’m just not going to go looking for cocaine or hookers.”

Devers’ view of the threat the violence poses to tourists is similar to that of Doreen McDonald, owner of Your Personal Travel Service in Prescott. “I would not hesitate to send a group of college students to Puerto Penasco,” says McDonald.

Puerto Penasco (Rocky Point)

Puerto Penasco, also known as Rocky Point, the most accessible beach for Arizona students, and according to McDonald is miles from the core of the cartel violence, and has increased security since the travel alert was issued.

“It’s only 65 miles south of the border, heavily traveled, and feels safer. Drug Lords aren’t patrolling there,” says McDonald.

“More than 1,800 people have been killed in the city since January 2008.”

Despite McDonald’s confidence in the safety of Rocky Point, she says that she has seen the affect of the alert and rising violence on Mexico’s tourism. “We did not have t he bookings for Mexico this year,” says McDonald, comparing this year to the past. “Let’s put it this way, I’ve had about three for spring break this year, about 1 percent of other years.”

Ciudad Juarez

Both McDonald and the Department of Travel advisory specifically mentioned the violence in Ciudad Juarez, where as the travel alert states, “more than 1,800 people have been killed in the city since January 2008.  Additionally, this city of 1.6 million people experienced more than 17,000 car thefts and 1,650 carjackings in 2008.”

Ciudad Juarez lies 417 miles from Puerto Penasco, which is Devers’ destination and in McDonald’s opinion the safest tourist spot in Mexico. This distance is greater then that from Phoenix, AZ to Los Angeles, CA, or a six hour drive.

Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard says safety concerns around Puerto Peñasco are at a “far lesser degree” than other areas such as Nogales, Juarez and Tijuana. “They are worlds away,” says McDonald comparing the “red border zone” or dangerous cities, and Puerto Peñasco.

Some are staying away

Some students see things in quite a different way than Devers though. College student Danielle Baughman says, “If there weren’t warnings there, I would definitely consider going there, but with all the stuff going on, I wouldn’t choose to go there right now.”

This, along with a post from student Bobby1 on an azcentral.com news article about Spring Breakers ignoring the warnings show that for some, at least, the warnings have hit home. “Mexico for Spring Break? Why even chance it,” he says.

For the students who do choose to travel to Mexico, the U.S. Department of Travel offers a list of things to “Know Before You Go.”  This list includes Mexican laws on required documentation, drug and alcohol consumption, driving laws, and firearm and weapon laws.

“If I could counsel tourists on anything, it would be on the importance of proper documentation and keeping up with those changing laws,” says McDonald.

In addition to this, the U.S. Department of Travel’s notification emphasizes the importance of traveling in numbers, staying in well lit areas, and staying in places that are well populated with tourists and security.

The Tax-Aide program filed 4,700 tax returns between the four sites last year.

AARP’s tax preparers are volunteers and are certified by the Internal Revenue Service. The service is free and is intended for those with low to moderate incomes.

“It’s the best program for your tax dollars,” says Janelle Riedl, manager of the program for the Tri-city area. “The counselors are trained and certified by the IRS.”

This year the Prescott locations are downtown in the Prescott Public Library and in the Frontier Village shopping center Suite 63, between the wig store and the nail salon.

The program opened its doors on Feb. 2 and processed 500 returns within the first five days at the Prescott site.

Depressed economy leaves many unable to use paid tax preparers

According to Riedl, many people need free tax services this year because of the economy. Those who used to go to H&R Block aren’t this year. One woman told Riedl that she usually pays to have her taxes filed but she needed every penny this year. “I told her, we’re the place for you,” says Riedl.

“It’s the best program for your tax dollars.”

According to Riedl people are coming in from all around northern Arizona: from Prescott Valley, Dewey, Mayer, Kirkland, Paulden, Bagdad, Yarnell and Wilhoit.

“It irks me to death that they pay; they shouldn’t,” says Pat Hedgpeth, an AARP volunteer tax preparer. “I’m so adamant; it’s a good program and I believe in the program.”

Homebuyers credit

New this year is the First Time Homebuyers Credit and property tax which can be used as an additional deduction. The deduction is $500 per person not to exceed $1,000. Also, taxpayers can still apply for the 2008 stimulus package signed by former president Bush if they didn’t last year.

