Filed under: Arizona, City of Phoenix, City of Phoenix News, Community, Community Meeting, Community Service, News, Phoenix, Phoenix Arizona, Phoenix Jobs, Services, US - AZ (Phoenix), Workforce, Workforce News | Tags: Arizona, Gun Safety, Gun Violence, Guns, Neighborhoods, Phoenix, Phoenix Arizona, Phoenix Neighborhoods, South Phoenix
Phoenix Neighborhoods Stand Together
to Stop Gun Violence in South Phoenix
June 05 , 2008 by EditorA gun buy-back, a neighborhood cleanup and community walk are part of the “Take Back Your Neighborhood” campaign recently unveiled by Mayor Phil Gordon.
The month-long campaign will focus on four specific neighborhoods that, according to police, experience a disproportionate amount of gun violence and include several events specifically designed to make the neighborhoods a safer place.
Joining the mayor were Phoenix City Council members Michael Johnson, District 8, and Michael Nowakowski, District 7, and representatives of the Phoenix Police Department, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Arizona, Silent Witness, Phoenix Fire Department, Silent Witness and Arizonans for Gun Safety.
The goal of the program is to empower the residents of these neighborhoods to take action to prevent future gun violence. The neighborhoods involved in the project and their boundaries are:
7/11 Fight Back (7th to 15th avenues and Buckeye Road to I-17), Lindo Park (19th to 23rd avenues and Roeser Road to Southern Avenue), South Vista (12th to 16th streets and Roeser Road to Southern Avenue), Hermoso Park (16th to 24th streets and Vineyard to Broadway roads).
Spearheading the Take Back Your Neighborhood program is Arizonans for Gun Safety, a nonprofit, community-based organization dedicated to reducing gun deaths and injuries.
In addition, several private individuals and companies have pledged their support, including APS, Gust Rosenfeld, Jerry and Joan Colangelo, Phoenix Community Alliance, SRP, the Arizona Republic and La Voz.
The Take Back Your Neighborhood program is a coordinated effort between the city of Phoenix, Phoenix Police Department, ATF, Arizona U.S. Attorney’s Office and Arizonans for Gun Safety to dramatically reduce the amount of violent crime in the four Phoenix neighborhoods.
The events for the bilingual campaign include:
The “Steps to Stop Gun Violence” community walk 7 to 10 a.m. Saturday, June 14, at Lindo Park, 19th Avenue and Roeser Road, led by faith-based communities in the four neighborhoods. The walk will culminate with a free breakfast and the distribution of free gun locks.
Two job fairs scheduled for Tuesday, June 17, and Thursday, June 19, to help neighborhood residents take charge of their lives.
A neighborhood cleanup event 7 to 11 a.m. Saturday, June 21, presented by the City of Phoenix Neighborhood Services Department to help encourage community involvement. In addition to dumpsters and garbage bags, paint and rollers will be provided to stamp out graffiti.
A “no questions asked” gun buy-back program 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, June 28, will award a $100 grocery gift card to anyone who brings in a firearm. Buyback locations will include the Phoenix Police Department’s South Mountain Precinct, as well as community churches in each of the four participating neighborhoods.
A community celebration of Take Back Your Neighborhood month 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday, June 28, from at the South Mountain Community Center. Activities will include music, food, games and free swimming in the community pool.
The Take Back Your Neighborhood campaign will include weekly door hangers on every one of the 4,000 homes and apartments in the participating communities, as well as billboards, posters and event fliers promoting specific events. Additionally, 600 free gun locks will be distributed throughout the duration of the program to promote firearm safety.
For more information about the program, visit http://takebackyourneighborhood.com or call 602-222-5400.
