Arizona Organizing Project Launches 1010 Community Center

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Arizona Community Tree Council Encourages Arizonans to

Add Even More Trees to the 2012 Count

PHOENIX, Arizona (December 8, 2011) – It’s the most wonderful time of the year . . . for tree decorating and trees for the planting and more trees for counting . . . Well, that’s not exactly how the song goes, but that’s how we feel at the Arizona Community Tree Council, where we’re in the midst of one of our busiest seasons where we make a list and check it twice on the number of trees that have been planted in Arizona this year and encourage homeowners and businesses to plant Christmas trees.

The Arizona Community Tree Council is very proud to report that 7,316 trees have been planted in Arizona this year, which is a huge 665 percent increase over the 2010 count of 1,100.

“We couldn’t be happier to be greener and cooler with 7,316 more trees. The benefits of adding trees in communities throughout Arizona are huge, making Arizona greener, cooler and cleaner. Adding trees also builds communities and encourages homeowners to put down roots,” said Harold Hummer, president of the Arizona Community Tree Council (ACTC).

More trees add to Arizona’s canopy, making Arizonans and their houses cooler. It reduces pollutants in the air, making Arizona cleaner. A cooler and cleaner community results in lower air conditioning bills for residents and businesses throughout Arizona. If homeowners and businesses plant trees on the west, south and/or east side of their homes, they would save 20 percent on their

Green is the New Fresh Fall Color

Salad a Day program aims to improve health and wellness

(PHOENIX, Ariz., November 15, 2011) – Had enough of summer? Fall springs eternal as most of us look forward to experiencing the fresh outdoors and opening windows that have long been shuttered to protect us from the blistering heat that seems to last for an eternal summer season.

Duncan Family Farms is right with you and wants to share your enthusiasm about the arrival of a crisper, cooler season by sharing with you their fall bounty of fresh greens. Beyond the asphalt network of roads, office buildings, convenient stores and fast food outlets is the Duncan Family Farm in Goodyear that is harvesting fresh crops of cool, crisp greens from their rich fertile soil.

Duncan Family Farms is making it easy for you to get their fresh leafy greens and fantastic vegetables this season through their new program: “Salad-A-Day ~ the Duncan-Way.”

Responding to requests from the public, Duncan is bringing the farm to your fork by offering this health and wellness

Living Christmas Trees

From the Arizona Community Tree Council

Living trees are a perfect choice for those who want to plant a tree after the holidays. Living trees absorb carbon dioxide, supply oxygen, reduce soil erosion, increase property values, reduce energy use and beautify our surroundings.

Look for varieties that will grow in your area. For the low deserts choose Aleppo Pine, Eldarica (Afghan) Pine, Canary Island or Italian Stone Pine. For higher elevations look for Austrian Pine, Pinon Pine, Douglas Fir or Arizona Cypress. Make sure that the tree you choose will fit into your landscape. Most trees used as Christmas trees will eventually reach heights of 40 feet.

Living Christmas trees can be purchased at many nurseries and garden centers and at some retail lots and choose-and-cut farms. Purchase your tree early for the best selection. Look for trees with healthy, well-colored needles. Avoid those that show brown tips, are yellowing or shedding. Container-grown trees should not be root-bound. After purchase, be especially careful to avoid injury to the tree’s root system. Do not carry the tree by its trunk or drop it. Living trees can be stored in your yard

PHOENIX, Arizona (September 20, 2011) – Daniel Stevens climbed to the No. 2 spot in at the 2011 ISA International Tree Climbing Championships that were held in Sydney, Australia July 23 – 24. Stevens placed second in the world in the belayed speed climb with a time of 25:90 seconds and finished as the sixth-best climber overall in the World at the international championships, which drew 62 of the world's best climbers from 19 countries. All 62 competitors advanced from regional competitions in their own countries to qualify for the international climbs.

Stevens placed second in belayed speed climb, placing behind Mark Chisolm, from New Jersey, with a time of 24:82. Chisolm won the ITCC 2010 championships. Placing sixth overall in the world, Stevens' competitors who placed first through fifth included No. 1 Scott Forrest of New Zealand, No. 2 Jared Abrojena form the U.S., No. 3 Joe Harris from Australia, No. 4 Johan Gustavsson from Sweden, No. 5 Jonathon Turnball from the UK.

Join Duncan Family Farms in the Third Annual Friends of the Poor® Walk on Saturday, September 24, 2011 at The Hammers Complex on 99th Avenue and McDowell at 5:00 p.m. The three-mile Walk is a unique fund raising effort organized nationally and locally by Councils and Conferences of the Society of St. Vincent De Paul. It allows community members from all walks of life across the country to participate in a simultaneous, nationwide event to raise national awareness of the challenges faced by the nation’s poor and to raise significant funds for use in direct service to the poor. Funds raised locally will be used locally.

Duncan Family Farm's goal is to raise $10,000 as participants in the Annual Friends of the Poor® Walk. Arnott and Kathleen Duncan have a strong commitment to food access and participation in this national effort is one more way to support their goals.

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Arizona Organizing Project Launches 1010 Community Center

Peer Groups Lifting Each Other Out of Homelessness Through Social Enterprises

Phoenix, Ariz., (May 23, 2011) - With an estimated 8,000 homeless individuals in Maricopa County, according to a 2009 report, a resource center is now open to offer peer-to-peer model programs and social enterprises. The center’s goal is to advance as many people as possible into full recovery and help them move into work and enterprises that can generate income so they can take control of their lives and have a home that they can sustain.

