My grandfather, a federal judge in Tucson, spoke of newspaper reporters who botched the facts, or twisted them to fit the story.

When I told Grandpa that I yearned to be a journalist, he did a pretty good job disguising what must have been disappointment. He loved us so much and would never have discouraged our dreams.

I knew from the time I started my “Dear Gabby” column in the student newspaper at St. Michael’s Parish Day School that I wanted to be a journalist.

I wanted to tell people’s stories.

I walked into the Citizen newsroom Jan. 7, 1985, as a journalism student at the University of Arizona.

I knew I was home.

The image of the adrenaline-charged editors jumping up from the news desk to yell “Stop the presses,” still brings a shiver.

My early days were spent filing photo negatives and answering phones. Then I became a real reporter. I covered cops and courts. I covered Mexico. I wrote breaking news and in-depth projects. I was doing what I dreamed of, telling the stories of people in the city I was born and raised in, the city my ancestors lived and died in.

I became assistant city editor, and later assistant features editor.

Then came the babies. After becoming a mom, I worked out a deal that allowed me to work part-time, mostly from home. I wrote about fetal alcohol syndrome. I wrote about drug-addicted parents. I wrote about violent children.

They are unforgettable, these stories of a lifetime.

There was the elderly woman, dressed in black and clutching rosary beads as she prayed at the base of a mountain of rubble in the heart of Mexico City.

Her daughter’s family lived in a high rise that tumbled during an early morning earthquake that left more than 10,000 dead. She prayed for a miracle that somehow her family had escaped.

It was a miracle that never came.

There was the hulking, blind man with mental illness who was led shuffling and shackled into the courtroom after voices in his head told him to kill his mother, whom he said had inflicted cruelty upon him for decades.

There was a young woman with all her possessions piled into an abandoned shopping cart as she headed to a shelter after completing rehab. Free from methamphetamine after a 13-year addiction, she was starting a new life for her and her boys.

There were the heroes, too many to count.

Gail Leland was the first hero I met along the way. Her 14-year-old son Richard was murdered in 1981, and his killer was never caught.

Gail and her best friend, Gloria Fritz, helped others going through their same hell. Gloria’s adorable 7-year-old daughter, Cathy, was murdered in 1982.

The two moms sat in their living rooms and talked with other parents who had lost children to murder. Today, 27 years later, Gail continues her mission, always missing her friend, Gloria, who died from cancer in 2000. Through Parents of Murdered Children and now Homicide Survivors, Gail has helped thousands of Tucsonans devastated by the murder of a loved one.

There was quiet rancher Jim Corbett, who was prosecuted for helping Salvadorans fleeing violence in their homeland. He offered food and shelter to the tormented.

There was Teresa Kellerman, who 31 years ago adopted John, a baby with fetal alcohol syndrome. What started as a mom advocating for services for her son led to Teresa educating people around the globe about the permanent brain damage caused when a pregnant woman drinks alcohol.

There were Laura and Bill Henderson. When Laura said her prayers at night, she would ask God to let her live long enough to see her grandsons into adulthood. The couple, in their 70s and 80s, were helping with homework, packing lunches and carting kids around after the boys’ parents could not care for them.

The Hendersons were among thousands of Tucson grandparents left to raise children, usually when parents are lost to addiction, incarceration, mental illness or death. They found help and a family at the KARE Family Center in Tucson.

There was Mark Loebe, a young man struggling to figure out who he was. He had pieced together his past, one in which he was so terribly beaten as an infant that he nearly died.

But he survived, and was adopted. Mark dreams of someday becoming a dad. For now, he helps other youngsters who have been abused.

They are the stories that live in my heart, and in the Tucson Citizen archives. I am forever grateful to those who shared their lives with me.

It has been a privilege to write about the city I love so dearly. I am thankful for my grandfather, my parents, my brother, my husband and my three children for all their love and support, as well as my incredible Citizen family.

I hope I made you proud, Grandpa.

To help kids prepare for summer reading, A Children's House of Books owner Pat James is having a trading day where families can trade a can of food for a book.

Finding a cool spot to get lost in a good book is one of the best ways to survive a Tucson summer.

The “bookmarm,” as she calls herself, at A Children’s House of Books wants to connect Tucson kids with great reading to help beat the heat.

“I want to foster literacy in the community,” said retired teacher Pat James, owner of the children’s used book shop at 2624 N. First Ave.

James, who opened A Children’s House of Books six months ago, has transformed the spot into a charming, colorful hideaway, with children’s art on the walls. A brightly colored paper dragon, created by students at Miles Exploratory Learning Center, hangs from the ceiling.

There is a dress-up chest, vintage toys and about 5,000 books for children up to about age 13 to choose from. Nearly all are used. Some belonged to her children, now grown.

James wants to make it easy for children to get books. Families can trade in books or pay half the list price.

She is hosting Trading Day from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 22-23. Families can trade cans of food, to be donated to the Community Food Bank, for books.

“Bring in a can of food and get a book, or bring in a book and get a can of food,” James said.

James, who retired from Tucson Unified School District in 2004, also offers teaching resources.