Filed under: Arizona, City of Mesa, Community, Community Service, Maricopa County News, Mesa, State of Arizona, Tax, Taxes, Training, US - AZ (Phoenix), Volunteering, Volunteers | Tags: advice, EITC, Help, Income Tax, Income Tax Assistance, Mesa, Tax, Taxes, VITA, Volunteer, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program, Volunteers
Mesa VITA volunteers needed for training session
Source: VITA volunteers
Volunteer tax preparers are still needed in Mesa for a training session for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA) that begins Saturday January 19 at A New Leaf (MesaCAN), 635 E. Broadway, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The only experience needed is the spirit of volunteerism! The IRS will provide free training and materials. Basic computer knowledge is a definite plus.
New volunteers will need 20 hours of training to prepare the basic 1040 tax returns and related schedules and know the eligibility rules for claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC).
The other classes are scheduled for January 23, 30 and 31 from 6 p.m. to 9
p.m. Returning volunteer tax preparers need 10 hours of self-study. There is also a need for other volunteers with the VITA program, including greeters, screeners and translators. All volunteers must attend an orientation session Saturday January 26 at the City of Mesa Utility Building, 640 N. Mesa Drive, from 9 a.m. to noon.
VITA offers free tax help to hard working community members who cannot prepare their own tax returns. VITA tax sites will be open in February, March and April at four locations in Mesa: Mesa Community College, Southern and Dobson Campus, Student Union, 1833 W. Southern Ave.; Mesa Community College, Red Mountain Campus, Acacia Village Computer Lab, 2305 N. Power Road; A New Leaf (MesaCAN), 635 E. Broadway and Mercy Housing Villas de Merced, Club House, 520 N. Mesa Drive.
For more information, contact Mesa Human Services Specialist Lisa Wilson at 480-644-5831 or
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) information from CIR
Updated January 2, 2008
Return to Give Help VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) is a program that provides free tax preparation to benefit individuals with low to moderate income, senior citizens, Non-English speaking persons, and individuals with disabilities. Volunteers prepare basic tax returns at conveniently located community and neighborhood locations. Returns are filed electronically resulting in fast refunds. All training and materials are provided free from the IRS.
Local VITA Impact
In Arizona, millions of EITC dollars were not collected by eligible families. In one hour, you can help a moderate or low-income family collect an average of $1,871 (to a maximum of $4,700) for things like meeting basic needs, purchasing a house or buying a car through your local Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) program!
Volunteers play a crucial role in EITC campaigns. Free tax preparation sites depend on volunteers and not only do they help working families get the credit(s) they deserve, but also save families the fee charged by professional tax preparers. Last year, volunteers returned more than $7 million impacting more than 10,000 hard working families.
Bill Austin
Scottsdale Job Network
AZhttp, Inc.
Filed under: Art, Artists, Arts, Arts and Entertainment, City of Tempe, City of Tempe News, Community, Community Service, Entertainment, Events, library, Public Library, Tempe, Tempe Arizona | Tags: Adult Learning, Exhibition
TEMPE, Ariz. – “Visions of Arizona: People, Places and Things from our own
experiences,” the 2007 senior art exhibition will be on display from
8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Friday (except on city-observed holidays), from
Oct. 25 through Jan. 24 in the Public Library Second Floor Gallery, 3500 S.
Rural Road.
Admission is free.
This exhibition features Tempe senior artists from five city-sponsored art
classes at the Pyle Adult Recreation Center. The classes provide the
opportunity for individuals to enhance their skills and experiment with new
and traditional techniques and materials.
The students come from widely varied backgrounds and all parts of the world.
Nearly all of these students have found their creativity to be a source of
deep personal satisfaction and growth, keeping them young in both mind and
heart.
Artists display work in acrylic, oil, water color, colored pencil and other
drawing media. This year’s exhibit is a collection of artwork designed from
artists’ personal “Arizona” experiences.
Information: http://www.tempe.gov/arts/exhibitions/Library.htm or call
480/350-5211
<http://www.tempe.gov/arts/exhibitions/Library.htm%20or%20call%20480/350
-5211> .
