march 2012 Vol. 26 No. 3

Photo by Barbara Ward

What’s InsideAdvice and Ideas ............................ 9Classifieds .................................... 44Crossword .................................... 25Delta/Montrose County ................ 38Finance ......................................... 22Gardening ..................................... 32Garfield County ............................. 42Health & Wellness ......................... 10Laughing Matters ......................... 14Local Lore ..................................... 18Mesa County ................................. 34Parks & Recreation ....................... 23River City Singles.......................... 35Travel & Recreation ...................... 16

Local LoreThe men of Colo-rado’s Conservation Corps helped restore the economy during the Depression. Read more inside.

Western Colorado’s Monthly Newspaper for Adults 50+. Over 31,080 Readers.

Now on the web at www.BeaconSeniorNews.com

Produced by the BEACON’s Advertising Team

Three keys to successful giving through your estate planpage 13

Local philanthropist Herb Bacon is none other than Mr. April from the Rotary Club Calendar of 2011, “Legends of Rotary: A Tribute to Sexy Old Guys.”

Vote for BeaconFest’s Volunteer of the Yearpage 7

Your Guide to a Planned Giving

Create a LegacyCreating a lega-cy is something we will all do. How will you create yours? Read more in this month’s insert.

Works of ArtThe recent member’s art show at the Art Center was filled with art by local artists. See what we liked inside.

Grandparents raising grandchildren

Thursday, March 29 5:30 to 6:30 pm

Java City CaféSt. Mary’s Advanced Medicine Pavilion750 Wellington Ave., Grand Junction

No reservation needed. Please join us.

Learn the risk factors, symptoms, and screening tests for cancer of the colon and rectum.Free presentation and Q&A open to the publicPresented by Eugene Crafton, MD, Grand Junction GastroenterologySponsored by St. Mary’s Regional Cancer Center

> Call 298-2351 with questions.

Colorectal Cancer Prevention

Just when they thought their parenting years were over, many seniors have given up retirement and are opening their hearts and homes to raise their grandchildren.

2 www.BeaconSeniorNews.com March 2012

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March 2012 www.BeaconSeniorNews.com Editorial 3

Herb Bacon’s big, yellow bananaBy Kevin VanGundy

Herb Bacon is the subject of our feature story for this year’s “Cre-

ate A Legacy” insert in this month’s BEACON. Herb and I share some-thing in common. We both owned the same station wagon. It was big, yellow and looked like it came straight out of “The Brady Bunch.” My kids just called it the “banana.” As in, “Dad, please don’t take me to school in the banana.”

In 1996, I was at a charity auction for Partners. As I looked over one of the cars that had been donated, Joe Higgins walked over to me and said, “Herb Bacon donated that car to us. He sure takes good care of his cars.”

“Good care” was an understate-ment. Even though the “banana” had high mileage, it was immaculate inside and out. Probably not much different than it looked when Herb drove it off the showroom floor. I bought it.

Even Bacon’s banana had a long and generous life.

I bought that gorgeous, yellow sta-tion wagon because later that year, my family and I were scheduled to spend our Christmas vacation build-ing houses for poor people in Tecate, Mexico. Until then, I had no idea how the eight of us were going to get there. I remember distinctly spend-ing Christmas Eve attending service at a beautiful, little Catholic church located on the central piazza. It was one of our family’s most selfless and memorable holidays.

Bacon’s banana gives its last.Looking back on it, I wish that I

had left the “banana” with the mis-sionaries in Mexico. But then how would we have gotten back home? As it turned out, the “banana” broke down just outside St. George, Utah and we had it towed to the Ford dealership there. At the urging of their salesman, with the nodding

approval of the service manager and the pleading of my family, I put my disappointment aside and bought our first minivan. But I miss that car we called the “banana.”

Grandparents raising grandkidsThis month’s cover story about

grandparents who have become full-time parents to their grandkids is one of the most engaging stories I’ve read. It breaks my heart for those grandkids. I have empathy for the grandparents. But I’m also en-couraged by the true grit that these grandparents have shown in taking on the responsibility of raising their children’s children.

Please vote!This year’s Volunteer of the Year

nominations include 24 dedicated, hard working individuals that de-serve our support. This will be the first time that BEACON readers will be the ones who decide who wins the coveted BEACON statue at this year’s BeaconFest. Please read this month’s insert for details.

BeaconFest is April 19I just got word from Genevra, who

handles booking our entertainment, that the King ‘n’ Trio has agreed to be one of our entertainers at this year’s BeaconFest. She has been working to get them to perform for the last three years. But that’s not the only pleasant surprise we have in store for you at BeaconFest.

Got travel plans?In June, the BEACON will include

our guide to summer travel and area festivals. Where are you planning to travel? What festivals are you plan-ning to attend? We’d like to know.

As always, feel free to contact us via email at Beacon@PendantPublish ing.com, or by snail mail at:

BEACON Senior NewspaperPO Box 3895Grand Junction, CO 81502

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4 covEr Story www.BeaconSeniorNews.com March 2012

Are you a grandparent raising a grandchild?Trading in your retirement years to take care of a grandchild can be tough both emotionally and financially. There might never be enough resources to fully al-leviate the struggle, but here are some to get you started:

Grandfamily Support GroupsMesa County

Grand Junction Parenting Contact: Kim Cannedy, 314-1901

Grandparents & Other Kin Parenting Again Contact: Rochelle, 260-1804

Montrose

Kinship Connection for Kids through Partners and Montrose County Mental Health Contact: Karen Barnes, 252-1009

Colorado resourcesGrandparents Resource Center P.O. Box 27064, Denver, CO 303-980-5707, www.grc4usa.org

Child Health Plan Plus 800-359-1991

Colorado Coalition of Adoptive Families Colorado Kinship Care Resource Guide www.cocaf.org/kinship-resource

AARP Grandparent Information Center 888-687-2277 www.aarp.org/grandparents

For more contacts and resources, consult the BEACON’s Senior RESOURCE Directory.Don’t have one? Call our office at 243-8829 and we will send you a FREE copy.

Family 2.0: Grandparents become the new generation of parentsBy Carla Johnson, Marsha Kearns, Barbara Ward and Sandy Barney

Throughout history, parents and grandparents have “tag-teamed”

raising children. However, an increas-ing number of these family teams are splintering for a multitude of reasons, mainly relating to a child’s parents. Situations range from tough econom-ic times, to substance abuse, incar-ceration, health problems and even death. Whatever the cause, the result is that a grandparent today may likely face the decision whether or not to raise their grandchildren in the future.

A census data analysis indicates that the number of grandpar-ents raising grandkids began to spiral upward when the reces-sion began in 2007. Overall, 34 percent of grandparents raising grandchildren are unmarried, and 62 percent are women. One in 10 children in the U.S. already lives exclusively with a grandpar-ent. Jean Brewer heads one such household.

Her older grandson, Austin, came to live with her on Christ-mas Eve in 2003, when he was 10 and she was 53. Brewer was working full time, living alone and enjoying it all.

“The decision to take Austin into my home was a hard one, because I knew it would change my life dramatically,” Brewer said. “But I knew it was necessary to give him a stable home. I loved him and so that was my choice.”

Brewer dipped into her retirement savings to help support Austin. Then, in 2008, her other grandson, Joey, came to live with them, too.

Different paths to the same door“My daughter began struggling

financially in 2002, so she let both boys go live with their fathers,” Brew-er said. “Later, Austin’s father decided he didn’t want the responsibility, and Joey’s father was arrested. I stepped

in both times to give them stability and keep them with family.”

Brewer eventually gained full custody of both grandsons. Austin’s parents both agreed to the solution, but Joey had moved into the foster care system. Brewer had to become an official foster parent and pursue a long process of becoming certified as a “kinship” foster parent.

Grandparents don’t have normal standing in the custody process, so it took Brewer a year to get Joey.

“I had to complete a mountain of

paperwork, be background checked, have a home check and monthly home visits, take eight weeks of 3-hour trainings, and become certi-fied in CPR,” Brewer said.

Challenges for everyone“For the boys, the biggest challenge

was and is that their parents chose not to raise them,” Brewer said. “They miss their mother all the time and hunger and fight for her atten-tion even though they regularly get to spend time with her.”

On Brewer’s part, she has to deal with the fallout of all the emotions, as well as be there for her daughter

and her grandsons. “It is hard to work full time and

raise kids by yourself,” Brewer said. “Especially when the kids are often sad and angry. There are times when I have more to do than time to do them. And yes, I do sometimes wish I had just been able to love them and spoil them as a grandmother.”

Parenting the second time aroundBrewer said parenting is harder the

second time around. “I had to learn that I cannot be a full substitute for their parents and that being there for them will never completely fill the void left by their parents,” Brewer said.

Brewer’s daughter has always been a part of the boys’ lives. She is now working more as a partner in parenting her children with her mother. At 18, Austin recently graduated from high school and is living in another state, doing well. Thirteen year-old Joey still lives with Brewer and sees his mother often. Why does he like living with his grandmother?

“Because she’s good,” Joey said.Brewer, now 61, said, “Even

knowing all the problems, issues, time constraints, expense and the rest, I would still do it all again. They are my family, and to me, this is what family does. It steps up and helps when there is a need. I have to admit, however, that I often say

to myself that I’m too darn old for this.”

Going the extra mileLike Brewer, Jan and Barry Hicks

chose to raise children, but go the extra mile by raising the children of a young woman they accepted into their family as an at-risk teenager.

Jan, 53, has reached out to youth for over two decades, beginning with summer Bible camps and children’s ministries. She served as a youth minister at a church in Parachute, fa-cilitated a Young Life group in Glen-wood Springs, and led Bible studies at the Division of Youth Corrections

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Jean Brewer, 61, went through a long process to gain legal custody of her grandson Joey, 13.

March 2012 www.BeaconSeniorNews.com covEr Story 5

Publisher ........................... Kevin VanGundyFounding Publisher .................. Susan CappsAssistant Editor ....................... Cloie SandlinOffice Manager .......................Genevra ShalGraphic Design ............................. Heidi GrafProduction/ Photographer ........ Karen JonesDelivery .......................................Al LeFebreAdvertising Sales ........................Sue BowenAdvertising Sales ................Jeanette KiphartAdvertising Assistant ..............Jamie BegalleMascot ..............................................Bogart

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in Grand Junction.“Barry and I were

official foster parents to three children and took in quite a few strays,” Jan said. “I became the go-to adult for 12 to 15 kids who became lifetime commitments. I helped them at every level, from getting their wardrobes together for special functions at school to preparing for graduation.”

Among the kids they took in, one young lady was forever woven into the fabric of their family.

“I did YFC (Youth for Christ) ministry and Cat was a kid that attended the club,” Jan said. “She was rejected by her bio family and I helped with her placement in a foster home. I also acted as a nonofficial guardian through her teen years.”

Cat became pregnant with her first child with no other support system. She moved into the Hicks’ home when her daughter was three months old.

“Barry and I acted as parents of the bride at her wedding and I was the birth coach for all four of her children,” Jan said. “We helped her get her GED, her first car, and her first apartment.”

With each new baby, Cat be-came more overwhelmed.

“She wanted to be the kind of mother she never had,” Jan said. “But she was dealing with conflict gener-ated by a lot of personal issues from her early years.”

The Hicks recognized that it was time to fish or cut bait.

Jan took legal guardianship of Cat’s two boys and two girls, who range in age from four to 11. The kids call her “Nana” but at first, Barry, 55, insisted that he was too young to be a grandpa.

“The kids started calling him Uncle Wiggily from the children’s board game,” Jan said.

‘Neesha, Cat’s eldest daughter,

couldn’t wrap her tongue around “Wiggily,” so Barry became Wiggy.

The Hicks have a biological son and adopted daughter who are 10 years apart. Kate, 21, still lives at home. Her older brother, Roger, is married with seven children and one on the way.

“They’ve all accepted Cat’s kids as family, but Barry and I are juggling the dynamic of being grandparents to our son’s children and in some ways, acting as parents to the other four.”

Jan calls their current living ar-rangement a “round robin” plan.

“We keep the kids through the school week and they take turns stay-ing with mom,” Jan said. “Cat never has them all at once, which allows her to be the parent she wants to be.”

The Hicks’ sprawling ranch style home has helped this extended fam-ily adapt to an unconventional rou-tine. Jan praised her daughter, Kate.

“If she weren’t a part of this pack-age it wouldn’t work as well,” Jan said.

Jan said she repeatedly questioned her decision to raise the children.

“You think about the things you

want to do when you get older,” Jan said. “We wanted to travel. Fiji sounds real good some days, but this is a fulfilling thing to do. I believe God put us all here for a rea-son. Only He knows how important this may be. Some of our friends ask, ‘How much longer is this going to last?’ We have accepted that this is for years. We will wait until Cat is ready to step up.”

Jan admitted that she does not have the energy she did when raising her

own children. “If I was younger I would jump on

the trampoline with the kids, but I have physical limitations now,” Jan said. “I do well in the mornings, but it’s all I can do to keep my eyeballs open to get them to bed. But you don’t walk away just because it’s dif-ficult. God gives the strength.”

Jan views her role as a liaison in restoring family relationships, not as a replacement.

“Had Cat been our biological child, I would feel that I had failed and was doing penance,” Jan said. “But that guilt piece isn’t there. My grandmother helped raise me, so that’s my legacy. I look forward to seeing

these kids become healthy, function-ing adults.”

An unexpected blessingRoss and Aggie Hamilton’s new life

of raising grandchildren came about 15 years ago when their daughter, Connie, was diagnosed with breast cancer.

“She was sick for a year and a half,” Aggie recalled. “We’ve had her daughter, Courtney, most of her life. We got her when she was just 2 1/2 years old. She is 17 now.”

Aggie and Ross also raised Court-ney’s older half brother, Ray, who was 13 when Connie died.

Connie’s cancer spread into her

Jan Hicks, 53, with her adopted granddaughters Aneesha (left) and Kennedy (right).

I believe God put us all here for a reason.

6 covEr Story www.BeaconSeniorNews.com March 2012

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lymph nodes and the radiation from her chemotherapy seemed to make things worse. After a long battle, Connie died in August 1997.

“Nobody is ever ready for a loved one to pass away,” Aggie said. “My husband gave her a blessing, but it was not meant to be.”

Courtney doesn’t remember her mother very well, but Ray took it the hard-est. Aggie said he tried hard not to show his feelings, but one day he just broke down and cried.

“I wasn’t in very good shape,” Aggie said. “I would lie on the couch for days. Then one day I decid-ed that I had two kids to raise. I needed to get up off that couch and do my job.”

The Hamiltons raised Ray until he was grown. Now in her 70s, Aggie said Courtney has been an exception-al child to raise.

“We have never had discipline problems with her,” Aggie said. “If you ever have to raise a child in your old age, you want one like Courtney. She has her mother’s characteristics and the older she gets, the more I see Connie in her.”

When Courtney’s father died two years ago, his social security helped the Hamiltons financially support her.

“It has been a joy to be able to raise Courtney,” Aggie said. “She has been a blessing to have in our home.”

Aggie said at her age, it is hard keeping up with Courtney, as she enjoys activities like hiking, swim-ming, archery, paint ball and being involved in her church’s youth group. Fortunately, Courtney has cousins that often join her in such activities.

Courtney has been homeschooled since the fifth grade. She plans to get her GED this summer and then go to college.

“I am thankful for my grandpar-ents raising me, and for being there for me when my mother could not,” Courtney said.

ObstaclesMontrose resident Tammy Avila-

Spear took on the role of raising her grandson, Nicholas, just minutes after he was born. With both of his parents addicted to drugs, Avila-Spear arranged to take him at birth with the help of a lawyer. Although her husband, Russell Spear, is not Nicho-

las’ biological grand-father, he also readily accepted the respon-sibility.

“I gave up furthering my education, made financial sacrifices and neglected my own health issue,” Avila-Spear said referring to her end stage renal disease. “But I would do it all over again. He is my reason to get up everyday and want to

live in spite of my poor health.”Nicholas, 6, visits his father on a

regular basis and has some contact with his mother. Although he has developed his own way of coping, he doesn’t fully understand why he can’t live with his parents.

“It’s not easy at all,” Avila-Spear said. “But I discipline like a mother and spoil like a grandmother.”

Avila-Spear said one of the prob-lems that arise for grandparents rais-ing their grandchildren is the finan-cial expense and lack of government assistance. She said some children receive free or reduced lunches at school, and receive Medicaid, but all other expenses are the responsibility of the grandparents.

Avila-Spear said grandparents need counseling, too. Montrose offers Kinship Connection for Kids, a sup-port group for grandparents raising children, but there are no low-fee services available for private counsel-ing and professional help.

Although the journey is hard, Avila-Spear and her husband have no regrets. To them, laughter, smiles and hugs make up for any heartache.

“We cannot afford to provide a lot of extra ‘things,’” Spear said. “But what we do provide is love, stability and a positive influence.”

“Nana” gives the girls a touch up after her daughter, Kate, did their hair for Valentine’s Day.

March 2012 www.BeaconSeniorNews.com FEaturE Story 7

By Sue Chapman

Life begins at 55… at least it does for more than 700 veterans com-

peting in the National Golden Age Games every year. This national is the only multi-event sports and recre-ational seniors’ competition program designed to improve the quality of life for all older veterans including those with a wide range of abilities and disabilities. It is one of the most progressive and adaptive rehabilita-tive senior sports programs in the world offering 14 different sports and recreational activities.

Grand Junction’s own Golden Age Games Team has 15 members includ-ing both men and women. They participate in such events as golf, shot put, horseshoes, cycling, air rifle and dominoes. Every year, our team members do well and bring home

several medals. Team members must pay for their

own travel and housing expenses, therefore, we must hold several fundraising events such as yard sales, bowling tournaments, silent auctions, golf tournaments and even Santa photos.

The team’s upcoming event is a bowling fundraiser at 5 p.m. on March 24 at Orchard Mesa Lanes, 295 27 Road. Register your team before March 17 and tickets are $25 per person or $90 per four-person team. Cash prizes will be given to the first place man and the first place woman.

In May, the team plans to attend the games in Saint Louis, Missouri.

For further information about the Golden Age Games fundraising events and the tournament, call the team’s captain, Emma, at 245-6175 or Henry Bullock at 242 0731, ext. 2417.

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2011 Golden Age Games Team

8 www.BeaconSeniorNews.com March 2012

“The cheese in this crust and the lump of garlic butter that melts into the center make this into something very special.”

Serves 6, Preheat the oven to 350°F.