She wanted to spread her love of reading to kids in the neighborhood. She offers story time at 11 a.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays, along with tutoring and special events.

“It’s very important for families to have books in the house and to be reading to children,” she said.

LIBRARY SUMMER READING KICKS OFF

Kids, teens and adults can join the free summer reading club at Pima County Public Library, winning prizes and taking part in hundreds of educational activities.

“Be Creative @ Your Library” runs May 21 through July 18.

The calendar of events is available at all branch libraries.

Children can pick up a free “Be Creative @ Your Library” game board at any branch and use the game board to keep track of how many hours they read. They can also log their minutes online at library.pima.gov.

For every six hours spent reading, children earn prizes. All those who read 24 hours by July 18 will receive a certificate and a ticket for four people to the Tucson Toros baseball game at Hi Corbett Field on July 26. Six hours of extra reading will earn the child a pass to Breakers Water Park and a free paperback book.

The reading program for teens, called “Rock a Book,” is open to ages 12 to 18. They can earn coupons for local businesses and other prizes for every 10 hours spent reading. Prizes include a $10 gift certificate to Bookmans and a backstage pass to the “Rock a Book” band finale, where they can watch bands in the Main Library’s garage. Teens can register online at library.pima.gov or go to their neighborhood library for details.

Adults can list, rate and review books online, earning chances in weekly drawings for $5 Bookmans’ credit slips. Those who read 20 hours will earn a reusable book bag and a pass with discounts to Pima County attractions. Those who read 30 hours by July 18 will be entered into a drawing for a $100 credit voucher at Bookmans.

Citizen file photo by RENEE BRACAMONTE

Pat James in her store, A Children's House of Books, 2624 N. First Ave. James sells children's books - mostly used - in her 6-month-old store.

James is a retired Tucson Unified School District Teacher. Many of the used books belonged to her own children.

———

IF YOU GO

What: Trading Day at A Children’s House of Books. Bring in a can of food and take home a book, or bring in books to trade

Where: 2624 N. First Ave.

When: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 22-23

Price: free admission

Info: 822-8211

Billy Brown, 71, has received assistance from Community Home Repair Projects of Arizona through the Pima Council on Aging.

Related: Depression survivor fears losing independence

Just as more older Tucsonans need help with basic necessities – food and a safe place to live – the agency that cares for the aging in Pima County is facing crippling budget cuts.

Expected cuts of about $3.8 million statewide, if approved by the Arizona Legislature, could gut programs that allow seniors to live safely in their own homes, said Jim Murphy, president and CEO of the Pima Council on Aging.

The proposal under consideration in the House could mean about $760,000 in cuts to PCOA, on top of another $413,000 in cuts earlier this year, requiring a reduction in services and staff, Murphy said.

“The services were never sufficient to support people before, and now we are facing massive budget cuts,” said Diana Edwards, a program director at PCOA.

“We’ve been successful in keeping people on the brink. But now as our funding is jeopardized, they’re going to fall over, and what are we going to do?”

State Sen. Jonathan Paton knows budget cuts will hurt vulnerable seniors, but he said lawmakers are hamstrung by the economy.

“It’s absolutely difficult to make these decisions, affecting people in a vulnerable situation,” the Tucson Republican said. “You’re choosing between seniors and kids and neither choice is easy.”

The Legislature is forced to fund a $10 billion budget with $6.5 billion, he said, and cuts are unavoidable.

For PCOA, cuts may mean a reduction in services that include emergency home repair, transportation, personal hygiene services, mortgage counseling, job training and other help. The agency serves thousands of Pima County seniors and their family caregivers.

“What is that train wreck that is coming just around the corner?” Edwards asked. “What’s that going to look like? We know it’s going to be messy and ugly and there’s nothing we can do to prevent it.”

She worries that with some clients, cuts in services are a matter of life and death.

“It’s who lives and who dies, literally, because we’re talking about food and shelter,” she said.

Many seeking help since the economic downturn have been self-sufficient all their lives, she said. Some live in high-end retirement neighborhoods and have lost investments and retirement income.

“We’re seeing people who have never needed help before,” Edwards said. “They’re desperate.”

PCOA official: Cuts more costly in long run

For 42 years, Pima Council on Aging has helped older Tucsonans with services they need to survive.

Last year, the agency provided nearly 375,000 meals, 22,000 rides, hundreds of emergency home repairs and countless baths, housekeeping services and other help.

The agency operates on a budget of about $8.3 million, with 85 percent provided by federal, state, county and city funding, said Jim Murphy, president and CEO of PCOA.

Based on a bill passed by the Appropriations Committee in the Arizona House of Representatives Tuesday, the agency expects to lose about $760,000 in funding from the state this coming fiscal year, Murphy said. It lost another $413,000 from the state in March.

Under the current budget, PCOA received about $3.2 million in state funds. For the fiscal year that starts July 1, that amount could be $2.5 million.

“We know we’re going to have to reduce services and staff,” Murphy said.

PCOA is the designated Area Agency on Aging, coordinating services for older adults and their families through local agencies. The services allow older Tucsonans to stay in their homes longer.

