The People's Paper December 2016

THE ART OF HOLLY GITTLEIN

page 8 of MAKE A SCENE MAGAZINE

the Valley and ski among the birch and spruce trees on the scenic, undulating GPRA ski trails.

The Mat-Su Icicle Double is a two day series with classic style on Saturday, December 31st and freestyle on Sunday, January 1st.

BOEING BOEING AT V.P.A.

page 14 of MAKE A SCENE MAGAZINE

Contributed by Tammy Sipos, Mat-Su Ski Club Mat-Su Icicle Double 12/31/2016 – 1/1/2017 – 10AM Mat-Su Ski Club Government Peak Recreation Area, Palmer Cost: $40-$60 With the ski season finally upon us, it is time to start setting goals.

The Mat-Su Ski Club is offering the perfect motivation to get you through the holidays on your skis. Come out to

There are several distances that you can elect to ski: 5 km, 10 km, 15 km and 30 km. You can change the distance you would like to ski up to 10:30am on the day of the ski.

We want to encourage families to take part. Families and individuals are charged the same fee, so sign up your whole family for the same cost.

Participants who finish the 30 km on both days will receive the coveted Icicle Double Beverage Glass. All racers will receive an Icicle Double t-shirt. Visit www.matsuski.org for details and to sign up.

SMALL BUSINESS / COMMUNITY Contributed by Jeanette Gardiner

later. And then you forget or ignore the message.

If you’re like me, you have a love-hate relationship with email.

2. Or you think “this will only take a minute” to respond right away, which distracts you from the task at hand (even if the “task” is spending quality time with family, friends or relaxing on vacation).

You love that you’re able to send messages quickly and virtually free to anyone around the world, but that same convenience also creates frustration with the avalanche of messages you receive daily.

Email is a great way to connect with, engage and stay in touch with your customers, clients, prospects and colleagues. But just like every other business tool, you have to know how to use email properly or it can easily consume your days.

If you’re struggling under an email avalanche, start digging out with these four strategies: Don’t check your email constantly.

If you have your email account synced to a mobile device, it can be challenging to not check your email 24/7. The temptation to drop everything and check your email happens the second you get a new notification. But when you check your email too often, two things happen: 1. You make a mental note to respond

Contributed by Betsy Woodin, Alaska Center for Resource Families Thank you to everyone that helped make the Annual Mat-Su Holiday event for Resource Families a huge success!

Santa came for pictures, Special Santa provided gifts, Kristan Cole Realty loaned

Instead, set a designated time to check and respond to messages. It’s usually best to have one to two times during the day that you stop and manage your email. An efficient and effective schedule is to check your email in the morning and again just before you call it a day.

Create Templates.

Email often serves as the first pointof-contact for many businesses, with questions or inquiries which are very similar in nature. One of my clients received almost daily inquiries about her private training sessions so we worked together to create an email template that she quickly and easily copied, pasted and personalized. Not only did the email templates provide helpful and responsive answers to those inquiring, they were incredible time-savers for my client.

Take a look at the messages in your inbox for similarities and create template responses that you can

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quickly copy, paste and personalize.

Keep them in your draft folder for easy access.

Make a decision quickly.

Procrastination is the enemy when it comes to email productivity. You only have a few basic options when it comes to managing your email messages: Respond, file, delegate or delete.

Once you make a decision, ask yourself if you’ll need the information again later. For example when you get an electronic receipt for a business purchase, it’s usually best to file it. But emails that aren’t important or that you don’t have to follow up with can be deleted.

And if you like to save information (like newsletters) to read later, create a “Read Later” folder and set up a rule on those types of messages to direct them to that folder.

Know when to pick up the phone.

Sometimes a phone call is more effective and efficient than email.

With a phone call, you have the advantage of tone and inflection. This is especially important when dealing with challenging or difficult situations that could be easily misinterpreted by the written word. And the written word is often misinterpreted – no matter how many emojis you use to

express your tone. Email doesn’t have to control your schedule or focus. With the right systems and habits, you can take control of your inbox and end the electronic avalanche. And to help you begin your new (more productive) email habit, I’ve created a quick journal exercise that you can download today at goo.gl/ihcakM. P.S. This is the third article and journal exercise in a five-part series to boost your productivity.

Email jeanette@seastarstrategies.com for access to the entire series About Jeanette Gardiner Jeanette Gardiner lives in Palmer, Alaska, and is the owner of SeaStar Strategies LLC where she helps time-strapped small business owners discover the gift of time by streamlining their administrative and marketing systems.

Learn more at www.seastarstrategies.com

their van, Mat-Su Central School let us use their school and provided staff and volunteers.

Alaska Military Youth Academy 2nd Platoon volunteered, the Chugiak-Eagle River Senior Center Knit Witz donated hats, gloves, scarves and afghans, Denali Family Services, Office of Children’s Services and Alaska Center for Resource Families staff and volunteers all did an amazing job!

SUBMIT YOUR OWN EVENTS & ARTICLES ON OUR WEBSITE

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all your friends and neighbors.

This is one of the biggest events in the Mat Su, with almost 4,000 meals served last year. What does it take to pull this off you ask?

PRESS RELEASE Community Christmas Dinner 12/25/2016 - 11AM City of Wasilla Menard Sports Center, Wasilla FREE Event Hey Valley Residents! Consider something new this year! The 26th Annual Wasilla Christmas Friendship dinner is coming up Christmas Day from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM at the Menard Sports Complex.

This completely free event includes dinner with all the fixings, local entertainment and a great Christmas atmosphere with

100 turkeys 600 pounds of ham 800 pounds of potatoes 400 pies And 600 volunteers This non-profit event truly is of, by and for the community. All are welcome, but our no sales or proselytizing rule will be enforced.

If you would like to donate food, money or time, need a ride to the event or meals delivered, visit our website www. christmasfriendshipdinner.org, visit our Facebook page or call 354-6115.

Don’t miss out on the “feel good event” of the year, here in the Valley!

Event: “Light up the Sky” for David Grunwald.

This event is scheduled in Palmer, Alaska for December 24th at 5:00pm.

Please put this event on your calendar and note the time.

Balloons, Chinese lanterns, or porch lights can be used - whatever you choose - to light up the sky for David.

HEALTH & WELLNESS Contributed by Dori Cranmore R.N., All About Herbs

amino acids, vitamins A and C (helping reduce cold symptoms), iron, zinc and antioxidants. Beta carotene in the goji berry can help promote healthy glowing skin.

Goji berry is the commercial name for wolfberry or Lycium barbarum. They are a bright orange/ red berry with a sweet, slightly tangy taste and native to China. In traditional Chinese medicine, goji berries are eaten raw, cooked, dried like raisins (most common way to eat), made into wines, brewed as a tea, made into liquid extracts or added to soups and other foods. They have been eaten for generations with the hopes of living longer.

Goji berries are a source of zeaxanthin, an antioxidant that may protect the eyes from high-energy light waves, such as the sun’s ultraviolet rays (along with the carotenoid lutein).

A four ounce serving provides about 10% of our daily protein requirement.

The complex carbohydrates in the berries can help keep the blood sugar from spiking and reduce the risk of a sugar crash after eating. Goji berries are low in calories, fat-free and are packed with fiber - which can help manage weight and keep your bowels moving.

The nutrients are very rich in the goji berry. They carry all eight essential

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History shows people have used goji berries to support many common health problems like diabetes, kidney ailments, liver issues, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, Alzheimer’s, fever and age-related eye problems.

Many have noted a feeling of well-being and calmness, better athletic performance and improved quality of sleep. Goji berries have also been known to help boost the immune system.

In large amounts, goji berries could interact with some drugs. If you take warfarin (a blood thinner), you may want to avoid goji berries. Goji berries may also interact with diabetes drugs and blood pressure drugs, so talk with your doctor first.

Add goji berries to your favorite trail mix or eat alone. They taste great cooked with turkey or pork, adding a savory sweetness. Always a healthy snack for any age group.

This information is intended for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for advice, diagnosis or treatment by a licensed health care provider.

COMMUNITY Contributed by Deb Kirk Big Lake Chamber of Commerce

enough cookies and hot cocoa to go around.

This year, the Big Lake Chamber Of Commerce kicked the annual Christmas tree lighting up a notch! December 3rd, the community came out in droves to browse vendor booths at the Big Lake Lions Christmas Bazaar at the Eastlake Mall, hear Christmas stories told by Santa’s elves at the Big Lake Library and to witness the fabulous parade that led up to the lighting of the Christmas tree surrounded by dozens of carolers at Jordan Lake Park!

It was a great day to shop local and enjoy ringing in the season with community spirit!!

It was a wonderful event topped off by a surprise visit from Santa Claus and

Contributed by Bethany Buckingham Wasilla Centennial Kick-Off Celebration 1/7/2016 – All Day City of Wasilla Wasilla is celebrating 100 years in 2017 and it starts with a Centennial Kick-off Celebration on Saturday, January 7, 2017. Enjoy a free family skate at the Menard from 11am-2pm. Participate in the Centennial Bake-off Competition and be named Wasilla’s Best Desserts.