The Arizona Organizing Project (AZOP) will launch the official opening of its 1010 Community Center located at 1010 West Adams in Phoenix on Monday, May 23 at 9:00 a.m., which has been made possible through a community collaboration with St. Luke's Health Initiatives, the Arizona Community Foundation and The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation-Generations in Giving Program and plentiful outreach by AZOP’s peer groups, interns and community volunteers. "None of this would have been possible without the business community and concerned individuals, but we need the whole community involved," states George Roundy, executive director of the Arizona Organizing Project and valley businessman. “Each and every resident of our community has the capacity to make a difference and we look forward to hearing from you and engaging with your resources.”

The Arizona Organizing Project is dedicated to fostering healthy and sustainable communities organized and led by people emerging from poverty. The 1010 Community Center will offer programs where peers work with peers to lift each other out of poverty and homelessness through social enterprise development.

“Leaders from our formerly homeless population can and will take on responsibilities and run with projects when they are offered credible and consistent support and a place to meet, learn, and connect to other Valley organizations that can work with them,” said Scott Jacobson, director of development for the Arizona Organizing Project.

Social Enterprise Development
AZOP - 1010 Community Center is a peer-run center led by formerly and currently homeless people that is a resource-rich environment for stable social enterprise development for homeless people who have a desire and aptitude to be social entrepreneurs. The work of these social entrepreneurs creates enterprises that improve the common good and solve a social problem in a new, more lasting and effective way than traditional approaches, while lifting them to sustainable prosperity.

AZOP - 1010 Community Center Social Enterprises include:

Bicycle Cooperative: Renovate, Recycle, and Resale
A cooperative program is being established with local bicycle shops that offer a train-the-trainer program that provides bicycle technician training to Community Center members, who will transform donated bicycles into road-ready bikes, which can be “peddled” to create self-sufficiency or used for essential modes of transportation for access to food, employment, social services, and support services. The Community Center members will then mentor other homeless men and women on bike mechanic services.

Urban Community Farm to Launch Thursday
Literally tons of fertile Gro-Well Premium Soil is scheduled to be delivered for the launch of the Urban Community Farm on Thursday, May 26, 2011. The 1010 Urban Community Farm will be a hands-on learning project with 10 raised garden beds, each measuring six by 12 feet by one foot deep. The beds will be used to grow fruits and vegetables for the community to eat. Greg Peterson, founder of The Urban Farm, will offer a series of classes to community members to learn the care and maintenance of planting and harvesting techniques. Along with this program, community members will learn yard maintenance skills, which they can offer local residents through the AZ Organizing Project Office. In addition to Peterson, community supports include Darren Chapman of Tigermountain Foundation, Jim Beuerlein of GRO-WELL, Terry Ricketts and Jesse Sanchez of APS, and Phoenix Clean and Beautiful.

Sewing, Crochet and Textile Enterprise: We already have a successful program attracting more than 40 women a week taught by gifted women in our community like, Ann Morton (ASU School of Fine Arts graduate student), Cattryn Somers and Lisa Takata, who are sharing their skills with these eager and talented seamstresses. AZOP has three sewing machines, but needs more to answer the demand. AZOP needs more teachers who will commit to visiting our offices once a week for a six-week session and educating these eager learners.

Tillie McCoy, is a great example of emerging leaders from The Arizona Organizing Project. McCoy had a long history of struggling with addiction and its many challenges that led her down the road to homelessness and walking into CASS (Central Arizona Shelter Services). Today, McCoy, a recent graduate of EMERGE, is an employed budding entrepreneur and leader with the peer-to-peer enterprising program, Women of Wealth (WOW), which is a group of 100 women, who are working together to heal, learn, teach, and commit to helping advance one another collectively to self-sufficiency and success.

Scott Jacobson, director of development for the Arizona Organizing Project and former executive director of Valley Leadership, originally met Tillie while he was working as a volunteer at Human Services Campus, "I saw her organize the women and corral them and convince them that they were worth organizing." Jacobson adds, "I learned a lot from Tillie. If we don't stop and listen to people with amazing stories, we categorize them in one lump, and we all lose."

About Arizona Organizing Project
The Arizona Organizing Project non-profit organization, operating under the 501c3 umbrella of the Atwood Health Foundation (EIN: 86-0975231), works with people currently living in chronic poverty to develop their skills and exercise their power, while supporting their efforts to take collective action to shape their own destiny.

About St. Luke's Health Initiatives
St. Luke's Health Initiatives is a Phoenix-based public foundation focused on Arizona health policy and strength-based community development.

About Conrad N. Hilton Foundation-Generations in Giving Program
The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation provides funds through the Generations in Giving Program at the request of Brad Hilton and sons. This program assists nonprofit organizations working to improve the lives of disadvantaged and vulnerable people throughout the world.

About Arizona Community Foundation
The Arizona Community Foundation works to improve the quality of life in Arizona by promoting and facilitating effective philanthropy.

Contact: Scott Jacobson, director of development for the Arizona Organizing Project and former executive director of Valley Leadership
Phone: 602-761-4273
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

For Immediate Release: May 23, 2011

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