Murphy said program cuts will be more costly in the long run. “By providing these services, we are able to delay on an average of three years folks going into care,” he said.

While a nursing home for an indigent senior can cost the state $3,500 per month, PCOA services cost about $250 to $300 per month, Murphy said.

With the spiraling economy and increases in foreclosures and unemployment, PCOA is getting more requests for help.

“People are calling in and saying they have never had to seek services, but they now need help to buy food or even to pay for their homeowners association fee,” said Debra Adams, chief operating officer at PCOA.

Many are distraught when they find there are not enough services.

“People assume there has been a social safety net,” said Diana Edwards, a program director at PCOA. “There never was much of a net. It had great big giant holes. And now it’s a thread and people are shocked.”

In the past couple of years, growing numbers of seniors have taken in adult children who have lost jobs, or they are raising grandchildren.

“That Social Security check has covered the older person, but it’s not going to stretch for the added mouths to feed,” Edwards said.

While state dollars are dwindling, it appears federal dollars are stable. But often state dollars are used as a required match for federal funding, which could jeopardize some grants, Adams said.

The good news, according to the agency, is that nutrition programs, including delivered meals, appear to be safe for now. Stimulus dollars have been earmarked for senior nutrition.

But Adams said cuts will force agencies to make difficult choices.

“Is it more important to bathe people? Is it more important to repair their homes? Is it more important to make sure they can stay on Medicare? Is it more important to help caregivers? How do we decide who gets the service and who doesn’t?”

She said families are not looking for handouts.

“Take the person who’s providing everything for his father except for the twice weekly bath,” Adams said. “That’s all they’re asking. They are not looking for freebies.”

Not enough money for homes needing repairs

The roof on the old trailer leaks, and the swamp cooler hasn’t worked in years.

A shattered window is boarded up, and bare wires on the roof pose a fire hazard.

The toilet in the tiny bathroom wobbles precariously.

The home of Billy and Loma Brown is in desperate need of repair.

“Things are really falling apart, and I can’t fix this on my own,” says homeowner Billy Brown, 71, who is ill and disabled. For 35 years, he has lived in the South Side trailer with his wife, Loma, 70.

Thanks to Pima Council on Aging, the Browns got help this week fixing up some of the more urgent problems, allowing them to live safely in their own home.

But expected cuts in state funding to PCOA could leave older Tucsonans like the Browns with nowhere to turn for help.

“It’s so hard to find people who will help you out, and it sort of leaves you stranded,” said Loma Brown, who survives with her husband on about $1,100 in Social Security each month.

Last year, PCOA provided emergency home repair grants of up to $750 per household to 683 Pima County residents. It also provided grants of up to $4,000 to 65 residents for more major repairs.

Most of the people receiving the home repairs – 77 percent – were older women.

But budget cuts threaten to gut the program.

Volunteers Kristi Bowman and Dan Portice with the nonprofit organization Community Home Repair Projects of Arizona spent a couple of days at the Browns’ trailer. PCOA contracts with the agency to do repairs.

They replaced the motor and pump on the swamp cooler and rewired it. They patched the leaky roof.

They fixed the window and installed grab bars in the bathroom to prevent Billy Brown from falling as he gets in and out of the tub. Twice the fire department has been called to help him up.

“This helps out a whole lot,” said Brown, who became medically disabled in 1980 after several on-the-job injuries at a transportation company.

Bowman said there are more people who need help than there are grants.

“It gives me a whole different perspective on what it means to have a roof over your head,” she said of her volunteer work.

Agency seeing more suicides as elderly lose homes, hope

They come to Pima Council on Aging hoping mortgage counseling will save their homes from foreclosure.

But it soon becomes obvious that some seniors are nearing the end of their rope.

Mortgage counselors at PCOA “will see four or five people a day who say if something can’t be done, I’m going to kill myself,” said Donna Carender, who heads training through the Older Adults Suicide Prevention program at PCOA.

She worries that recent economic troubles combined with health problems and isolation many seniors experience are resulting in more suicides.

Tucson has the third highest suicide rate in U.S., out of 54 large metro areas, and the older you are, the more at risk you are, Carender said.

“It’s going to get worse,” she said. “We’re hearing more and more people that are losing everything. Older adults had enough stressors on them in the first place. To take more stressors and not have an idea of where to go to get help, we’re going to see (suicide rates) jump really high.”

Carender trains social workers, meal delivery volunteers, home health care workers, family members and others on what to look for in a suicidal senior.

She also trains people to do interventions. Some take place at the PCOA office.

She said if a senior can be connected with solutions to problems, often the desperation can be alleviated.

Carender advises people about how to talk to seniors about suicide, using the word, so seniors can identify who they would tell if they were considering it.

“Most people don’t want to be dead. They just don’t want to be alive right now,” she said. “We don’t want them to take that step to get rid of that problem that’s going to be permanent.”

Program helps older people looking for work

Dan Toth is certain of one thing: He has no desire to be a Wal-Mart greeter.

But armed with a master’s degree and a lifetime of work experience, Toth, 59, is finding it difficult to get a job in this economy.