Competition includes categories in pies, cakes and cookies. Each category hosts two divisions: youth ages 12 and under and adults ages 13 and over. Drop off

submission begins at 10:00am at the Menard. Judging starts at 12:30pm and ribbons will be awarded at 1:00pm.

If you missed it this year, don’t worry.

The Big Lake Chamber Of Commerce is already planning the 2017 Christmas Parade and tree lighting event!

This year’s participant include floats from the Big Lake Elementary School choir, Big Lake Baptist Church Choir, The Valley Cinema & Extreme Fun Center, Big Lake Arctic Cat, The Little Dog Closet, The West Lakes Fire Department, Margret

tire bike race, Centennial 4th of July Parade and Mayor’s Picnic, Centennial Old Town Autumn Fest and Centennial Time Capsule just to name a few. Visit our website at www.cityofwasilla.com/ centennial for continuing information.

Or join us on Facebook at facebook. com/wasillacentennial. Post your photos of Wasilla, share memories and stories of Wasilla and help us tell Wasilla’s story. The Dorothy G. Page Museum is accepting loans or donations of photographs and objects for our changing exhibits on Wasilla history throughout the year. Contact us at 907-373-9071 for more information.

Then come back to the Menard that night from 7:00pm–10:00pm for an evening of memories, good food, good music, good company and good times.

Come honor those in our community who have seen Wasilla through the years. Tickets are $10 per person and are available for purchase at the Dorothy G. Page Museum, Glenda’s Hair Salon and Wasilla Chiropractic. Tickets are limited so get yours today.

Keep up to date on the all the happenings, check out the City of Wasilla App. Available for android and iphone, you can download the app for free. Through this app you’ll learn the history of the city of Wasilla, from the humble beginnings in 1917 to the present day. Plus keep up to date with our centennial celebration and city events and news. You’ll also find departments, resources, photos, maps with GPS and more in the app.

More events will continue each month throughout the year as we highlight new exhibits at the Museum, a fat

Thank you to our current Centennial Sponsors: City of Wasilla, MEA, MTA, Wasilla Chiropractic, Glenda’s Hair

Billinger, Big Lake Power Sports and Nancie Lamson and family guiding the procession down Big Lake Road like Santa and his team of merry reindeer.

Due to the overwhelming success of the 2016 event, you can expect double the Christmas spirit next year!

Mark your calendars now! And join us the first Saturday of December 2017.

Watch the Big Lake Chamber of Commerce Facebook page for updates, and advice on places to park!

If you’re interested in participating next year it is not too early to contact Deb at 907-892-6109 and secure your place or volunteer commitment in this holiday extravaganza!

Salon, Aurora Mobile Apps, Q99.7, the Frontiersman. Would you like to sponsor? Visit our website to find out more information on sponsorship.

Wasilla is the crossroads of Alaska.

Founded in 1917, Wasilla began at the crossing of the Carle Wagon Road and the newly established rail road tracks. Early on it was a railroad depot and supply town for the gold mines in Hatcher Pass. As the years passed, it continued to prosper as a supply and recreation area for the miners as well as serving as the trade and transportation center of the area. The area was good for farming, fishing and hunting and enjoying all Alaska’s splendor.

Located in the heart of the Matanuska Susitna Valley, Wasilla still thrives as an economic supply center for the modern Alaskan and adventurer.

One hundred years has seen a lot of changes in Wasilla. Throughout the area you can see traces of our history in buildings, the people and the landscape. Take a walk through historic downtown Wasilla, visit the museums and meet the local celebrities. Enjoy the many amenities and experiences provided to locals and visitors alike.

Come Discover Your Adventure in Historic Wasilla!

COMMUNITY Contributed by K.T. McKee Public radio is powerful.

Through it, Radio Free Palmer sheds light on the stories of everyday people in our community who are affecting our lives.

Big Cabbage Radio is one of the threads that connects us as an Alaskan community. And they’re available to more than Palmer and Glacier View residents now. Thanks to a new and improved transmitter planted on Lazy Mountain earlier this year, Radio Free Palmer can now be picked up in Wasilla on 89.7 FM. As always, anyone in Mat-Su and beyond can listen to live streaming of important government meetings, to podcasts of fun and informative radio programs and local talk shows on their website at www.radiofreepalmer.org.

RFP CEO, Mike Chmielewski, and his wife, Lee Henrikson, who serves as board president, can’t say enough for those who have given of their time and money to help make Big Cabbage a success in its cozy abode next to Fireside Books on Alaska Street in Palmer.

“In a world where there seems to be an increased sharing of dark opinions putting others down, stories that inspire coming from every part of the community color our lives,” said Chmielewski, a 36-year Palmer resident and retired Mat-Su educator who made good on his promise to become a green-haired “cabbage head” when a fundraising goal was reached recently.

“There is joy in both the telling and the

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hearing of our shared experiences.”

Henrikson agreed, adding that being involved in the Valley’s only commercial-free radio station has meant more than simply providing services other local stations haven’t.

“For me, radio is about community,” said Henrikson, an instructional designer at UAA who has lived in Palmer for sixteen years. “I love meeting other people who live, work and volunteer in the Valley and hearing their stories. I love giving voice to others - literally - by letting them tell their stories on the air.”

To Chmielewski and Henrikson, Big Cabbage Radio would be nothing without its network of volunteers, some of whom serve on the Board of Directors or the Citizens Advisory Board. Others help with programming, fundraising or a myriad of other tasks and projects.

Volunteer, Dorothy Shepard, said it was a friend who’d sparked her interest in the organization. She said she hopes others will be inspired by her example.

“My friend, Laurie, told me she’d begun volunteering at Radio Free Palmer. I was so excited for her! Both of us had done volunteer radio shows at KCAW in Sitka when living there a number of years ago,” Shepard said. “I told her I really missed doing radio. The next thing I knew, Laurie had arranged for me to meet with Mike, the station manager.

I’ve been doing a live show called ‘Jazz Groove’ weekly for several months now.

This is a great place to volunteer! Mike, Lee and the many community members who are involved have created a wonderful radio station with something for everyone. They are always welcoming of new people and ideas. If

you haven’t joined us yet, come on down! You will be glad you did. There are many ways to become involved, whatever your skill set or available time.”

Cary Bolling, another volunteer who has his own music program on RFP called “The Grade” at noon on the weekends, said he feels his involvement has greatly enriched his own life.

“I got involved in Radio Free Palmer originally as a creative outlet. I do my own half hour music program for fun.

Years ago, I worked at a radio station in Nome and always loved to DJ, produce and do tech work in the studio. So it’s been a great opportunity to use those skills again,” Bolling said. “But what I’ve found as I’ve spent more time at the station is how we have this amazing group of folks who volunteer their own time and expertise, how we have this unique, locally informative programming, and how it all operates with the goal of building and enhancing the greater community. That is really cool, and a welcome respite from what one normally hears being broadcast or streamed.”

Big Cabbage Board Member, Steffen Frommer, who runs HomeWell Senior Care with family members, got involved with RFP in 2014 when a good friend invited him to a volunteer meeting.

Frommer said he had just moved to Wasilla from Anchorage that summer

Contributed by Rachel E. Greenberg, Mat-Su Senior Services

Valley Community for Recycling Solutions (VCRS) and guests celebrated Wallace Riehle’s 80th birthday on December 9th in the community recycling center’s classroom. Wallace, affectionately known as “Wednesday Wally” has volunteered at VCRS for 11 years with the Kiwanis Club of Palmer.

He was recognized and received a certificate of appreciation for the 2,200+

“My friend who invited me to come to a volunteers’ meeting was already an active volunteer and she thought that this might be a place for me to help out doing some community event work for Big Cabbage Radio and at the same time get to know folks in the Valley, and have some fun at the same time,” Frommer said. “This opportunity also gives me and my friend more time to do things together. I am currently the station’s Volunteer Underwriting Program Sponsorship Manager, and I love what I am doing. Come and join the volunteer program. Bring a friend to share the experience. You will be very welcome and appreciated.”

K.T. McKee serves on the RFP Board and also volunteers her time streaming the Mat-Su Borough School Board meetings for Big Cabbage and managing the RFP Facebook page.

The Wasilla High School Hockey Blue Liner Booster Club presents the 33rd Annual Gun and Outdoor Show on Saturday, January 21st and Sunday, January 22nd from 10am to 5pm.

The Mat-Su Senior Services is dedicated to ensuring seniors have a good quality of life.

Contributed by Valley Community for Recycling Solutions

and had a desire to get more involved in the community.

33rd Annual Gun And Outdoor Show January 21-22, 2017 – 10AM Wasilla High School Hockey Blue Liner Booster Club Wasilla High School Cost: $5 General, FREE Ages 0-5

Lowe’s Home Improvement Center through the Lowe’s Hero’s Project partnering with Sheremet Homes donated hundreds of hours of labor and thousands of dollars of supplies to repaint and redecorate the facility which was constructed in 1998.