3 T olive oil 2 garlic cloves, mashed 1 small onion, chopped 1 lb beef, freshly ground 1 t fresh thyme leaves 1/2 c dry white or red wine 1 c beef stock 1 t Worcestershire sauce 1 T tomato paste Roux (recipe follows) Salt and freshly ground pepper

For the Topping 3 lbs baking potatoes, unpeeled 1 c whole milk, boiling Salt and freshly ground pepper 2 T Kerrygold Irish butter 1 T chopped chives (optional)

Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add garlic and onion and fry until soft and slightly brown. Increase heat, add ground beef and thyme and fry until beef changes color. Add wine, half the stock, Worcestershire sauce, and tomato paste. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, boil the unpeeled potatoes, then peel them. Add boiling milk and mash potatoes while they are still hot. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper, and add butter and chives, if using.

Bring the rest of the stock to a boil and thicken it well with roux. Stir it into beef — it should be thick but still juicy. Taste and correct seasoning.

Put meat mixture into one large or six individual pie dishes. Pipe or spread mashed potato mixture over the top. Sprinkle with grated cheeses. Bake for 30 minutes, until top is golden and slightly crispy. Serve with garlic butter and a green salad.

Roux“Roux can be stored in a cool place and used as required, or it can be made up on the spot if preferred to thicken up a sauce.”

8 T Kerrygold Irish butter Scant c all-purpose flour

Melt butter in a pan and cook flour in it for 2 minutes on low heat, stirring occasionally. It will keep for two weeks in the refrigerator.

Garlic Butter“Slather over bruschetta or toast. Also great with grilled fish, meat, or vegetables.”

8 T Kerrygold Irish butter 2 T finely chopped parsley 3 to 5 cloves crushed garlic A few drops of freshly squeezed lemon juice

Whip butter, then add in parsley, garlic and a few drops of lemon juice at a time. Roll into butter pats or form into a roll and wrap in parchment paper or foil, twisting each end. Refrigerate to harden.

1/4 c grated Dubliner cheese 1/4 c grated Kerrygold Aged Cheddar

To ServeGarlic Butter (recipe follows)Green salad

with Garlic ButterCottage PieCottage Pie

March 2012 www.BeaconSeniorNews.com advicE & idEaS 9

Advice Column for the Over 50 CrowdBy Gayle Lagman-Creswick

Dear Old Bag: Some-thing I read in a previous column of yours got me thinking. I have been married for 42 years to a man who has verbally abused me. I cannot begin to tell you the tears that have been shed, the sleepless nights, and the times I have thought about leaving him. I read in your column about couples our age that have split. One lady told you, “Life is too short to spend it with someone who abuses you.” I will never please this man and I am sick of trying. I cannot imagine what he will do without me, because he is helpless when it comes to doing anything for himself! I have a good attorney. Do you have any other advice? Signed, Finally

Dear Finally: I hope the reason for your decision is that you believe it is the best thing for you and your life, and not because of something you read in my column. I give advice based upon my life experiences, which may not be yours. Leaving a marriage of 42 years is difficult. Even bad habits are hard to break. The most difficult part, I believe, is finding out who you are as an indi-vidual. Right now, you know who you are as an abused wife of 42 years. After splitting up, you will have some uneasy feelings about who you are as a single person. Have a plan to begin your life single: take a college course, get a job, volunteer, develop new friendships, and develop new hobbies. You did not say whether you two have a family. If you do, let them know that this is between you and their father, and that you do not intend to involve them in choosing sides. I have a suspicion that after you split, you and your ex may get along better than you ever did, partly be-cause he cannot bully you anymore, and partly because he will have a new respect for you. Good luck and let me know how it goes! O.B.

Ask the Old BagDear Old Bag: I read your answer with a smile on my face about the woman who lived in a retirement community and could not figure out how some old people could be so cantan-kerous. Your answer was

right on. I moved into this retire-ment community 10 years ago. Last year, a high school classmate of mine moved in here. Guess what? She was a little snippy, gossip in high school and she still is! We just become more of whatever we are—that is the good news and the bad! Signed, Hoping I am maturing gracefully!

Dear Hoping: Thanks for writing. Keep smiling!

note from the old Bag: I received many letters in regard to the recent column about how people present themselves in a Friend-ship Ad. Some men were adamant that it is women who misrepresent themselves. The women say it is the men who misrepresent themselves. Here’s some good advice from R. who lives in the “hot and dry desert:” Be real, be yourself, and don’t try to be and look like someone you are not! I think it is applicable to life in general.

Dear Old Bag: I am a high school girl who picked up my grandma’s paper and read your column. I have a problem: My grandma goes on and on about how the teenagers of today have no respect, decorate their bodies with punctures, have tattoos, and dress sinfully. I love my gram, but I do not enjoy my time with her when she starts putting my group down. HELP!

Dear Help: Give this column to Grandma.

Dear Grandma, Your granddaughter loves you and I feel sure you love her too. If you want her to visit you, you need to nix your criticism of her age group. Now, don’t give me that jazz about “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” Yes, you can if the price is right. O.B.

Send your questions to Ask the Old Bag in care of the BEACON, or email lagmancreswick@cox.net

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The Healthy GeezerBy Fred Cicetti

Q. I’m 70 and I’m starting to see a blurred area in the middle of my vision. Any ideas?

Have this checked immediately by an eye care practitioner. What you describe is a symptom of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a lead-ing cause of vision loss in Americans 60 years of age and older.

The macula is at the center of the retina in the back of your eye. The retina transmits light from the eye to the brain. The macula allows us to perform tasks that require cen-tral vision such as reading and driving.

In some cases, AMD advances so slowly that people notice little change in their vision. In others, the disease progresses faster and may lead to a loss of vision in both eyes. It comes in two forms—wet and dry.

Wet AMD occurs when blood ves-sels behind the retina start to leak and raise the macula. An early symp-tom of wet AMD is straight lines that appear wavy. Wet AMD is considered to be advanced AMD and is more severe than the dry form. However, dry AMD can turn into wet AMD at any time.

Dry AMD occurs when macular cells break down, gradually blurring central vision in the affected eye. Central vision in the affected eye can be lost. Dry AMD generally affects both eyes, but vision can be lost in one eye.

The risk of getting AMD increases with age. Other risk factors include smoking, obesity, race (whites are at higher risk), a family history of AMD, and gender (women are at higher risk).

AMD is detected through a com-prehensive eye exam that includes a visual acuity test, a dilated eye exam

and tonometry. Visual acuity is mea-sured with an eye chart test. In the dilated eye exam, drops are placed in your eyes to enlarge the pupils. Then, a magnifying lens is used to examine your retina. Tonometry measures the pressure inside the eye.

You may also be asked to look at an Amsler grid. With one eye, you will stare at a black dot in the center of the grid. You may notice that the straight lines in the pattern appear

wavy or are miss-ing. These may be signs of AMD.

Once dry, AMD is in the advanced stage. No treat-ment can prevent vision loss. How-ever, treatment can delay and possibly prevent AMD from pro-

gressing to the advanced stage. Some vitamins and minerals may reduce the risk of developing advanced AMD.

Wet AMD can be treated with surgery, therapy and injections into the eye. None of these treatments is a cure for wet AMD. Each treatment may slow the rate of vision decline, but the disease may progress anyway.

The U.S. Food and Drug Adminis-tration recently approved the Im-plantable Miniature Telescope (IMT) to improve vision in some patients with end-stage age-related macular degeneration.

Surgically implanted in one eye, the IMT is a small telescope that replaces the natural lens and provides an im-age that has been magnified more than two times.

If you have lost some sight from AMD, don’t be afraid to use your eyes for reading, watching TV, and other routine activities. Normal use of your eyes will not damage your vision further.

If you would like to read more columns, you can order a copy of “How to be a Healthy Geezer” at www.healthygeezer.com.

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small cancerous polyp is removed from the colon or rectum using the colonoscope. Treatment depends mainly on both the stage and location of the cancer.

Surgery remains the most common form of treatment for more advanced stages. Surgeons will often perform a colon resection or removal of the entire diseased portion of the colon and/or resect a portion of the rectum better known as proctectomy. If the surgeon is not able to reconnect the healthy parts, a temporary or per-manent colostomy may be needed. This involves the surgeon creating an opening in the wall of the abdomen through which solid body waste is eliminated into a special bag.

Other forms of treatment are chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Chemotherapy involves the use of drugs to kill the cancer cells. But often normal healthy cells may also be killed in addition to the cancer cells. Radiation therapy uses high-en-ergy rays to shrink the tumor before surgery, kill cancer cells that may remain after surgery, and may relieve pain and other symptoms caused by the cancer.

One of the most important factors in determining survival from colon cancer is early detection.

The American Cancer Society recommends a colonoscopy every 10 years, starting at age 50. If your initial colonoscopy detects precancerous polyps, then you should have the pro-cedure every five years. Studies have proven that a colonoscopy screening reduces your risk of being diagnosed with colorectal cancer by 84 percent. If you have a family history of colon cancer, screening may be recom-mended even earlier.

Patients with cancers detected at the early stages have a higher rate of survival, with the five-year survival rate of 70 to 80 percent for colorectal cancer stages I and II. This is consid-erably higher than those with ad-vanced metastatic disease.

The best recommendation is to take charge of your health and undergo a screening colonoscopy.

By Dr. Masi Khaja

Colorectal cancer is the third most diagnosed form of cancer

in men and women in the U.S. It is estimated about 140,000 new cases are diagnosed each year and about 49,000 Americans die from it, making it the second most common cause of cancer death in the U.S.

Colorectal cancer occurs when ab-normal cells grow in the lining of the large bowel or rectum. This abnor-mal growth is known as a polyp. The two most common types of polyps are adenomas or hyperplastic. The adenoma type have the potential to turn into cancer, but can be prevent-ed when they are removed early by routine screening colonoscopy.

Common risk factors include a fam-ily history of colorectal cancer, age, and a history of inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis. A personal history of ovarian or breast cancer have also been as-sociated with increased risk. Risk fac-tors that can be modified to prevent colorectal cancer are a diet high in red meat, processed meats, obesity, smoking or drinking alcohol.

Most people think that they are not a risk due to lack of symptoms, but with colon cancer there are no early warning signs. As the disease progresses, symptoms are blood in stools, abdominal pain, change in bowel habits, weight loss or anemia. With these signs, the tumor is usually larger and difficult to treat.

Screening for colon cancerColonoscopy is the visual exam of

the rectum and colon. The exam is done with a colonoscope, a flexible instrument with a tiny camera on the end. This tube is inserted into your rectum, allowing the doctor to view the inside of your colon.

A cancer screening colonoscopy can find and remove precancerous polyps or even diagnose early cancer. Meta-static cancer is cancer that has spread to other parts of the body and is generally more difficult to treat. Pol-ypectomy is a procedure performed during a colonoscopy in which a

A trip down the alimentary canal

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Eat fat to be healthier?By Sandra Gordon

Switch to skinny lattes. Learn to love nonfat cheese. No more but-

ter! Sound familiar? If you’re trying to lose weight by cutting out all the fat in your diet, here’s food for thought: Fat doesn’t make you fat. Excess calories do.

“It’s not total fat that mat-ters. People need to be concerned about total calories,” explained Arte-mis Simopoulos, M.D. and co-author of “The Omega Plan.”

Another fat misconception? A no-fat or low-fat diet is the health gold standard. It isn’t. In fact, studies, such as the Women’s Health Initia-tive, which involved 49,000 women, showed that a low-fat diet didn’t sig-nificantly reduce the women’s risk of heart disease, breast cancer, or colon cancer.

Some types of fat, such as unsatu-rated fat, which comes from plant sources and fish, are actually good for you. Studies show that by watch-ing your total calorie intake and eat-ing more foods rich in unsaturated fat, you may lose weight and reduce your risk of disease.

Fat is your friendLike a car, your body needs oil to

run. Among its many duties, fat is a major energy source and helps your body absorb certain nutrients. Fat also regulates your hormones, keeps your nervous system humming and forms the membrane that surrounds each cell. It’s also the staff of life for your brain. Yet, the type of fat you consume matters. Saturated fat, the fat found principally in meat, dairy products and some tropical oils, has been shown to in-crease your risk of heart dis-ease because it raises the LDL, or “the bad” cholesterol and triglyceride levels in your blood. The same holds true for another “bad fat,” trans fat, the man-made fat found in marga-rines and some manufactured foods,

which also lower HDLs, “the good” protective cholesterol.

Reduce heart disease riskUnsaturated fat, on the other hand,

the type of fat that comes mainly from vegetable, nut and fish prod-ucts can help lower LDLs and blood

pressure, raise HDLs and pre-vent heart disease, stroke

and potentially-deadly heart rhythm disorders. A little butter, ice cream or a steak every once in a while is okay: everything

in moderation. But to keep your ticker in top shape, you

can’t beat a diet rich in unsaturated “healthy” fats. One landmark study in particular, the Lyon Diet Heart Study, dramatically proved this point.

In the study, 302 heart attack survivors were assigned to a low-fat “prudent” diet, consisting of 30 percent fat. Another similar group was assigned to a slightly higher fat diet that was based on a modified version of the traditional diet of the Greek island of Crete, which featured unsaturated fats like olive and canola oil. Although you’d think those on the lower-fat diet would have won this round, the opposite proved true. Subjects on the Crete diet had an un-precedented 76 percent lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease or suffering heart failure, heart attack or stroke.

Healthy fatFor overall good health and to lose

weight, it’s important to eat less satu-rated fat and trans fats and to try to make sure the fat you do consume is unsaturated. Keep in mind that you have to consume fat to be healthy. Up to 35 percent of your total daily

calories can come from fat (that’s 700

fat calories on a typical

2,000-calorie daily diet), according to the National Academy of Sciences. Unsaturated fats such as omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in fish and fish oil, are essential fats. They’re

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required for normal body functions and you must get them from food because your body can’t manufacture them.

“Omega-3 fatty acids have to be part of your diet continuously,” Simopoulos said.

Moreover, if you don’t eat enough fat, your body will make its own.

“Eating a very low-fat diet can turn your body into a fat-making machine, and the type of fat your body manu-factures is saturated fat,” Simopoulos said.

Super food sources of omega-3s and other types of unsaturated fat include canola and olive oil, flaxseed, wal-nuts, and fish, particularly fatty fish, such as salmon, mackerel, herring, lake trout, sardines and albacore tuna because it’s packed with two types of omega-3 fatty acids: DHA and EPA, which your body readily uses. Plant sources of omega-3s like walnuts and flaxseed contain ALA, which your body doesn’t use quite as efficiently. Nonetheless, it’s all good for you.

To reduce the risk of environmen-

tal contaminants, mix up the menu and serve different kinds of fish from varied sources, such as wild salmon, tilapia and lake trout at least twice a week. Fishing for serving ideas? Here are ways to work healthy, unsaturat-ed fats into your menus.

• Canola oil: Use it for sautéing vegetables and lean meat. For salad dressings, use half canola oil, half olive oil (for flavor).

• Ground flaxseed: Use a couple tablespoons as a topper for salads. Blend into a morning fruit smoothie or sprinkle atop cereal at breakfast.

• Albacore tuna: Stir into lunchtime pasta salads. Serve on toast with sliced avocados, a squirt of limejuice and a dash of salt, or fold into your favorite dinnertime casseroles.

• Walnuts: Add chopped walnuts to baked goods like banana bread, sprinkle on pancakes or serve with an afternoon snack of cheese and crackers.

• Sardines: Sneak them into pasta sauce.

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Laughing MattersYou know you’re getting old when… Submitted by Charles Gross

Your glasses get thicker and your hair gets thinner.

Your grandkids take you to school for “Show and Tell: American History Week.”

You think everything should cost half as much and last twice as long.

Every time you stand up, it sounds like someone stepped on a box of macaroni.

There is a complete stranger on your driver’s license photo.

You find that people mumble more than they used to.

Only you alone know how to use the rotary phone in the kitchen.

You realize that Lawrence Welk was ahead of his time.

The comic strips no longer make any sense.

Your high school class says, “To heck with it. No more reunions.”

Tool descriptions for DIY Submitted by Kevin VanGundy Dedicated to Kevin Ray

Drill press: A tall upright machine useful for suddenly snatching flat metal bar stock out of your hands so that it smacks you in the chest and flings your beer across the room.

Wire wheel: Cleans paint off bolts and then throws them somewhere under the workbench with the speed of light. Also removes finger-prints and hard-earned calluses from fingers in about the time it takes you to say, “Oh crap!”

Skill saw: A portable cutting tool used to make studs too short.

Pliers: Used to round off bolt heads. Sometimes used in the cre-ation of blood blisters.

Belt sander: An electric sanding tool commonly used to convert mi-nor touch-up jobs into major refinish-ing jobs.

Vise grips: Generally used after pliers to completely round off bolt

heads. If nothing else is available, they can also be used to transfer intense welding heat to the palm of your hand.

Oxyacetylene torch: Used almost entirely for lighting various flam-mable objects in your shop on fire. Also handy for igniting the grease inside the wheel hub out of which you want to remove a bearing.

Table saw: A large stationary power tool commonly used to launch wood projectiles for testing garage wall integrity.

Band saw: A large stationary power saw primarily used by most shops to cut good aluminum sheet into smaller pieces that more easily fit into the trash can.

Phillips screwdriver: Normally used to stab the vacuum seals under lids or for opening old-style paper-and-tin oil cans and splashing oil on your shirt. They can also be used, as the name implies, to strip out Phillips screw heads.

Straight screwdriver: A tool for opening paint cans. Sometimes used to convert common slotted screws into non removable screws.

Pry bar: A tool used to crumple the metal surrounding that clip or

bracket you needed to remove in order to replace a 50 cent part.

Hose cutter: A tool used to make hoses too short.

Hammer: Originally em-ployed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining

rod to locate the most expen-sive parts adjacent the object

we are trying to hit. It is espe-cially valuable at being able to find

the exact location of the thumb or index finger of the other hand.

Utility knife: Used to open and slice through the contents of card-board cartons delivered to your front door. Works particularly well on contents such as seats, vinyl records, liquids in plastic bottles, collector magazines, refund checks, and rub-ber or plastic parts.

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March 2012 www.BeaconSeniorNews.com laughing mattErS 15

Son-of-a-bitch tool: Any handy tool that you grab and throw across the garage while yelling, “Son of a bitch!” at the top of your lungs. It is also, most often, the next tool that you will need.

In sickness and in health Submitted by Brent Carlile

George, 92 and Edith, 89, decided to get married. They were strolling past a drugstore when George said, “Let’s go in. I have an idea.”

They met the pharmacist, who was the owner of the store. George asked, “Do you sell heart medications?”

“Of course we do,” the owner replied.