So he’s turned to Pima Council on Aging’s Mature Worker Connection for help.

“It’s kind of painful to think of yourself as a mature worker, but I considered it an opportunity to build a network,” said Toth, who has worked as a remodeling project manager, a business developer and a youth corrections worker. He also owned his own business.

“Part of my dream job would be working at management level at a nonprofit or a private company,” Toth said.

Since January, Toth, the married father of four grown children, has been optimistic about three jobs. He’s had one interview, and no job. He spends his free time volunteering.

Roger Forrester, program administrator for the free Mature Worker Connection, said calls from older residents like Toth who are looking for work have quadrupled in the past 18 months.

“People are worried about outliving their retirement income,” he said. “These are people who thought they had it made. They are desperate for work, at a time when employers are laying off.”

The program, among the first of its kind in the country, has an annual budget of $143,000 and relies on volunteers. It is unknown how cuts in the state budget will impact the program, but Jim Murphy, president and CEO of PCOA, said it is likely that it could lose some funding.

About 750 older workers have been placed in jobs since the program began in 2006.

“They come from every walk of life and profession,” said Forrester, who started the program after he retired. “We’ve had doctors, a judge – you name it.”

Half are seeking jobs in their former professions. The others are looking for new careers.

About 54 percent of people in the program are women, some who have never been employed.

The program is open to workers ages 50 and older. Some applicants are in their 80s.

Forrester said many older job hunters feel “invisible.”

The program connects potential workers with free job training and helps employers understand the value of mature workers, Forrester said.

Currently, 507 employers are registered, including Raytheon and the University of Arizona.

Toth, meanwhile, hopes the right company will appreciate his years of experience.

“You have to be optimistic just to get through it,” he said. “It’s really a tough time out there.”

Kristi Bowman of Community Home Repair Projects of Arizona explains some of the repairs she did on the swamp cooler at the home of Billy and Loma Brown.

Kristi Bowman, a volunteer with Community Home Repair Projects of Arizona, installs safety bars in the shower at the Browns' home.

Billy Brown talks about the couple's finances. The Browns survive on about $1,100 a month in Social Security payments.

Goldie Breeding, 86, tends a rose bush in her yard that produces magnificent pink blooms. It was an 80th birthday present from her family, and she gives roses to friends at church and people who are ill.

She survived the Great Depression, the deaths of two husbands and breast cancer.

Goldie Breeding, 86, is one self-sufficient woman.

But the economy has Breeding fearing for her independence. While she is able to manage her expenses by clipping coupons and hunting for bargains, Breeding worries that a new prescription for her spinal arthritis or any other expense might prohibit her from living on her own.

“Food is my big concern,” says Breeding, who lives on Social Security and a small pension. “It’s gotten so expensive. And if I have to go on medication, I don’t know what I would do. I’d probably have to sell and move in with someone.”

Breeding is lucky. She knows any of her six children would be happy for her to move in.

But she doesn’t want to leave the mobile home where she has lived since she retired in 1999 at age 75.

“I eat what I want to, I watch what I want to,” says the retired home health care nurse. “I want to remain independent as long as possible. My family needs privacy, and so do I.”

She worries about how the economy is hurting her older friends who have no one to turn to.

In recent years, Breeding, a Tucson resident since 1947, has received help with unexpected expenses from Pima Council on Aging.

After a knee replacement in 2003, the agency installed a ramp, so she would not have to walk the eight steps up to her mobile home.

PCOA built a new roof four years ago after a storm ripped off a portion. “My insurance wouldn’t cover the roof, and it’s so expensive to fix these old mobile homes,” she said.

The agency helped her get a bracelet that she can use to alert authorities if she falls and needs assistance. The spinal arthritis causes Breeding to easily lose her balance.

Each time, her family has made a donation to the agency, she said.

Breeding relies on Van Tran or her children for rides to the doctor, church or shopping. She shops at four grocery stores, looking for the best value.

Breeding, who was born in 1922, was one of nine children, seven who survived past childhood.

Her father developed typhoid fever in Missouri, and the family moved to Phoenix in 1926 when Goldie was 4. She has vivid memories of the Depression.

“We were fortunate to live on a dairy farm, so we had milk and vegetables,” she said.

She recalls a time when her family had no butter, having sold all the cream from the farm.

“Daddy was selling everything he could. Mama said we had to go downtown and sign up to get margarine. I didn’t know what that was.”

Her parents always managed.

“We were young and we didn’t realize how tough times were,” Breeding said. “Mama always had a pot of stew. She made good bread and we always had a pot of beans.”

Goldie married in 1939 at age 17. She and husband James had two children. But James died, leaving her a widow at age 22.

She remarried, and she and husband Herschell had four children. At age 50, Goldie was again widowed when Herschell died from a heart attack in 1971.

It was then she went to work for the first time, and loved the years she spent caring for others.

Breeding has six children, 14 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren and six great-great-grandchildren. “I’m so rich,” she said.

She predicts the economy will get worse before it gets better.

“I call it a depression,” she said. “I lived through one and that’s what it feels like to me.”

She turns to her faith in hard times, and hopes her prayers will be answered.