As a non-profit organization that relies on state and federal funding; businesses such as Lowe’s and Sheremet Homes should be

COURTESY OF Joseph Davis, RFP Board Member

Contributed by Carolyn Lambrecht

Christmas came early for tenants at Colony Estates, a senior housing facility in Palmer owned by Mat-Su Senior Services (Palmer Senior Citizens Center, Inc.).

MSSS provides services such as congregate and home-delivered (Meals on Wheels) meals, transportation, chore services, adult day services, respite services, senior employment opportunities, exercise programs and so much more.

ABOVE: The photo includes RFP board members and volunteers at a Volunteer Appreciation Party in Palmer Dec. 10th.

recognized and commended for their outstanding service to make our community great.

Lowe’s of Wasilla Opened in Dec. 2004. For 12 years, they have actively supported the local community with employees volunteering their services.

Sheremet Homes has been in business in the Valley since 2006. Building custom homes, residential, multifamily and small commercial buildings.

He is a huge supporter of the local community.

Lead by two outstanding Lowe’s managers, Shirley and Fergie, Colony Estates hallways were repainted in one week!

Thank you to Lowe’s and Sheremet Homes for showing our community what the holiday season is all about by painting and redecorating Colony Estates.

hours of volunteer service he contributed to VCRS. Wallace has done a lot of volunteering since retiring from a 32-year career with the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s Farmers Home Administration Agency.

The agency transferred Wally to Alaska in 1965 to help restore homes and solve city problems after the Big Earthquake.

He lived in Palmer, Wrangell, Juneau, Soldotna, and spent three construction seasons in Valdez. In 1980, the agency transferred him back to the Lower 48. He returned to live in Alaska when he retired

Admission is $5 per person, kids under 5 are free. The event is held at Wasilla High School, 701 E Bogard Road, Wasilla, AK. If you are among the first 200 people over the age of 18 through the door per day, you are automatically entered to win a new shotgun. There are over 150 vendors! Come and take a look; there is so much to see. Don’t leave the ladies at home. There is plenty for them as well.

All the proceeds generated from the gun show go to support the Wasilla High School Hockey program and keep the kids on the ice! So don’t miss out, support a great cause and you could win a new shotgun at this year’s Gun and Outdoor Show.

in 1993, finally settling in Palmer in 2000 to live on his wife Janette’s family homestead.

They still live there in a new home that they built in 2008 along Maud Road.

With his many hours of volunteer service at the center, many people recognize him and know him by name. And he’s gotten to know them, too.

He truly enjoys volunteering at the center.

Thanks, Wally, and congratulations on your achievements!

FAITH Contributed by Jordan Elkins “What am I doing here?

Do I belong here?” Not the questions you want to come into your mind after you’ve just committed to being “here” twice a week for the next few months.

Those were the thoughts I had while sitting cross-legged on a yoga mat during my first day of yoga teacher training.

Because of my current work schedule the only way I could start my training was in the middle of the month. The group of soon-to-be teachers already looked more enlightened, spouting words and sentences that made no sense to me and I instantly felt out of place. I didn’t know much about yoga, other than I enjoyed the physical workout. I thought I was ready to start my studies, but I’ll never forget the day I almost ended them before they even began.

I was raised and am catholic. It’s been two years since my teacher training ended and I have recently been asked by my friends and some students, “How can you be Christian and be a yoga instructor?” It immediately took me back to the day that I wondered if I should quietly collect my things and leave my training to uphold my faith. How thankful I am now that I didn’t. Yoga has helped me grow in ways I never could have imagined. It has helped me work through injuries, learn to deal with stress and showed me I can gain insight into the perspectives of others without feeling like my own ideals or beliefs have to be compromised.

This pitting of Christianity vs. Yoga, is

Contributed by Randi Perlman 2nd Annual Chanukah Family Celebration & Public Menorah Lighting 12/28/2016 – 5:30PM Mat-Su Jewish Center Palmer Train Depot FREE Event It’s that wonderful time of year again, with all things festive and glittering abound, a time to celebrate and cherish the many holiday traditions that surround us. It’s time for the Valley’s Second Annual Chanukah Family Celebration and Public Menorah Lighting.

You are all invited to the Palmer Train Depot on Wednesday, December 28th at 5:30 pm to join the Mat-Su Jewish Center for a special evening of Chanukah fun and tradition!

There will be a delicious Israelithemed buffet with a falafel bar, a latke station, a yummy makeyour-own donut station and other tantalizing holiday treats. Create your own wooden dreidel and play with it at our dreidel station, jump in a dreidel bounce house, and partake

Contributed by Scott Laney My name is Scott R. Laney. My life has been very challenging since I was hit by a car going 60 MPH. It happened on KGB road on February 7, 2014. I sustained multiple breaks in both legs, my left shoulder and my skull, and died for thirty minutes.

When I came back to life, all I had seen was Jesus and He healed me from death! About 4 months later, my physical therapy said that I could not walk for 2 to 5 years, but with the power of prayer I was able to in one year. I also work out four days a week, and

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not new. Different ideas can be scary, but sometimes all that’s needed is a little understanding. Some see a wall separating Christianity from yoga, and I can’t blame them, I have felt that myself, but in my learning and search for a deeper yoga practice, what I ultimately found was affirmation of my catholic faith. I’ll do my best to share my understanding of how it’s possible to be a fully functioning Christian Yogi.

For starters, we are going to need some knowledge of what yoga actually is.

The word “yoga” means union. Yoga is not a religion, it is a science which originated in India thousands of years ago. While writing this article, I began to wonder what makes people afraid of yoga, where did this worry of Christianity vs. Yoga come from? So, I did what anyone with a smartphone does these days and I tossed the phrase, “What is yoga?” over to Google: Yoga – noun – a Hindu spiritual and ascetic discipline, a part of which including breath control, simple meditation and the adoption of specific bodily postures, is widely practiced for health and relaxation.

Fact. Breath control, simple meditation (learning to focus and calm your mind) and specific physical poses are placed in patterns by a teacher to improve health and aid in relaxation. But it does not surprise me the first two words would give some a pause. “A Hindu…”

Here’s a bit of light there, in ancient times another word for India was “Hindustan,” the people who lived there were known as Aryans. It is these people who were the originators of the science of yoga. What these Aryans

were interested in was the soul. Where was its origin? What does it mean to the universe? Yoga and its principles stem from this questioning of the soul. What makes us who we are? How do we give back to our world? How do we become better people? Where does the will to do good come from? And where do we find the energy or desire to be a good person?

Once I was able to understand that yoga wasn’t going to try and change who I was as a person or my faith, but instead was going to help me look at why I believe what I do, any hesitation I had was gone. There is a spiritual side to yoga if a person should want it to develop. It doesn’t mean every time you go to a yoga class you’re going to chant words in another language, it is based on individual beliefs. The physical practice of yoga will strengthen your body, work your breath control and potentially lower the levels of the stress within the body. Those benefits alone are enough to give yoga a try.

Where we choose to place our faith is an intense personal decision. It is not up to me, or any other yoga teacher to say what is “right”. I put my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Yoga has helped my love for Him increase by reaffirming my

in other Chanukah crafts and games!

Watch an incredible and inspirational performance by the Valley’s very own Jewish Kids Club, hear holiday greetings from local dignitaries, and join us as we light a giant ninefoot Menorah and sing traditional Chanukah songs.

Last year at the first event of its kind in the Valley, we had a tremendous turnout, and the depot was filled with friends and neighbors helping us celebrate the miracle of Chanukah, the Festival of Lights. This year promises to be even more special and exciting, especially when the Jewish Kids Club performs!

This event, hosted by Rabbi Mendy and Chaya Greenberg, is free and open to the public. Everyone is welcome!

Contributed by Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain

impossible.

Christmas is a celebration of the

The predictions in Isaiah and Micah of the coming Messiah, no one could know.

The baby had no earthly father. We all know that is impossible. His birthplace was predicted perfectly, hundreds of years in advance. The angels and the heavenly host gave praise to God. Yet all this did happen. How? By the hand of God!

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belief that I was born to be a teacher, no matter what I am doing. I have the power to influence people and my focus should be on being aware of my gift every day. He has made me in His likeness, to treat people with kindness, accept them despite any differences and have unconditional love for everyone I come in contact with. When I am on my mat sharing yoga with others, I believe I am sharing the gifts that I have been given.

There are many ways to stay active, as Alaskans we prefer most of our activities to be outside, but I encourage anyone who wonders about yoga to take a chance. There are different studios and types of classes to choose from.

Whether you need to relax and stretch or move a bit faster and challenge your body, there is a class for everyone.

There is no need to worry about having to be anything you’re not or having to believe anything you don’t. Yoga is about union or connection, between you and your soul (self ). It’s about your body, what you believe, who you are and who you want to be as a person.

Yoga is all about helping you become the best version of yourself, and that’s nothing to be afraid of.

and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace.”

Luke 2:13-14 is being praised by angels and the heavenly host.

“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

Micah 5:2 tells where He will be born.

“But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”

Matthew 2:4-6 confirm that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem.

