Here’s How You Can Help the Residents of Moore, OK

http://www.redcross.org/ok/oklahoma-city

Some of you may recall that during the 2011 Wallow Fire, which devastated parts of the White Mountains, the American Red Cross played a huge role in making sure those affected by the blaze were given food, water and shelter. Once again, the Red Cross is working overtime for the victims of yesterday’s 2-mile-wide tornado that ripped through the tiny town of Moore, Oklahoma, destroying homes, a hospital and an elementary school.

To date, the Red Cross has deployed almost 30 emergency-response vehicles to distribute food and relief supplies, and more are on alert. Emergency aid stations will also be available so people can get food and snacks, mental and physical health services, and information about what help is available.

We reached out to our sister publication, Oklahoma Today, and their editor, Steffie Corcoran, emailed us an update about the devastation.

“Many of us at Oklahoma Today and our parent agency, the Oklahoma Tourism & Recreation Department, know at least one person or family who has suffered losses in the devastating May 20 tornadoes in Moore,” wrote Corcoran. “Officials from that south Oklahoma City suburb are working hard in partnership with neighboring communities as well as state and federal resources to assess the damage and locate victims. For the time being, those who want to help are encouraged to donate to the American Red Cross, which is consolidating and coordinating relief efforts. Text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Thank you, thank you, thank you for helping us recover from this incredible tragedy.”

You can also visit http://www.redcross.org or call 800-RED-CROSS. These donations help provide food, shelter and emotional support to those affected by disasters.

A Special Student Photo Exhibit at Burton Barr Library in PHX

Photo by Antoinette, Children’s First Academy student

Come out and support the arts. Starting this Thursday, March 7, the Phoenix Burton Barr Library will showcase a unique 38-print photo exhibit by 19 Children’s First Academy students who were mentored by professional photographers, including Karen Shell, Dennis Scully, Art Holeman, David Moore, Michael Norton, Jim Marshall, Jason Grubb and Ken Ross.

Photo by Eric, Children’s First Academy student

For five weeks, participating students from the elementary school for homeless and at-risk youth each received 27-exposure disposable film cameras through the Kids in Focus project. The film was processed, at no cost, by Tempe Camera Photo Imaging Center, and McKenna Pro Lab donated the 38 exhibit prints. Students met with the photographers and looked through the images to continue learning and experimenting with digital point-and-shoot cameras. Before the weekend, each student was given another camera to continue shooting.

Photo Larry, Children First Academy student

Photo by Destiny, Children First Academy student

The Kids in Focus project was developed and organized by professional freelance commercial photographer Karen Shell. The photographers involved in the project are from a nonprofit organization called Through Each Others Eyes.

An opening reception is planned from 6 to 8 p.m. on March 7. The exhibit is free.

Blind Athlete Bikes Across Arizona for a Good Cause

Last June, we profiled Mike Armstrong… you might remember he lost his sight at age 27; yet despite his disability, he has tackled feats most of us only dream about. Like the time he hiked the 807-mile Arizona Trail to raise money for the Foundation for Blind Children.

Well, Mike is certainly not one to rest on his laurels (besides the Arizona Trail, he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in 2009), so he’s pushing himself yet again to raise money for the foundation.

Starting tomorrow, Mike will hit the road and tandem bike 400 miles from the Arizona/New Mexico border to the California state line near Yuma.

“The Blind Ride should make for an incredible, yet challenging five-day adventure,” says Mike. “My training schedule has had me and my team riding 50-to-130 miles a week for the last five months.”

Mike with one of his sighted guides.

The 42 year old hopes to raise $25,000 for the foundation, which helps create opportunities for visually impaired children and adults.

To learn more about Mike, track his progress or make a donation, visit http://www.blindmotivation.com or http://www.seeitourway.org.

 

The Arizona Capitol Museum Wants Your Help

Courtesy of the Arizona Capitol Museum | The Oasis Model, Frank Lloyd Wright’s vision of an Arizona Capitol Complex

The Arizona Capitol Museum is looking for volunteers to join their team. Volunteers will help out with museum tours, welcoming visitors, providing directions to other government buildings and manning the museum store… at the same time, you’ll learn more about our state’s history and unique culture.

Sound like a gig you’d be down to do? Well, why not learn more about this special museum. Below, Jason Czerwinski, the museum’s volunteer manager talks about the museum’s exhibits, why this place is important to the state and why he really needs your help.