“How about support hose for circu-lation?” George asked.

“Definitely,” the owner replied.This went on with George ask-

ing about medications, hear-ing aids, denture supplies, wheelchairs, walkers and canes.

“We have all different kinds of medications, medi-cal supplies, wheelchairs and canes,” the owner replied. “May I ask why all the questions?”

George smiled, glanc-ing shyly at Edith. He turned to the owner and said, “We’ve decided to get married and we’d like to use your store as our bridal registry.”

I love my grandkids Submitted by Jacque Stafford

After putting her grandchildren to bed, a grandmother changed into old slacks and a droopy blouse, and proceeded to wash her hair. As she heard the children getting more and more rambunctious, her patience grew thin.

Finally, she threw a towel around her head and stormed into their room, putting them back to bed with stern warnings.

As she left the room, she heard the 3-year-old say with a trembling voice, “Who was THAT?”

Lil’ Bill Submitted by Renae Gustine

Bill attended a horse auction with his father. He watched as his father

moved from horse to horse, running his hands up and down the horse’s legs, rump and chest.

After a few minutes, Bill asked, “Dad, why are you doing that?”

His father replied, “Because when I’m buying horses, I have to make sure that they are healthy and in good shape before I buy.”

Looking worried, Bill said, “Dad, I think the UPS guy wants to buy Mom.”

Irish Alzheimer’s Submitted by Kevin Ray

Murphy showed up to Mass one Sunday and the priest almost fell

down when he saw him. He’d never been to church in

his life.After the service, the priest caught up with him and said, “Murphy, I am so glad ya decided to come to Mass. What

made ya come?”“I got to be honest with ya,

Father,” Murphy said. “A while back, I misplaced me hat and I

really, really love that hat. I know that McGlynn had a hat just like mine and I knew he came to church every Sunday. I also knew that he had to take off his hat during Mass and I figured he would leave it in the back of church. So, I was going to leave after communion and steal McGlynn’s hat.”

“Well, Murphy,” the priest said. “I noticed that ya didn’t steal McGlynn’s hat. What changed your mind?”

“Well, after I heard your sermon on the 10 Commandments, I decided that I didn’t need to steal McGlynn’s hat after all,” Murphy said.

With a tear in his eye, the priest gave Murphy a big smile and said, “After I talked about ‘Thou Shall Not Steal,’ ya decided you would rather do without your hat than burn in hell?”

Murphy slowly shook his head and said, “No Father, after ya talked about Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery’ I remembered where I left me hat.”

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16 travEl & rEcrEation www.BeaconSeniorNews.com March 2012

Compiled by Cloie Sandlin

Indoor Football: Colorado Ice vs. Wyoming CalvaryMarch 4Budweiser Event Center5290 Arena CircleLoveland, Colorado970-472-0128www.thecoloradoice.comThe NFL Super Bowl may be over, but football season isn’t. Catch the Colorado Ice, Colorado’s professional indoor football team playing at the Budweiser Event Center in Loveland through June. Colorado Ice is a mem-ber of the Indoor Football League and will be playing the Wyoming Calvary. Tickets range from $10 to $35. Call or visit the website for more dates.

Beauty and the BeastMarch 14The Buell TheatreDowntown Denver, Colorado303-893-4100www.denvercenter.orgThe romantic Broadway musical for grandparents and grandchildren alike, Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” is coming to Denver. Based on the Academy Award winning animated feature film, this eye-popping specta-cle has won the hearts of more than 35 million people worldwide. This classic musical love story is filled with unforgettable characters, lavish sets and costumes. Experience the enchantment. Tickets start at $20.

National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports ClinicMarch 25-30Snowmass Village, Colorado970-263-5040www.va.govCelebrating its 26th year, the Nation-al Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic has been a leader in helping veterans with disabilities rehabilitate by introducting them to adaptive winter sports on the majestic Colo-rado Rockies. All participants are veterans with traumatic brain inju-ries, spinal cord injuries, orthopedic amputations, visual impairments,

certain neurological conditions and other disabilities. More than 200 cer-tified adaptive ski instructors serve the unique needs of the participants. Participation is open to disabled U.S. military service veterans who receive care at a Department of Veterans Affairs medical facility. Call to par-ticipate or visit the website for more information. You can also contact the Veterans Affairs Medical Center or any local Veterans Service Organiza-tion for additional information.

Disney on IceMarch 29-April 1Denver Coliseum4600 Humboldt St.Denver, Colorado 720-865-2475www.disney.go.com/disneyonice/Join the celebration as 65 of Disney’s unforgettable characters from 18 beloved stories come to life in Disney On Ice celebrates 100 Years of Magic. You’ll be captivated by the one and only Mickey Mouse, the irresistible Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Donald Duck, Jiminy Cricket, Pinocchio and all the Disney princesses. Be thrilled by ex-citing moments from The Lion King, Mulan, Finding Nemo, The Incred-ibles and Toy Story films in a skat-ing spectacular filled with magical Disney moments you’ll remember for-ever. Show times vary. Tickets start at $15. Call or visit www.ticketmaster.com/100years to purchase tickets.

Bill Cosby in DenverMarch 31The Buell TheatreDowntown Denver, Colorado303-893-4100www.denvercenter.orgOne of America’s most prolific co-medians of all time, Bill Cosby has dazzled generations of fans with his comedy routines, also captured on his iconic albums and best-selling books such as Fatherhood and the groundbreaking “The Cosby Show.” His comedy transcends age, gender and cultural barriers. See him live at 5 p.m. or 8 p.m. Ticket prices start at $40.

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By Mark Pilarski

Dear Mark: I recently played in my very first slot tournament. I found it to be a lot of fun even though I was knocked out in the second round. Any strategies on how I can improve my chances in the future? Jenny S.

Luck aside, Jenny, there isn’t a slot strategy that will make you a long-term winner at the slot tournaments, except one: Get those wheels-a-whirl-ing as fast as you can to amass points.

The quicker you get at tapping the max coin button, the better your chances are of moving on to the next round. When you leave available credits on the meter, players who are faster than you at thumping the spin button will have more spins than you will, which makes them more likely to have more points.

Being too fast can also work against you in that the machine will not spin until the winning credits have been tallied and displayed on the screen. It’s all about timing and being pre-pared to tap the max coin button instantaneously after your credits are computed.

In addition, concentrate on your play and not that of fellow competi-tors. Wasting time eyeing an op-ponent’s credit total will cost you precious spins and they can be the deciding factor on whether you do or don’t advance to the next round.

The upshot here is to get your fingers moving as fast as you can. The more you can keep those reels spinning, the better your chance of accumulating points and moving on to the next round.

Dear Mark: I like to play “Jacks or Better” on a 9/6 machine. When dealt three unsuited face cards, or an ace with two face cards, should I hold all three cards and draw two, or what? Fred K.

Before I deal you in on your ques-tion, Fred, I am going to need you to review the paytable on your 9/6

Keepers and weeper partial-pay machines

machines. Is it as follows? Royal Flush 250-for-1; Straight Flush 50-for-1; Four of a kind 25-for-1; Full House 9-for-1; Flush 6-for-1; Straight 4-for-1; Three-of-a-Kind 3-for-1; Two Pair 2-for-1; pair of Jacks or Better 1-for-1.

The reason behind my probe is that I want to make sure you understand the difference between a full-pay and a partial-pay 9/6 machine. The full pay 9/6 machines (9 for a full house 6 for a flush) compensate you the maximum for each winning hand. The partials do not.

For instance, if you can find a full pay Jacks or Better quarter machine that pays 9 coins for a full house, 6 for a flush, and 2 for two pair, you can expect a return rate, if each hand is correctly played, of approximately 99.5 percent. However, if the ma-chine only pays 1-for-1 for two pairs, it is considered a partial-pay machine and you are giving the house an extra five-plus percent on your play.

Most hands dealt have some value and potential of winning you some money. Your hand with multiple face cards and/or an Ace is one such hand that can enhance that win capability.

Based on playing a full-pay 9/6 machine, the optimal cards to retain in descending order are:

Three-Card Royal FlushTwo-Card Royal (no Ace or 10)Four High CardsTwo-Card Royal (Ace, no 10)Three High Cards (no Ace)Two High CardsTwo Card Royal (10, no Ace)One High CardWhat’s missing here are all those

hands that rank in between a three-card royal flush and one high card that includes at least one high card, like a three-card inside straight with two high cards, or this mouthful—a three-card double inside straight flush with one high card. That’s where getting a book on video poker and/or a strategy card is suggested since it is only through perfect basic strategy that you procure the above mentioned 99.5 percent return.

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18 local lorE www.BeaconSeniorNews.com March 2012

By Sandi Cameron

The entire nation was devastated by the efef-

fects of the Great Depres- sion and the Dust Bowl. In 1933, newly elected Presi-dent Franklin D. Roosevelt faced the challenge with his New Deal proposals. He believed that massive unemployment could be resolved if faced “wisely and coura-geously.” In his inaugural address, he introduced his intent to implement a program for employing youth and stabilizing the economy. Within a month of Roosevelt’s announcement, Congress passed a law creating the Civilian Conserva-tion Corps (CCC). A council was established with represen-tatives from the depart-ments of labor, agriculture, war and interi-or participating in the organiza-tion and running of the program. Duties of vari-ous departments entailed enrolling, transporting, hous-ing and training the recruits.

Decades of reck-less timber harvest-ing and excessive cultivation of soil had eroded Amer-ica’s landscape. Employing young men for system-atic, cross-country resource conser-vation projects eventually turned

this cycle around. The first CCC camp for unemployed citizens from ages 18-25

was was established in George Washington National For-est in Virginia. During the

program’s six-year existence, the majority of enrollees were

assigned to forest conservation work under the U.S. Forest Service. Com-mitted to a minimum of six months, many of the men recruited had no prior employment. The work they enrolled in was often exhausting, but the recruits gained both physical strength and useful job skills. Enroll-

ment in the CCC was later opened

“Save the soil, save the forests, save the young men”

All photos courtesy of the Paul O’Brien collection/Museum of Western Colorado, unless otherwise noted.

Construction on the National Monument.

One of the conservation camps found

on the Colorado National Monument.

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March 2012 www.BeaconSeniorNews.com local lorE 19

to veterans of all ages, as well.By the summer of 1935 over a

half-million men were distributed among 2,600 plus work camps na-tionwide, with each camp housing approximately 200 men. The camp layout was standardized by the U.S. Army, from the ground clearing to the finished camp. Wooden panels were shipped into camps for the structures that resembled housing in military installations. A large mess hall/kitchen, bathhouse and latrine and supply headquarters were com-mon. Nourishing food was plentiful and clothing was furnished (initially World War I wool pants, although later khaki was typical). The average weight gain in the first three months of camp was 11.5 pounds per man. Camps also included infirmaries and recreation halls (with libraries). Enrollees slept in bunk beds, 40 to a barrack. Punishment was assigned if cleanliness and order were not maintained. The appearance of the camps could be improved by plant-ing trees or creating walkways, as the men saw fit. Surprisingly, although the camps were rather spartan, they often had more luxuries than the men experienced at home. Enroll-ees were given $30 a month, with $22 prescribed to be sent home for dependents.

Created May 11, 1933, the Colorado State Relief Committee was the first

agency at the state level to handle CCC enrollee selection. Colorado was part of the eighth division (out of nine) of the national CCC, which corresponded to Army Corps of En-gineer districts. Headquarters were at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas. Within this Colorado/Wyo-ming region, as many as 40 compa-nies were formed. By 1935, the two Colorado districts had headquarters in either Grand Junction or Fort Logan (later Littleton) responsible for accepting and filing enrollment applications and interviewing young men for CCC positions.

The CCC impacted counties throughout the U.S. in significant ways. It has been estimated that the CCC workers put $56 million back into Colorado’s greatly recessed econ-omy. Mostly Coloradoans, 32,000 young men worked in the 162 camps scattered throughout the state.

Because of vast farmland in the eastern portion of Colorado, much of the work of the CCC revolved around controlling soil and water erosion. Prolonged drought and overgrazing created plenty of work for the men.

The unofficial motto of CCC was “We can take it.” Twenty-nine work-ers nationwide died fighting forest fires. With Colorado’s many forests, the CCC “Woodpecker Warriors” provided much needed help in refor-esting and conservation efforts. Men

built roads, created trails and camp-grounds, thinned forests, removed debris and helped prevent forest fires. The forests were considerably safer and more accessible because of their hard work.

Up to six camps of CCC men worked in Rocky Mountain National Park at one time. Other camps were assigned to the Colorado National Monument, Mesa Verde National Park, the Black Canyon of the Gunni-son, the Great Sand Dunes, and Hov-enweep National Monument. Over five years in creation, the Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison was a great achievement for CCC enrollees.

Camp SP-13-C still survives and is one of six remaining intact examples in the U.S.

Each camp’s name designated the type of work carried on at the camp, the project number, and the camp location. The “SCS” in Camp SCS-4-C, for instance, indicated that it was a Soil Conservation Service project with an identification number of “4.” The “C” meant that the camp was lo-cated in Colorado. The highest camp, at 9,200 feet above sea level, was operated by the CCC in Colorado.

Read the rest of this story next month in April's BEACON.

Red Rocks Am-phitheater stage construction, (left). Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress archives.

(Far left) Tunnel construction for the Colorado National Monument.

Chow time at camp (above). Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress archives.

20 rESourcE dirEctory highlight www.BeaconSeniorNews.com March 2012

Compiled by Kevin VanGundy

Come check out the Western Colorado Center for the Arts, located on the

southwest corner of Seventh Street and Orchard Avenue. Each month, the staff unveils a new art show and on the first Fri-day of the month, admission to that show is free. February’s show was populated by works made exclusively by the Art Center’s very own members. I'm neither an art critic or an art snob. I have no idea what makes one artist's work more valu-able than another's, but I just know what I like and I found a lot to like at this year's Members Take the Building Show. Enjoy.

Art Center Members’ Show

Fiber artist Mary Hertert shows off her colorful piece, “Streaming the Veins of the Earth.”

“The Listener,” H.L. Webber, acrylic and oil (I think it should be called “The Watcher.”)

This too could be yours if the price is right. Olivia VanGundy shows off “Her Power Tools” by Shari Miller.

“Lost and Found” by Jean Green, oil on linen

“Spaghetti Nite” by Vivienne Leslie, acrylic

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March 2012 www.BeaconSeniorNews.com rESourcE dirEctory highlight 21

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“You Can Hear the Silence” by Dianna Fritzler, oil

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22 FinancE www.BeaconSeniorNews.com March 2012

By Jason Alderman

Getting paid to go shopping may sound like a dream job, but

buyer beware: For each legitimate mystery or secret shopper opportu-nity, probably hundreds more are scams. In fact, the National Consum-ers League (NCL) said complaints regarding fraudulent mystery shop-per and work-at-home schemes were up nearly 9 percent during the past six months.

Why the increase? It’s due in part to our nation’s high unemployment rates and how desperate people are to earn money while seeking full-time employment. Plus, many people are lured by offers that sound too good to be true (and are).

Here are tips for spotting bogus mystery shopper programs:

Many retailers hire marketing research companies to gauge their employees’ quality of customer ser-vice. Those companies in turn hire mystery shoppers to make purchases anonymously and fill out question-naires documenting their experience. Many research firms belong to the Mystery Shopping Providers Associa-tion (www.mysteryshop.org), a trade organization that links businesses with mystery shopping providers. (MSPA also provides a search engine where people can register for mys-tery shopping assignments.)

Unfortunately, scammers are increasingly using newspaper and In-ternet job ads, emails and phone calls to snare unsuspecting consumers with promises of quick, easy money for minimal effort. The BEACON does not accept such ads in any of our publications or on our website.

Here’s how a typical mystery shop-ping scam might work:

You answer an ad and are “hired” as a mystery shopper to evaluate its clients’ businesses. The company sends an official-looking employ-ment packet containing the business evaluation forms you’ll supposedly use. But first, you’ll be required to complete a so-called training assign-ment to make sure you’re a suitable employee. That’s where the fraud

comes in:• The company claims it’s evalu-

ating a money transfer service like Western Union.

• They send you a large check with instructions to deposit it in your per-sonal checking account.

• You are told to keep a certain amount as your fee and then to pose as a customer by wiring the balance to a third party, usually within 48 hours.

• You then submit a report about your customer experience.

What you may not realize is that the original check was fake. Scam-mers know that by law, banks gen-erally must make deposited funds under $5,000 available within a few days. They count on your complet-ing the transaction before the check has been cleared by the issuing bank, which may take several weeks. Once your bank discovers the fraud, it will bounce the check and you are on the hook for the whole amount you wired, plus your wasted time.

Common red flags include:• Legitimate companies will never ask you to send a money transfer for any purpose.• Legitimate companies don’t charge shoppers a fee to work for them.• Be suspicious if you’re hired on the basis of an email or phone call without any interview or background checks.• Companies that promise you can make a lot of money as a mystery shopper are almost certainly scams.• If mystery shoppers are asked to make purchases, it’s usually for very small amounts for which they will be reimbursed.• Mystery shoppers are paid after completing their assignments and re-turning the questionnaires. Shoppers never receive checks upfront.

To learn more about bogus scams, visit these websites: the FBI (www.fbi.gov/scams-safety), the Federal Trade Commission (www.ftc.gov), the Consumer Federation of Ameri-ca (www.consumerfed.org), and the National Consumers League (www.fakechecks.org/index2.html).

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March 2012 www.BeaconSeniorNews.com rEcrEation 23

Call Grand Junction Parks

and Recreation at 254-3866 to register for the following activities. Some pro-grams require a fee. Call or visit www.gjcity.org for more information.

March 7 – Trail Host Program: Riv-erfront Trail Hosts, noon to 1 p.m. For location, call 254-3876.

March 15 - Senior Recreation Center St. Patty’s Day Party, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., $3 includes dancing and lunch

March 21 – Bicycle Maintenance. Bring your bike to Brown Cycles at 7 p.m.-9 p.m.

March 22 – Piano Instruction Adult Class, 7:30 p.m.-8:20 p.m. at Crossroads United Methodist Church

March 23 – Friday Hike at McGin-nis Canyon from 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

March 23 – Adult Cooking Classes: Starters and Salads, 7 p.m.-9 p.m. at the Senior Recreation Center. Learn about desserts during the class on March 30.

March 27 – Garden Talk: Pruning Roses 101, noon to 1 p.m. at Western Colorado Botanical Gardens

March 29 – Beginning Fly Casting. Bring your equipment to the north pond at Canyon View Park at 6 p.m.-7:30 p.m.