We hope you’ll join us on December 28th to celebrate a new tradition in the Valley.

Isaiah 7:14 tells of the virgin birth.

“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Matthew 1:25 fulfills the promise. “And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name Jesus.”

“And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, and thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.”

Come help us brighten the dark nights of our Alaskan winter by lighting the Chanukah Menorah and be part of the Festival of Lights!

Isaiah 9:6 states that this was no ordinary baby. “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder:

So, during this Christmas season and as we go into the New Year, may we never forget that nothing is impossible for God!

go to.

In the Bible it says that, “If ye love me, keep my

therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

Corporate and private sponsorship opportunities are available. Contact Rabbi Mendy at 907-350-1787 or rabbi@matsujewishcenter.org for more information.

do volunteer work one day a week. My mom one day was wondering when the Sabbath was, the 4th commandment of the Bible. So she asked me if I knew and I didn’t, so we youtubed it.

On YouTube, it told us the history of the Sabbath and that man changed God’s law to Sunday. The Sabbath is from Friday and Saturday, sundown to sundown.

Here is a link that you can check out: www.sabbathtruth.com/faq/advancedtopics/7-facts-about-the-seventh-day.

After my mom and I found this out, we started to try and find a church that celebrated the Sabbath. We couldn’t find one that we thought was good to

commandments.”

John 14:15

So my mother and I started going out to my grandmother’s house for Sabbath and just praising God, playing games together and reading the Bible. We use to feel like we were always running behind. Now that we observe the Sabbath, we have felt so blessed and thankful. Here is a website you can go to see what time the Sabbath begins in your area: www.plazajewishcommunitychapel. org/shabbat-candle-lightingtimes/?gcli d=CJX78Of3ic8CFZBefgodlhUOS My mother and I also found out in the Bible, Matthew 5:19 “Whosoever

My old church, Church on the Rock, made a YouTube video of me and my story. Scott Laney is all you have to look up to see it. My whole family and I were told after my brain injury that I could never learn easy ever again. Two years later with the help from Jesus, I received my GED and am now in college! I am attending and studying medical coding and billing, and am doing well!

Email me at 777GODLIVES777@ gmail.com if you would like to hear my story and see pictures. God bless!

907-707-6525

COMMUNITY Contributed by MaLane Harbour, MTN Solutions After years of going without contact, the ever reliable source of Facebook re-connected me with my childhood friend, Ellen.

My memories of her in middle school were of the kind most parents don’t want their twelve year old daughter getting involved with: shoplifting mechanical pencils from the school store and riding around with boys that were much too old for a pre-teen girl.

Fast forward 25 years later and Elaine and I had both taken very different paths in life. Not that either was better.

Just different.

After struggles with substance abuse, Elaine was now living in a woman’s transitional home that she introduced me to. The Knik House, whose purpose is to provide a safe, sober, faith-based and stable environment for at risk or mentally ill people who are in housing

crisis was Elaine’s temporary home after a recent stay in our local extended-stay community that doesn’t offer the option of checking out until your time is served.

After hearing about the woman’s house and their mission for women, I had an idea!

Reaching out to a brilliant makeup artist I like to call my friend too, we teamed up with a group of volunteers to give the ladies of this home something to make them feel beautiful.

Glamour of Hope started out as nothing but some ladies with big hearts trying to make women who may not be in an ideal situation a glimpse of compassion through makeup, haircuts and hair styles, and then providing holiday pictures with any one they chose to share the day with – all at zero costs.

What started out as a small gesture turned into something you can’t put into words. Women shared their stories of struggles – and not just the ladies

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on the receiving end, but those on the giving end as well. Photographers spilled stories from their hearts with each other; there were tears and smiles all day long.

Women who walked into the door not making eye contact or talking very much, walked out with their heads held high, as they were truly beautiful and not just because of the makeovers our team provided that day.

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That day a team of volunteers (Glam Fairies) and residents of the Knik House merged their two paths in life into one.

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We have now hosted this event twice for the Knik House and were even fortunate enough to host a day for Burchell High School’s prom last spring.

ART & CRAFTS Shane Lamb Gallery… 746-3343 The Gallery ........ 745-1420

Without the generous donation of time and services from Glenda’s Salon & Training Center and the anonymous Glam Fairy team who spread joy through beauty, this project would not exist.

The days our Glam Fairies think we are going to make a difference in someone’s life, we learn that they are actually making a difference in ours.

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POLITICS / OPINION

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Contributed by Vic Kohring “Anyone who uses means of communication to defame someone is committing a sin,” Pope Francis, December 7, 2016.

Pope Francis has weighed in on widespread evidence that “fake news” has become commonplace. He bluntly condemned the press for spreading misinformation and for focusing on “ugly things” as he put it. It was abundantly evident this fall as the mainstream media was so dogged determined to elect Hillary Clinton, that they routinely lied about Donald Trump as part of a smear campaign. Lies about abusing women.

Lies about alleged racism and KKK connections. Lies about reasonable proposals to help the working class and energize the economy through lower taxes and less regulation. Even lies about his faith.

Closer to home, we have our own corrupt press writers who likewise don’t hesitate to spew venom as they attempt to emulate their mentors in the national mainstream media. I see it nearly every day on TV, in the papers and online. Desperate editorialists and guest columnists pen their contorted view of politics as part of the new norm among journalists. They jumped on the same Trump Islamophobia, Xenophobia, Homophobia, phobia this and phobia that bandwagon, hoping to scare Alaskan voters into backing a Democrat presidential nominee over a Republican for the first time since Lyndon Johnson in 1964. I was subject to this same sleaze and manipulation during my years as a state legislator.

I was falsely accused of usurping local government control with gas drilling legislation that would supposedly scar

Alaska’s environment from corner to corner. I was maligned for allegedly being “anti-children” and “anti-education” simply because I promoted school vouchers to give parents a choice when selecting the best school option for their kids. Both blatant lies designed to harm my standing with voters. Simply because I was a devout and proactive conservative and Christian, I became a target of frenzied journalists exhibiting a shameful display of partisanship.

The old Anchorage Daily News was the biggest offender, but KTUU TV was a close second followed by public radio and other media including the silly little Anchorage Press and at times our local Frontiersman.

After this year’s sorry display by wannabe journalists and shills for Hillary, much of the public has become wise to the press and no longer allow themselves to be led by the nose and spoonfed junk news. Thanks to the internet, talk radio and the proliferation of alternate legitimate news sources, we’re no longer forced to rely on the NBCs and Washington Posts of the world who’ve repeatedly violated the public’s trust.

Objective, accurate news is now readily available for those who take time to look. And many have.

Years of press shenanigans, lies and distortion of the truth have taken its toll on the traditional, mainstream media.

Readership and viewership is down all over. The ratings of MSNBC and CNN (aka the “Clinton News Network”) crashed in 2016 and flagship newspapers such as the New York Times have been tanking for years. There’s nothing wrong with a reporter speaking the truth and challenging others to set the record straight. It’s when deliberate falsehoods are spread that the line is crossed. When you’re an elected official or a conservative candidate seeking of-

fice, the press believes they have a constitutionally guaranteed license to trash and destroy you with little semblance of truth or adherence to honesty.

After I left office, I remained the target of abuse by angry leftist writers who continued to torch me regularly. While in the crosshairs of the FBI and cheating prosecutors years ago, seldom did the press report things with integrity as they frequently took facts out of context. When it was disclosed that the judge assigned to my case had a blatant conflict of interest requiring by law that he recuse himself (his wife lost a high-paid, cushy government job at my expense), it was twisted into supposedly a minor non-issue. I challenged an Anchorage TV station with potential legal action over defamation if they refused to cease and desist over the matter. I’m surprised others don’t take legal action when they’re likewise slandered. If they did, the courts would be full of lawsuits. But it takes a lot of guts to take on a press that buys ink by the barrel.

The Ten Commandments state, “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor,” a principle ignored by the former Daily News and other liberal “news” outlets. I’ve learned that most media people are progressive sympathizers including many who are fiercely anti-Christian that largely laugh off the Bible’s moral teachings.

So it’s no surprise that they seldom give a second thought to speaking ill of another. So long as they accomplish their political objectives by refusing to scrub their leftist opinions from their writings intended to further a pro-big government control agenda, who cares if rules of ethical and moral conduct are abandoned and the truth jettisoned?

Good riddance mainstream media. You are collapsing before our eyes. “Go and sin no more,” as Jesus said in John 8:11.