Tempe galleries are operated and maintained by the city of Tempe Cultural
Services Division.
Filed under: Arizona, Arts and Entertainment, City of Tempe, City of Tempe News, Community, Community Service, Entertainment, Halloween, Holiday, Holidays, Parks, Parks and Recreation, Tempe, Tempe Arizona | Tags: Arizona, City of Tempe, Community, Entertainment, Fun, Halloween, Kiwanis, Kiwanis Community Park, Public Affairs, Tempe
Tempe’s 30th Annual Halloween Carnival a treat for all
Families invited to the best “monster mash” in town
TEMPE, Ariz. – Don’t get spooked this Halloween! Come to one of the most
exciting and safe places in the Valley to celebrate Halloween with your
family. Tempe’s 30th Annual Family Halloween Carnival will be Wednesday,
Oct. 31, from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at Kiwanis Community Park, 6005 S.
All-America Way (Mill Avenue and All-America Way).
Some spooktacular highlights include entertainment, food, face painting,
carnival games and a 7:30 p.m. costume contest for goblins of all ages.
Local groups will provide live entertainment.
Admission is free and is offered to Valley families as a safe alternative to
trick-or-treating. Carnival tickets are 25 cents each, and proceeds will
benefit non-profit groups around the state.
More than 5,000 families are expected to attend this year’s event, and Tempe
hopes that number will grow even more in the years to come.
For more information visit www.tempe.gov/events or call the City of Tempe
Parks and Recreation Office at 480-350-5200. Text telephone/TDD is available
at 480-350-5050.
Filed under: Art, Artists, Arts, Arts and Entertainment, City of Glendale, City of Mesa, City of Phoenix, City of Tempe, City of Tempe News, Community, Community Service, Mesa, Phoenix Arizona, Tempe Arizona | Tags: Exhibition, Glendale, Mesa, Phoenix Arizona, Post Office, Tempe
TEMPE, Ariz. – “Element,” an exhibition inspired by the extravagant holiday
window displays in Macy’s and other New York City department stores, will be
on display from Oct. 19-Jan. 31 at the United States Post Office, 500 S.
Mill Ave. (5th Street & Mill Avenue).
Artists Nicole Royse (Tempe), Jeff Falk (Phoenix), Adil Rahee (Mesa) and
Manny Burruel (Glendale) have prepared elaborate window displays that
celebrate one of the following elements: air, fire, earth and water.
Water
Royse earned her Bachelors of Arts degree in Art History from Arizona State
University. She currently works on several research projects in the field of
art history.
Fire
Falk is a long-time active artist in Phoenix that has studied art at
Glendale Community College, Arizona State University and Phoenix College and
has shown his artwork in more than 200 exhibitions in venues across North
America.
Earth
Since moving to Arizona and becoming an American citizen, Rahee has shown at
the Arizona State University Art Museum, as well as at the January Solo
Exhibition at Shemer Art Center and Museum. He is currently earning his
Masters of Fine Arts degree in Ceramics at ASU.
Air
Burruel is a member of the Glendale Arts Commission and is a past member of
the Arizona Commission on the Arts. He was president of the Shemer Art
Center and Museum Associations Board of Directors and is a past vice
president and artist member of Movimiento Artistico del Rio Salado. His work
has been shown in countless exhibits throughout the Phoenix Metropolitan
area. His work has appeared in numerous publications, as well.
Information: Visit http://www.tempe.gov/arts/exhibitions/USPO.htm or call
Michelle Dock 480/350-2867.
Filed under: Arizona State University, Art, Artists, Arts, Arts and Entertainment, City of Tempe, City of Tempe News, Community, Community Service, Entertainment, Tempe, Tempe Arizona | Tags: Ariz, ASU, ASU Gammage lawn, Exhibition, Gammage, Mighty Manimal March, Tempe
TEMPE, Ariz. – “Mighty Manimal March,” the second of a two-part temporary,
shared-terrain public art exhibition was installed on Friday October 12
Friday on the ASU Gammage lawn, at the northeast corner of Mill Avenue and
Apache Boulevard.