Digital PhotographyMarch 13 - Digital Camera Basics,

6 p.m.-9 p.m. at the Senior Recreation Center

March 19 – Past the Basics, 6 p.m.-9 p.m. at the Senior Recreation Center

March 31 – Photo Excursions, 2 p.m.-5 p.m. at the Parks and Recreation office

Adult Computer ClassesMarch 6 – The Basics, 9:30 a.m.-

11:30 a.m., Senior Recreation CenterMarch 7 – Docs, 9:30 a.m.-11:30

a.m., Senior Recreation CenterMarch 13 – Files, 9:30 a.m.-11:30

a.m., Senior Recreation CenterMarch 14 – Programs, 9:30 a.m.-

11:30 a.m., Senior Recreation Center

Fun after 50 softballOpen to men and women 50+.

Excellent for exercise and friendly competition. Call Carl at 255-6688 to join.

FRUITA SENIOR ACTIVITIESCall the Fruita Community Center

at 858-0360 or visit www.fruita.org to register for the following activities. All activities take place at the Fruita Community/Senior Center, 324 N. Coulson St. unless otherwise noted.

March 2 & 30 – Senior Social Night, 6:30 p.m. No cost. Call in ad-vance to sign up for taco potluck.

March 11 – St. Patty’s Day Dance, 6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. Cost is $3.

March 14 – Senior Task Force meeting, 1 p.m.

March 15 – Bunco, 1 p.m.March 19 – Senior Mystery Night,

5:30 p.m. Cost $10. Preregister by March 12.

Senior walks, 10 a.m. Tuesday (weather permitting)

Lunch from Gray Gourmet, noon, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday. Must be 60 or older. Call 243-9844 for reservations.

Potluck and Anna May cooks, noon, Thursday.

Local senior activities

Senior Recreation Center550 Ouray Avenue - 970 243-7408

The Senior Recreation Center offers activities for seniors age 50 and older.The center is open Monday - Saturday from 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Annual membership is $5.00.

Se n i o r re c re a ti o n ce n te r Mo n th ly ca le n d a r o f ev e n tS

Monday 9:00 a.m. Cribbage 10:30 a.m. Computer Classes 12:00 p.m. Gray Gourmet 1:00 p.m. Card Bingo 5:30 p.m. Singles Pinochle (1st & 3rd Monday)

Tuesday 9:00 a.m. Cribbage & Pool Tourney 12:00 p.m. Gray Gourmet 1:30 p.m. Bingo

Wednesday 9:00 a.m. Ladies Pool, Card Social 9:30 a.m. Jack & Jill Pool Tourney 10:00 a.m. Free Blood Pressure Clinic (3rd Wed) 12:00 p.m. Gray Gourmet 1:00 p.m. Pinochle

Thursday 9:00 a.m. Canasta 9:00 a.m. Cleaning Crew (Last Thursday) 9:30 a.m. Bunco (3rd Thursday) 10:00 a.m. Band (1st Thursday) 12:00 p.m. Pokeno 8:00 p.m. Dance

Friday 9:00 a.m. Canasta, Painting Class & Pool Tourney 12:00 p.m. Gray Gourmet 12:30 p.m. Bible Study 12:45 p.m. Bridge

Saturday 8:00 a.m. Bridge Class 9:00 a.m. Bridge 1:30 p.m. Bingo

Sunday 1:00 p.m. Dance (1st & 3rd Sunday)

Trail Hosts provide a friendly presence to those who use the trails.

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24 faith moves www.BeaconSeniorNews.com March 2012

By Cameron Jones

About 3,000 volunteers from

25 local churches will be participat-ing in the fourth annual Mesa County ShareFest on April 28-29. Volunteers rake leaves, build wheel chair ramps, and clean schools with one mission in mind: “To share the love of Jesus in tangible ways.”

The first ShareFest occurred in Arkan-sas in 1999. In 2006, residents in Mon-trose read about the event and decided to try it out for them-selves. Word spread to Grand Junction and in 2008, com-munity members held their first ShareFest.

Planning and preparation for the event is a joint effort between all partici-pating churches and organizations.

First Presbyterian Church, 3940 27-1/2 Road, is the home base for the event. Director of Out-reach Ministries Debe Colby helps coordinate volunteer efforts.

“No task is too small, but some are too big,” Colby said.

Some churches and organizations choose to extend their services beyond ShareFest and continue to serve the community year-round by adopting a school or neighborhood, or committing to a task that cannot be done in the two days ShareFest is held.

“This is a giving community and

there are a lot of people in need,” Colby said. “The main cost is your time.”

ShareFest has grown every year since it’s inception, both in the number of participating vol-unteers and those who receive help. Even if someone has received help in the past, ShareFest vol-unteers are happy to serve them again.

It’s not too late to submit a project or to volunteer. If manual labor is not for you, there are other ways to participate. During ShareFest, quilters at First Presbyterian will create quilts to be distributed to those in need. Vol-unteers are needed to assemble sack lunches for volun-teers doing manual labor and those re-ceiving help. There is also a need for cookies. Every year, volunteers hand out 12,000 cookies.

Volunteers receive much positive response from those they help.

“You find people who realize that someone cares about them,” Colby said. “It makes people feel valued and feel that God loves them.”

To participate in this year’s ShareFest, visit www.gjsharefest.com. The deadline to apply for help from ShareFest volunteers is April 1.

For more information about ShareFest, contact Colby at 242-1923 or outreach@firstpresgj.org.

Local churches gear up for ShareFest

April 28 & 29, 2012

12

www.gjsharefest.com

March 2012 www.BeaconSeniorNews.com Crossword puzzle 25

Crossword PuzzleAcross1 Per unit5 Several Norwegian kings10 WAC school14 Mother Hubbard’s quest15 Like some bulls16 New York night spot17 Ready for customers18 Project Gemini rocket19 Gael, for one20 1955 Astaire musical23 Use the unsharpened end24 Apply bread to gravy25 Mighty Joe Young, for one28 Oink-filled pen?29 ___, skip and jump away33 Repairman’s reading35 Log-on requirement, often37 “Alice’s Restaurant” name38 Asks to marry43 Teheran V.I.P.44 Arcane45 Computer programming language48 Bygone pump name49 Product of 48 Across52 Nixon’s start and finish53 Wine descriptor55 Cardiologist’s concern57 Margaux’s grandfather62 Blow, as bucks64 Scaler’s spike65 Fam. members66 Snooty attitude67 180, so to speak68 Director Kazan69 Letter’s number70 Huffs and puffs71 Jalousie unit

Down1 Dwelling places2 Gift for 62 Down?3 Eventually4 Hangs in the balance5 Milky gem6 ___ di Como, city in 50 Down7 With the stroke of ___8 Poison administrants9 Zigzag downhill10 Shore defense grp.11 Books of synonyms12 Scaleless fish13 Mastered perfectly21 Baker’s supply22 MPG raters

26 ___ Alto, CA27 United Church of Christ college30 Sneaky laugh sound31 Loads from lodes32 Sharp irritation34 Hoops Hall-of-Famer Thurmond35 Quantico initials36 Makes tracks?38 Water transporter39 Arab sultanate40 Traveler’s document41 Popular ’80’s dolls42 “Backyards, Greenwich Village” artist46 Dreaded snake47 Ascend49 “1984” author50 Napoli locale51 ___ one’s feet54 Dancer Rivera56 Frightful giants58 Place for a vault59 Vingt-___ (twenty-one, in cards)60 Cartoonist Walker61 Pay-to-stay places62 Subject of this puzzle63 Narrow inlet

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A SENSE OF OCCASION

Richard W. Lewis, Funeral Director celebrates, and remembers the life of one who has died, a funeral merits all the attention that any life-altering occasion would receive. To this end, a funeral should be a deeply personal affair that

traditions and individual personal preferences. All this can be achieved with the help of a funeral director, who can help preplan such aspects of a funeral as casket selection, body presentation, and the manner and form of remembrance. Without such directives in place, surviving members will be forced to make important decisions under great duress. Funeral preplanning takes much of the anxiety out of an event that may seem to arrive with little notice. We all have at least one family member who has expressed his wish that no service be held on his behalf. While it is easy to understand the reasons for this type of request, it may not meet the needs of your family and friends. If the concern is monetary, then the family can hold their own service, wake or reception;; thus giving them the solace they may need for closure. If the reluctance stems from not wishing to have their body viewed after death, then consider allowing the family to hold a ceremony without a casket. The funeral is an observance for those who are mourning. It provides an opportunity for the survivors and others who share in the loss to express their love, grief and appreciation for a life that has been lived. It allows those who grieve to face openly and realistically the crisis a death presents. Martin Mortuary, your local Dignity Memorial® provider, can guide you through the many options and issues to help you settle on the arrangements that best meet your needs. Please feel free to visit our mortuary at 550 North Avenue, and if a question arises, do not hesitate to contact us at 970-243-1538, or visit our website: www.MartinMortuary.com. Martin Mortuary now provides the security of cremation and burial insurance policies.

26 www.BeaconSeniorNews.com March 2012

By Brenda Evers

Local businessman Mike Berry, 56, is always smiling when talking

about his second job as volunteer CEO, overseeing Kids Aid, the non-profit organization his family started in Mesa County.

Most know it better as the “Back-pack program,” where hungry stu-dents are provided with backpacks of food donations, so they will have food over the weekend.

Even fewer people realize this 9-year-old program was started at a family meeting around the Berry’s dining room table.

“One October morning in 2003, my wife and I walked our daughter to her first grade class,” Mike said. “A little girl came running across the play-ground, crying. We stopped her and asked what was wrong. Her answer pierced our hearts.”

“I’m cold,” she said. “I’m hungry.”

This one little girl’s plea touched Mike, his wife Deb-bie and their daugh-ter Kayla’s hearts. But how could they help?

After four years of researching and ask-ing questions about childhood hunger in Mesa County, the Berry family came up with a plan. Kayla named it Feeding Friends Back-pack program.

The Berrys established the nonprof-it Kids Aid to run it.

They started with a trial program at Orchard Avenue Elementary.

“We fed 10 kids for the final 10 weeks of the 2007-2008 school year,” Mike said. “By the next fall, we had five schools and 156 kids. By 2009, we were in 17 schools and providing 1,260 kids. Today, we provide over

Backpack program feeds kids1,800 students with packs of food per week.”

Mike said they are growing because they are getting better at finding money, often in the form of dona-tions and grants.

Kids Aid and the Berrys have good reason to be proud of what they have accomplished. It takes a lot of money and people power to keep the back-packs going out each week.

Mike estimated that it costs $4 per bag each week—that’s $7,200 per week. Since they deliver 32 weeks of food bags to district 51 schools that’s $23,000 needed per school year.

How do they get enough financial support?

“We have survived because of the generosity of the community,” Mike said. “For every dollar donated by individuals or organizations, 96 cents goes to the Kids Aid to buy the food, to deliver the food and to store the food.”

The community has responded generously to this program. Twenty-eight churches have embraced the program, at first by donating food and backpacks. As the number of students needing backpacks grew,

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Mike and Debbie Berry fill backpacks with food, supporting more than 1,800 school kids in the Grand Valley through Kids Aid.

Who says aging people don’t deal with change?“My health, housing, doctors and even my friends are all changing!”

FirstUnited MethodistChurch

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What I want is a nice stable place to worship and maybe meet some friends who will support me in all of these changes. First United Methodist Church - a rich tradition downtown for more than 125 years. Beautiful stained glass, warm friendly people, and a loving God who doesn’t change!

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March 2012 www.BeaconSeniorNews.com 27

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donated food had to be handled at a more central location. The church members continued volunteering their labor to pack and deliver more schools’ bags.

“We were storing donated food in rooms in our home and then here in my business office,” Mike said. “We sent out word to find a bigger place. About three years ago, Ametek-Dixon donated a warehouse to us for only $1 a year.”

Berry is always appreciative of the donations of money and time.

“In 2010, I flew to New York City to receive the Volunteer of the Year Award from the Invest in Others Charitable Foundations,” Mike said. “That included a check of $15,000.”

Last year the Rotary Club donated $30,000 raised from their annual masquerade fundraiser. Mike can’t say enough praise for all the volun-teers: at the churches, at the ware-house, and in the schools.

There are no financial require-ments to apply for the Kids Aid Feed-ing Friends Backpack program.

“Our goal is to fill bellies and get

them to school ready to learn,” Mike said.

Elementary school parents can sign up with their child’s teacher. At the middle schools and high schools, stu-dents can talk to the counselors.

After all these years, the backpacks have undergone a few changes, but overall the program is basically the same.

“We don’t use backpacks any more,” Mike said. “Two years ago, we started using plastic bags with cord tie tops for less costs and more convenience.”

Another change removed a loaf of bread or package of tortillas from the contents because those items didn’t make the trip home very well. Deb-bie made the menus more “kid friend-ly.” She includes two breakfast, two lunch and two dinner items that kids like, and are easy for them to prepare or eat “as is.”

Even as co-founder of Kids Aid, Debbie is the ‘do-it-all’ person. She buys the groceries, plans the menus and makes deliveries from the ware-house to the churches and schools.

“We have survived because of the generosity of the communi-ty,” Mike said. “We will continue to do this as long as the commu-nity supports us.”

Mike said he does not intend to grow the program outside of Mesa County. But if it happens, he sees them expanding in other ways to help kids.

“I feel that God gave us this to do,” Mike said. “I’m excited about this as part of our lifestyle and part of our family.”

How you can help:Kids Aid is always looking for

volunteers, donations of money and food, or someone to spon-sor a school. Donations are tax-deductible. Contact Kids Aid at www.kidsaidcolorado.org or mail:

Kids AidP.O. Box 2569Grand Junction, CO 81502

help a Child in needIt costs an estimated average of $4 per child to feed them for a weekend. With the growing number of children supported by the pro-gram, Kids Aid always needs donations. To help out, you can donate your time, money or food. Based on what foods go into a typical backpack, preferred food donations are:

Spaghetti-OsRavioliSpaghetti with meatballsVienna sausageChicken noodle soupVegetable beef soupChiliBoxed macaroni and cheeseEasy MacRamen NoodlesNoodle lunch cupsIndividual fruit cupsApple sauce cupsJuice pouches or boxesIndividual cracker and cookie packsPudding cupsGranola barsPop tartsMicrowave popcornRegular size jars of peanut butter

28 www.BeaconSeniorNews.com March 2012

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By Marsha Kearns and Barbara Ward

Do you find filing your income taxes…well, taxing? Most people

do, so here’s some great news. Skilled and knowledgeable AARP Tax-Aide volunteers are ready to help you pre-pare your 2011 federal and Colorado tax returns for free.

The Tax-Aide Program has helped people file their tax returns and gain peace of mind for more than 40 years. Tax-Aide uses trained and IRS-certified volunteers to provide expert tax counseling to taxpayers of all ages and income levels. You do not have to belong to AARP to get this free, professional service.

Marie Walz, 68, is a retired certi-fied public accountant and the Tax-Aide District Coordinator. She credits the organiza-tion’s success to the amazing volun-teers and community supporters who provide the services and spaces that make it possible for Tax-Aide to help people.

There is at least one site open six days a week to accommodate work-ing people who can only come on the weekends.

“Every volunteer does this as a gift of time and knowledge,” Walz said. “Each site location is donated by a concerned and caring community business. We all live here and it’s like paying it forward. We all need some kind of help in our lives. In return, we get thanks and the satisfaction of knowing we are helping each client and our whole community...and we get hugs. We love the hugs.”

Confidence and confidentialityTax laws get more complicated

Free help filing your tax returns every year. It takes a trained profes-sional to keep up.

“All of us have to be recertified each year,” Walz said. “We’re trained and scrutinized by the IRS more than paid preparers and we do a lot of amended returns. We save people a lot of money.”

Volunteers are mostly retired and their background experience ranges from CPA to construction to home-maker. Their jobs range from client facilitators, who greet the clients and help them get oriented to the pro-cess, to counselors, to site coordina-tors. Counselors and coordinators go

through 40 hours of in-class train-ing on pro-grams and tax laws; a two-week, hands-on practice lab; they are test-ed and must pass at an 80 or above to be certi-fied to do a

tax return. Then they are mentored through their first season to ensure accuracy and proper procedure.

Programs are encrypted to ensure complete privacy and protection of personal information. About 98 per-cent of returns are e-filed, but each client has the choice to e-file or mail in a paper return.

Last year, Tax-Aide Grand Junction served 4,036 individuals, a substan-tial jump from the 2,811 served in 2010. All those clients got to keep the money they would have spent on tax preparation. They most likely spent that money in our community, there-by benefiting all of us. At a low aver-age of about $158 per return, Tax-Aide helped put more than $600,000 back into our local economy.

Even if you think you don’t need to file a tax return, come in and talk to a counselor. It might just be that you qualify for refund credits, such as

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AARP Coordinators from left to right: Barb Harmon, Cindy Reed, Marie Walz, Bob Walz, Sally Bellacqua, Mike Whiting.

March 2012 www.BeaconSeniorNews.com 29

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Seasonal workers with Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITIN), even with no social security number, can get help.

“We are working with Child and Migrant Services in Palisade to help these hardworking, taxpaying people that we all need to help support the agricultural part of our economy,” Walz said.

Montrose County also has an ac-tive program held at the Montrose Pavilion on Tuesdays and Thursdays through April 15. The program is designed to assist people over 60 and low-income families, but others can be accepted depending on the circumstances.

“You can have your taxes done con-fidentially here,” location coordinator Paul Martin said.

Many of the volunteers have been helping for years. If after using the service you find that you like a cer-tain volunteer, you can request them again next year. The program serves an average of 60 clients per week and 600 per year.

How you can helpEvery Tax-Aide counselor will treat

you with the utmost respect and courtesy at every Tax-Aide site. Please be polite, respectful and patient in return.

Tax-Aide is staffed exclusively by volunteers and the site locations are generously donated by community businesses. Tax-Aide is always look-ing for new volunteers eager to give back to their neighbors and the community. Call Marie at 589-3789 if you’re interested.

While Tax-Aide doesn’t accept mon-etary donations, the AARP Founda-tion would gratefully accept a con-tribution. However, Tax-Aide Grand Junction would love to accept good, usable laptop computers. They need one for every volunteer and currently they could put 15 to 20 laptops to use immediately. Better equipment makes for better and faster processing of tax returns.

Just walk in at any Tax-Aide site

location at the times specified. It’s on a first come, first serve basis.