“I’m praying that this new president can turn things around, but he has a lot on his shoulders,” she said.

“Every night I pray for the United States to be back to where it was when I was raising children. I want Tucson to be back to the way it was.”

Breeding walks down a ramp for which the Pima Council on Aging helped find a builder when her right knee was replaced six years ago.

The Pima Council on Aging helped Breeding get a medical alert device that notifies authorities if she falls and needs assistance.

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HELP FOR SENIORS

Pima Council on Aging provides services to seniors and their caregivers. It is the designated Area Agency on Aging and acts as a conduit, coordinating services for older adults through other local agencies.

Among the services provided are meal delivery and congregate meals; personal budgeting assistance; employment services; transportation; home repair and housekeeping; and personal care services.

For more information, call 790-7262 or go to pcoa.org.

Among the most famous aficionados of rebozos was Mexican painter Frida Kahlo.

The Tucson Museum of Art will celebrate the history of these eye-catching accessories at the “Festival de Rebozos, The Beautiful Shawls of Mexico,” from May 5-10.

The Latin American Art Patrons who support the museum will present the festival. Included is an educational program for schools, with presentations by Armandina Cruz, director of the Casa del Rebozo of Guadalajara, Mexico.

The week will culminate with two public events:

• A Gala Celebration of Music and Dance, 6 p.m. May 9, featuring Mexican appetizers and a program on the history of rebozos in music, poetry and dance. Mariachi Luz de Luna and Folklorico San Juan will perform. A fashion show demonstrating the ways to wear rebozos will be included. Tickets are $30 per person.

• Mother’s Day/Dia de las Madres family celebration, noon to 4 p.m. p.m. May 10. Families can bring in rebozos for evaluation and watch a master weaver demonstrate her craft.

There will be booths selling aguas frescas, churros and paletas, and a photo booth for a family portraits. Admission is free.

Both events will be at the museum, 140 N. Main Ave.

Rebozos can be woven in cotton, silk, cotton and silk or artisela rayon. Their long, narrow rectangular ends are knotted and fringed. The scarve can be worn as an everyday wrap or as a fashion accessory for evening wear.

Handmade rebozos will be for sale, with proceeds to benefit Latin American Art programs, exhibits and acquisitions at the museum.

For more information, call 624-2333.

Butch, Zack Levin's steer, peers out of a holding chute as Levin grooms him. After his bath, Butch escaped and played in a dirt pile on the Levin property. Butch, who was slaughtered this week, won reserve champion carcass at the Pima County Fair.

For eight months, most of Zack Levin’s free time has been spent with Bill and Butch.

He’s fed them, groomed them, trained them and cared for their needs.

And now, he has to say goodbye.

Bill and Butch are steers that Zack, a 15-year-old freshman at Sabino High School, has prepared to show at the Pima County Fair.

For six years, Zack has been a member of Littletown Ranchers 4-H Club, one of about 30 clubs in Pima County.

He’s matter-of-fact about letting these two guys go.

“It can be a little difficult, depending on how attached you get, but it’s not difficult for me at all,” Zack said.

His mom will be the one weeping when they send Bill off Saturday.

“Zack looks at the business of it more than the emotional attachment,” said Laura Levin, who was involved in 4-H in her youth.

Bill was shown Thursday and won third in his market class. Zack also won a blue ribbon for showmanship.

Bill will be sold Saturday at the Pima County Junior Livestock Auction at the fair.

Butch, whom Zack entered in the carcass category, was slaughtered earlier this week. He earned a reserve champion carcass award.

Since August, when he bought the two animals, Zack has spent about 15 hours a week caring for the steers, who lived on his grandparents’ property on the far Northeast Side. He often rode his bike before and after school to care for the animals.

Daily activities included training the hair coat by washing, combing and blow drying; walking Bill to get him used to it; working with his feet so he can place them during the show and feeding the animals sweet feed, corn, oats and Bermuda hay twice a day.

Judging is based on showmanship and the look of the finished steer.

Zack said steer and swine, which he raised previously, have distinct personalities. “They’re just like people. “They have emotions. They get mad. They plot their revenge. They cry.”

He said Bill is a bit unpredictable. “He’s nice when he wants to be.”

Bill, who weighs 1,060 pounds, is a bit small. But Zack hopes to get about $3 per pound at Saturday’s auction, which would pay for the purchase of the two steers. But the Levins are concerned the economy will result in lower prices at auction.

Animals often are sold to business owners like car dealer Jim Click, construction firms or companies including Bashas’ Supermarkets. Some donate the meat to charity.

In addition to showing the steer, Zack entered the photography and cooking competitions.

Last year, he won Best of Show for a photo he took of a bridge in Florence, Italy.

This year, he won two purple ribbons – outstanding – for photos, one of his dog, Charlie.

He also won a purple ribbon for his free-form apple tart and three blues – very good – for two varieties of cinnamon rolls and his crescent rolls.

Zack said he often cooks with his grandmother, Jan Levin.

He said he will consider farming and ranching in the future, but he’s not sure the market will be strong.

He is also considering starting his own restaurant or opening Zack’s Mustang Service, where he can work on his favorite car.