Seattle artist Nicole Kistler, formerly of Tempe, will install a more than
160 commercially produced plastic, latex and fiberglass animal lawn
ornaments, such as deer, flamingoes and coyotes on the Gammage lawn. The
menagerie features 64 flamingoes, 30 penguins, five pelicans, seven iguanas
and lizards, two pythons, 10 chicks, a baby elephant named “Bessie,” 11 wild
boar, 20 rabbits, four squirrels, six reindeer and three bears. She intends
to arrange this “river” of animals so that they appear to be on a protest
march or leaving class together and chatting about the course material.
The installation will be on display through December (date pending).
Shared Terrain exhibitions are intended to explore the blurred territory and
shared history where the university meets the city. Pedestrians and
passengers of the thousands of vehicles that pass through this area can
receive a new perspective on the familiar territory and expand their
awareness of site-responsive artwork.
This exhibition furthers the arts district concept of Mill Avenue, which
begins at Gammage Auditorium and includes the Music Building, ASU Art Museum
and the Ceramics Research Center and several School of Art galleries.
Shared Terrain information:
http://herbergercollege.asu.edu/public_art/temporary/sharedterrain.html
Nicole Kistler information: www.nicolekistler.com
<http://www.nicolekistler.com/>
Filed under: City of Mesa, Community, Community Service, Education, Events, Family, Homeless, library, Mesa, Public Library | Tags: agencies, Assistance, Citizens, Domestic Violence, Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Employment, Exhibition, Family Resource Center, Homeless Shelters, Mesa, Murderers, Murders, October, support
In Arizona, a woman is murdered by her husband or boyfriend every four days.
In an effort to bring attention and awareness to this staggering problem,
the City of Mesa and Save the Family Foundation of Arizona have joined
forces to create a display at the Main Library, 64 E. First St., which will
run through the month of October. The display contains artwork and
stories from the mothers and children in Save the Family’s program.
Visitors to the display will learn to recognize domestic violence, see how
domestic violence victims are working to turn their lives around as well as
find out how they can volunteer and help be part of the solution. The
display coincides with October being Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Save the Family provides transitional housing and case management services
to more than 300 families a year. With 159 housing units serving homeless
families with children throughout the Valley, Save the Family is changing
the face of homelessness and helping many women and children of domestic
violence get a fresh start. Through programs like Career Development, Legal
Assistance and domestic violence and parenting classes, clients in Save the
Family’s program learn to become both economically and emotionally
self-sufficient.
For more information, contact Save the Family Volunteer Director Andrea Sok
at 480-898-0228, extension 215.
Filed under: City of Tempe, City of Tempe News, Community, Community Meeting, Community Service, Mayor, Scottsdale Arizona, Tempe, Tempe Arizona | Tags: Clean Air, Hugh Hallman, Recycling
TEMPE (October 11, 2007) – Please join us as we celebrate the
newest and “greenest” facility in the Valley Metro transit system.
The public is invited to view and tour the East Valley Bus Operations and
Maintenance Facility at 2050 W. Rio Salado Parkway and understand more about
what makes a building environmentally friendly at the grand opening on
October 22.
The event begins at 9 a.m. with a breakfast and facility tours
to follow at 10:30 a.m. Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman and Scottsdale Mayor Mary
Manross will make remarks about the features of the facility at 9:30 a.m.
The facility was recently awarded the Valley Forward Association Award of
Merit for Buildings and Structures because of its innovative use of recycled
materials and use of local resources.
“In Tempe, we are working to create an economically, culturally
and environmentally sustainable community,” said Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman.
“This new facility is a tangible representation of that commitment and of
our ability to work together to make that sustainable vision a reality.”