Bring these documents:

• Social Security card or an accurate record of taxpayer identification numbers for all individuals involved, including your dependents

• Driver’s license or state ID card• All income documents—W2s and

1099s (for the past three years, if possible)

• Unemployment statements• A voided check with account and

routing numbers for direct deposit of refunds

• A copy of last year’s tax return is helpful

• Documents showing state and federal taxes withheld

• Receipts for things you think can be itemized

Times and locationsGrand Junction• U.S. Bank, Lower Level, 422 White Ave. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday, Tuesday,

Wednesday• Senior Center, 550 Ouray Ave. 12:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. Friday 9:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Saturday• Wells Fargo Bank, Lower Level, 2808

North Ave., 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Tuesday & Thursday

Fruita• Fruita Alpine Bank, 125 N. Park Square,

9 a.m.-1 p.m., Wednesday & Friday

Clifton• Clifton Community Center, 126 Second

St., 9 a.m. to noon, Tuesday & Thursday

Montrose• Montrose Pavilion, 1800 Pavilion Drive. 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Tuesday, 12:30 p.m.-

3:30 p.m. Thursday. Appointments preferred. Call 252-4884.

Delta• Hanson House, 247 Meeker St.

Appointments only. Call 874-7837.

Hotchkiss• Hotchkiss Senior Center, 115 E. Main St. Appointments only on second Tuesday of

each month. Call 872-5956.

Cedaredge • Cedaredge Community Center, 140 NW

Second St., 12:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m.-7 p.m. Wednesday.

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Grand Junction Regional Airport (GJRA) provides an essential

gateway to a multi-county and multi-state area for businesses, health care and recreation. The importance of a strong regional airport in the Grand Valley’s diversifying and growing economy is critical. It is also critical to be a vital member of the communi-ty. To that end, GJRA involves itself in areas reaching beyond flight take-offs and landings.

Economic contributor to the community

GJRA is one of the greatest eco-nomic contributors to the local economy. The Colorado Department of Transportation’s Economic Impact Study credited GJRA with an annual impact of nearly $624 million. Today, with more air service, more passen-gers, and growth in support services and general aviation, that number will have soared even higher.

Currently, six airlines provide daily nonstop flights to seven major U.S. cities. Total enplaned commer-cial passengers totaled more than 222,000 in 2011. Rental car revenues were more than $7 million in 2011, up almost 4 percent over the prior year, while deplaned air freight (the freight coming into GJRA) was up 3 percent in 2011.

Aviation service growthIn addition, GJRA supports govern-

ment ser vices, air charter operations, the civil air patrol and medical trans-port. The Bureau of Land Manage-ment (BLM) and the National Forest Ser vice house and dispatch aircraft and other resources for wildland fire suppression from GJRA. And the Federal Aviation Administration, TSA and BLM all maintain field/facilities offices at the airport.

Local business involvementIn the business community, GJRA

is a member of the Grand Junction, Fruita and Palisade Chambers of Commerce. The airport will serve as host of the May 24 Fruita Chamber Business After Hours event this year. Rex Tippetts, director of aviation,

Your airport, your communityspeaks frequently to civic groups including Lions, Rotary and Kiwanis throughout the year. The airport staff regularly conducts tours for requesting groups, including plenty of school groups.

Community sponsorThe airport has sponsored events

ranging from the Colorado Mountain Winefest to the Palisade Bluegrass Festival. Some key events for which GJRA will be a sponsor this year include the following. PBS Travel Night“Europe Through the Back Door,”

a presentation by Rick Steves, will be at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 6 at the Avalon Theater. Steves, a public television host and author of more than 50 guidebooks, will share prac-tical tips on saving money, avoiding crowds, packing smartly, and eating and sleeping well while traveling independently. Runway 5KGJRA will host the first Runway 5K

race June 16. Grand Junction Air Show GJRA will be the site of the Sep-

tember 21-23 event, featuring aerial performers by military and non mili-tary aircraft, and the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels Aerial Demonstration Team. Palisade Classic Bike FestivalGJRA will help sponsor the June

9 event featuring the Grand Mesa Grind mountain bike race, and “Fruit Loop” tour of the fruit and wine road in Palisade.

The Grand Junction Regional Airport Authority board, which owns and operates the airport, hosts quarterly meetings, meet-and-greet sessions and other public meetings on all relevant issues to help involve and inform the community. The air-port also recently completed a major update to its website, allowing easier and faster access to information for the public. Now, visitors to the site can book flights, track flights, and check out all airport activities on the online calendar. A classified posting feature lets people peruse or post aviation-related ads.

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32 gardening www.BeaconSeniorNews.com March 2012

The Garden GuruBy Curtis Swift, Colorado State University Extension

March is when garden-ers in western Colo-

rado begin to prepare their gardens for the season. By this time, I hope you have stockpiled organic matter to till into the soil and have either grown your own trans-plants, or located a garden center or greenhouse that has the transplants you need. Hopefully, you have had your soil tested to ensure that your vegetables, flowers and other plants receive the nutrients they need to maximize yield and quality.

If you haven’t done this, take your soil to your local Colorado State University Extension office located at the Mesa County Fairgrounds, 2775 Highway 50. A soil test takes about 10 days. The fertility recommenda-tions you receive will provide guid-ance on what each of your plants and vegetables need.

Vegetables are particular on what they need for nutrients. Some veg-etables need to be fertilized at a specific stage of development. Sweet corn, for example, needs nitrogen fertilizer when the plants have eight to 10 leaves and again as silk starts to develop. They also need a spe-cific level of nitrogen when planted. Specific levels of phosphorus, potas-sium and other nutrients are required to produce quality ears. If you over fertilize, you can increase insect and disease problems, and reduce the quality of your vegetables.

A soil test and recommendations specific to your plants costs $25 through the extension. The Delta and Montrose offices will also ac-cept soil samples and forward them to my office. Call 244-1836 (Grand

Start your garden with a soil testJunction), 874-2195 (Delta), or 249-3935 (Montrose) for guidance on how to prepare your soil sample.

If you would like a garden plot in the Grand Junction area, call Susan Rose at 244-1841.

If you love plants, our Native Plant Master program might be for you. This award-winning program spon-sored by CSU Extension will conduct three upcoming programs in Mesa and Delta counties. The program uses field trips to provide training on the identification, ecology and human uses of Colorado plants. Participants learn to use a botanical key with an emphasis on scientific names and families. Students need a hand lens and a required textbook, which we can provide. Weekly on-site quizzes are used to strengthen the student’s understanding of native plants.

The classes follow the opening of the flowers on the Colorado Na-tional Monument with the first series scheduled on April 21 and 28, and May 5. The second series will be held on the Black Canyon of the Gunnison on June 1, 8 and 18. The third series is scheduled for the Grand Mesa on June 6, 13 and 20.

Registration is limited, so sign up early. Each course has a fee, but the cost is reduced for participants who agree to teach at least 20 people per year per course about Colorado plants. Participants who pass three courses and satisfy the teaching requirement become certified Native Plant Masters. Several of our certified instructors have taken the required class over several years in different areas of the state to obtain their cer-tification. For more information, visit www.westernslopegardening.org or call 244-1841.

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March 2012 www.BeaconSeniorNews.com 33

By Cheryl Currier

I’ve been thinking about my grand-ma lately. I have been working on

a quilt she hadn’t finished before she died.

My grandma passed 17 years ago, so I’ve had this project in my closet a long while. When my aunts, mother and cousins were cleaning out Grandma’s house, we ran across several unfinished projects and I claimed this one. My oldest daughter was three at the time and I was 7 months pregnant with my youngest daughter. There was a beautifully finished queen size quilt on her bed she had done years before, and my cousin asked to keep it. The quilt top I chose was for a twin bed. She was working on it when her eyesight had gone and her hands weren’t so steady. Every stitch was hand done and the piecing was uneven and lackadaisical.

I had the quilt for several years when I first decided to work on it. I had never done any quilting, so I asked my mom to help me purchase material for the backing, the bat-ting and some fabric for the binding. When we went to the fabric store, we found material that matched her original choice perfectly. I thought it was a sign from heaven to finish this project.

I had idealist notions of both my daughters learning to hand sew on this quilt. After basting the parts of the quilt together, I set up a standing quilt frame I had found at a yard sale. I drew a template of the quilt pattern my grandma had used, traced it on the quilt top and took the first tenta-tive stitches. I showed my daughters what I was doing and asked them to give it a try. Their quilting efforts lasted about 5 minutes.

The quilt stayed set up in

Grandma’s quilt: A legacyour living room for months. Every time I looked at it, I thought to my-self, “I really should work on that.”

One day, I noticed a layer of dust on the quilt and decided it wasn’t the season for Grandma’s quilt. So I took it down and it went into my unfin-ished project closet.

Recently, I was facing a whole day at home, alone, with not much to do.

I knew I wanted to watch a movie in the evening, but there were no errands to run, appointments to keep or housework screaming to get done. My husband was gone for the week-end, my older daughter had married and was happily living away from home, and my younger daughter en-gaged in social activities with friends. This is a fairly new experience for me. Usually there is someone to look after, cook for, or needing something

from me, but on this Saturday, there was really nothing on the docket.

I had run across Grandma’s quilt doing some clean-ing and I decided to get it out and work on it while I watched the movie. I was surprised at the connection I felt to her and the other wom-en in my family. My grandma was an

original do-it-yourself person. I can remember when she moved back to Grand Junction after a cross-country move to Alabama. When she and Grandpa retired, they sold their home in Colorado, bought a little trailer and traveled all over the U.S. I think that my parents thought they were a little crazy.

After a year of travel, they decided they liked the climate in the south and the people in the town of Theo-dore, Alabama. So they bought a house there and integrated into the community.

There was a season I didn’t see my grand-parents much. My folks had four kids involved in school, a summer business to run, and cross-country vacations were not a practical option. When Grandpa died, Grandma decided

to move back to Grand Junction to be with most of the family. My folks helped her pick out a little house and she set about making it her new home with ambitious remodeling projects and planting a big backyard garden. I remember talking to my mom about Grandma’s decision to lay tile in her bedroom.

“Does Grandma know how to lay tile?” I asked my mom.

“I don’t think she’s ever done it,

but she has a book about it and she’s going to give it a shot,” she re-plied.

I love this story about Grand-ma. She showed a fearless de-termination to learn something new. She wasn’t afraid of hard work, even in her old age, and she knew how to get some-thing done without spending a

lot of money. The quilt I’ve been working on reflects these values. I am sure the piecing was done from fabric she had on hand, scraps from clothing and previous projects. I imagine her working on the piec-ing in spare moments between her gardening, church commitments and remodeling efforts.

I am almost done with Grandma’s quilt. I have been working on the binding. I held it up to show my daughter and the edge of the quilt was pretty uneven. The stitching is crooked and bunched in places. But then again, my sewing certainly isn’t perfect and I can feel the strain in my eyes when I work on the quilt in the evenings, making my stitches uneven.

I found freedom working on the quilt even though I knew it wouldn’t turn out exactly right. I am enjoying thinking more about this woman and her life. I appreciate her thrift, determination and teachable spirit. She modeled a desire to invest her time creating something beautiful and useful.

Over the phone, I told my older daughter I was finishing up Grand-ma’s quilt.

“That’s great mom, what are you going to do with it?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” I answered, “I just feel good getting it done.”

I have appreciated the opportunity to reflect on the qualities in her life I see in my own mother, my life and the lives of my children. My grand-mother left a valuable legacy and her unfinished quilt was a gift to me as I consider my own mortality and what my future grandchildren might re-member about their grandmother.

Currier remembered more about her grandmother and her values as she worked on her grandmother’s unfinished quilt.

34 mesa County www.BeaconSeniorNews.com March 2012

Mesa County CalendarCompiled by Cloie Sandlin

March 1Kristi Ballif flute concertThe flute recital includes selections by Georg Philipp Telemann and contemporary composers Katherine Hoover and Mike Mower. Ballif will be joined by Gisela Flanigan, piano, and Javier de Los Santos, guitar, along with community and university musi-cians on other instruments such as saxophone, trumpet, trombone and percussion. Show starts at 7:30 p.m. at the Moss Performing Arts Recital Hall at Colorado Mesa University. Tickets are $8 for seniors. For more information, call 248-1604 or visit www.coloradomesa.edu/music/ performances

March 2 & 3Phantom of the Op’ryThe Grand Junction Senior Theatre presents “Phantom of the Op’ry,”

a musical, mystery, comedy spoof on “Phantom of the Opera.” The play was written by playwright Tim Kelly and directed by Rachel Nelson Fortner. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday at Grand Junction High School, 1400 N. Fifth St. Tickets are $12 and can be pur-chased at the door, at Roper Music, Albertsons, City Market and Safeway. For more information, call 242-9254.

March 2-4Home Improvement and Remodeling ExpoJoin the Housing & Building Asso-ciation of northwestern Colorado’s 2012 Home Improvement & Remodel-ing Expo at Two Rivers Convention Center, 159 Main St. With over 100 different vendors, there is something for everyone. The show is open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday. Seniors 60 and older are $3 and adults are $5. For

more information, call 245-0253 or visit www.hbanwco.com.

March 3Local author book signingJoin Karra, the main character in local author Patricia Scholes’ book “Her Darkest Beauty,” in her journey to defeat an invading entity that feeds on her emotions as she experiences life in all its darkest beauty. Scholes will sign copies of the book from 1 p.m.-4 p.m. at Hastings, 2401 North Ave. in Grand Junction.

March 6GJ Symphony’s “Pathetique”Linda Wang is among the premier vi-olinists of her generation. Wang will play works such as “Smetana: Over-ture to the Bartered Bride Barber” and “Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6” on violin at the Grand Junction High School auditorium, 1400 N. Fifth St. at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available online at www.gjsymphony.org. Call 243-6787 for more information.

March 10Chris Isaak at the AvalonThroughout his impressive recording career from his stunning 1985 debut to this latest album “Mr. Lucky,” Chris Isaak, has tunefully and artfully explored musical themes of love, as well as other matters of profound hu-man interest. Show starts at 8 p.m. at the Avalon Theatre, 645 Main St. Tick-ets start at $55 and can be purchased at City Market Stores, Back Porch or online at www.ticketswest.com. For more information, call 263-5700.

March 10World Friendship DayFriendship Force of Western Colo-rado celebrates their 35th anniver-sary by hosting World Friendship Day from 3 p.m.-5 p.m. at the Church of the Nativity, 2175 Broadway. Ethnic hors d’oeuvres and refreshments will be provided. There will also be a silent auction featuring some of Ruth Moss’ art along with other items. FFI members serve as U.S. Ambas-sadors who travel as a group to other countries where they are welcomed by other FFI club members and are hosted in their homes. This event is open to the public. Call 260-4653 for more information.

March 13Revenge of the Electric Car“Revenge of the Electric Car” will be shown at 7 p.m. at the Recital Hall in the Moss Performing Arts Center at Colorado Mesa University. The film tells the story of the global resurgence of electric cars by follow-ing the carmakers as they jump to produce new electric models and be the first, the best, and win over the public. This event is free. Call 255-2901.

March 15Call a Lawyer NightThe Mesa County Bar Association of-fers Call a Lawyer Night on the third Thursday of every other month. The next Call a Lawyer Night will take place 7 p.m.-9 p.m. If you have a legal question, discuss it with an attorney at no charge by calling 256-4001. All calls are anonymous.

March 17National Quilting DayThe Sunset Slope Quilters invite the public to their National Quilt-ing Day celebration held at Mesa Mall’s Claire’s Court from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Extraordinary quilts will be on display showing how your local quilt guild keeps the art form alive and takes it to the next level. There will be a “bed-turning” and several other demonstrations. For more informa-tion, call 254-9791.

March 17Corned beef and cabbage fundraiserThe Ladies Auxiliary to Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4663 of Clifton will hold a corned beef and cab-bage dinner from 5:30 p.m.-7 p.m. at their post home, 3244 F-1/4 Road in Clifton. Proceeds go to veterans and their families. Cost is $7 for adults and $4 for children age 6-12. Younger children are free. Call 434-0326 for more information.

March 17 & 18Horse ShowThis horse show will be held by the Grand Valley Dressage Society at the Mesa County Fairgrounds, 2785 Hwy 50. Show starts at 8 a.m. both days and is free to the public. For more information, call 255-7100.

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March 2012 www.BeaconSeniorNews.com mesa County 35

March 18Edesia: A Palisade Culinary, Wine and Spirits AdventureGlenn Smith, Chief in Residence at the Cooking School of Aspen, will be the featured celebrity expert demon-strating his skills at this event from 1 p.m.-5 p.m. at the Wine Country Inn. Tickets cost $49 per person and will be on sale at the Wine Country Inn or through www.edesiapalisade.com. There will be many vendors at the event. For more information, call 464-5777.

March 23Schumann Singers spring concert“The Stars, the Moon, the Heavens” is the Schumann Singers spring con-cert at 7:30 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church, 522 White Ave. in Grand Junction. Tickets are available at Roper Music, the Grand Junction Symphony or at the door. For more information, call 242-0034 or 243-3945. Visit www.schumannsingers.org.

March 23Behind the scenes at Cross OrchardsThis fun-filled family event at Cross Orchards Historic Site, 3073 F Road, provides an opportunity to visit with and watch Civil War re-enactors display their skills. The event is from 5:30 p.m.-8 p.m. Cost is $5. For more information, call 242-0971 or visit www.museumofwesternco.com.

March 24Downtown criteriumA cycling criterium will be a part of the weekend’s racing activities from 5 p.m.-10 p.m. The downtown course starts and finishes at the U.S. Bank parking lot, 422 White Ave. The course loops on White Avenue, Sixth Street, Main Street and Third Street. Admission is free. For more informa-tion, call 270-9771.

March 24Walk from ObesityWeight Loss Surgeons of Western Col-orado presents a walk from obesity at Eagle Rim Park in Orchard Mesa. Register online for $25. On site regis-tration is $35. Children 12 and under are free. All registrations receive a T-shirt. Registration starts at 8:30 a.m. and the walk begins at 9:30 a.m.

For more information or to volunteer, call Maria at 314-0828 or email maria.polen@stmarygj.org.

March 24Wild & Scenic Film FestivalWestern Colorado Congress is host-ing the Wild & Scenic Film Festival at 7 p.m. in the University Center Ballroom at Colorado Mesa Univer-sity. Advance tickets are available at Summit Canyon Mountaineering at 461 Main St. or the CMU Outdoor Program for $10. Tickets can also be purchased at www.wccongress.org. For more information, call 256-7650.

March 24Golden Age Games bowling fundraiserWin cash prizes, bowl with friends and help send the Veteran’s Golden Age Games Team to the 2012 Golden Age Games in St. Louis, Missouri. The bowling tournament will take place at 5 p.m. at Orchard Mesa Lanes, 295 27 Road. Register your team before March 17 and tickets are $25 per person or $90 per four-person team. For more information, call Emma at 245-6175. Cash prizes will be given to the first place man and the first place woman.