Laura Levin is happy her son chose to be involved in 4-H.

“It was a big thing for me when I was growing up,” she said. “I have to say 4-H is is one of the best things out there for kids. There’s so much to get involved with, and it teaches you responsibility.”

Zack said 4-H members occasionally get teased by other kids. But it doesn’t bother him.

“I enjoy how it helps with your leadership skills,” he said. “You learn a lot about animals and marketing and you build a lot of friendships. A lot of my family has done it, and it’s good to carry on.”

Tucson Citizen photo intern Heather Raftery contributed to this report.

Zack Levin, 15, wipes the dirt off of Butch, his 4-H fair steer. After Levin gave him a bath, Butch had escaped and played in a dirt pile on the Levin's property in east Tucson. Levin will be entering the steer at the Pima County Fair this week.

Zach with Bill, who placed third in his market group and won a blue ribbon for showmanship. Bill will be sold on Saturday.

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IF YOU GO

What: Pima County Fair

When: Daily through Sunday. Main gate opens at noon Friday and 10 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Closing time is from 11:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m.

Where: Pima County Fairgrounds, 11300 S. Houghton Road

Price: $7 general, $2 for ages 6-10, free to children 5 and younger. Parking is $5.

Info: 762-FAIR, pimacountyfair.com

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LIVESTOCK AUCTION

Bill, who is one of about 55 steers shown at the Pima County Fair this year, will be auctioned Saturday.

Large animal stock will be auctioned at 11:45 a.m. The small animal stock auction is at 10:30 a.m. Sunday.

Both events take place under the Pima County Fair Ramada.

Animals will be on display throughout the weekend.

For more information on the auction, call Pat Selke at 749-3531.

PIMA COUNTY 4-H

For more information on getting involved, call 626-5161 or go to http://ag.arizona.edu/pima/4-h/ index.html.

Anthony Silvain did some rock-climbing at Rudy Garcia Park during a previous Healthy Kids Day. Rock- climbing is just one of many activities available to kids this year..

Tell a kid it’s time for cardiovascular endurance training, and you’re likely to get a blank stare.

But offer up a little “Dance Dance Revolution,” Wii Fit, a rock-climbing wall, jumping castle or even toddler yoga – and your little one is far more likely to get moving.

Finding ways to make family fitness fun is the goal of Saturday’s free Healthy Kids Day, sponsored by the YMCA of Southern Arizona and Pima County Public Library.

With nearly 1 in 5 American 4-year-olds being obese and a third of all teens overweight, the message is more important than ever, said Berlin Loa, program outreach director at the Jacobs/City YMCA Program Center.

“In 1991, we saw a trend had begun of children sitting still, with video games and TV as the baby sitter,” Loa said.

The shift in how children spend free time has resulted in heavier kids, and the YMCA and library are trying to lighten things up.

Fun events will be held Saturday at three YMCAs:

• 8:30 a.m. to noon, Northwest center, 7770 N. Shannon Road

• 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Ott center, 401 S. Prudence Road

• 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Jacobs center, 1010 W. Lind St.

Events also will be held at library branches throughout Tucson.

Activities include a kids’ “Y-Athalon,” with swimming, walking and running; modified Junior Olympics; a jumping castle obstacle course; family relays; a checkers game using baby carrots and broccoli pieces that you can eat after capturing them; electronic sports wall games; toddler yoga; a climbing wall; Zumba dance aerobics; and “Dance Dance Revolution” tournaments.

Parents can take home a free Healthy Family Home Starter Kit that includes games, activities and self-tests related to health, activity levels, nutrition and spending family time together.

At least 3,000 Tucsonans are expected to take part in the events, which are held in more than 1,700 YMCAs nationwide.

Loa said the program is especially important during the economic downturn, when more kids are expected to stay home this summer instead of attending camps or sports programs.

“We will show families fun things to do at home, whether you live in a house, an apartment or a mobile home,” she said.

“The key is to make it fun.”

Hula hooping like Alexandra Osorio is a great way for kids to stay active.

Ezekiel Ortiz (foreground), Eddie Alvarez (at left in background) and Tina Lynch get a work out on a minitrampoline at a previous Healthy Kids Day.

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More Fitness Fun

Looking for other ways to inspire your family to get healthy?

The Tucson Children’s Museum is holding A Wealth of Health, Family Health and Wellness Fair, also on Saturday.

Live entertainment, hands-on activities, prizes, healthy snacks, a jumping castle, Wii Fit and more will be featured.

When: 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday

Where: 200 S. Sixth Ave.

Price: Free admission; healthful food available for purchase

Info: 792-9985, tucsonchildrensmuseum.org

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If you go

What: YMCA Healthy Kids Day

Where: Three YMCA branches and several Pima County Public Library branches (see story)

When: Saturday, various times

Price: Free

Info: For a schedule of YMCA events and times, go to www.tucsonymca.org/events/ hkd.php. For a schedule of library events, go online to library.pima.gov/about/news/?id=1251.

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Teen Iron Chef

Are you a kid who likes to create edible concoctions?