According to Riedl, while she was preparing one filer’s taxes she asked if she had paid property taxes last year. The customer said she did last year, but had lost her house this year.

Another woman came in to have her taxes filed and her refund was more than her annual salary for the year because she received earned income credit and $7,500 for the first time homebuyer’s tax credit, according to Hedgpeth.

“People appreciate what we do,” says Russell Fosha, an AARP volunteer tax preparer.
Fosha has been a volunteer tax preparer for the last eight years. He took the test and the on-site training in order to be a volunteer again this year.

Trained volunteers

Many of the volunteers put in long hours. Fosha describes his co-workers as pleasant, some of whom are at the tax preparation site from the beginning until the end of the day “and are still amiable,” he says.

Riedl is in at 8 a.m. and out at 7:30 p.m. She received an award for 25 years of service with the Tax-Aide program this year.

Bill Dunham keeps the program’s software updated. He reinstalls it on each computer as the updates come in throughout the beginning of the tax season. He says that he spent the first couple of weeks sorting through the software changes that come in.

This year Grace Investments donated the building and the utilities, Commspeed donated the internet service and A.C.N., a digital phone service provider, donated the phone service, according to Riedl.
The IRS started the program to help those with low and moderate incomes stay in compliance with filing their taxes, according to Riedl.

Many people were breaking even or were paying more for filing their taxes than they were receiving in refunds.

According to the AARP website, aarp.org, the Tax-Aide program began in 1968. Since 1980 it has operated under a cooperative agreement with the IRS. The program provides a variety of services including face-to-face counseling and tax preparation during tax season, at more than 9,000 senior and community centers, libraries and other locations across the nation.

The program is “meant to help people receive their refunds,” says Riedl.

Locations

The AARP has several tax preparation sites in the Tri-city area. They are located at the Prescott Public Library, the Frontier Village shopping center, the Chino Valley Senior Center and the Prescott Valley Senior Center.

The schedule for the Prescott location at Frontier Village, Suite 63, is 9-5 on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays; 12-8 on Wednesdays and 10-2 on Saturdays.
The schedule for the Prescott Library in the Founder’s Suite is 9-3 on Mondays and Tuesdays.
The schedule for the Chino Valley Senior Center is 9-2 on Tuesdays.
The schedule for the Prescott Valley Senior Center is 9-2 on Mondays and Wednesdays and 2-8 on Tuesdays.

“There are so many people that are abandoning animals or re-homing animals because they can no longer care for them, or [they've] lost their homes,” Lee says.

Tough times

In this economy the local animal rescue groups have been stepping up their efforts to make sure all the animals have a safe, happy place to call home.

Community Outreach Coordinator for the Yavapai Humane Society, Tiffany Rice, says, “We just recently transitioned from being a limited admission shelter to an open admission shelter. An open admission shelter means that we don’t turn away any animal in need.”

The Humane Society was able to do this partially due to additional space added over the last few years and to a new adoption center recently opened in the Prescott Gateway Mall.

Rice says, “We’ve had a great response, lots of traffic in and out of there; we did quite a few adoptions when we opened.”

“We started talking about it in November and we opened in January, did a soft opening Jan. 7. We’re doing the grand opening at the mall on Feb. 7 and 8, Saturday and Sunday and it’s a Valentine’s theme. We’re collaborating with some of the restaurants up there, so there will be samples, gift certificates and door prizes,” Rice says.

Open door policy

The Yavapai Humane Society was able to help about 2,000 animals last year. They are hoping to expand that number with the transition to an open shelter and the addition of the new adoption center in the mall.

UAF, a non-profit organization, is stepping up its spay and neuter clinics in an effort to keep the number of homeless animals down.

Lee says, “We are also bringing down a mobile spay/neuter clinic every month this year to PETCO.”    That is up significantly from last year when UAF was only able to facilitate the spay and neuter clinic every several months.

In addition to the mobile clinic “We have the only low income spay/neuter certificate program in Yavapai County. And if people need help altering their animals, they can call our main number and we can send them out certificates where they pay a third, we pay a third and the vet pays a third,” says Lee, all in an effort to reduce the number of homeless pets.