March 31Dine in the BlindNavigating aspects of daily life with blindness or low vision can be chal-lenging. Have you ever wondered how these everyday heroes manage these tasks that we take for granted? The Center for Independence’s “Dine in the Blind” dinner will include great food, a live auction and live mu-sic by the Terry McGovern Uranium Blues Band. Join us for this fun event and learn what you can do in the dark. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Space is limited so get your tickets early. Purchase your tickets at Fisher’s Liquor Barn, at the Center for Independence’s office at 740 Gunnison Ave. or at www.cfigj.org. Call 241-0315 for more informa-tion.

River City Singles March 2012 Activity Schedule

“Young-at-heart adults getting together for fun and friendship!”

Friday Afternoon Club (FAC) meets at 5 p.m. every Friday in the lounge at The Double-Tree Hotel, 743 Horizon Drive. The first FAC meeting of the month is our business meeting and the second is Birthday Recognition Day for our members. Contact Jim Spiegel at 424-2545 for details.

Tuesdays at 10 a.m. – Join us for Early Start Breakfast at Denny’s on Horizon Drive. Contact Debbie Grose at 245-4995 for details.

Tuesdays at 5 p.m. – Taco Tuesday in Bailey’s Lounge at the Grand Vista Hotel, located at Crossroads Boulevard and Horizon Drive. Contact Brenda Leisten at 241-9997.

Wednesdays at 5 p.m. - Dine out at the following locations every week. Call Debbie Grose at 245-4995 for details. Walk-ins are welcome.

March 7 – Red Robin, 575 24 1/2 RdMarch 14 – Olive Garden, 2420 Hwy 6 & 50March 21 – Sang Garden, 687 Horizon DriveMarch 28 – Outback Steakhouse, 2420 Hwy 6 & 50

Sundays at noon – It’s Bowling Sunday followed by card games at Orchard Mesa Lanes, 295 27 Road. RSVP to Jim Sanders by 11 a.m. Call 257-1174.

Saturday, March 3 – RCS meet at Bank 8 Billiards, 2460 F Road, Suite 3 at noon for lunch and games of pool. All levels from beginners (never held a cue) to old pros (who used to run a table) are welcome.

Thursday, March 8 – Enjoy a gourmet lunch and kitchen tour at Western Colorado Com-munity College, 2520 Blichmann Ave., Bldg. B. Meet at 11:30 a.m. Call John Delehanty at 241-3171 for details.

Saturday, March 17 – Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a potluck at 1 p.m. at Nellie Bechtel’s Club House, 3032 N. 15th St. Corned beef will be furnished by RCS. Bring side dishes, desserts and BYOB. Sign-up at the FAC.

Thursday, March 22 – It’s Dinner and a Movie. Meet at 5 p.m. at Genghis Grill, 2474 Hwy 6 & 50 and attend a movie afterwards. Movie is to be decided. RSVP to Judie at 639-2197 by Wednesday, March 21 or sign-up at the FAC.

Saturday, March 24 – Hike the Tabaguache Trail. The trail is an easy hike, but “no walk in the park.” Meet at Albertsons on the Redlands at 1 p.m. and bring water. For details, contact John Delehanty at 241-3171.

Thursday, March 29 – Restaurant Rove. Enjoy lunch with friends at Il Bistro Italiano, located at 400 Main St. at 11:45 a.m. RSVP to John Delehanty at 241- 3171 or Mary Lu Graham at 241-0280.

Saturday, March 31 – Take a day trip to Moab and The Arches. Meet at the DoubleTree, 743 Horizon Drive at 9 a.m. to carpool. Lunch will be in Moab. Wear walking shoes, bring water and prepare for the unpredictable Colorado weather. Riders will share the fuel cost with the driver. Sign-up at the FAC or RSVP to Jim Spiegel at 424-2545.

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• Relocate to a Quiet Adult Park• New Homes for Sale and

Vacant Lots Available• Incentives for New Move-ins

Call Meg at 970-434-6800email: meg@pictureranchllc.com

If you have an event or photo you would like to have appear in the BEACON, send it to: beacon@pen dantpublishing.com.

36 mesa County www.BeaconSeniorNews.com March 2012

Compiled by Cloie Sandlin

AARP Tax-AideAARP Tax-Aide offers free help to older taxpayers and people with lim-ited incomes through April. All ages are welcome. From the list below, find a tax-aide group nearest you.

Grand Junction• U.S. Bank, 422 White Ave. –

9 a.m.-3 p.m., Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday.

• Senior Recreation Center, 550 Ouray Ave. – 12:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. Fridays, 9:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Saturdays.

• Wells Fargo Bank, 2808 North Ave. – 9:30 a.m.– 12:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Clifton• Clifton Community Center,

126 Second St. – 9 a.m. to noon, Tuesday and Thursday.

Fruita• Fruita Alpine Bank, 125 N. Park

Mesa County Beacon BitsSquare – 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Wednesday and Friday.

Writers support groupA network for novice writers will meet at the Fruita library, 324 N. Coulson, on the third Saturday of ev-ery month beginning March 17. Join us from 10:30 a.m. to noon. Share your talent and receive support. For more information, call 858-7604.

Call for art entriesThe Palisade Art Lovers are calling for entries for their 32nd annual Peach Blossom Art Show on April 12-15. The entry deadline is March 21. To enter, visit www.palisadeartlovers.org.

Community Foundation hon-ors those with Hearts of GoldThe Western Colorado Community Foundation celebrated its 15th anni-versary with a special luncheon and celebration of those in the commu-nity who have a “heart of gold.” Two

long-time community volunteers, Carol Murphy and Gregg Kampf, were recognized with Heart of Gold awards at the event. Murphy has been the co-manager of the gift shop at St. Mary’s Hospital for 27 years and has logged over 12,000 hours of volunteer service at St. Mary’s alone. Kampf is a practicing attorney and has shared his legal expertise with dozens of nonprofits over the years, serving on boards such as the Legends Project, the Red Cross, the Grand Junction Symphony, Mesa State College Foundation, Hospice and St. Mary’s. For more information, visit www.wc-cf.org and view our new video commemorating 15 years of Community Philanthropy, or call us at 243-3767.

Free family caregivers seriesDid you know that 29 percent of the U.S. population are caregiv-ers, providing care an average of 20 hours a week, with 16.8 million people caring for children with special needs under age 18? The Arc Mesa County, Mesa Developmental Services, and the Colorado Children’s Campaign have partnered to bring Grand Junction’s caregivers a series of free classes at Western Colorado Community College. The Advocate’s Toolbox series provides an oppor-tunity for caregivers to learn about rights, financial planning, guardian-ships, special education, and how to strengthen their voice in the systems that provide services to those they care for and about. Classes begin March 1 and run through mid-April. Register at www.coloradomesa.edu/cec or call 255-2828.

O.I. Packing MeetingsOperation Interdependence is a civil-ian to military delivery system that provides over 2,500 comfort packag-es to service personnel every month. If you would like to show your sup-port for the troops, attend the follow-ing packing meetings, contact Karon Carley at 523-4217 or email carley@oidelivers.org. Packing meetings are held at their warehouse. Call Carley for directions. March’s packing meet-ings will be:• 9 a.m. on March 3, 17 & 31

• 7 p.m. on March 14 & 28

Rent a gardenThe Grand Junction Community Gardens at Fifth Street and Chipeta Avenue get better every year. The gardens consist of 29 beds that may be rented for $75 for the entire sea-son. Water is provided by the City of Grand Junction and a storage shed for wheelbarrows, rakes and other tools was generously loaned by Mor-Stor-age. Compost provided by the Mesa County Compost Facility. Garden-ers who need help tilling it can be assisted by Colorado State University Extension Master Gardener volun-teers. For more information, or to purchase a bed, call 244-1841.

Volunteer opportunities• RSVP connects individuals 55+ to volunteer positions in any of our 90+ member agencies. For a complete list of volunteer opportunities, visit www.rsvpgrandjunction.org or call 243-9839.• Homeward Bound of the Grand Valley is a nonprofit organization providing housing, compassionate services, and safe shelter for individu-als and families. It is always in need of community volunteers. If you are interested, please call 256-9424.• GriefShare: Healing from grief through Christ is held every Monday at 6:30 p.m. at Fellowship Church, 765 24 Road. For more infor-mation, contact Vicci at 434-9473.• Gray Gourmet needs several adult volunteers to deliver a weekday lunch to homebound seniors in the Grand Valley. To find out more about delivering meals to homebound seniors, call Karen at 243-9844 ext. 5. Volunteers are also needed to work (on call) to serve lunch at one of our senior dining sites in Grand Junction one day per week. For more informa-tion, call Sheli at 243-9844.• Alpine Hospice needs volunteers to help patients “tell their life story.” It’s a rewarding opportunity to offer support, listen and be a friend to someone facing end-of-life issues. Training is provided. Volunteer office support positions are also available. Contact Sandy at 210-5912 for more information.

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March 2012 www.BeaconSeniorNews.com mesa County 37

Club activities• The Western Slope Coin Club meets at 6:30 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each month at the Redlands Community Center, 2463 Broadway. For more information, call 241-1770 or 242-3716.• The Talk of the Town Toastmas-ters invite you to join their weekly Thursday lunch hour club meetings from noon to 1 p.m. at the Business Incubator, 2591 Legacy Way (B-3/4 Road). For more information, call 244-1625.• The Grand Valley Knights are a group of auto enthusiasts that meet every Saturday from 8 a.m.-10 a.m. at Spoon’s Bistro and Bakery, 3090 N. 12th St. with their sport and classic vehicles. Their website is www.grandvalleyknights.com. They encourage visitors to join them for coffee and breakfast. Proceeds from Spoon’s help support Hospice. For more information, call 462-6762.• Vestafjell Lodge, Sons of Nor-way welcome guests to their annual Corned Beef and Cabbage Dinner at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 11 at Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, 3133 F Road in Grand Junction. Come celebrate those Irish Viking roots and cultural delight with a delicious home cooked dinner and entertain-ment provided by the Colorado West Celtic Dancers. You don’t need to bring your “pot o’ gold” as the cost is only $8 per adult. Reservations are recommended. Call 245-5649 or 858-6702 for more information. Also, visit www.vestafjelllodge.com.• The Two River Sams Chapter Good Sam RV Club will meet at 11:30 a.m. on March 10. For location, call 248-9846 or 261-8817.• The Palisade Masonic Lodge is the only daylight lodge in the Grand Valley. They meet at 10 a.m. on the first Saturday of each month at the corner of Fifth and Kluge Avenue. All Masons are invited to attend. For more information, call 245-5312.• The Mesa County Genealogi-cal Society meets at 7 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month at Cross Orchards, 3073 F Road. They also meet at the Museum of Western Colorado, 462 Ute Ave. at noon on

the fourth Wednesday of the month. Bring a brown bag lunch. For more information, call 245-5312.• Thunder Mountain Camera Club will meet at 6:30 p.m. on March 27 at the River of Alliance Church, 701 24-1/2 Road. For more information, call 260-7488.• Mesa County Republican Wom-en meet the second Monday of each month at Two Rivers Convention Center at noon. Lunch is $15 per person. RSVP to 248-0815. • The Two Rivers Cribbage Club meets from 6 p.m.-9 p.m. every Thursday at New Life Church, 1350 N. Seventh St. For more information, call 261-1670.• Happy Feet Rounds meets at the Masonic Lodge, 2400 Consis-tory Court on Sundays for a variety of dancing including waltz, rumba, cha-cha and more. Beginners are welcome from 5 p.m.-6:30 p.m. and intermediate dancers are welcome from 6:30 p.m.-8 p.m. For more information, call 243-5858.• The Grand Valley Woodcarv-ers Club meets from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. on the first and third Wednesdays of the month and from 1 p.m.-3 p.m. on the second and fourth Wednesdays at the Redlands United Methodist Church, 527 Village Way. Carvers and wood artisans of all skill levels are welcome. For more information, call 245-8817 or 523-5965. • Levis & Lace Square Dance Club hosts square dances from 7 p.m.- 9:30 p.m. every Friday night at the Masonic Lodge, 2400 Consistory Court in Grand Junction. For more information, call 986-8801 or 434-6541.• The Art Jewelers Guild meets at 6:30 p.m. on the second Monday of each month at the Grandview Apart-ments on the northwest corner of First Street and Independence Av-enue. Amateurs and professionals are welcome. Learn how easy and fun it is to make your own jewelry. For more information, call 243-1220.• Western Colorado Horeshoe Pitching Club meets at 6:30 p.m. March 28 at the Mesa Mall Commu-nity Room between Cabela’s and JC Pennys. Call 260-6287 for details.

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38 delta/ montrose Counties www.BeaconSeniorNews.com March 2012

Compiled by Jamie Begalle

March 3Black Canyon Fly Fishing ShowPresented by Gunnison Gorge An-glers, the Black Canyon Fly Fishing show will take place from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Learn fly tying/tie knots, how to cast a fly rod/see bugs that live in our rivers and lakes. There will be door prizes, hourly fishing shows, exhibi-tors and vendors. There will also be rod appraisals by Jeff Hatton and in-side casting ponds at Friendship Hall at the Montrose County Fairgrounds, 1001 N. Second St. Admission is free. For more information, call 835-3679.

March 3Free clinicTo celebrate their second anniver-sary and to show appreciation to the Montrose community, Dr. Wade of Mountain Peaks Urgent Care, 836 S. Townsend Ave., will be offering a free clinic from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Patients will need to call to schedule an ap-pointment. Please bring two nonper-ishable food items to be donated to Sharing Ministries Food Bank. For more information and to schedule an appointment, call 249-2118.

March 5Job search techniquesStatistics suggest that people who use many job search methods find jobs faster than people who use only one or two. But which techniques really work? At this workshop from 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m., you will learn tips for job searches and common assumptions that can limit landing a job. Work-shop takes place at the workforce center, 206 Ute St. in Delta. Admis-sion is free. For more information, call Melissa at 874-5781.

March 9“Dearly Departed”Join the Magic Circle Community The-atre, 420 S. 12th St. in Montrose for this production. In the Baptist back-woods of the Bible Belt, the belea-guered Turpin family proves that liv-ing and dying in the south are seldom tidy and always hilarious. When the

patriarch of the dysfunctional Turpin family keels over dead, the struggle to get him buried involves the whole clan, whose problems keep overshad-owing the solemn occasion. For more information details and tickets, see their ad on page 23, visit www.magic-circleplayers.com or call 249-7838.

March 16Charity poker tournamentJoin in a Texas Hold’em poker tour-nament from 5 p.m.-9:30 p.m. at the Bill Heddles Recreation Center, 580 Gunnison River Drive. This event is sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Delta. Raffle prizes are given throughout the evening. All proceeds support the youth of Delta County. Tables available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Cost is $20 for 100 chips $30 for 200 chips. Contact Clay Speas at 874-0716 for more information.

March 16 & 17Eckert Crane DaysCelebrating the migration of the sand-hill cranes starting at 3 p.m. Friday and 8:30 a.m. Saturday. Colorado Gold Distillery will provide guided tours throughout the day. Tickets are $15 in advance or $17 at the door. Visit www.starsguitars.com for details.

March 31-April 1Valley Symphony spring concertThe Valley Symphony Association continues its 41st anniversary season with a spring celebration of great choral music titled “A Musical Tapes-try.” A wide range of choral favorites has been arranged including “Re-quiem” by John Rutter accompanied by an instrumental ensemble, selec-tions from the popular Broadway show “Les Miserables” and a variety of contemplative sacred pieces as well as patriotic numbers. Concerts will be held at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Delta Performing Arts Center and at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Montrose Pa-vilion. Tickets are $10 for seniors and can be purchased by calling 249-7015 or online at www.valleysymphony.net. They’re also available at Clubb’s in Delta and other locations in Montrose.

Delta/ Montrose Calendar

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March 2012 www.BeaconSeniorNews.com delta/ montrose Counties 39

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By Barbara Ward

How often have you heard some-one say that age is just a num-

ber? Elsie Ahlberg, 103, will tell you age is not just a number, but is a lifetime of experiences.

When Ahlberg was born in Ber-ryman, Missouri on October 23, 1908, no one knew this baby would be living in Olathe 103 years later.

Ahlberg’s father inspected wood sold to railroad com-panies, which were made into railroad ties. At age 6, her family bought a farm in Olney Springs.

Ahlberg said life was good, but not easy on a farm. There was no running water, indoor plumbing or electricity. She recalled feeding calves, and gathering turkey and hen eggs. Laundry day meant boiling water on a wood burning stove and making your own soap. The laun-dered clothes were then hung out-side to dry.

Just because life on the farm was

No one knew this baby would be living in Olathe 103 years later

busy, it didn’t mean that Ahlberg nev-er had time to play. She said one of her favorite things to do was swing.

One of Ahlberg’s most memorable moments is when she was young

and living in St. Louis, where she saw the Zep-pelin fly over her backyard. She doesn’t remember the first plane she ever saw, but feels that avia-tion is one of this century’s most important advancements.

Ahlberg is still not impressed with television. Although she has a brand new TV set in her room, she rarely watches it.

“There’s too much nonsense on it,” she said.

Ahlberg said living at her age is not so bad. The three words she used to describe her life are serenity, happi-ness and contentment. She said she found a good anchor and foundation in life with a devoted husband and wonderful children.

Olathe resident Elsie Ahlberg’s photo wall commemorates 103 years of memories.

420 South 12th Street, Montrose www.magiccircleplayers.com

March 9-24

Dearly DeparteDA Comedy by David Bottrell and Jessie Jones

Fridays & Saturdays 7:30 p.m.Sunday Matinees March 11 & 18, 2:00 p.m.

249-7838 Call for reservations.

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40 delta/ montrose Counties www.BeaconSeniorNews.com March 2012

Compiled by Cloie Sandlin

AARP Tax-AideAARP Tax-Aide offers free help to older taxpayers and people with limited incomes through April. Find a tax-aide group near you from the list below.• Montrose – Montrose Pavilion, 1800 Pavilion Drive. Hours are 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Tuesdays and 12:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. Thursdays. Appoint-ments are preferred, but walk-ins are welcome. Call 252-4884.• Delta – Hanson House, 247 Meeker St. Appointments only. Call 874-7837.• Hotchkiss – Hotchkiss Senior Center, 115 E. Main St. Appointments available second Tuesday of each month. Call 872-5956.• Cedaredge – Cedaredge Communi-ty Center, 140 NW Second St. Hours are from 12:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m.-7 p.m. on Wednesdays. Walk-ins welcome.

