Painted Beauty fully recovered

Horse’n Around Rescue Ranch and Foundation takes in elderly, abandoned, abused, and starved horses, burros, donkeys, and ponies.

Many of these equines are victims of cruelty and neglect and have become a burden to their owners for a multitude of reasons, including job loss, economic conditions, relocation, loss of interest, or personal issues such as sickness or death, resulting in a desperate need to find a home for their animals.

Horses are being euthanized for convenience, sent to Mexico for slaughter, and turned loose on public and/or private lands to fend for themselves.

Horse’n Around Rescue Ranch offers a safe, nurturing place for these unwanted animals.

Then the unexpected: the Monument Fire of June 12, 2011. Fire swept through Horse’n Around’s mountain pasture and destroyed 380 acres.

Co-founders Theresa Warrell and Steve Boice and friends were able to rescue 23 horses that day; sadly, they lost one, Charlie, to the fire. Here is an online diary of the days and weeks after the fire: Horse’n Around Fire Report.

Because of the loss of pasture, the former food source for the equines, Theresa and Steve must buy the feed they need for their horses. Can you help this 501(c)(3) organization feed the animals they’ve rescued?

Donations are gratefully accepted in the following ways:

• Checks can be mailed to Horse’n Around Rescue, PO BOX 698, Hereford, AZ 85615.
• Donations can be made at Chase Bank, Horse’n Around Rescue Account #2990910388; OR theNational Bank of Arizona, 1160 E. Fry Blvd., Sierra Vista, AZ;
• Hay purchases can be made for Horse’n Around at:  San Xavier Coop Farms, Attn: Billy Worthy 520-295-3774; 8100 S Oidak Wog, Tucson, AZ 85746. Please mark your donation ‘Hay for Horse’n Around Rescue.’

Remember to mail your deposit receipt to PO BOX 698, Hereford, AZ 85615 and include your name and mailing address so Horsen’n Around can send you their receipt for the tax deductible donation.

CONTACT INFO:
Horse’n Around Rescue Ranch and Foundation, Inc.
PH: 520-266-0236
email: horsenaroundrescue@yahoo.com
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The childcare center of the Erik Hite Foundation, which serves the children of law enforcement and emergency services personnel

The Erik Hite Foundation Child Care Center is currently serving 20 children of law enforcement and emergency services personnel fulltime; and 13 children on a drop-in/as-needed basis, when temporary changes in childcare arrangements occur. They have opened at 5:30 am and closed at 11 pm on many days to accommodate the needs of their families. They have been open every single Saturday for those families who have needed it.

The EHF Childcare Center has a waiting list of ten babies, three who are not yet born. Though the foundation received donations to establish itself, they are currently raising $20,000 to expand their infant and toddlers’ rooms to accommodate more families. They are also improving their playground to make it more safe and fun for the children. The Tucson SWAT Team and one of the Eagle Scout Projects have offered to help with construction. The center would also like to add more security equipment to the facility, including additional cameras and another coded pad for the front door. If you can help, click the DONATE button at: http://www.erikhitefoundation.org/index.php/donate. All donations, no matter the amount, help the foundation forward its purposes.

For more information regarding:

• Donating to the Foundation
• Volunteering with the Foundation
• Or registering your child with the Child Care Center,

please e-mail: contact@erikhitefoundation.org or phone: 520-495-0430. The mailing address of the Erik Hite Foundation is: 9420 E. Golf Links Rd. #265, Tucson, Arizona 85730.

The Erik Hite Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, was established in memory of slain Police Officer Erik Hite, to provide a childcare center and family outreach programs for the children of law enforcement and emergency services personnel. The program serves both commissioned and non-commissioned personnel from agencies such as the Tucson Police Department, Pima County Sheriff’s Department, DPS, US Border Patrol, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Fire Department, and Active Duty Military personnel. We want to serve and care for their families of these men and women who serve and protect our community.