The Yavapai Humane Society was able to help about 2,000 animals last year.

UAF strives to help any animals in need, not just dogs and cats. “Occasionally we come across horses. We actually re-homed a horse and a mule last year. We have a couple of goats in my courtesy listing program and we have re-homed some rabbits,” says Lee.

Many pet rescue organizations are mostly run by volunteers, including UAF. “We’ are just a group of volunteers. We actually last year just got our first executive director so we have one paid position and the rest are volunteers,” Lee says.

Funding challenges

Finding the funds to do what pet rescue organizations do can be a challenge. NOAH, a thrift shop on Granite Street, typically donates 25 to 30 percent of their revenue to local non-profit animal groups, according to Manager Terry Hendrick.

They give to; “Miss Kitty’s Cat House, UAF, Humane Society, Bradshaw Wildlife Refuge, Heritage Park, Hacienda De Los Milagros Donkey Rescue, PAALS,” says Hendrick.

NOAH has been in operation for 11 years. Hendrick says, “In December, at the end of the year, I ended up giving out $7,000. I usually give $4,000 a month.”

The store is mostly run by volunteers and, “We recently opened the boutique next door because of overflow,” says Hendrick. This may allow them to raise even more funds.

There are many other organizations in the Prescott area whose goal is to help our four-legged friends. The SRP Collection, Supporting Rescued Pets, houses and shelters pets while finding them homes.

Another is PAALS, Prescott Area Animal Lifesavers. According to petfinder.com PAALS is a non-profit that has been in operation for 21 years. They also help to house and care for pets while  homes are being found for them.

All of these organizations have various fundraising efforts to help pay for their operations. Most of them are non-profit. In the case of the Yavapai Humane Society they receive no funds from the county or the City of Prescott.

Spring Swing

The Yavapai Humane Society has a yearly gala that raises the majority of their funds. However, this year they are expanding their events. Rice says, “What we’re calling it is the ‘Yavapai Humane Society’s Spring Swing’; it’s March 7. It’s an appetizer cocktail party at the Hassayampa Inn, with a show across the street at the Elks Opera House with the Arizona Swing Machine.”

All of these organizations are always looking for volunteers and donations, since most if not all of their proceeds come from donations.

For more information on the Yavapai Humane Society call 928-445-2666. You can reach UAF at 928-778-2924 and PAALS at 928-772-8063.

Gallery Photos by Frances Karl

Such programs recently added to the Yavapai College offerings include Pharmacy Technician, Mining, and Social Services.

The level of need

Prior to beginning a new program, the college researches the level of need for it.  According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the need for Pharmacy Technicians is expected to increase by thirty-two percent from 2006 to 2016. 

In 2006, Yavapai College received a grant from the Department of Labor and the Pharmacy Tech program was proposed at that time.

Pharmacy Tech

Pharmacy technicians assist pharmacists in preparing and providing medication and health products to consumers and patients.  The compensation for this area averages fifteen dollars per hour. Our new Pharmacy Technician program is a certificate program run by Nancy Bowers and consists of 33 and 36 credit hours.  It takes approximately five semesters to complete and has eleven required courses. 
If this type of work does not inspire you, consider YC’s new Mining program, headed up by John Morgan, Career and Technical Education Dean of Yavapai College. 

Mining

According to Morgan, Freeport McMoran, Incorporated approached Yavapai College and indicated there was a huge labor shortfall in mining, and there was a need for more than one thousand people per year in Arizona alone.  Freeport put up the money to get the program off the ground and “the college provided building space, supervision, and the faculty to run it,” Morgan said.
 

The two-year program requires that the student be hired by the mine to be in the program; one must pass security clearance, the compass test as well as interviews.  The three degree areas available are Industrial Plant Technician, Diesel Technician, and Electrical and Instrumentation Technician.

Social Services

Last but hardly least; pending final approval, a brand new two-year Social Services associate program will become available for Yavapai students.  Psychology instructor Al Garbagnati is heading up this program.

According to Garbagnati, the program was actually suggested ten years ago, but there was not enough interest expressed to pursue it at that time.  About a year ago, a faculty member of the Verde campus asked again if the program could be reconsidered.

