Warm-hearted: Dress A Child Inc. volunteers buy winter clothes for needy kids

Impoverished children - 600 of them - will be getting new clothes this week, thanks to Dress A Child Inc.

As part of the organization's annual project, 60 volunteers began shopping at Prescott retailers Nov. 1 for pants, warm long-sleeved shirts, underwear, socks and parkas for school-age children in the quad cities, as well as in Congress, Seligman, Ash Fork and Mayer. The children also receive vouchers for shoes.

In the past, Dress A Child Inc. gave new clothing to children at Christmastime, but switched to fall this year, said director Karyn Poole. "In response to feedback from donors, schools and shoppers, they wanted the clothes earlier," she said. "It's cold by Halloween, so we are targeting Thanksgiving now."

Dress A Child Inc. began in 1967 when Prescott-area nurses Bonnie Kempf and Agnes Cook noticed that some of their patients' children were without clothes for the cold weather. They asked Chapter 5 of the Arizona Nurses Association for help. Together they raised money by selling handiwork on the Yavapai County Courthouse Plaza and at the Salvation Army. They were able to buy clothing for 17 children that first year.

As the demand grew, Kempf, Cook and Chapter 5 invited the community to participate, and the response was overwhelming, Poole said. Over time Dress A Child Inc. established partnerships with many of the area schools and community agencies that serve children. Referrals for clothing needs must come from these entities, Poole said.

Kmart, Target, JC Penney and Walmart on Gail Gardner Way in Prescott are cooperative partners, Poole said, adding that Walmart and JC Penney offer financial incentives to Dress A Child Inc. to shop with them. The Prescott Chapter of the American Sewing Guild also donates hand-sewn items such as robes, pajamas, embroidered T-shirts, vests and dressier coordinated outfits to augment the purchases, Poole said. Shoppers then deliver all the items back to the schools and community programs for distribution to the children.

This past Friday evening, Alysa Cudney and Meg Goodall were browsing JC Penney to buy clothes for youngsters on their lists.

Cudney, a first-semester nursing student at Yavapai College, became a volunteer for Dress A Child Inc. through a student nursing association. She was picking out clothing for five boys, and said, "I think it's important for somebody who is going to be a nurse to be an advocate for the community and get involved in community service."

The boys on Cudney's list ranged in age from 3 to 11 and though she found choosing clothes for them a "hard task," she has some experience since she has shopped for cousins and brothers before.

Goodall, the family advocate for Chino Valley Head Start, was on her third annual shopping trip for Dress A Child Inc., this time looking for clothes for nine children.

The experience is "really rewarding," she said. "It just adds more to my job. A lot of times I see the worst circumstances that families are in, and I actually get to do something that helps them" as a Dress A Child Inc. volunteer.

Dress A Child Inc. is an all-volunteer organization, and though its board members are nurses, volunteer shoppers are not necessarily of that profession.

The nonprofit organization depends on monetary donations to sustain its mission to provide warm clothing for needy children, Poole said.

Those interested in volunteering their time or contributing financially may log onto the Dress A Child Inc. website at www.dressachildinc.com or send an email to kapoowi@gmail.com. The clothing for each child costs about $60, Poole said.

via: the daily courier

About A Year Ago

I snapped this picture on October 24, 2010 which is about a year ago. It was snowing there as you can see. The snow makes for very beautiful pictures.

Core business, new outlet at Olsen's Grain

The trend of keeping a backyard flock of chickens for a steady source of fresh eggs has been a growth industry for the local Olsen's Grain store.
Managers Warren and Kristi Hubbard of the Flagstaff store said they've sold more than 7,000 baby chickens since last year, up several thousand from historic levels.
But it is their indirect role in the sale of pork and beef that illustrates the family-owned company's commitment to helping their customers with special orders and how it could afford to open a new location off of Highway 89 during a tough economy.
The company doesn't sell cattle or pigs, but Warren said he is quick to introduce his customers to local ranches -- also customers of his -- that can sell the livestock.
"We put people together," Warren said. "We definitely are seeing people buy pork and beef and raising them in their backyard."
The recession has also meant that his customers are buying smaller items -- bridles rather than saddles. But core staples like animal feed are still steady, Warren said.
Pet food sales, however, were not hit as hard by the lousy economy.
"The recession definitely affected the dog food (sales), but the one thing we've learned is that truly that people in Flagstaff are very fond of their animals -- they are members of the family ... I think they would go without rather than let their animals go without."
The two have seen the pet food side of the company evolve since the store opened in 1997.
"Pet food, especially dog food, has changed immensely: More natural, more holistic. All of the trends that happen to humans tend to cross-merchandise into the pet food," Warren said. "Grain-frees, Atkins diet, vegetarian to all-natural -- that is what is neat about working here. It is constantly evolving."
The newest location for Olsen's Grain is relatively small when compared to the 12,000 square feet the company has in Flagstaff. The married couple is turning to their prospective customers for advice.
"We are asking the community there what they would like us to carry so we have some different products that we will be carrying out there," Kristi said. "We can't carry everything we carry in this store just because of space."
But they are not averse to special orders.
"If there is something the customer wants and we can save them the trip coming into town, we will take it out there," Kristi said. "A portion of our customer base is in Doney Park, so to do deliveries out to the new store would take a little pressure off of (the Flagstaff) store."
The pair spent $45,000 to open the new location.
"The biggest expense, which we haven't purchased yet, is going to be a delivery truck because our deliveries have increased," Kristi said.
Customers come from as far away as Ash Fork and distant parts of the Navajo Nation to buy feed and other supplies, she said.
The Timberline location has a planned grand opening on Oct. 1 and will be offering a free rabies clinic.

