While vaccines are available at Health Department offices all year long, additional hours and opportunities to schedule an appointment will make it easier for families to beat the rush before school starts.

Back to School Clinics will be held at the following locations:

• East Office: 6920 E. Broadway Blvd. (520) 298-3888
• North Office: 3550 N. 1st Ave. (520) 243-2850
• South Office: 175 W. Irvington Road (520) 889-9543
• Green Valley Office: 601 N. La Cañada Dr. (520) 648-1626
• Catalina Office: 3535 E. Hawser St. (520) 825-9299

Hours for each of the clinics are attached, and can also be found along with fees at www.pimahealth.org.

Children must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian to receive a vaccine, and it’s recommended that they eat before receiving a vaccine.

Remember to bring:

• AHCCCS or insurance card
• Current immunization card

For more information about the Back to School Clinics, visit www.pimahealth.org or call (520) 243-7736.

El verano pasado, más de mil 400 jóvenes del Condado Pima ganaron el salario mínimo y adquirieron experiencia valiosa trabajando para el Condado, la Ciudad de Tucson, y la Universidad de Arizona entre otros negocios participantes.

Entre los trabajos que asumieron estaban apoyo administrativo, oficinista, ayudante de guardería, ayudante de recreo, técnico para el cuidado de pacientes, guía en el Children’s Museum y aprendiz de cirugía en Pima Animal Care Center.

Aplique el 27 de enero por internet en https://secure.pima.gov/summeryouth o recoja una solicitud de empleo en su preparatoria, centro comunitario o biblioteca más cercana.  El plazo de entrega se vence el 16 de marzo.

El Condado recibió cerca de tres mil 900 solicitudes el año pasado, dijo Dana Katbah, gerente del programa.  Los participantes son seleccionados a base de sus solicitudes, la nota de sus evaluaciones e intereses de trabajo.

Antes de su primer día en el trabajo, los participantes asisten a un taller de trabajo de un día donde aprenden acerca de los buenos hábitos de trabajo y las expectativas de sus futuros patrones.

El año pasado, Diana Guerrero, senior de Cholla High School, trabajo en la oficina de Road Machinery, LLC, una compañía que alquila, vende y realiza el mantenimiento a equipo de trabajo usado en la construcción, minería, silvicultura, tornos entre otras industrias.

“Adquirí muchas habilidades que podré usar en futuros trabajos”, dijo Guerrero.  “Podré anotar esta como una experiencia de trabajo valiosa en futuras solicitudes de empleo y en mi currículum.  Aprendí ética laboral en la vida real que también me ayudará en mis búsquedas de empleo”.

El programa de verano para jóvenes también incluye educación básica, en la cual los jóvenes pueden adquirir créditos de preparatoria participando como aprendiz de matemáticas, lectura y escritura.

Para más información, comuníquese con Dana Katbah a Dana.Katbah@pima.gov o llame al 798-0500.

Last summer, more than 1,400 young people in Pima County earned minimum wage and gained valuable experience while working for Pima County, the City of Tucson, the University of Arizona and dozens of participating local businesses.

The jobs they performed included administrative support, clerk, child care aide, recreation aide, library page, patient care technician, discovery guide at the Children’s Museum and surgery tech trainee at Pima Animal Care Center.

Starting Jan. 27, apply online at https://secure.pima.gov/summeryouth or pick up an application form at a local high school, community center or library.  The application deadline is March 16.

The county received about 3,900 applications last year, said Dana Katbah, program manager.  Program participants are selected based on their applications, assessment scores and work interests.

Participants attend a one-day “employability skills” workshop, where they learn about good work habits and employer expectations, before they go to work.

Diana Guerrero, a senior at Cholla High School, worked last summer in the office of Road Machinery LLC, a company that sells, rents and services heavy equipment for use in construction, mining, forestry, milling and other industries.

“I gained a lot of skills for my future jobs,” Guerrero said.  “I will be able to list this as valuable work experience on my résumé and applications for future jobs.  I learned real world work ethics that will also be helpful in my future job search.”

The Summer Youth Program also includes basic education, in which young people can earn elective high school credits through learning in math, reading and writing.

For more information, contact Dana Katbah at Dana.Katbah@pima.gov or call 798-0500.

The event, which features Wild West entertainment and educational exhibits, is designed to provide a fun-filled day of activity and education to local area school children who might not otherwise have this opportunity.  This year Old Tucson will present its new educational Living History programs covering topics like Schools on the Frontier, History of the Stagecoach and Sheriffs of the Old West throughout the day.