Show off your skills at the Healthy Kids Day Teen Iron Chef competition Saturday from noon to 2 p.m. at the John Valenzuela Youth Center, 1550 S. Sixth Ave.

Teams of six teens will battle one another in creating a healthful snack within a set time.

The winning snack will be chosen from a panel of celebrity judges, and prizes will be awarded.

The competition is organized by University of Arizona library science students, said Sol Gomez, librarian at the Sam Lena-South Tucson Branch Library, who is helping with the event.

Participants won’t know until competition starts what ingredients are available to them.

“They will come up with healthy snacks, something they could put together when they come home from school, that taste great,” Gomez said.

To register for the contest, call 594-5265.

Show off your skills at the Healthy Kids Day Teen Iron Chef competition Saturday from noon to 2 p.m. at the John Valenzuela Youth Center, 1550 S. Sixth Ave.

Teams of six teens will battle one another in creating a healthy snack within an allotted amount of time.

The winning snack will be chosen from a panel of celebrity judges, and prizes will be awarded.

The competition is organized by University of Arizona library science students, said Sol Gomez, librarian at the Sam Lena-South Tucson Branch Library, who is helping with the event.

Participants won’t know until competition starts what ingredients are available to them.

“They will come up with healthy snacks, something they could put together when they come home from school, that taste great,” Gomez said.

To register for the competition, call 594-5265.

Krishna Khadka, 24, fills out a job application at the Goodwill Industries store at 2907 N. First Ave. on Friday morning. Khadka is a refugee from Bhutan and was a high school teacher living in a refugee camp in Nepal.

They come from around the globe, making a home in the heart of Tucson.

In the past decade, about 2,000 newly arrived refugees have settled in midtown Tucson, looking to start a new life free from violence, persecution and poverty.

The melding of cultures is evident in the adults and children who stroll down East Grant Road, near Dodge Boulevard, and in the classrooms at Blenman Elementary, Doolen Middle and Catalina Magnet High schools.

Families from Iraq, Afghanistan, Africa and other nations live side by side in apartment complexes, settled there by agencies that assist refugees.

Adjusting to a new language, culture and community is challenging for these displaced and often traumatized people.

Helping them can create challenges for local agencies, police and schools.

Now, the economic crisis all Americans are wrestling with has become their challenge, too.

Krishna Khadka, 24, has a part-time job at a mall food court, but it is not enough to support him and seven family members who resettled here. He is searching for full-time work, filling out an application Friday at Goodwill Industries, 2907 N. First Ave.

Manager Liz Donaldson explained the different jobs at the resale store to Khadka, but told him she gets at least 50 applications a week.

“It has been hard to live here,” said Khadka, a refugee from Bhutan in South Asia, who was a high school teacher before coming to Tucson last year. But he added it was far better than the refugee camp he most recently lived in.

He came with his wife, Phul, and daughter, Crissma, 2, as well as his parents, brother, sister-in-law and niece.

His friend, Uttam Rizal, also a refugee from Bhutan, was with Khadka as he filled out the job application. Rizal, 30, had no trouble finding work after arriving in January. He was hired as a night auditor at a Tucson hotel.

But his hours were cut, and he works only three nights a week.

“It’s not enough money,” Rizal said. “I have many friends who are having trouble finding work. It is quite difficult.”

Ken Briggs, executive director of International Rescue Committee in Tucson, which resettles refugees here, said before the economic downturn, most refugees found jobs adequate to support themselves within 30 to 45 days.

Now it’s taking six to nine months, he said.

Hotels and resorts historically provided jobs for refugees, as did small manufacturers and stores like Target.

Now those businesses have cut jobs, and the ones available often go to skilled workers laid off from other jobs.

Briggs said that in the past, companies have been happy to hire refugees, who generally are loyal, hardworking employees.

“But now they don’t have the money to hire them,” he said.

Jill Rich, of the Jewish Refugee Resettlement of Southern Arizona said the agency is still finding jobs for refugees.

But the program is not placing many refugees at one business, in case it closes, she said.

Refugees do get assistance from the U.S. Resettlement Project. But the 18 months of financial help they used to get has been cut to one month.

Briggs said that in the past six months, IRC resettled 145 people, including 23 families. It is one of four Tucson agencies that resettle refugees fleeing Iraq, Bhutan, Somalia, Central Africa, Cuba and other countries.

He said for the most part, refugees settle comfortably.

“We rarely hear of any complaints,” Briggs said. “We work with (apartment) managers and clients so they are comfortable and safe.”

Briggs said some bullying and teasing occurs because refugees dress and look differently.

But for the most part, “the Tucson community has been welcoming to refugees,” he said.

The agency also connects refugees with English classes and mental health services.

The IRC has reported that almost all of the 1,500 refugees they resettled in Tucson since 1997 originally moved into midtown, with most living in an area bounded by 29th and Glenn streets, Alvernon Way and Kolb Road, along with 500 refugees resettled by other agencies.

Becky Noel, a community service officer with the Tucson Police Department, works with refugees living in midtown apartments.

She teaches them personal safety – why they shouldn’t stand in the middle of Grant during rush hour, for example – and helps them understand police are there to help.