FOOTWEAR Northern Comfort ........ 376-5403 HEALTH & WELLNESS All About Herbs ........ 376-8327 HOME DÉCOR Cover Ups Designs ........ 746-4739 JEWELRY L Forge Jewelry ........ 232-9866 PIZZA Humdingers Pizza ........ 745-7499 PRINT SERVICES The UPS Store ........ 376-6245 RADIO 95.5 The Pass ........ 631-0877 REPAIR, RESTORATION Comtronics ........ 373-2669 Steve’s Toyostove…. 376-9276 RELAXATION The Tub House & Tanning….. 376-8827 SALONS Hello Darlin Salon.… 373-3307 Light It Up Head Shop…. 745-5483 SMOKE SHOPS Alaska Pipe Dreams ........ 746-1500 SPECIALTY GIFTS Alaska Midnite Scents ........ 357-7364 THRIFT SHOPS Red Barn Thrift Store ........ 745-5050 Steam Driven Boutique ........ 376-4404 Turn-A-Leaf Thrift Stores ........ 376-5708 TOYS Just Imagine Toys ........ 357-1543

POLITICS / OPINION Contributed by Beth Fread News Flash! Alaska is in a recession and according to the Alaska Legislative Finance Division’s 7/9/16 publication, Alaska Revenues and Expenditures FY07-17, the combined permanent fund earnings and constitutional budget reserves have $12.5 billion in them (http://www.legfin. akleg.gov/).

So, when our legislative leadership (the newly minted legislative coalition) and the governor say that Alaska’s savings will be gone this year it can only mean one of two things: 1) They are planning to implement the ultimate permanent fund raid through legislative action similar to Senate Bill 128. 2) They plan on spending about $13.7 billion this year. Are you happy about that? If not, call or email your legislators and test the waters. Remember, FY17’s budget was $4.2 billion.

The permanent fund is currently structured to replenish the earnings reserve annually from the permanent fund earnings so that those funds are available for necessary governmental functions. The new bills the coalition promises to bring before this session’s legislature would end that savings account and send those earnings directly into governmental coffers. That’s why we call it the ultimate permanent fund raid.

We’ve read that Rep. Gara sees a dim and dark future unless Alaska keeps on spending more money than it brings in and starts reaching into our homes to finance government in the form of additional taxes, fees and fines (revenues).

His bleak and terrible future includes getting rid of educational and public safety workers.

Reality Check: We don’t need to fire people to stop over-spending. To keep the ‘boots on the ground’ folks, he says we’ll have to fire teachers, emergency services and police. There are other employee cost reduction methods that Alaska has successfully implemented in past financially challenging times.

Contributed by Josh Fryfogle Trump makes me nervous. I’m not going to say I don’t like to hear him say whatever he wants. I do. I like it. That doesn’t mean I agree with him. I just like that he can do it. Say... whatever!

We live in a world of political correction, where we are constantly corrected intellectually, and it is exhausting. I am weary of it. Not that I’m sitting around wishing I could insult someone. I just simply can’t keep up with what is and isn’t acceptable – and the terminology is stifling: micro aggression, safe space, triggered, privilege, the list keeps growing. So, as a result, I like it when

Focus.

Contributed by Paul Johnson You may have noticed that Breath Free Alaska/Alaska Quit Line have started running their outrageous, inflammatory and defamatory anti-vaping ads on the local NBC carrier, KTUU Channel 2. If you are as outraged by these fear mongering ads as I am, do something about it.

Call or email the Head of Advertising at KTUU, Nancy Johnson at 907-762-9205 or Director of Sales Nancy@ktuu.com. Let Channel 2 know you don’t appreciate being insulted, dismissed and denigrated by these juvenile ads based on alleged comments made by a “top salesman” for the smokeless tobacco company when speaking about Cherry Skoal. Call or email Ms. Cheri Hample of Alaska Quit Line at 907-269-8895 or cheri.hample@ alaska.gov. Let Ms. Hample know how you feel. Words of warning though, prepare to be dismissed with party line rhetoric and condescended to. Above all remain focused.

I have to admit I was so outraged by these ads moving from The People’s Paper here in the Valley to national network television in Anchorage that I got off on a bit of a rant when contacting KTUU,

First, there’s the 37.5 hour work week.

Then we remove all of the empty positions that have been open for more than nine months and not hire anyone to fill them. We could also ask the unions to do what they offered to do in the 80s, which was a voluntary payroll and merit increase freeze for three years.

Another 80’s trick that worked was implementing a Retirement Incentive Program (RIP) that takes high-scale employees off the payroll and fills the lower end of those scales with newly educated college graduates. We also need to tell the governor to stop hiring his friends and colleagues at $500,000 a year. There are still more solutions, but you have to care, search and share to find them.

As Rep. Gara states, “Smaller class sizes generally result in better student outcomes. But when your educational system is gold-plated and your educational system’s national standing is in the bottom 10, you’re not successful, regardless of your class sizes. More money has not helped. We need to start implementing results-oriented financial rewards for educational progress and stop rewarding failure.”

Right now Alaska has 54 school districts.

A practical and K-12 educational system based cost-reduction plan would be to cut the number of school districts in half by organizing them regionally like Anchorage, Mat-Su, North Slope and North Star Boroughs. Some superintendents are also principals with offices in their schools. So, some people and more building costs would be reduced without directly impacting the classrooms.

For those of you concerned about litigation, Molly Hooch was about being educated near a student’s home, not about where administration was housed.

Finally, we cannot at this time, afford a gas line for the world. We can afford to harvest the gas available to our communities in their backyards (like Glenallen) for their own use. It is time to ask the governor to stop his pipeline project. If you agree, you need to contact the governor, the legislature and your friends to have them reach out with this message as well.

people speak up, loudly, incorrectly, and make their thoughts known! There’s a certain familiarity, not with his words themselves, but how he says them. It’s what everyone feels, when they’ve been embarrassed in public. They think back, and imagine that they had really let the other guy have it!

People love to feel empowered, even by proxy.

My concerns are not that Trump will do the things he said. Every controversial thing he proposed was the Democratic Party line a few decades ago. So the doom and gloom predictions of the Left are not what bothers me. Trump makes me nervous because he is either a Moses archetype, raised up within the Pharaoh’s

who then forwarded my complaint to Ms. Hample. After 13 days, I finally did receive a dismissive and condescending response from her addressing my concerns with phrases like, “All facts used in tobacco prevention and control messages are reviewed for accuracy.” Or “According to the Flavor and Extract Manufacturer’s Association (FEMA), flavors are meant to be ingested only, not inhaled. On March 3, 2015 FEMA updated their statement in “The Safety Assessment and Regulatory Authority to Use Flavors – Focus on E-Cigarettes; and rejects the claims being made for e-cigarettes.” Or, “According to their own documents, major tobacco companies have utilized flavorings to entice youth. Ex: “Cherry Skoal is for somebody who likes the taste of candy, if you know what I’m saying,” (Former U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company sales representative).”

This is the type of dismissive rhetoric we hear over and over again. Who is “reviewing the facts” and are they actually accurate? I read the full FEMA report (follow the underlined link) and it is unclear whether FEMA updated their statement at the behest of the FDA (which had no legal authority at the time to force such an update) or whether it was a voluntary disclaimer on FEMA’s part to avoid being sued again for 7.2 million dollars like they were in 2007 in the now infamous

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Contributed by Josh Fryfogle The Left of the leftright has lost. The election, at least. But there seems to me to be another and more insidious loss - they’ve lost their way.

I have read many articles and had several conversations with my more liberal friends about the “AntiIntellectual” element of society affecting politics adversely – supposedly.

‘Anti-Intellectual’ has to be the most inane, ironic and idiotic idiom ever uttered. Of all the polite political slurs bandied about like free balloons at a rally, this is Freud’s Id on full display.

I have never imagined a more pretentious way to call someone a dummy. You left-leaning liberals of the leftright need to do some soul searching, seriously.

Consider the broad stroke of the concept of intellectualism. Consider, just for a moment, what that word means.

Intellectual.

Humanity as a whole, as a rule, is intellectual. As a word, it alludes to a linguistic capacity of humanity - setting them apart from the rest of fauna.

Humans are all pretty damn smart, by that comparison. And our language capacity allows for humanity to pass down information - in written form and in oral traditions - for generations, compounding their interests into institutions of intellectual consideration.

This is what humans do. Animals don’t.

As a liberal, you understand microaggressions to be subtle but harmful linguistic and communicative actions. Use that metric to measure these references of ‘Anti-Intellectualism’ directed at dissenters.

vote for Trump or Clinton! I am the voter you needed to win, that didn›t feel good about the Republicans, either. But then you start name-calling, like my kids do at home, and I just get tired of the childish bickering and send you both to separate rooms. Geez, I›ve got grown up stuff to do, like writing articles for publication and what not.

Don’t call people stupid. You›re not that smart either, if you think name-calling is going to bully me into voting against my own conscience.

I grew up in the Deep South, a short drive from the Gulf of Mexico. Hearing the southern dialect and accent made in the media into a cultural meme - a collective ‹micro-aggression›, if you will - I quickly learned that dialect and accent were just a set of nomenclature that allows for a community to coexist. It›s culture. I also learned that there was a preponderance of prejudice from ‹Yankees› who thought it was completely appropriate and acceptable to mock me as a Mississippian.

What I thought of as a “Yankee” was synonymous with liberal. I just used a different word for the same thing - see?

That›s the point. Words are intellectual. University education and institutionalized education are simply agreed upon sets of nomenclature for the benefit and communication of those within that institution.

Hell, optometry has its own unique language, and astronomy also has its own terminology. However, neither eye doctors nor astronomers are so blind that they can’t see.