AARP Driver SafetyKeep up on newer traffic laws while saving money on car insurance. Membership in AARP is not required. Cost is $12 for AARP members and $14 for nonmembers. Preregistration is required for both classes.• Hotchkiss: March 13, 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. at the Town Hall Confer-ence Room. Preregister by calling

Delta/ Montrose Beacon BitsLaFawn or Bob at 527-5199.

Delta Senior ActivitiesThe following activities are offered at Bill Heddles Recreation Center, 530 Gunnison River Drive in Delta. To register for any of the following activities, call 874-0923.• March 7, 5:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.Savings expert Holly Richard will show you how to save with coupons and spend less on groceries. Bring your coupons and she’ll help you make your shopping list. Cost is $10. Register by March 5.• March 17, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.All ages are invited to the annual am-ateur chess tournament. Cost is $10, which covers awards and snacks. The tournament will begin promptly at 10 a.m. and will consist of six rounds with a one hour time limit. Partici-pants much register by 9:30 a.m. • March 17, 7 p.m.-10 p.m.Community evening dances are for everyone. Cost is $4, plus bring a snack to share. Entertainment will be provided by Route 66.• March 24, 1 p.m.-4 p.m.Join the City of Delta and the Colo-rado Parks & Wildlife in a Turkey Hunting Seminar. This seminar will cover laws related to turkey hunting, demonstration of calling, turkey habi-tats, hunting tactics and techniques, and turkey behavior. Cost is $10.

Two Rivers Convention Center, Grand Junction, CO

April 19, 2012freeadmission

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140 S. Uncompahgre Ave.(behind the Montrose Police Dept. between S. 1st and S. 2nd)

Call now for an appointment

249-1733Dental Care for Your overall HealtH

Tobler DenTal

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March 2012 www.BeaconSeniorNews.com delta/ montrose Counties 41

Fly tying for beginnersThe Gunnison Gorge Anglers will teach a beginning fly tying class at 7 p.m. Tuesdays, March 6-27. Partici-pants will learn to tie basic dry flies, nymphs and streamers. Cost is $30, which includes all materials. Register by March 1.

MONTROSE SENIOR ACTIVITIES

Stroke Support GroupThe Montrose Memorial Hospital Stroke Support Group meets twice a month at the hospital’s Acute Rehab Unit from 11 a.m. to noon. Stroke sur-vivors, family members and caregiv-ers are all encouraged to attend. For more information and meeting days, call Tim Ramsey at 318-2028.

League of Women VotersThe League of Women Voters has two upcoming meetings. For more information, email Nancy at nancy ball@montrose.net.• March 7, 7 p.m.-9 p.m.A Montrose City Council Candidates Forum will be in the City Council Chambers of the Elks Civic Building, 107 S. Cascade Ave. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.• March 8, noonPart two covers privatization of tra-ditional government services at the Montrose Library Community Room. Guest speakers are Brian Wilson and Carol Friedrich.

Montrose Recreation District activitiesThe Montrose Recreation District has the following activities scheduled for seniors 50+ in March. Register one week ahead. Events take place at the Montrose Pavilion, or transportation departs from the Montrose Pavilion. Please arrive at each event at least 15 minutes early. For more information on any of the following activities, call 252-4884.• March 2, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.Few recreational activities are as easy to learn and are as much fun as snow-shoeing! If you haven’t been snow-shoeing before, don’t worry. The beauty of snowshoeing is simplicity. Just strap on a pair of snowshoes to your favorite snow boots and start walking! We take frequent rests. Cost

is $16 with your own snowshoes and $20 if we provide them. Bring a sack lunch. Please register early. Call for location and more information. • March 17, 9 a.m.- 2 p.m.Every spring, the greater sandhill cranes begin their northward migra-tion. A primary overnight stop for the birds is Hart’s Basin and Fruit-grower’s Reservoir in Eckert. We will travel to Eckert to observe the morn-ing liftoff and attend educational presentations given by crane experts. Cost is $18, plus bring money for lunch.• March 20, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.Enjoy shopping in Grand Junction. We will travel to Mesa Mall, Kmart, Hobby Lobby and Kohl’s. We will stop at the shopping center with Michael’s, Bed Bath and Beyond, Ross and Sportsman’s Warehouse. You choose the stores you want to shop in. Cost is $20, plus bring money for lunch.• March 22, 1 p.m.-1:45 p.m.There will be a free presentation of-fered through Uncompahgre Volun-teer Legal Aid. Lincoln Anderson is an elder law attorney specializing in estate planning, health care planning and public benefits. The presentation takes place in the senior center dining room.• March 27, 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m.Enjoy a guided tour of the Hotchkiss Fish Hatchery, which consists of a hatchery building with a small visitor center and tank room, residences, 32 outdoor concrete raceways, 24 nurs-ery tanks and six earthen ponds. The end of March and beginning of April is when the hatchery has the most fish. We will eat lunch in Hotchkiss following the tour. Cost is $18, plus bring money for lunch.• March 29, 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m.We begin our day observing a her-onry consisting of about 17 nests. We will travel to Ridgway reservoir to begin hiking and to watch for bird activity. Cost is $17, plus bring money for lunch.

836 S. townSend, montroSenext to eldorado bakery

249-2118

mon - fri 8am - 8 pm|Sat 8am - 4 pm

Sun noon - 4 pm

There when you need them the most

Minor Injuries & illnessColds, Flu, & Allergies

Sports, DOT & employment physicals. Lacerations & Fracture Care

Terry S. Wade D.O.Barbara Budagher P.A.-C

Chris Palsley P.A.-C

If you have an event or photo you would like to have appear in the BEACON, send it to: beacon@pen dantpublishing.com.

Subscribe to theBeaconAUGUst 2010 Vol. 32 No. 8

Photo by Karen Jones.

What’s Inside

Advice and Ideas .......................... 13

Classifieds .................................... 30

Crossword .................................... 19

Delta/Montrose County ................ 27

Fruita ............................................18

Health & Wellness ......................... 10

Laughing Matters ......................... 14

Local Lore ....................................... 8

Mesa County ................................. 22

River City Singles.......................... 23

Theater & Arts .............................. 26

Local LoreThis old yellow farm-

house once stood on

the banks of Lake

Lenore. Read more

about it’s history

inside.

Long-Term CareWhat everyone

needs to know

about long-term

care Read more

in this month’s

insert.

Western Colorado’s Monthly Newspaper for Adults 50+. Over 28,350 Readers.

Martial Arts for

seniors is a great

new concept.

See story on

page 10.

Pets and their peopleFrom horses to

turtles, take a look at

our reader submitted

photos.

Now on the Web at

www.BeaconSeniorNews.com

Produced by the Beacon’s

Advertising Team

Medicare Madness

Targets Home Medical

Equipment Users page 7

A Continuum of Care

at Family Health West

(even a Beauty Parlor)

page 2

Key Questions

to ask a nursing home

page 6

Long-Term Care

Your Guide to Senior Housing & Long Term Care

Adoptable LoveArielle Alstatt, Mesa County Animal

Services officer, cuddling Little Joe, a

young pit-mix male waiting for adoption.

See our cover story on page 4.

september 2010 Vol. 24 No. 9

Photo by Karen Jones.

What’s InsideAdvice and Ideas ............................ 9Classifieds .................................... 30Crossword .................................... 26Delta/Montrose County ................ 27Fruita ............................................ 17Laughing Matters ......................... 14Local Lore ..................................... 10Mesa County ................................. 22Parks & Recreation ....................... 16River City Singles.......................... 23Travel & Recreation ...................... 12

Western Colorado’s Monthly Newspaper for Adults 50+. Over 28,350 Readers.Learning how to operate firearms cor-rectly can save lives. Olathe resident, Ron Avery can aim you in the right direction. Read more inside.

River LessonsSusan Capps, de-scribes experiences and lessons learned from our beautiful Colorado rivers.

Local LoreFrom peddling pickles in a wheelbarrow to creating a successful factory, read more about the Kuner-Emp-son factory inside.

Health & WellnessWhat everyone needs to know about your health Read more in this month’s insert.Now on the Web at

www.BeaconSeniorNews.com

Produced by the Beacon’s

Advertising Team

Health foods that aren’t

page 11

Real Men Give Blood

page 6

A Bright Futurefor Senior Daybreakpage 3

Your Guide to a Heal thy Mind & Body

Health &Wellness

Life Tastes Good Here!

Rita Baughman, right, of Taylor Produce helps Brenda St. John select fresh Palisade Peaches.

july 2010 Vol. 31 No. 7

Photo by Karen Jones.

What’s InsideAdvice and Ideas .......................... 19Classifieds .................................... 34Crossword .................................... 22Delta/Montrose County ................ 31Health & Wellness ......................... 10Laughing Matters ......................... 14Local Lore ..................................... 20Mesa County ................................. 26River City Singles.......................... 28Theater & Arts .............................. 30

Lake Lenore and the surrounding Lakeside Community have made their mark in history. Read more on page 20

Western Colorado’s Monthly Newspaper for Adults 50+. Over 28,350 Readers.

Faux Food!What started as a hobby for this local artist turned into a full-time business. Read about Jeannie Martin and other local artists starting on page 4.

Seniors can play rough too. Readmore on page 9.

The artists of the Grand Valley Wood-carvers create masterpieces out of simple blocks of wood. Read more on page 6

See this month’s insert for complete details and registration form!

August 30-September 3, Lincoln ParkSenior Games

western colorado

Now on the Web at www.BeaconSeniorNews.com

Produced by the Beacon’s

Advertising Team

Aug. 30-Sept. 3

Parks & recreation

Senior Games

Produced by the Beacon’s

Advertising Team

Now on the Web at www.BeaconSeniorNews.com

Your Guide to the Western Colorado Senior Games

western colorado

name

address

city state zip

phonenumber

creditcard exp.date cvc

Newsubscription 1year$15.00 Renewsubscription 2years$25.00

Mail form with check to:TheBeacon,P.O.Box3895,GrandJunction,CO81502

42 garfield County www.BeaconSeniorNews.com March 2012

Compiled by Cheryl Currier

March 6Knit and StitchJoin the Rifle Craft Collective for a Knit & Stitch from 6 p.m.-7:30 p.m. at the Creekbend Bistro, 121 E. Third St. Bring any fiber craft. All ability levels welcome. Call 930-1309 or email mslritte@gmail.com for more information.

March 6Art in the StacksRifle High School art students will share their reproductions of well-known works at 6:30 p.m. at the

Rifle Library, 207 East Ave. Art lovers of all ages are welcome to attend. A short talk will be presented followed by refreshments. Call 625-3471 for more information.

March 7Allergies and SensitivitiesThis lecture presented by Aarin Meager-Benson will discuss common health conditions related to aller-gies, the difference between aller-gies, sensitivities, and the natural options to addressing and relieving allergies. The lecture will be held at the Glenwood Springs Community

Garfield County Calendar Center, 100 Wulfsohn Road. This is a free event. Call 384-6301 for more information.

March 8Top 10 Heart Health FoodsAs part of Grand River Hospital’s mission to improve the health of our communities, a free lecture and luncheon will be held at the hospital in Rifle from noon to 1 p.m. Learn more about heart health nutrition. Please RSVP. Call 625-6200 for more information.

March 10Thai cookingWhat makes Thai food unique? Make dishes that have a perfect blend of sweet, sour, tart and spice. Five dif-ferent regions of Thailand will be discussed while preparing a meal comprised from those regions. The class meets from 1 p.m.-5 p.m. at the Colorado Mountain College campus at Rifle, 3695 Airport Road. CMC is offering this noncredit class for $25. Fill out the registration form available at the CMC office or online at www.coloradomtn.edu/register. Call 625-1871 for more information.

March 10Making Ukrainian Easter eggsJack Spuhler will return to the New Castle Branch Library, 820 Castle Valley Blvd., to teach the traditional method of creating pysanky, or Ukrainian Easter eggs. Due to popu-lar demand, two workshops will be offered. The first will be 10 a.m.-1 p.m. and the second will be 2 p.m.-5 p.m. The class is open to everyone in the ninth grade and up. There is a $3 materials fee. Stop by the library to register, or call 984-2346.

March 10Health Fair at Battlement Mesa A health fair will be held at the Battlement Mesa Activities Center from 7:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. For more information, call 285-9480.

March 15Planning your flower gardenLearn what works and what to avoid when caring for your flowers in these special intermountain conditions. The class meets from 9 a.m. to noon at the Colorado Mountain College

campus at Rifle, 3695 Airport Road. CMC is offering this noncredit class for $25. Fill out the registration form available the CMC office or online at www.coloradomtn.edu/register. Call 625-1871 for more information.

March 15Hammering Out Human RightsThe Glenwood Springs Library and the Frontier Historical Society host Susan Marie Frontczak in a lecture given in a Chautauqua format at 7 p.m. at the Glenwood Springs Branch Library, 413 Ninth St. The lecture speaks of the groundbreaking, gruel-ing, tempestuous and eventually triumphant development of the Uni-versal Declaration of Human Rights. This event is free. For more informa-tion, call 945-5958.

March 17Quilting by machineThis class offered by the Glenwood Sewing Center will offer tips, tech-niques and tools to make your ma-chine quilting more enjoyable. Learn about walking feet and free motion stitching, layering and pinning or spray basing, choices of thread, bat-tings and designs. The class is offered from 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. at 822 Grand Ave. in Glenwood Springs. Cost is $43 plus kit. Call 945-5900 for more information.

March 20Tips and Topics on TuesdaysDr. Garry Millard will give a “Den-tal Update” lecture at 10 a.m. at Parachute’s Senior Center, 540 N. Parachute Ave. This event will also include blood pressure readings, word games and refreshments. Bring a friend. For more information, call 285-7216.

March 29Tree and shrub careDiscover practices that will help your trees and shrubs. This class meets from 9 a.m. to noon at the Colorado Mountain College campus at Rifle, 3695 Airport Road. CMC is offering this noncredit class at a cost of $25. Fill out the registration form available the CMC office or online at www.coloradomtn.edu/register. Call 625-1871 for more information.

Phone: 243-8829 Mail: P.O. Box 3895 Fax: 1-800-536-7516 Grand Junction, CO 81502

Booths availaBle

Two Rivers Convention Center, Downtown, Grand Junction

april 19, 2012

Prize GiveawaysInformational Booths

Live Entertainment All Day

Yes, please send me free information on being an exhibitor at BeaconFest.

company

contact

address

city state zip

phone fax

e-mail

product category

March 2012 www.BeaconSeniorNews.com garfield County 43

Garfield County Seniors are readingthe BEACON.Shouldn’t your ad be here?

Call Jeanette Kiphart for ad rates.243-8829

AttentionBEACON Advertisers

1.

2.

3.

970 243-8829

Got a booth? If you’re planning to participate in the area’s largest senior fair, it only makes sense to make the most of your investment by placing your ad in our BeaconFest Program. We insert the program into our April newspaper and give the program away to show attendees. Advertising Deadline: March 20, 2012Publication Date: April 4, 2012

In a recent study of today’s adults, “a healthy mind and body” was cited as the “topic of most interest” to them. Because of our readers’ keen interest in “health and wellness” we have committed to publish this special insert three times a year (Jan., May, Sept.) with ads and articles created around your business.Advertising Deadline: April 20, 2012Publication Date: April 30, 2012

Call for information

TellurideAdventures

page 9

Summer FestivalsMusic, food and funpage 2

Now on the Web at www.BeaconSeniorNews.comProduced by the Beacon’s

Advertising Team

You can’t find a more exciting way to spend

$99 than with Gateway Canyons Air Tours!

Senior Summer Traveler 2011

A Guide to Summer Travel, Recreation & Festivals

&Festivals

FREE Admission

FREE door prizes

April 21, 2011 | 9 a . m . -3 p. m . | T wo RiveRs ConvenTion CenTeR

Sponsored by:

KJCT

Callahan-Edfast Mortuary

& Crematory

Senior Services Group

Now on the Web at www.BeaconSeniorNews.com

Produced by the Beacon’s Advertising Team

Re-think your ink Laser tattoo removal page 6

Fight muscle loss with weight trainingpage 8

New hope for Cancer cure

page 7

Your Guide to a Heal thy Mind & Body

Health &Wellnesssummer 2011

Mature travelers, over the age of fifty, travel 60% more than the average American and spend 30% more money per trip than younger travelers. Of course, it would be hard for them to spend money with you if they don’t know about you. Let’s let them know.Advertising Deadline: May 20, 2012Publication Date: May 29, 2012

March 30Film screening at Rifle CMC Campus“Revenge of the Electric Car” will be shown at 7 p.m. at the Clough Auditorium, Rifle campus of Colo-rado Mountain College, 3695 Airport Road. The film tells the story of the global resurgence of electric cars by

By Cheryl Currier

Bingo at Parachute Senior CenterBingo players gather at 6:30 p.m. every first and third Saturday at the Parachute Senior Center, 549 N. Para-chute Ave. You can win up to $150. A packet of 15 cards costs $9. Free popcorn and shared snacks add to a night of fun. No reservations needed. Call 285-6942 for more information.

Genealogy series in Rifle Three classes covering various as-pects of genealogical research will be offered at the Colorado Mountain College campus at Rifle in March. All classes meet 6 p.m.-8 p.m. Wednes-day evenings. This noncredit class costs $20. Fill out the registration form available the CMC office or online at www.coloradomtn.edu/reg ister. Call 625-1871 for more informa-tion.

• March 14 – “Technology Tools” will evaluate various computer pro-grams that help with the research process. Bring a laptop computer to the session. A CD will be provided, containing trial versions of various programs.

• March 21 – “Sources and Docu-mentation” will help you recognize the importance of documenting your research process while exploring various types of sources to discover new branches of your family tree.

• March 28 – “Preparing for Re-search Trips” will help you inden-tify what you need to take along on research trips.

Grief Group at Valley View HospitalA support group for people experi-

Garfield County Beacon Bitsencing grief meets from noon to 1 p.m. the second and fourth Wednes-day of each month at Valley View Hospital, 1906 Blake Ave. in Glen-wood Springs. Call 618-3043 for more information.

Senior Matters Board meeting in CarbondaleThe Senior Matters Board meets 8:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. the third Wednesday of every month in room 33 at the Third Street Center, 520 S. Third St. in Carbondale. Guests are welcome. Call 963-2536 or email seniormat ters2@sopris.net for more informa-tion. The Senior Matters Radio Show is at 4:30 p.m. the third Wednesday of the month on KDNK (88.1 or 88.3).