“When there are people from Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries, police to them are not good,” Noel said. “They are not to be trusted. They beat them. Over there, when police show up, you run the other way.”

Recently, a refugee child fell off her bike. An officer stopped to help, “and the kid took off, running and screaming,” Noel said.

Since refugees tend to be fearful, they are hesitant to call police when they become crime victims, she said.

And if they do call, there is often a language barrier. Usually, no one within TPD can speak the many languages represented in the midtown area. Often, police must rely on people from the neighborhood to translate, without being sure that the translation is accurate, she said.

To help refugees understand that police are here to help, the department will hold a fair for refugees May 2, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Reid Park. The department will have officers from SWAT, the dog unit, bicycle unit and other departments.

Refugees are also encouraged to go on police ride-alongs, “to see what we do,” Noel said.

She said some refugee teens get picked on by gang kids. Sometimes they fight back by forming their own gangs.

“But I’ve had more issues with one refugee group not liking another,” she said.

She said refugees with different religious and political views can end up living in the same apartment building, and sometimes have to be separated.

But for the most part, refugees live together peacefully, Noel said.

City Councilwoman Nina Trasoff said the mix of people living in her ward adds to the richness of the community.

“It’s part of what America does for people,” she said. “Sometimes it’s good to step back and see the hope other people have for themselves through what we have in this country. We lose sight as to what a magnificent system we have.”

When Trasoff’s father immigrated to the U.S. from Ukraine in 1921 at age 6, his first English words were “You’re it,” having learned them playing tag.

She said children give her hope that all groups can live and work together.

“These kids from all over the world come together and they’re just kids,” she said. “They figure it out.”

Goodwill Industries store manager Liz Donaldson explains how her store operates to Krishna Khadka (left), 24, and Uttam Rizal, 30, on Friday morning. Khadka and Rizal are refugees from Bhutan.

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Calling Pima County Home

According to the Arizona State Refugee Resettlement Program, 877 refugees resettled in Pima County in 2008.

From 1990 to 2008, 7,524 refugees resettled here.

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On the Web

The International Rescue Committee

www.theirc.org

Jewish Refugee Resettlement of Southern Arizona

jewishtucson.org

Alan Villaseñor with his dad, Agustin, in 2006.

When 12-year-old Alan Villaseñor took to the school stage Friday to help a family battling cancer, his dad was right there with him.

Alan lost his father – 42-year-old Tucson chemist Agustin Villaseñor – to brain cancer last July.

Now, in honor of his dad, the Tucson boy is helping other families in their fight against the disease.

Alan presented fellow La Cima Middle School student Kimberly Nguyen and her parents with a check for $800. The 11-year-old’s father – Long Nguyen, 47 – is battling cancer in his brain, lungs, liver and pancreas.

“They’re down to their last 40 bucks right now,” Alan told his peers and teachers at an assembly at La Cima, 5600 N. La Cañada Drive.

Alan hoped the family could use the money for medicine, food and other expenses.

“I hope it helps you guys a lot,” he told the Nguyens.

Eunice Nguyen, 40, wiped away tears after she and her husband stepped down from the stage after accepting the check.

She said her family, which also has two children in high school, will use the money to make a house payment and for other expenses.

“I can’t believe this happened,” she said. “It’s doesn’t seem real.”

“It’s so good,” said her husband, a refugee from Vietnam who worked as a cook in a Chinese restaurant before becoming ill last year.

Principal Gail Gault said Alan’s kindness “epitomizes what La Cima students are all about.”

“Alan has done an amazing thing,” she said. “You hear all the bad stories about youth. This is a good thing.”

Alan got the idea for starting the fund in a class that helps students prepare for college. He was inspired to get involved in community service. He wanted to honor his dad while helping families of cancer patients who are struggling financially.

He recalls overhearing his mom’s worries about coming up with $2,000 needed for chemotherapy treatments.

Alan started the nonprofit Agustin Villaseñor Memorial Cancer Fund.

He has sold about 500 colorful “Knock Out Cancer” rubber wrist bands for $2 each. He sent e-mails to local businesses and received donations from Jim Click, Dobbs Honda and Casino Del Sol.

He plans to award a check to another family soon.

Alan said he felt his dad’s presence alongside him onstage as he made the award to the Nguyens.

“He was a good dad,” Alan said. “He was always helpful and funny. He would help me with my math homework.”

Seven-year-old Adel Villaseñor recalled how their dad – who emigrated from Cananea, Son. – would tickle them with his giant mustache.

Their dad managed to stay upbeat during his illness. Alan recalled, “He acted like everything was fine when it was a living hell for us.

“I’m just happy and excited that I can help another family,” said Alan, who dreams of becoming a graphic designer.

Patricia Villaseñor, 42, is proud of her son. She says she knows her husband is proud, too.

“He’s always with us,” she said of Agustin, wiping away tears.

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To give

To donate to the Agustin Villaseñor Memorial Cancer Fund, checks can be deposited at any Chase Bank branch.

The account number is 767566193.

The federal tax ID number is 26-4402464.

For information, call 275-1919.