You are calling people ‘Stupid’.

Your political philosophy does not encompass Intellect itself! Eluding that democracy made a mistake because the majority is stupid, you are restating a sentiment that has been the hallmark of elitism throughout time. You could not sound more elitist. It’s the most elitist thing you could possibly say.

Stop it.

Anti-Intellectual. Pfft.

Intellect comes in many forms.

Nomenclature differs wildly from system to system, but no single system or group of systems of thought should think itself all encompassing of thought. It is arrogant and unpleasant. This is the elitism you find yourself accused of, my liberal friend.

You need to stop proclaiming ‹Science› like a slogan, too. You need to check your head, my left leaning neighbors.

Have a V8. Walk upright, with the rest of us. Evolve.

This is why you are losing, because you used to have more to offer. Your uppity attitude was balanced by noble pursuits.

Now, you’re just loud liberals making yourselves entirely difficult to talk to.

Now you can get defensive if you want, make me out to be part of a vast right wing conspiracy, but I’m not. I am part of the vast majority of people who didn›t

“Popcorn Lung” case. Mr. Wayne Watson contracted the disease not from vaping but from ingesting 2 to 3 bags of microwave popcorn every day for 10 years!

There are two points to consider here.

First, it is physically impossible to ingest any food or beverage without inhaling the flavors or aromas. Second, it’s a matter of scale. Mr. Watson ingested a huge amount of popcorn over a long period of time.

Furthermore, FEMA has since reduced what is known as “Diketones” in any flavorings that contain them to an extremely low level or eliminated them all together. The majority of vapers also avoid these flavors at all cost. As for the “Cherry Skoal” example, it is an alleged comment made by an unnamed person at an unverified time and is about a tobacco product, not a vapor product.

If the comment is accurately quoted, of course it is unacceptable. At the same time, basing an entire advertising smear campaign on one or even several deplorable comments is no different than claiming Hillary Clinton is corrupt because of the alleged email and foundation scandals or that President Elect Trump is a white supremacist because David Duke supports him.

I responded with a link to the Royal College of Physicians Report, “Nicotine

The people who vote to the Right are hardworking people, taxpayers, contributing to the cultural institutions that are made possible by their real effort. Perhaps they won›t ever indulge in these systems that they pay for, but still they work and exist as part of the collective effort called culture that makes that indulgence possible for you.

Are these people “Anti-Intellectual”?

Nope.

without Smoke: Tobacco Harm Reduction” and some myth vs. facts of my own.

What I should have done is state my real concern, that the FDA and public health organizations have no understanding of vapor products or vaping in general, that it is not a modern way of smoking tobacco and that it poses at least 95% less risk to the user and virtually no risk to bystanders, all substantiated in the RCP report. Yet the FDA and local organizations continue to demonize it rather than realize the benefits.

The reasoning is obvious to anyone capable of critical thinking; outrageous taxation on these products is where the money is. Since there are no proven health issues or costs with vaping, taxing it and not spending anything to counter effects, it is more profitable than taxing alcohol (already #2 for beer and wine, and #5 for distilled spirits) and having to a: defend that and b: cover the $192.9 million dollar cost of underage drinking in Alaska, in 2013 alone. http://resources.prev.org/factsheets/AK.pdf When was the last time you saw an ad demonizing underage drinking? Alaska has the highest per youth cost of underage drinking in the entire country. Stay focused on the issues that are costing Alaska money and Alaskan lives!

POLITICS / OPINION Contributed by Rep.-Elect David Eastman I rarely think on the legacy of my grandparents. That legacy is so engrained in our family that it rarely comes to the surface. But two aspects of that legacy have become tangible enough over the years for me to be able to talk about. The first is a love of camping and the outdoors, and the second is a healthy distrust of government. The latter crystalized during my great grandmother’s brief experience working for a new governmental agency called the IRS during World War I, and the first was something my grandparents lived out on family fly-fishing, backpacking and camping trips with us until they were both well into their 70s.

To give you an idea of just how engrained that legacy was in my case, I didn’t realize that a hunting or camping trip could actually be not enjoyable until I was well into my twenties and had already spent more than a year of my life sleeping in the outdoors. I remember the trip vividly. After decades of enjoying treks with family and boy scouts, I found myself as a last minute addition to a two-week hunting trip with some friends I served with in the army. They had hunted in the area before, so it made sense for them to take the lead on planning and leading the trip. Only one problem, the thought literally never crossed their mind that spending time in the outdoors could be an enjoyable experience.

It was a mind-blowing moment for me.

Here I was, camping with people (friends of mine) who literally found no joy in camping. Worse, they were the ones leading the trip. Now as luck would have it, they also invited an entrepreneur

Contributed by Rep. Wes Keller As you most likely know, I was defeated in my attempt to be elected to again serve you in the Alaska State House. It was an honor to be elected in 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2014. Thank you. It is humbling to lose, but it is also liberating. It is very nice to not be in the process of packing to move to Juneau as Gayle and I have done 17 times now. I am intact and have the things of greatest importance: peace, family, friends, and citizenship in a nation where God-given rights are protected. Short-term plans include a long list of “projects” and staying alert for opportunities that will likely come to apply the experience and skills gleaned from our years of service.

We passed HB 156! This bill is the product of the work of many and was a full two-year project. It was nicknamed the “Lazarus Bill”, because it died several times and was brought back to life, and finally became law with neither votes to spare nor the governor’s signature. Some highlights of HB 156: It put a “pause” on statewide high-stakes standardized testing (the ‘driver’ of common core). We could not ‘kill’ the tests totally because too many Alaskans fear the loss of federal education subsidies. A complete shift of control back to parents from the heavy hand of the federal government is a task left to future legislators. The law requires the State School Board to report to the new legislature with a testing plan reflecting the will of local school districts, parents and teachers.

The new law confirms a parent’s constitutional and inherent right to

power, that will free his people, or - and this is what makes me nervous - he knows that›s what people really want deep down, and he›s playing a part.

Personally, I hope it›s the former. I hope he›s an 80s era Democrat that just wants to rewind to a time when we weren›t in perpetual war, well, with whoever, whenever, wherever we want.

But there is also the possibility that Republicans will realize who Trump is, and the Neo-conservative faction of the party will conspire with their Neo-liberal counterparts to perpetuate their shared vision.

You Democrats really are missing the boat - er, the train? - with Trump. That›s what I›m seeing, from this third party perspective. Many of the things your party has fought for are all tied up in

(small business owner) to join them on the trip. And here’s where the trip got very interesting.

I found myself noticing that within the group there were two very different approaches to the same set of circumstances. The differences were night and day.

The entrepreneur was focused on finding ways of improving the experience for himself (and often everyone else in the group). My army buddies weren’t.

What made the experience so fascinating is that these are all men that I admire and respect to this day. They are true friends. But there was a complete disconnect between those whose orientation to the trip was focused on making the trip better, and those who had resigned themselves to a painful experience and saw their role as ensuring that “the suck” was spread equally among every member of the group.

As a veteran, I sympathized with the latter. There are times when you just have to suck it up and drive on. But I was raised by an entrepreneur, and my orientation to life is much more that of the entrepreneur. Just because something has been done one way in the past is no reason to assume that we must continue to do it that way in the future.

As I look out on the current political landscape in Alaska, I’m reminded of that trip. There are those advocating for a state income tax to “better” redistribute wealth (and hard times) among Alaskans. And there are those like myself who stand steadfastly against the idea and want government to stay out of wealth redistribution entirely. I want government to return to its original role - to serve every member of society, to protect the rights of the people and to facilitate our working together volun-

educate their own children by their own standards. It adds new requirements for transparent policies for notifications and student withdrawal procedures. It also ensures access to content, curriculum, teachers and materials. Mostly, parental rights and responsibilities have been respected and protected in good school districts, but it is a good thing to add the protection of having it written in statute.

HB 156 also closes a loophole allowing curriculum to be ‘bootlegged’ into the classroom. Ensuring local school boards approve and supervise all teachers and approve all curricula, including but not limited to those related to teaching sexual behavior prior to either a teacher or curriculum being allowed into classroom. The very intense opposition from Planned Parenthood confirms this was an essential element of HB 156. The law does not restrict education; it merely ensures ALL education is monitored and metered by local parents.

Much of the success credit of the “Lazarus Bill” goes to my respected friend, Senator Mike Dunleavy, as we combined several of our bills.

Your PFD is temporarily safe - pending responsible legislative action. The governor’s veto simply returned the money to an account from which PFDs are written – it could not make the money available for state spending.

Only the legislature can appropriate your funds. Senator Mike Dunleavy said he will introduce legislation to reappropriate the dividends to Alaskans (the only right thing to do). This would be in addition to the 2017 PFD already quantified in Alaska Statute. It is worrisome the Supreme Court has been invited to weigh in on this issue.

I am concerned the Supreme Court may meddle with constitutional, legislative

Trump’s worldview, minus the modern expectation of semantic similitude.