A community needs survey was sent to local businesses that use social service workers, followed by a student needs survey which was distributed in fall of 2007.  The response was affirmative that the program would be well received and used by both students and local facilities.

“The next step in the process was the evaluation of other programs like it to see what fit and what could be transferrable,” Garbagnati said.

  “Pima at Tucson and Northern New Mexico were primary resources in molding our program.” 

He then prepared his proposal for the program in written format.  Barbara Wing, Prescott Campus Dean “reviewed it, and tweaked it slightly” as Garbagnati puts it.  In November it went to the Curriculum Committee, which meets monthly; final approval is expected effective January 2009, however the program would not officially be offered until the fall 2009 semester. 

This degree would provide a student with an Associate of Applied Science degree in Social and Human Services, or there is an abbreviated certificate program available which consists of 21 credits. The Associate’s degree consists of six core courses, 150 hours and a summer internship.  Three new courses that would be required for the degree are Group Skills and Processes, Trauma and Crisis Intervention, and Case Management.  The best part however, may be that there is no College Algebra required.

The owner of the home, Betsy Chance, loves decorating her home every year and says, “You know people appreciate it, yelling out the window ‘we love your lights’… they do that when you’re out there, at least you know that they enjoy it.”

Chance has always loved decorating her home with lights. She and her housemate started decorating their home when they “…rented a place the first year, which was 11 years ago, on Marina Street and got really carried away,” says Chance. 

Getting started

Then Chance moved to her current location off Whipple Street. “We got this place and I had this entire yard and I just couldn’t resist.” Now 11 years later it has become a tradition. 

“Now, we’ve got a set up… he’s programmed all the music that goes with the lights,” says Chance. Her housemate does all the computer programming on a program called Light-O-Rama. He programs the lights to shift to a tenth of a second, to the holiday music they play in the evenings. 

The lights are in layers of color on the roof; they cover the siding, the trees and pretty much every tangible nook and cranny.

Chance prefers colored lights. “Colors are my thing, not white. White is beautiful but it just doesn’t bring out the excitement for me, and I don’t think for other people.”

“Colors are my thing, not white.  White is beautiful but it just doesn’t bring out the excitement for me…”

The costs

Over the years Chance has had to upgrade her electrical system to support all the lights. She has also upgraded the cording on the lights to a more industrial grade.

“I had to have a whole new electrical thing. But now I have everything outside. We have four breaker boxes with plug-ins.” Those four breaker boxes are in addition to the original breaker box on the house which is now reserved for household use and to run the computer and sound system. 

The Holiday House has become an investment for Chance. On an average year Chance spends $3,000 to $4,000 on new decorations. “I go after [Christmas] too, so I get it 50 percent off,” she says. But, “The one year we did [upgrade] the electrical it was …$5,000.”

There’s also the added cost of the electricity to run all of the lights. “Last year it was only like $50 extra for the month and of course I leave it for several months.  To me it’s no big deal; if you’re going to buy lights you’re going to buy electricity; they seem to go hand and hand.”

The cost is all worth it to Chance. “A lot of people say  ‘how can you stand those electricity bills?’ and I say ‘well because I love the lights, I love the electricity,’” she says.

The set-up

Chance always decorates for Christmas and makes a point of leaving the decorations up well after Christmas so everyone gets the opportunity to see them. She also works hard to get the lights up early. “I have three weeks to do it in and have to have it all up. Usually we try to get the music up on Thanksgiving,” she says.

It is always a crunch every year meeting her deadline. “I work all day; it’s only evenings that I can decorate,” says Chance.

Chance prefers to decorate in the evenings because she can get an idea of how the decorations look as she’s putting them up. This is important because she has a hard time not using all of her decorations, which are overflowing in several storage sheds. “I appreciate all of it, but you can’t have it all.” 

Not just for Christmas

And all that is just for the Christmas decorations. Chance also decorates for Halloween. “Usually on the Saturday before [Halloween] I try to open it up for everyone to walk through.” she says.

Chance and her housemate recruit people to help them on that Saturday before Halloween. Volunteers pull on strings that drop down scary decorations from the trees in the yard and off the roof. 

“Now of course, I don’t know where to stop,” says Chance. She says she’ll keep decorating for the foreseeable future.