The Arizona Capitol Museum is quite large. I had no idea, in fact. What can visitors expect to take away from the museum?
Yes the Capitol Museum is pretty big: Four floors, 55,000 square feet, with over 20 big rooms that feature the story of our state’s government, and all the different ways our past intersects with life today.  Our volunteers enjoy talking to visitors about many different aspects of Arizona: Our culture, the government, Arizona myths and legends, as well as contemporary issues.  There are a lot of surprises in our history, and each volunteer has their own favorite niche, so no two visits are the same.

What are some popular exhibits?
The Capitol Museum has some exhibits that are perennial favorites, and new ones premiere on a regular basis.  There are special exhibits recreating the Territorial House chamber where the State Constitution was drafted, which lets us show how that document has evolved since 1912.  There are recreations of the first Governor and Secretary of State offices.  Many people come just to see the USS Arizona Silver Service, which is featured on the first floor, and they don’t know until arriving that we offer three more floors to take in.  It’s not usual for a person to spend over an hour touring our displays.  And did I mention? We’re free!

That Frank Lloyd Wright exhibit sounds fascinating… Tell me about it and when will it become available to the public?
The Oasis Model, Frank Lloyd Wright’s vision of an Arizona Capitol Complex, opened to the public on June 14. (Museum hours are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and starting on September 8, Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.)

The model is on loan from the FLW Foundation, and we plan on having it here for at least a year.  The story behind the design is one of those ‘cultural cul-de-sacs’ that help the ACM talk about architecture and design, community opinion and the news-media, and of course the larger than life personality of Mr. Wright.  It shows how government really does affect our lives and community in ways we don’t notice.

When this exhibit opened, the lauded Arizona journalist Lloyd Clark, who interviewed Wright and covered politics, gave a presentation about the man and his vision of the State Capitol.  Clark is a heck of a storyteller, and can talk for hours about his time reporting from the Capitol and the characters he met over the years.  We’re hoping to add some of his tales to the exhibit in a video.

Why is this museum important to the state?
The Arizona Capitol Museum is important because we are the last territorial capitol, and the only state capitol Arizona has ever had.  Our institution specializes in teaching Arizona government and civics in the very building where those early ideals were cemented.  We’re also a one-of-a-kind space for discussing contemporary issues, putting them in context with our state history.  The ACM is a free museum, and the only institution capable of hosting the hundreds of school groups, local visitors, and national/international tourists who come each year to learn what makes Arizona unique.  Through an overlap of location and history, we are the only place that can do all of that.

Talk to me about the volunteer program? How can one go about volunteering?
Our volunteers love history and meeting people.  Anyone with those qualifications, plus a positive attitude, who can also reach our minimal physical requirements, is welcome to apply to join our team.  Volunteers help in several different areas: interpreting exhibits and aiding tours, welcoming visitors to the Capitol and providing direction to various government offices, as well as staffing the Museum Store.  All of these are key positions without which we couldn’t operate.  Some volunteers with the right technical background also help with exhibits and our collection of artifacts.  To start, you don’t have to have any specific education or background, just be interested in learning.  Volunteers usually commit to one-day per week and work for about four hours. I do my best to adapt the schedule to meet the needs of our contributors.  The training is provided here and it’s free, and even though we prefer to do it during our twice yearly training sessions, we can take new people on throughout the year.

Anyone who wants more information can call me at 602-926-3731, or email me through the Museum website.

 

Information: 1700 West Washington, Phoenix, AZ 85007; http://www.azlibrary.gov/museum; 602-926-3620

Dine Out and Help Feed the Hungry in Phoenix

Did you know? 1-in-4 children in Maricopa County go to bed hungry every single night.

Need a good reason to dine out this week? Well, we’ve got one. Starting tomorrow, 12 restaurants from the Devour Restaurant coalition in Phoenix will serve up featured dishes with proceeds going directly to Waste Not, an organization that collects 6,000 pounds of food per day and redistributes it to the hungry.

The goal of this initiative is to raise enough funds to feed 100,000 people.

Below, Margaree Bigler from Devour Phoenix talks about the hunger crisis in our community, this cool partnership, and why you should eat out for the next two weeks.