Would you like to do something meaningful for your community this summer? Then meet other young people who feel the same way and join in on a fun-filled and educational service and learning experience over the summer. If you are between the ages of 11 and 18 and would like to serve your community, the Youth Volunteer Corp (of Volunteer Southern Arizona) has the perfect opportunity for you.

Starting May 29, 2012, there will be eight full weeks of service projects beginning on Monday and going through Thursday. Most days will commence at 9:00 AM and end at 3:00 PM. There are a total of 17 volunteer opportunities to choose from and they are positive you will find the perfect one for you.

To register for this community service opportunity, go to: Youth Volunteer Corps Summer of Service Registration.

For more information, you can also visit Volunteer Southern Arizona at 3130 N. Dodge from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Friday, or call (520) 881-3300.

Rick Small, president of the Southern Arizona Green Chamber of Commerce, a non-profit trade association of businesses, organizations, students and individuals interested in sustainability in Southern Arizona, has put out the 2012 call for volunteers who care about the health of our dear Mother Earth. SAGCC will participate in three events focused on green-practices in April:

• Greenfest on April 7^th at Tucson Village Farm, 4210 N. Campbell
• U of A Earth Day on April 20^th  at Main Gate Square on University Blvd
• Tucson Earth Day Celebration at Reid Park on April 21st

You are needed!

Please email sagccpresident@gmail.com or call 520-777-7138 if you are interested in helping with these or any other events the SAGCC will be holding in the near future.

Elise changed her life with the help of Emerge

When I lived in low-income apartments, I often heard raised voices and crying children. I called the police three times because the shrieking of the children became unbearable. Two of those families moved away during the night just days after the police came. I still think of the sweet little girls from one of those families, Abby and Hannah, and wonder if they are okay or if their father still hurts them.

Listening to stories of abuse, all of it—physical, mental, emotional, sexual—is blood-curdling and overwhelming. It’s a tidal wave of trauma and answers seem few and far between. Social workers are underpaid, overworked and ill-equipped for the depth of depravity of those who abuse others, who were themselves twisted by their own childhood experiences. I marvel at the courage required to do something about abuse, from those who are abused to those who dedicate themselves to helping rebuild lives. They make the impossible, possible.

Emma was married to an abusive husband and developed a need to understand why she had always been in abusive relationships. When Angel’s mom sought help from abuse, she told the staff at EMERGE she wondered why her daughter always looked scared. Tormented as only a parent can be, Theresa asked for help in understanding why her daughter stayed in an abusive relationship. Elise had lived in constant fear of abuse and though she left her husband, she couldn’t shake the high levels of anxiety that ruled her life.

They all found life-changing help at Emerge Center Against Domestic Violence.  To read more about them, see Participant Stories. Emerge isn’t a government agency—it’s a private non-profit organization. (Office: 520-795-8001.) They receive almost 5000 calls to their crisis line (795-4266; toll-free 1-888-428-0101) every year. To see the breadth of respect for this Tucson organization, go to Collaborations. To learn about their commitment to changing the lives of Southern Arizona women and children, see their Values page.

More information about domestic violence is available at Carolyn’s Community:  http://tucsoncitizen.com/community/2012/02/28/zero-tolerance-for-domestic-violence/

Today, I’m writing about a fundraising ‘double-your-gift-challenge.’ An anonymous donor is matching all donations up to $10,000, which means your $20 donation becomes $40; $50 becomes $100! And, though ‘goodness’ can’t be scientifically measured, the effect of every dollar donated to Emerge is multiplied in other ways, such as restoring or creating quality of life vs. the potential costs to taxpayers of incarceration.

Please consider the heartfelt commitment of the folks at Emerge and the effect their work has on our Tucson community. They don’t just answer a crisis line—they answer the phone and bring those who need them under the Emerge umbrella, in emergencies, help with advocacy, with children’s services, housing and community education. In Arizona, abuse turns fatal every three days. Take a moment to click this secure EMERGE link  and double the power of your much needed gift. Says Melanie Morgan, Emerge Associate Director of Development and Public Relations, “Thanks so much for offering to help. Any awareness you can create is much appreciated.”