Co-sponsored by Old Tucson and the Pima County Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation Department, Ted Walker Youth Day is a one-of-a-kind field trip for students, allowing them a chance to learn and to have fun outside the classroom.  Named for former Pima County Parks and Recreation Commissioner, Ted Walker, the event is dedicated to enhancing the childhood experience for Southern Arizona kids.

Old Tucson will be open to the public until 2 p.m. during this event.

Old Tucson has been immortalized in over 300 feature film and TV Westerns and is Hollywood’s most famous Western movie location.  For more information about Old Tucson, including upcoming events and operating hours, please visit its website at www.OldTucson.com or call (520) 883-0100.  Old Tucson is at 201 S. Kinney Road, Tucson, AZ 85735.

Tucson’s inaugural Youth Summer Bike Camp was a success thanks to a partnership among local cycling organizations and Pima County. More than 50 local children ages 8-13 gained bicycling skills, healthy lifestyle knowledge and confidence in a fun, peer-lead environment. The camp was so well received that co-coordinators are already planning for another camp next year.

“It was a huge success on all fronts,” said Daniela Diamente, El Grupo Youth Cycling Director and a co-coordinator of the camp. “We had an overwhelmingly positive response from everyone. The kids had a blast.”

Several Pima County departments, El Grupo and Bicycle Inter-Community Art & Salvage (BICAS) joined together to offer three weeklong summer camp sessions. Each session, which ran from 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, used fun, hands-on activities to teach bicycle maintenance and safety as well as healthful living tips.

Pima County Department of Transportation (PCDOT) Bicycle & Pedestrian Program provided nationally certified bike safety instruction through the Bike Ambassadors program, and more than a dozen El Grupo members ages 14-18, who are part of a United Way Youth Health Leadership Team, served as youth instructors. Under their guidance, campers learned to pick safe cycling routes and took group rides ranging from 5-20 miles depending on ability level.

“We really focused on bikes as a form of transportation,” Diamente said. “We rode to different parks and did bike-handling activities there and explored local neighborhoods. We wanted to show that you can use your bike to get places and it can be fun to use your bike.”

The campers’ riding skills and confidence levels increased by leaps and bounds in just one week. One camper who didn’t know how to ride a bike on the first day went on to ride eight miles on the last day of the weeklong camp.

“It was amazing to see how much they learned,” Diamente said. “Every kid left with more skills.”

Campers learned that in addition to being fun, riding a bike can be part of a healthful and sustainable lifestyle – an important lesson in a county where childhood obesity rates are startlingly high due in large part to sedentary lifestyles and limited access to nutritional information.

Communities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW), a national grant to reduce obesity and related chronic diseases overseen by the Pima County Health Department, helped develop the Youth Summer Bike Camp curriculum and provided bilingual promotional support. The Community Food Bank with the El Grupo instructors shared information about nutrition and making healthful food choices. The County’s Department of Environmental Quality Clean Air Program added air pollution information and awareness to the mix and supplied funds for patch kits, tire tubes, safety lights, bike repair tools and other supplies used during the camp.

In addition to gaining bicycling skills and self-assurance, campers received certificates of achievement, camp T-shirts and goodie bags with helmets, bike maps, bumper stickers and Share the Road guides thanks to PCDOT. Bicycle company Specialized provided seat pouches and customized water bottles for all campers and scholarships for those who couldn’t afford the $150 camp fee.

The first bike camp was such a success that the co-coordinators are already planning to offer an even bigger camp next summer, Diamente said.

“The kids were so excited about it,” she said. “We will definitely do it again. You better bet there will be Summer Bike Camp 2012.”

For more information about the organizations involved in the Youth Summer Bike Camp, please visit:

Pima County Department of Transportation – http://bikeped.pima.gov
Pima County Health Department Communities Putting Prevention to Work – www.healthypima.org
Pima County Department of Environmental Quality Clean Air Program – www.deq.pima.gov/air/CAP.html
El Grupo Youth Cycling – http://elgrupocycling.org
BICAS – http://bicas.org

Read the Arizona Daily Star story about the program — and see photos — at:

http://azstarnet.com/business/local/article_fb409016-a8d2-5dfe-8938-59608da9bc6f.html

Both programs are free, except for special events.  Because of the programs’ popularity, registration is by lottery.  The lottery will be held the week after the application deadline, and applicants will be notified of their status.

The August-December after-school program at eight community centers is for children ages 5-13.  Five-year-olds must be enrolled in elementary school.  Activities include homework help, reading program, group games, sports, arts and crafts, board and table games and special events.

Days and times vary by center. The program will run from school dismissal until 6 p.m. at most locations.  Pima County Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation facilities are not licensed child-care facilities.  The school-age youth programs are “at will” drop-in programs, and youth enrolled in the programs may come and go of their own volition.

For more information about the after-school program, go to http://www.pima.gov/nrpr/youth/index.htm.