Via: az daily sun

Fire Board President Assaulted

Conflict between a volunteer fire board and a segment of the rural community it serves appears to be intensifying north of Ash Fork.
This follows an overhaul of volunteers at the fire station amid allegations from the new board that former managers misspent thousands in tax money for personal purposes.
Jim Nelson, president of the Kaibab Estates West volunteer fire board, was attacked in his driveway Friday night following a contentious public meeting outside of the fire station.
Nelson went with his dogs to lock the gate outside his home for the night and was struck on the head with a heavy object. He turned to fight off two men who had been waiting for him in the dark, one of whom he thought he recognized from that night's meeting.
"It's escalating," Nelson said.
Deputies from Coconino and Yavapai counties responded to Nelson's call for help, as did his new volunteer fire chief, but the dispatcher from his own fire department did not acknowledge the call, he said.
The Coconino County Sheriff's Office is planning to question one local resident who has recently stepped forward to speak to investigators.
There have been no arrests or charges related to the assault or any other part of the case, said Coconino County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Jim Driscoll.
This comes after Nelson and fellow board member Lisa Monville found what they said was thousands in taxpayer dollars used for personal purposes at Kaibab Estates West's fire department, a volunteer agency where firefighters are supposed to be paid small stipends and for expenses like duty-related travel.
They reported their findings to county investigators and the Coconino County Attorney's office is now weighing the case.
Investigators have said that the spending does not appear improper or out of line with spending for a fire department.
"We don't see at this point that there is a criminal act, but we're still going to be sending that to the county attorney's office for review. These were customary expenditures and it did not involve a lot of money for a fire district that size," Driscoll said.
The former fire chief has previously denied any wrongdoing or misspending of public money.
As the two started raising questions and terminating some volunteers in June and July, Nelson found a dead skunk at his gate, Monville said she received a verbal threat on her life, and a mysterious fire destroyed the department's only ambulance -- inside the locked fire station.
No firefighter responded to extinguish the fire inside the fire station.
Later, a friend of Monville's found her puppy with its neck broken, and the animal partially skinned, Monville said.
One or more individuals moved around the furniture outside Monville's home the same night Nelson was attacked, she said.
The fire department's radio repeater came unplugged several times in recent weeks.
Investigators have not determined what ignited the fire inside the fire station.
"We don't have a suspect. We have lots of rumors. We can't prove it's arson," Driscoll said.
The fire board met Friday to consider 26 different fire department matters, but was frequently interrupted by a crowd that brought chairs and drinks, Monville said.
Coconino County Sheriff's deputies planned to attend Tuesday night's meeting, as did Nelson.
"I'm going to bring a big stick and put a football helmet on for this one," Nelson said.

via: arizona daily sun

The Trees of Ash Fork

The majority of trees that we have here in Ash Fork are Juniper trees. Oh sure, we have other trees, like pine, but the Junipers rule here.

A View through the Rocks

This is a picture of some family as viewed through some of the big rock we have here in Ash Fork. Some of these rocks are as big as a car. They are scattered all over the area. In Williams, they have a name for them; Elephant Rocks. This picture can be seen on the JJ blog also. The JJ blog can be found at http://jj.trovillion.net.

Ash Fork - Night of the Lunar Eclipse

This is a mini-flashback to February 20, 2008. This picture was taken in the late afternoon on the night of the lunar eclipse. Major clouds were all around. I was disappointed. My chances for a good photo shoot were dashed, so I thought. Later that night, I managed to get some shots. I took this picture from the shoulder of Interstate 40, heading westbound. Those of you that know the area, and know me, will recognize the construction shown here.