Do you know someone who can’t read? We all do, even if we don’t know who they are. Teens who drop out of high school often have trouble reading and when they feel isolated from a culture that reads, they may get into trouble with the law. Think about it: Where can you get a job if you can’t fill out the application? How could you work if you can’t read and follow written instructions? Even obtaining health care is nearly impossible if you can’t fill out the paperwork. And it’s very difficult for a child to learn to read if his parents can’t read or afford to buy books. It’s no wonder some young Americans believe that what happens to them doesn’t matter. Learning to read is the one skill every child deserves and needs to be successful in school and later in life.

Getting Our Kids to Read

I often teased my children that they must have been switched at the hospital because none of them loves books like their mom does. But, they saw me read nearly every day and I read to them, board books as babies, picture books as toddlers and bedtime stories as they grew.

• I also learned that my sons would read biographies of sports stars, sports magazines and even stats comparing athletes. My daughter read books about arts and crafts and magazines about trends in fashion and she also enjoyed reading the world-records books. She grew to love romances, too.
• We all had library cards and went as a family when they were younger.
• I insisted that they do their homework and that included reading. My middle son—a sports star—developed a love of history because of reading required at school. They were all exposed to a variety of subjects in school and their interests broadened, which is a much more satisfying way to live.
• A friend of mine has a magical way with books and her children. She shares appealing tidbits about the stories she reads with her children, who often want to read the books, too—and then they discuss them. Sometimes they have to wait for her husband to read them so they can all talk about them together! Nice job, Kim.

Kim’s children are blessed by the stable reading foundation given them by their parents, but their story is not the norm. A love of reading is today uncommon and it is estimated that twenty percent of kids in high school can’t read at the level required for them to compete and survive in the work world. What a waste of potential inspiration and creativity. Imagine if all Americans were well-educated and we unleashed our creativity together—we could solve all our problems, especially those related to crime and punishment. We’d switch monies from one column of the budget to another far more productive.

The Tucson Book Festival 

Which brings us to advancing the cause of literacy and The Tucson Book Festival, the fourth annual community event organized to bring together authors, publishers and the reading public in an arena friendly to families. Net proceeds from the festival are used to promote literacy in Southern Arizona. They have already donated $500,000, earnings from the previous three festivals, to local literacy groups, including Reading Seed, The Literacy for Life Coalition (which is now Literacy Connects) and the UA for their literacy programs.

The 2012 Tucson Book Festival takes place on:

• Saturday, March 10, 2012, 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
• Sunday, March 11, 2012, 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

General Admission is free.

Booths and exhibits are set up at the UA Mall, along East University Blvd, stretching from Old Main to east of Cherry Avenue, where a new Science City venue will be set up. Parking is free at all UA surface lots and in six UA garages: Cherry Avenue, Highland Avenue, Main Gate, Park Avenue, Sixth Street and Tyndall.

A Tucson Book Festival Guide listing all events for adults and children of all ages—over 400 authors, discussions, book signings and free programs for writers, a culinary tent, entertainment venues and 250+ exhibits—will be available from the Arizona Daily Star in the Sunday, March 4, 2012 edition. It includes a detailed map of the happenings and parking lots. To get your festival guide, call the Arizona Daily Star at 1-800-695-4492. Special attention was paid this year, at the 100^th anniversary of Arizona’s statehood, to include authors and panels that reflect the people and culture of Arizona over the past century.

The Tucson Festival of Books is an all-volunteer event and cannot happen without the care of unpaid helpers. They need to fill 2,000 volunteer shifts that include the Food Court, venue management, information booth, author and moderator escorts, cleanup and signage. See the full list of signups at http://tucsonfestivalofbooks.org/item/show/279691 or email volunteers@tucsonfestivalofbooks.org. See you there!