The eight-week KAPP program – from Aug. 15 through Oct. 7 – at seven community centers is for children ages 3-5 years who are toilet-trained and their parent/s.  A variety of activities are offered such as arts and crafts, music, story time, nutrition education, early learning skills, socialization, sports skills and active games.  Days and times vary by center.  Parent must accompany the child and remain on premises during the entire program. Additional parent programming may be available at individual sites.  Please contact the participating community centers for more information or go to http://www.pima.gov/nrpr/tots/index.htm.

Salma Parra, 6, shows off her catch to Brad Fulk, field supervisor for Arizona Game and Fish.

With water bottles in hand, a group of kids in Pima County’s summer recreational program recently headed to Kennedy Park Lake for their second field trip.  They spent most of their visit waiting for the fish to bite, but for the first-timers, this outing would be more memorable than watching Kung Fu Panda 2 the previous week.

“They were all very excited,” said Joshua Emslie, neighborhood recreation center coordinator at Drexel Heights Community Center, 5220 S. San Joaquin Ave.  “The nice thing about the fishing is we had probably 25 kids or so that had never been fishing so it was a good experience for them. The kids all had a really good time.”

Pima County Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation Department offers a summer recreational program at eight of its 14 community centers.

“Our goal is to get kids outdoors and engage them in outdoor activities,” said Wendy Burroughs, environmental education program manager.

Pima County’s summer and after-school programs are for kids age 5 to 13.  Participation is free and determined by lottery because space is limited.  Registration for the current summer program is closed, but registration for the fall semester after-school program for all centers will be from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. July 11-15.  Those interested need to register at the center they want their children to attend. The lottery selection will be July 18.  For more information, visit http://www.pima.gov/nrpr/centers/index.htm.

With the help of the Arizona Game and Fish Department, 55 kids from the Drexel Heights Community Center participated in the fishing clinic in mid-June.

Diane Tilton, wildlife manager with Game and Fish, said they had just stocked the lake the morning the kids were scheduled to visit.  Tilton, along with 11 other Game and Fish staff members and one volunteer, was on hand at the clinic, which began at 8:30 a.m. with an introductory presentation by Joe Fagan, a contractor with Game and Fish.  The kids quickly learned how to string a fishing pole and began casting their lines.  Game and Fish provided the equipment, including the fishing poles, tackle and bait.

“At least seven kids caught fish and one girl caught a turtle,” Tilton said.  By 11:30 a.m., when the fishing ended, Tilton estimated that the kids caught at least 15 fish.  All the fish were released back into the lake.

Arizona Game and Fish offers free sports fishing education programs to the public and special groups around the state.

“I’m partnering with different organizations in town to provide for them different programs and field trips for the kids,” said Yajaira Gray, environment education coordinator with the parks department, who coordinated the event with Game and Fish.

The fishing program encourages people to use the four Tucson-area urban lakes – J.F. Kennedy Park Lake, 3600 S. La Cholla Blvd.; Silverbell Lake, 4600 N. Silverbell Road; Lakeside Lake, 8300 E. Stella Road; and Sahuarita Lake, 15466 S. Rancho Sahuarita Blvd. – as well as others across the state that Game and Fish stocks with catfish every two weeks.

The keynote speaker will be Daniel Hernandez, the University of Arizona student who was an intern in U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’ Tucson office and is credited with helping to save the congresswoman’s life when she was shot Jan. 8.  Ramón Valadez, District 2 supervisor and chairman of the Pima County Board of Supervisors, will give closing remarks.

The young people attending the “Presenting Dreams” event, from 8:30 a.m. to noon at the school at 400 N. Second Ave., are among those participating in the Pima County One Stop Career Center’s Summer Youth Employment Program.

They will hear presentations, watch demonstrations and be able to talk with representatives of the American Red Cross; the Pima County and Tohono O’odham Nation offices of Emergency Management; the U.S. Border Patrol; the Pima County Health Department; the U.S. Air Force, Army, Marines and Navy; and other public safety and emergency agencies.  A helicopter, a Hummer and other specially equipped vehicles will be on display.

The event is not a job fair but rather an opportunity for young people to get firsthand information about important careers as first responders.

“This is a great opportunity to expose students to service careers, especially those students wanting to gain skills and experience necessary to help people in times of emergencies,” said Maiola Coleman, one of the organizers of the event and winner of the 2007 Arizona Community Leadership Award.

Sponsors of the event include the Community Alliance Addressing Disparities, Grace Temple Missionary Baptist Church, Pima County Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, Pima County One Stop Career Center Summer Youth Programs, Pima County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, Tucson Unified School District Multicultural Student Services, and the Tucson Urban League.