Meanwhile, the conservatives seem so enamored with Trump›s freedom to speak, they don›t seem to notice that they just elected a Democrat - just not a neo-liberal like Hillary.

You see, the neoliberal and neoconservative movements share a foreign policy that advocates for an indefinable enemy and endless war.

They believe that Governmental entities - nations and states - should fight non-Governmental entities, not with an objective to win at war, but to redefine the enemy as non-national.

This is a philosophical departure from the politics of nations. This accumulates influence over the peoples of the world. It is a real philosophy, and it

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tarily to improve our communities.

Limited government means recognizing what government is good at, and what it’s not. We all benefit from roads that are plowed, potholes that are filled and working traffic lights that help us travel safely from place to place. We benefit from police who stand ready to protect and defend, and firefighters who can quickly respond to help rescue those in need. When government is doing its job well, we all benefit from these things. In these situations, government is helping us all to be better and is making our communities stronger.

Contrast this with what happens when government adopts the mindset of my army buddies; when it resigns itself to ensuring that “the suck” of one person is spread equally to everyone in society.

From an economic perspective, this almost always means taking from those parts of society that are performing well, and giving or “redistributing” to those parts of society that are doing poorly by definition. This means “taking” from the entrepreneurs who are in the best position to create jobs in Alaska, and “giving” to those who are not in any position to even think about creating a job.

After a time, consumption is more balanced, and someone in government see this and declare a partial victory. But it is a pyrrhic victory at best. Over time, what you have really accomplished is to limit job growth. And if you pursue this plan aggressively enough over time, you begin to lose even the jobs that you started with.

In pursuing wealth redistribution, wouldn’t it make at least as much sense to redistribute wealth to those in the private sector who are in the best position to create the jobs that will make our appropriation power – thereby increasing the power of the governor even more. The most worrisome element of this issue is a seeming lack of understanding demonstrated by some legislators. Voters really need to keep pressure on their state senator and state representative, continuing to remind them of their responsibility to protect the PFD. The legislators who have committed to protect our PFD will need your help to succeed because many Alaskans are directly benefiting from state spending and are pressuring their legislator to spend – as opposed to individual PFD spending. (For more information, go to weskeller.com/whoowns-the-pfd/) A state economic recession is likely in our future! The budget crisis is both real and pending. We have a staggering budget deficit. The overspending per Alaskan is far higher than in any other state – this is a critical danger indicator!

We have been able to afford exorbitant spending because the revenue has been shunted directly from natural resource extraction without the safety of voting.

This is a unique constitutionally created scenario I view as an unfortunate mistake. We are now between a rock and a hard place.

We either cut spending now or we go bankrupt later. When we cut spending, there will be a short-term economic crisis. However, if we spend and go bankrupt it will be devastating. Either way, the devastation to our economy is hard to contemplate. In January, the battle continues between legislators who are taxers and spenders (those who will spend PF earnings) and those who will cut spending.

I am not optimistic a painless solution can be found. Taking a portion of the PFD is only a short term ‘pain killer’ proven to be more addictive than opioids (easy money to backfill the budget). I believe spending more is neither Republican nor Democrat. It is something else entirely, something Neo, New. I worry that Trump will be another of these people, who imagine a hierarchy that is global in scale, consolidating all nations› debts, creating a short-lived boom before the inevitable bust - and before the bubble bursts, he banks billions. But then I think, okay, why would he? He›s old, he won›t live forever. He has plenty of money; he›s a king among men already. Maybe, just maybe...

Moses? Maybe not.

Still, you Liberals should stop being so triggered for a minute, peek out from your safe spaces and take a look at this guy. Is he really who you think he is?

Who MSNBCNNBC and other acrimonious acronyms said he is? Remember, these

economy stronger and more resilient over time? What a horrifying thought.

But then, I’m not a socialist.

I have a local business owner in my district who has been creating jobs year after year, and is in the business of actually manufacturing goods. And while all the talking heads tell us how important it is to grow the manufacturing sector in Alaska, the prescriptions I have been hearing lately will stop that growth deader than a doornail. It’s as though the current administration is trying to play a high level game of whack-a-mole across the state.

Here’s a business that is creating jobs quick, let’s tax them more so that they can’t. Here are people who are managing to live above the poverty line, let’s cut their PFD so that they no longer can. There are thousands of Alaskans in that category.

How does it help Alaska to push people below the poverty line, and then take money out of the private sector to help prop up the increase in government services that then comes into play? It doesn’t. We are robbing Peter to pay Joshua, Mark and Pauline, and the only thing we are accomplishing is pushing Alaska’s economy further into recession.

The PFD raid was the first tax on income.

And now they want to double down with a statewide personal income tax on top of that. Help! Do they think that by sinking Alaska further that somehow the federal government will step in to save us?

For the sake of our future, Alaska desperately needs to adopt the mindset of an entrepreneur.

David Eastman will be a freshman member of the Alaska State House of Representatives, representing Mat-Su House District 10, which runs from the border of Denali National Park to the Wasilla City Limits

commonly owned money without the accountability of voter approval will ultimately re-define Alaska as a communistic government – something avoided by our founders with the establishment of the PFD laws.

Unfortunately, we may be in a position where the majority of voters in too many districts want the short-term fix.

(For more info, go to weskeller.com/ overspending-worse/) Our nation, the United States of America, is indeed “exceptional”. As symbolized by the Statue of Liberty, the freedom America has allowed and protected has impacted the world with a level of prosperity and security far exceeding anything in history. Some of our leading legislators in the new house majority have openly scoffed at our nation’s exceptionalism (on the record) and deny the connection of Alaska’s constitution to the US constitution’s founding values.

Ironically, the perspectives of the new house majority legislators likely don’t represent the majority of Alaskans as a whole, but they are now in control of the House. I encourage you to be supportive, build a relationship with your legislators and advise them so they can best represent you. The House representativeelects will soon swear to uphold and defend the constitution of the US and the state of Alaska, and in two very short years the re-application process will begin anew for all State House and half of the state senators.

Having only two year terms is a very robust and effective term limit when voters stay informed. You need representation based on a trusting relationship, and a trusting relationship takes time. I urge your support and friendship with your legislators for the good of us all.

Rep. Wes Keller | District 10 WesKeller.com same media outlets were so sure of so much before they were proven wrong.

So wrong.

I’m not saying Trump deserves a chance.

I’m saying that the media (especially Fox News), and their assertions, do not deserve a chance. They had their chance and they blew it. And that means, if you›re honest with yourself, you must reassess what you›ve been told by these media outlets that clearly doesn›t know morass from the polls they expound.

So, my hope is that Trump will slowly win over the Left, without completely losing the right, and for once the People will be represented in unison, just long enough that we can end these damn wars.

My hope is that Trump is indeed a Moses, and that he will lead us from the deserts of the Middle East.

We’ve wandered for so long already.

PETS & ANIMALS

Contributed by Kelleigh Orthmann, Clear Creek Cat Rescue Beautiful Autumn is a gorgeous short haired tortoiseshell girl. She is maybe a year or two old. Very neat and wellgroomed, perfectly camouflaged for her namesake season.

Autumn is a sweet girl. She is friendly, lovable and a great huntress. She is not thrilled to be picked up and carried around, but she will give you purring head butts.She will definitely need a safe place to go outside where she can check out the territory for rodents. She does okay with other cats and can tolerate a very mellow dog. An all-around terrific cat.

Call 863-1444 FOR MORE DETAILS

PETS & ANIMALS PAGE 10

Contributed by Sumitra Shinde Animal Care Dispatcher Mat-Su Borough Animal Shelter

Contributed by Sumitra Shinde Animal Care Dispatcher Mat-Su Borough Animal Shelter

Jake is an almost 7 year old Alaskan husky mix. He is high energy with a nervous, but friendly nature.

Renegade is a 3 year old love bug!

He’s affectionate, adventurous, playful, cuddly and smart. He likes to bathe in the attention of his family, and loves to play with stuffed animals and kongs.

Renegade has plenty of energy and would love to go on walks and runs with you. He likes car rides and is crate trained. Renegade can be vocal if there’s something he wants, or there’s something he’s not getting.

He is rather independent and has not been taught basic commands.

Jake was returned to the shelter for attacking chickens and not behaving in a trustworthy manner around the children when adults weren’t around.

The previous owner stated that he has been somewhat house trained, but he prefers to be outside and is very anxious in the house.

He likes kids, but he should not be in a home with livestock, especially chickens.

Call 746-5500 for more details

Call 746-5500 for more details

Contributed by Kelleigh Orthmann, Clear Creek Cat Rescue

Precious is super sweet and lovable to her people. She particularly likes kids, the more kids the better as long as they are kind and gentle.

She loves to hang out with

Julius is a handsome three year old neutered male, who resides with another cat in the communal cat room.

Julius can be very shy and retreats easily until he is comfortable with you.

He is very tolerant of handling, is gentle and actually loves being on your lap and pet. He responds with a lot of purring.

He is very sweet, and tolerant of the other cat that he currently lives with.