How did this movement get its start?
The Devour Restaurant Coalition was offered the opportunity to sponsor a fundraiser for Waste Not, a non-profit organization specializing in food rescue and re-distribution for Maricopa County’s hungry. The group came together and decided that this was a worthy organization to support (many in Devour are already familiar with Waste Not and the important purpose it serves). They wanted to bring the fundraiser full circle and highlight the local food producers they regularly use in their work, not only to amplify the reach of the fundraiser, but to highlight the community that serves them (the restaurants), while helping a community in need at the same time.

Why is the collaboration between Devour Phoenix and Waste Not important to the community?
The collaboration is important to bring awareness to the hunger crisis that exists in Arizona right now, and to highlight the great work that Waste Not is doing in our communities. Waste Not collects food every day and turns around to re-distribute it the same day to those who need it most.

How much food goes to waste on average?
I am not sure how much food goes to waste on average, but around 6,000-7,000 pounds of food is rescued from grocery stores, caterers and restaurants on a daily basis.

How many families benefit from Waste Not? How many kids go to bed hungry?
Currently, 1-in-4 kids go to bed hungry, and on average, 7,000 people are fed daily with food rescued by Waste Not.

How does this event work?
Choose a participating restaurant (see below) and simply visit that restaurant(s) and order the featured dish. The proceeds from those dishes will be donated to Waste Not at the end of the two weeks.

Which restaurants are participating and what are they dishing out?

Astor House
Bees Knees Cocktail made with High Spirits Gin (AZ), Desert Blossom Honey (AZ), house- made lavender simple syrup, lemon juice.

Beckett’s Table
McClendon’s Summer Zucchini cakes with green goddess dressing.

Bliss/reBAR
Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho made with fresh heirloom tomatoes from local farmer’s markets and Seacat Gardens, oil from Queen Creek Olive Mill, and a side of bread from Strictly from Scratch.

Cibo
Summer Salad: Baby Arugula tossed with champagne vinaigrette, with grilled local peaches, roasted beets, fresh cherries and finished off with goat cheese and micro greens.

FEZ
Fezole (Fez pozole) made with local organic corn, local organic sweet potatoes, local organic red chile broth, Schreiner’s chorizo, cabbage, and radish. Local organic produce from Crooked Sky Farms.

Gallo Blanco
Pork Tacos using pork from The Meat Shop.

Humble Pie
Schreiner’s Sicilian Sausage Pizza using sausage from Schreiner’s Sausage.

St. Francis
Farm Salad featuring green beans, white bean, pickled onion, campari, fresh herbs, sauvignon blanc vinaigrette. Veggies from Two Wash Ranch.

Switch
Shreiner’s chicken basil sausage with grilled summer salad. Grilled romaine, local sweet corn, poblanos , fresh peach sweet onion, poblano pepper ring roasted red pepper vinaigrette.

The Parlor
Margherita pizza using homemade pizza dough, fresh mozzarella, McClendon’s heirloom tomatoes and fresh basil.

Tuck Shop
Chile Relleno made with Arizona Poblano peppers, stuffed with Schriener’s sausage, house-pulled mozzarella, salsa.

Urban Beans
Peach Bread Pudding with crème angelaise and a hard caramel sauce, using peaches from Schnepf Farms, Bread from MJ Bread, Eggs from Chili Acres, and Beer in the caramel sauce from Phoenix Ale Brewery.

What can diners expect?
WONDERFUL dishes using locally sourced food. Check out www.devourphoenix.com for more details on the featured dishes.

 

Celebrate National Trails Day at Mt. Lemmon This Saturday (RSVP Today!)

Photo by Harrison J. Elkins

The Coronado National Forest, Santa Catalina Ranger District, will host trail building activities on Mt. Lemmon June 2 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in celebration of National Trails Day.

El Grupo, Parks in Focus, REI and the Southwest Conservation Corps will perform trail maintenance on the Green Mountain Trail. They will meet at the Middle Bear Picnic Area for registration and for lunch.

Work will take place on the Upper Green Mountain Trail (located just before San Pedro Vista) and the Lower Green Mountain Trail (located at Middle Bear Picnic Area). Volunteers will focus on eradication of social trails, minor trash removal, and light trimming of vegetation. Youth participants with Parks in Focus will document volunteer efforts and trail conditions “before and after” the work was completed.

Please RSVP to Heidi Schewel at (520) 388-8484 or hschewel@fs.fed.us if you are interested in attending by close of business Thursday, May 31.