The cities of Tempe and Scottsdale, along with Valley Metro,
will be celebrating this new facility that contains sustainable elements
that help to protect and conserve the Earth’s natural resources. Tempe and
Scottsdale are actively supporting Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design (LEED) certified buildings in their communities.
Scottsdale Mayor Mary Manross said, “I am particularly proud
that Scottsdale and Tempe have supported a goal of LEED certification, and
with a Gold certification submittal for the facility’s administration
building it proves outstanding dedication to this effort.”
The new facility will provide and enhance future transportation
services in the Valley. The 24-acre facility will house 250 buses and 600
employees and include more than 100,000 square feet of state-of-the-art
maintenance, fueling, bus wash and administrative “green” space. The
administration office will be submitted for LEED Gold certification and the
remainder of the project will be submitted for LEED Silver certification by
the U.S. Green Building Council.
Funding for the facility is a combination of Proposition 400
public transportation funds, local funds from Tempe and Scottsdale, and
federal funds. The event is free to the public.
Valley Metro/RPTA is an organization of 14 local governments
that provides or funds transit services to citizens in the greater Phoenix
metropolitan and surrounding areas. For more information about Valley Metro
public transit services, call Transit Information at (602) 253-5000; for
callers with TTY (602) 261-8208; or visit the Valley Metro website at
www.ValleyMetro.org <http://www.valleymetro.org/> . The ON THE MOVE logo
designates those transportation projects approved by voters in November
2004.
Filed under: City of Mesa, Community, Community Service, Mesa | Tags: Recycling
Mesa residents encouraged to take advantage of Household Hazardous Waste
Collection events Mesa residents looking for a way to get rid of old cans of paint, batteries,
pesticides, or tires are invited to bring these and other household
hazardous waste materials to City sponsored collection events.
Our next event will be held from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Oct. 6 at the
East Mesa Service Center, 6935 E. Decatur (east of Power Road, north of
University). There is no cost to take advantage of this service, but Mesa
residents are asked to show their most recent trash bill upon arrival.
Hazardous household waste will only be accepted during the event dates and
times and residents are asked to remain in their vehicles at all times while
at the collection site.
Waste should be sealed in its original container if possible, and unmarked
containers should be labeled if the contents are known.
Acceptable items:
Paint, polishes & varnishes
Pool chemicals
Turpentine
Adhesives
Antifreeze
Gasoline
Mercury
Electronics
Fuel additives
Paint-related materials
Aerosol cans
Motor oil
Appliances (limit 2)
Batteries
Pesticides
Transmission fluid
Fluorescent light bulbs
Automotive tires (limit 5); rims are accepted if the tire has been
removed
Industrial waste, 55-gallon drums and large truck tires will not be
accepted. Collected materials will be recycled, reused or disposed of in an
environmentally responsible manner. For more information, call the Mesa
Recycling Hotline at (480) 644-2222 or visit www.cityofmesa.org.
Filed under: City of Phoenix News, City of Tempe, City of Tempe News, Community, Community Meeting, Community Service, library, Tempe, Tempe Arizona, Tempe Historical Museum, Volunteering, Volunteers | Tags: Tempe Public Library, Volunteer
TEMPE, Ariz. – Looking for ways to help your community? Get involved by
volunteering at the Tempe Center for the Arts, the Tempe Public Library, the
Tempe Historical Museum and more. Learn about all the available
opportunities at Tempe’s annual Volunteer Fair on Wednesday, Sept. 26, from
10 a.m. to 1 p.m., in the lower level Program Room in the Tempe Public
Library, 3500 S. Rural Rd.
Representatives from more than 20 organizations around the community will be
present to answer your questions and tell you how you can help.
Refreshment will be served. Other groups recruiting volunteers at the event
will include Experience Corps, CARE7 Crisis Response Team, the Petersen
House Museum, Volunteers In Policing and more.
For more information, call the Tempe Volunteer Office at 480-350-5190.
Phoenix Arizona 