Contra dancing in Glenwood SpringsContra dances are held the first Saturday of the month at Glenwood Springs Elementary School, 915 School St. in Glenwood. Beginners can arrive at 7:30 p.m. for a free walk-through lesson. Dancing begins at 8 p.m. Cost is $8 at the door. For more information, email glenwoodspring scontradance@gmail.com.

Rifle Senior CenterRifle Senior Center, 50 Ute Ave., is open 8 p.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Play pool, shuffle board, work on group puzzles or play cards any day of the week. The center also has a Wii and games available. “Happy Hookers” meets at 1 p.m. Tuesdays. Bring your knitting, needle point or crochet projects to work on. Tables are set up for bridge at 1 p.m. Wednesdays. Bingo is 1 p.m. Fridays. Call Marie at 625-1877 to reserve your space.

following the manor carmakers as they jump to produce new electric models and be the first, the best, and win over the public. This event is free. A short discussion and recep-tion will follow the screening. Call 625-1871 for more information.

44 Classifieds www.BeaconSeniorNews.com March 2012

Help Wanted

Part-time editor needed

for Delta-Montrose. Also, writers for Mesa, Delta-Montrose,

and Garfield counties as we expand our award winning paper throughout

Colorado. Please send your letter of interest and your resume to

beacon@pendantpublishing.com.

Real Estate for Rent

Nellie Bechtel Senior Apartments 55 and older, no smoking or pets. 3032 N. 15th St. Call 245-1712 for appointment.

Newly remodeled log cabin in Palisade Located in a quiet orchard. 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, with fireplace. $900/month. Please call 433-3540 for more information.

Real Estate for Sale

LIQUOR STORE for Sale Turn key operation – All goes. Asking $325K. Naturita, CO. 865-2545.

Home Care

PASCO/SW, INC.Skilled and unskilled homemaking and/or

personal care. Skilled nursing, specialize in wound care, physical therapy, occupational therapy, CNA, social work, pre-op, post-op services. PASCO/SW carriers certification for Mi, children’s hospice and Tbi waivers.

Please call for courtesy evaluation of your home care needs.

Serving: Archuleta, Delta, Dolores, La Plata, Montezuma, Montrose, Ouray, San Miguel

Cortez (970)565-6833; Durango (970) 247-1211; Montrose (970)

240-1771; Toll Free (877) 685-6833www.pascosw.com

Home Services

Antiques, Appraisals, Estate Sales With over 30 years in the antique, appraisal and estate sale business, Great American Estate Sales is the valley’s leader in appraisals and estate liquidation. Settling an estate, moving into a smaller home or just simplifying your lifestyle? Great American Estate Sales can provide a worry-free and quick solution. Free consultation. 242-2443.

Professional Tile Installer Insured and bonded. You purchase tile, I provide everything else. Special discounts. Call Bill for a free estimate. 245-3344.

Tub-to-Shower Conversion Convert your tub into a safe, accessible shower in just one day! We also do complete bathroom remodels. The Tile Meister, 244-8453.

Accessibility Services Grab bars. Walk in tubs/showers. Licensed plumber/handyman. “Serving Western Colorado since 1989.” Free estimates. Compare and save! 985-1403.

AAA Lawn care now offers senior discounts! Serving the GJ area for a decade. Master Gardener and sprinkler expert at your service. Call for fall clean up 234-1607.

SCENE CLEARLY, LLC Window cleaners specializing in making your day a little brighter! Grand Junction area. Call Frank Cordova at 242-1264.

Reliable Estate Sales Are you in the midst of a stressful relocation or passing of a loved one? Let us handle the burden of personal property liquidation from start to finish. Contact Mark Bluhm at 260-2327, cash4@bresnan.net or www.reliableestatesales.net.

Bill The Builder Handyman Finish carpentry – decks and fencing, light electrical, garages, painting, kitchen updates, doors and windows. Senior discounts. Call for estimates 261-7071.

Premier SolutionsHome Improvement & Repairs

(970) 812-6963

Senior Discount Licensed & Insured

Window cleaning Experienced. 20 years in Mesa County. Reduced hourly rate for seniors. Free estimates. Call Ryan 361-0531.

Miscellaneous Services

Let us do the job for you! Light hauling & cleanup. Small & odd jobs. Grave maintenance. References available. Call Mike 434-2556.

OPERATION GUN DISPOSAL! We buy and safely remove guns from your home. Call 250-9190.

For Sale

MANTIS Deluxe Tiller. NEW! FastStart engine. Ships FREE. One-Year Money-Back Guarantee when you buy DIRECT. Call for the DVD and FREE Good Soil book! 888-703-2715.

Grand Junction Memorial Gardens Two side-by-side cemetery lots. Garden of Christus. For additional information please contact cali2bound@yahoo.com or call 702-647-1128.

To Place a Classified Ad...3 easy steps! Write your ad: .......................................................................................

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deadline: 20th of the preceding month Wanted to Buy Classes Events Work Wanted

Real Estate for Sale Services For Sale Help Wanted

Real Estate for Rent Personals Other ..........................................

This ad runs....................months. Starting month.........................

Pay for it: Rates: $29 for 30 words or less. Additional words $1 each.

cash check credit card # ............................................................... name on card ................................................................ exp. date ..................................... cvc ........................

Send it in: beacon, po box 3895, Grand Junction, Co 81502

fax: 800 536-7516 email: beacon@pendantpublishing.com

name .....................................................................................................................

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telephone number .....................................................................

queStionS? Call Genevra or Jamie M-TH 9am-4pm, 970 243-8829www.BeaconSeniorNews.com

March 2012 www.BeaconSeniorNews.com Classifieds 45

Wanted to Buy

CASH Paid for old Stuff. Wind up men’s wrist/pocket watches. Gold and silver jewelry. Pocket/hunting knives, antique firearms, fishing gear, toys, BB guns, old Colorado bottles, old motorcycles, radios and amp, railroad, military, mining items. www.cash4oldstuff.net. Mark 260-2327.

BUYING COINS AND CURRENCY U.S. Silver Dollars, 90% Silver, Eagles, Krugerrands, Maple Leafs, Gold and Silver Bars, Proof Sets, Mint Sets, Currency, Collections, Hoards, Accumulations of any size. Call 242-5374.

Buying old clothing Costume jewelry, purses, sewing patterns and perfumes (pre-1970s). Call Linda 234-4736 or 1-800-572-7670.

RESERVATION & CANCELLATIONS required at least a business day in advance Call Mon-Fri: 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., 243-9844, ext. #1

ADVANCE Call Mon-Fri: 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., 243-9844, ext. #5

If you have not received your meal by 12:45 p.m., please call number above.Client donation notices delivered monthly.

m ond a y tu e sd a y w e d ne sd a y th u rsd a y frid a y

1Roast Turkey w/GravyYam Apple BakeHerbed Green BeansFruit Salad

2Salisbury Steak w/Mushroom GravyMashed PotatoesButter BeansCitrus Fruit Mix

5Chicken Fajitas w/SalsaPinto BeansPeaches

6Spinach Cheese SquaresParsley PotatoesIsland VegetablesPineapple Slices

7Chicken FricasseeLima BeansHot Marinated CarrotsCitrus Surprise

8Beef & Barley Soup w/ToppingCalifornia VegetablesPineapple MoldWhole Wheat Roll

9Meat Loaf w/GravyMashed PotatoesBrussels SproutsBlushing Pears

12Beef LasagnaItalian Bean VegetablesTossed Salad w/ToppingTropical FruitItalian Bread

13Turkey TetrazziniChateau VegetablesJellied Beet SaladCitrus Fruit Mix

14Chili Relleno4 Way VegetablesTossed Salad w/Fiber ToppingMandarin Oranges

15Baked Ham w/Raisin SauceYamsPeas & OnionsApricots

16Corn Beef & CabbageParsley PotatoesEmerald Isle Fruit MoldCornmeal Roll

19Sloppy Joe3-Bean SaladFrench Onion BakeOrange Yogurt Dessert

20Crunchy Turkey Hot DishBrown RiceIsland VegetablesTossed SaladMandarin & Pineapple Dessert

21Pork Roast w/GravyStuffingCarrots & PeasSaucy Fruit Salad

22Beef Taco SaladGarden VegetablesOrange Wedges

23Lentil & Black Black Bean SoupParmesan Garlic PotatoesCucumber & Tomato SaladPineapple TidbitsCrackers

26Chicken ParmesanBrussels SproutsChuckwagon VegetablesApplesauce w/Raisins

27Chicken Fried Steak w/Pepper GravyMashed Potatoes4 Way VegetablesSaucy Fruit Salad

28Baked Potato w/Broccoli, Cheese & Bacon BitsTossed SaladBlushing Pears

29Egg & Sausage BakeAsparagusCarrot Raisin SaladOrange WedgesMini Bran Muffin

30Corn ChowderFish SticksRuby Beet SaladApricot & Peach CompoteCrackers

Meal Menu March 2012 243-9844, ext. 1 m ond a y tu e sd a y w e d ne sd a y th u rsd a y frid a y

Please call Fran at 243-9844 for nutrition ques-tions or for nutri-tion counseling services.

Simply read the , red pen in hand, and point out our slup-ips, I mean slip-ups, to us.Send in your entries by the end of the month to:

Newspaper

PO Box 3895Grand Junction, CO 81502

Each mistake you catch will count as one entry. At the end of the month, we’ll draw from the entries and one lucky, eagle eyed, reader will win a gift certificate, T-shirt, cash or something else of value.

Do you hate m!sspelled words, m!ssing punctuat!on marks + bad grammer

as much ass we do?

Here’s your chance to become a defender of the English language!

Center for Independence

March 31, 2012 5pm At Center for Independence

740 Gunnison Ave. Grand Junction

Tickets $20 in advance/$25 at the door970-241-0315 www.cfigj.org

46 kvetCh www.BeaconSeniorNews.com March 2012

“Everyone reads the BEACON. If I don’t get one early they are all gone. If I don’t get my BEACON, I’m not happy.” - Dorris H., Grand Junction

“Admittedly, it took me a few days to pick up a copy of February’s BEA-CON, but WOW! I’m blown away. Thank you for the very kind and well-written article.” - Dan Kirby, Chez Lena

Kevin: Thank you. I too, was very hap-py with the story, but the real kudos go to you and your staff, who have made great strides in creating excellent food. The story was just a natural extension of that.

“I will not vote for Obama again and I won’t vote for a republican. What choice do I have?” - Harold C., Grand Junction

Kevin: Vote for Ron Paul.

“I visited your new website (www.BeaconSeniorNews.com). It’s very nice, but difficult to find past articles.” - Terri M., Delta

Kevin: Most of the BEACON’s older stories are not yet online, but we will slowly get around to posting them.

“My grandkids are dumb enough already. The last thing they need is one less day of school per week. Who’s stupid idea is that?” - Patricia F., Grand Junction

“I want to thank the young man who helped me load my purchases into my car last week at Sam’s Club. It goes to show that not all young people are lazy.” - Clara F., Grand Junction

“Thank you for delivering the BEA-CON to the Denny’s in Montrose. I read it there all the time.” - Stan R., Montrose

kvetch \ kfechBy Tait Trussell

Only 10 percent of Americans know that the government can

spend seniors’ Social Security money any way it wants. This was a recent finding by the Rasmussen Reports opinion polling organization.

The “super committee” in Congress appointed to look for $1.5 trillion in spending reduction over the next 10 years has everything on the table, including Social Security. However, no one has suggested cutting the benefits of anyone receiving Social Security now or in the near future.

There have been some suggestions for extending the age of retirement to age 70 instead of 65. But I know of no proposed cuts for cur-rent beneficiaries of Social Security.

It’s a given that benefits will keep rolling out, al-though there is no pot of money in the Social Secu-rity Trust Fund as many seniors believe. Seniors’ payout comes from those paying in. The payroll taxes you paid during your working life may be used for anything from stealth bombers to subsidies for “green” jobs. Working-age Americans remain skeptical about receiving their Social Security benefits even though they mistakenly believe money in the Social Security Trust Fund can be used only to pay promised benefits.

The money paid in by the payroll tax is drawn out by the federal gov-ernment to pay for other programs and replaced by IOUs in the form of Treasury notes. And Congress can keep doing this.

Overall, 52 percent of likely vot-ers, according to the Rasmussen poll, have a favorable view of Social Security. Some 43 percent hold an unfavorable view. The new Ras-mussen Reports national telephone survey finds that most of those aged

30-49 have a negative opinion of the program. Among senior citizens, 75 percent have a favorable view. Sur-prising it isn’t higher.

Forty-two percent of those polled expect to receive all their promised benefits from Social Security, while 57 percent do not. Three out of four seniors expect to receive all their promised benefits, and those aged 50-64 are evenly divided. Among those under 50, a majority do not expect such a return. The survey found that 80 percent believe that Social Security taxes are paid into a Trust Fund that can legally be used only to pay Social Security benefits. However, 10 percent recognize this is not the case.

Federal budget documents describe it like this: “The

Federal Government uses the term ‘trust fund’ very differ-ently from the private sector. The beneficiary of a private trust owns

the trust’s income and may own the

trust’s assets.” Howev-er, “the Federal Govern-

ment owns and manages the assets and earnings of most

federal trust funds.” Additionally, the government “can unilaterally change the law to raise or lower future trust fund collections and payments or change the purpose for which collec-tions are used.”

Just 6 percent think the fed-eral government can do whatever it wants with the money from the Trust Fund. Eighty-two percent disagree and say the Trust Fund should be protected so that the money is used only to pay promised benefits. Sixty-five percent of voters believe individ-uals should have the right to select their own retirement age.

Those who want to retire earlier could pay more in Social Security taxes now. Those who would prefer lower taxes today could pay less in taxes and retire later. That suppos-

Nine out of 10 stupid about Social Securityedly is how such a plan would work.

Sixty-four percent believe that any proposed changes in either Social Se-curity or Medicare should be submit-ted to the American people for a vote before they can become law. Mort Zuckerman of “U.S. News & World Report” has some thoughtful ideas.

“The promise of Social Security as a backstop against poverty is more important than ever. But for the program to endure, as it must, we must not avoid the financial implica-tions of ensuring that anyone who has worked hard and paid into the system will have the basic sustenance they need once their working days are behind them.

Here are his options to cure the problem:

l. Gradually raise the retirement age to reflect the longevity increases that have already taken place. Men born in 2004 can expect to live almost 10 years longer than those born in 1950, while women can expect to live nine years longer. In the future, this should be indexed to rise automati-cally.

2. Increase employer and employee payroll taxes by up to 1 percent each.

3. Eliminate or gradually raise the cap on taxable payroll income to reflect the fact that the pay of higher income workers has been rising faster than the threshold for Social Security taxable earnings. The share of pay overall that is not taxed has in-creased from 9 percent to 17 percent today.

4. Increase the earliest eligibility age from 62 to 65. By some estimates, this would extend the trust fund’s solvency by about five years. Current retirees would be unaffected. Ex-ceptions would have to be made for Americans who cannot work longer due to injury, ill health, or other causes.

5. Make modest reductions in benefits for wealthier recipients. Perhaps the competing Republican candidates, suitably goaded by the moderators, will drill down on these issues.

Wanna pitch a fit? Write us at

Beacon@PendantPublishing.com.

Serving families in the Grand Valley for over 100 years.

The Legacy of Love

According to Webster’s unabridged dictionary, a legacy is a gift or anything handed down from the past - from one generation to another. In the funeral business we find we are given the gift from many families to conduct the funerals from one generation to the next. This is an honor that we at Callahan-Edfast Mortuary hold very high.

We find that more often than not, people want to have a say in what their final wishes are.

Many pre-plan their service, giving the ultimate gift, a Legacy of Love.

Pre-arranging has many benefits, including the ability to hold today’s prices for future services. We offer funeral and cremation services and also have an on-site columbarium for the interment of cremated remains. It is important to share your desires with your family and pre-arranging allows you to do just that.

For more information about how to leave your family a Legacy of Love – contact Sandra Johnson, CPC or Abel Chavez, our pre-need counselors at Callahan-Edfast Mortuary. Appointments can be set up by calling 243-2450.

2515 Patterson Road • Grand Junction, CO 81505

970.243.2450 info@cemgj.com www.callahan-edfast.com

March 16–17, 20127:00 am–Noon

Central High School

For iNForMatioN: call 211, (888) 217-1215,

or visit www.mesahealth.org.

Low cost blood screeningsFast for 12 hours, drink water and continue to take prescribed medications. Do not fast if you’re diabetic.

• Blood Chemistry – $30 Baseline information on cholesterol,

blood glucose, liver, kidneys, thyroid, and more.

• Blood Count – $15 An additional screening for many conditions such as anemia, infection, bleeding disorders…

• Hemoglobin A1c – $25 Measures the average blood sugar control and

whether a person is at risk for diabetes.

• PSA for men 40 & over – $25 Checks for prostate and testicular cancer.

• Vitamin D – $40 Baseline level for Vitamin D which plays an

important role in bone health.

Free health screenings

interactive health education booths

Lions recycle for SightBring your used eyeglasses to donate.

• “Ask a Pharmacist”• Blood Pressure• Chiropractic

Spinal Screening• Diabetes Screening• Foot Screening• Hearing Screening

• Height and Weight• Lung Function Test• Talk to a Health

Professional• Oral Health Screening• Osteoporosis Screening• Vision Screening

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“We’re here for life.”970-298-CARE (2273)

2635 N. 7th Street Grand Junction, CO 81501

www.stmarygj.org

An Affiliate of the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System

Weight loss surgery and follow-up care

Learn how music can aid in recovery from stroke and other neurological conditions and injuries.

“Neurologic Music Therapy and Brain Recovery from Injury and Stroke”Presented by Deborah Palmer, board-certified music therapist. No reservation needed.

Fri., March 16, 1:00–2:30 pmGrand Mesa Room, St. Mary’s Life Center2686 Patterson Road, Grand Junction

Sponsored by St. Mary’s Stroke Support Group.Recovery education, relaxation, therapies and discussion for those who have suffered a stroke and their loved ones. Meets the third Friday of each month, 1:00–2:30 p.m. Call 298-1929 for more information.

Music as therapy

Learn how weight loss surgery works and who qualifies. Presented by St. Mary’s bariatric-trained surgeons. Call 298-6400 to register.

GRAND JUNCTIONWed., Mar. 7, Noon–1:30 pm Wed., Mar. 21, 5:30-7:00 pm

RIFLEThurs., March 15, 5:30–7:00 pm

“I wanted to get healthy for my family. St. Mary’s bariatric surgeons said weight loss surgery was a process and we would go at a pace that was comfort-able for me. Now I’m well on my way to my goal.” -Tamara Vliek, Grand Junction