Call 746-5500 for more details

Contributed by Angie Lewis, President of Alaska Animal Advocates

Precious is a lovely, short haired girl in white with a tabby cap and accents.

She is probably a couple years old.

Contributed by Sumitra Shinde Animal Care Dispatcher Mat-Su Borough Animal Shelter

the kids, cuddle with them and play with them. She does not like other cats, and she mostly ignores mellow dogs. She is such a sweet and loving charmer, she would be great as your one and only devoted feline.

Call 863-1444

Fiona is such a loving girl!

She will loyally follow her human around the house.

This young shepherd mix is a born hiker.

She is house trained, uses a doggy door and gets along with other large dogs. Fiona can get along with cats, but does occasionally chase them.

She does not have any destructive tendencies.

Call 841-3173 or email Alaska Animal Advocates at aaarescue@yahoo.com

reach of your four-legged companions or buy artificial.

Contributed by Angie Lewis, President of Alaska Animal Advocates Celebrating the holidays can be such a wonderful experience for many of us.

The smells, foods, decorations and gifts make this time of year very enjoyable.

Being surrounded by our pets is a true joy this time of year. However, the holiday season can be very dangerous for your pet if you are not cautious.

Let’s start with the Christmas tree. If you use a real tree, make sure the water in the stand is covered so that your pet cannot drink it. The pine sap is not safe for ingestion. Also, it is best to turn off the lights on your tree when you are not home. Pets might chew on the cords and get electrocuted. Pets can get tangled up in the cords as well. Do not use tinsel, ribbon or other glittery items,

as these can be very enticing to pets, particularly cats. Ornament hooks can be swallowed and cause damage to intestines. Decorating the bottom part of your tree with ornaments made of wood or plastic, that won’t break, can prevent intestinal blockages.

Burning candles can be a concern this time of year. Put these candles in areas that are not accessible to your pets. Do not leave the house with candles lit at any time. There are battery operated candles that can be used with safety in mind.

Gifts that contain human food can present problems for your pets as well.

Chocolate, raisins, onions, coffee, tea and alcohol are delicious to us humans, but are quite dangerous for animals.

Foods such as yams, sweet potatoes and canned pumpkins (minus the spices) are safe for your pets to eat.

So, if you are feeling as though there are too many restrictions on you holiday experiences, just imagine this time of year, or any time of year, without your faithful companions at your side. This will make the decision to be safe an easy one. Enjoy the holidays with your animal friends!

Although plants add to the ambiance of our holiday celebrations, there are more than 700 plants that are toxic to pets.

Poinsettias and mistletoe are dangerous to animals. So, keep these plants out of

SUBMIT YOUR OWN EVENTS & ARTICLES ON OUR WEBSITE

FITNESS / LOCAL SPORTS Contributed by Kalea Sponsler It has been proven that physical fitness is quite beneficial for the body and the mental health of others, but what about martial arts?

In movies, or books or television shows, martial arts is seen as violent and just about fighting and beating people up.

But if you have never taken martial arts, there is no way you could prove that thesis. The practice of martial arts has many, many benefits on the mind, body and the spirit.

In fact, it is a great way to combine physical fitness, and training to make the body stronger in more ways than just physical strength. In martial arts, the benefits are almost endless. When training in martial arts, the body may gain a total body workout. Martial arts can be seen as an exceptional way to better the body’s strength, flexibility, balance, muscle tone and stamina.

Contributed by Jaida Gough, Boom Town Derby Dames Boom Town Derby Dames Game 1/14/2017 – 7PM Boom Town Derby Dames Tickets: $12 General, $10 Military/ Students, $5 Kids The Boom Town Derby Dames ended 2016 by playing against some of their toughest competitors to date. Each team had an intimate understanding of the other’s weaknesses and strengths, and no reservations using that information to their advantage. Boom Town hosted their first mash up game (Old School vs New School), consisting entirely of skaters from the same league. Each team rostered only seven players, instead of the usual fourteen, making endurance a crucial role to the game.

Team Old School had skaters dressed in fishnets, knee-high socks, fashionably cut magenta team t-shirts, many bright colors and plenty of glitter. In sharp

Contributed by MaLane Harbour 2017 Last Frontier Pond Hockey Classic Tournament March 10-12, 2017 The Scotty Gomez Foundation Burkeshore Marina, Big Lake Cost: TBD In March of 2017, The Scotty Gomez Foundation (TSGF) is bringing The Last Frontier Pond Hockey Classic Tournament to the Mat-Su Valley. With an expectation of 100 teams from around the state and the country, this will not only be a great time but also a great opportunity for the Valley.

Carlos Gomez, the director of TSGF has dedicated his life to helping children experience the game, starting with his own son and now retired NHL player,

While training the body, martial arts presents an exciting offer a healthy lifestyle, and it is a confidence booster.

Yes, martial arts is a way to train the body to become stronger and yes, martial arts does train students to learn how to properly fight. It also teaches exceptional morals and values through intensive training. The Shaolin moral code for example compromises twelve ethics, ten forbidden acts and ten obligations. Through training in martial arts, the body obtains quicker reflexes in a person’s everyday life, especially in driving.

Now the mind will gain skills as well.

The minds focus will become stronger and have much more will power to help someone through everyday life, and the activities and challenges a person might face. The mood of someone who has done martial arts will also change for the better.

In martial arts, the body and the person is allowed to relieve the stress and frustration they obtain through

contrast, team New School sported black athletic pants and the traditional green BTDD jersey we all know and love. Boom Town fan, Thomas Stuart recapped the game on Facebook the following day, “The points spread was 50 at the end of the game [201-151], but only 10 at halftime. An excellent power jam by Old School at the start of the second period broke the neck and neck contest of the first period. This was a fun contest to watch and a rewarding experience for the audience. Also, I feel I should mention the officials who were right on top of every play.”

The skaters had an excellent time playing against each other, and the fans loved seeing the fierce competition among teammates during each jam and smiles and laughter in-between jams.

At the end of the game, it was Boom Town who won.

Boom Town starts 2017 by hosting Anchorage’s Orange Crush January 14, at the Curtis Menard Sports Center. This is a game you won’t want to miss, as

Scotty Gomez. As a four-year old boy, Scotty Gomez received his first hockey equipment on loan from the Boys & Girls Club. Even with that help, hockey proved to be an expensive sport that was out of the Gomez’s budget. Carlos became a fundraiser in the 1980’s fundraising for his son and the teams he played on.

Carlos’ fundraising picked back up a few years after his son made it to the NHL. He remembered what it meant to him to have that loner equipment form the Boys & Girls Club, and he began to raise funds for other children who may not have otherwise been given the opportunity to play.

Funds for the organization have been raised through wine tastings, corporate sponsorships, partnerships with the

LOCAL SPORTS PAGE 11

the practice on a punching bag, or a practice dummy. Endorphins released by physical activities appear to be active in the body hours after exercising, and with martial arts relieving the body’s stress and frustration, there is really nothing holding the happiness back after the training is over.

While the mind has great benefits from training in martial arts, the body has exceptional benefits, and the results are quite visible on most.

While the reflexes become quicker and more reliable, and the balance and focus become stronger as well, there are some physical and visible benefits as well. While training in martial arts, the body will become stronger.

Therefore, muscles will begin to form.

The higher the muscle mass is in a body, the higher the stamina becomes and therefore, decreases the risk of falls and injuries as a person and a body ages. The metabolism in a body will also be greater and that means the body will burn off the calories quicker, thereby preventing obesity and promoting weight loss. both teams exhibit a high level of play and use of strategy to try and out-jam, out-block and out-skate each other.

The last time OC and BTDD faced off, in November 2016, Orange Crush had taken a commanding lead at half time (100-38) with Boom Town struggling to hold back their jammers and get their own team through the tough walls OC was putting up. By the second half, Boomies had found their stride and put an impressive 70 points on the board while hindering the other teams rapid point accumulation. Orange Crush came out victorious 163-108.

Even with a loss, Boom Town fans who drove to Anchorage to watch were not disappointed.

It has been proven that only one hour of moderately intensive training can burn up to 500 calories, which improves the body’s health and increases cardiovascular health. Researchers have proven that one of the only ways to improve a body’s cardiovascular health, besides eating a healthy diet, is to participate in activities that stress the heart, such as martial arts.

A question could be asked about martial arts though and that question could be, “If martial arts is also considered a sport with fighting, wouldn’t it be safer to enroll my child in a sport offered by most schools?”

To answer that question, no, it is not safer to enroll a child or a teenager in a sport enrolled by a school.

In martial arts, the most common injury from 13 to 17 year olds is the shoulder.

But in hockey, the most common injury from 13 to 17 year olds is the head.

Yes, injuries will be obtained while practicing martial arts, but the risk of head injuries are immensely lower than what they would be participating in hockey or football.

season, but this season may prove that when these two teams face off, it will be anybody’s game!

Come support your local Mat-Su team as they take on Rage City Rollergirl’s Orange Crush on 1/14/2017 at the Curtis Menard Sports Center.

Doors open at 6 pm, and wheels roll at 7. Tickets available online at brownpapertickets.com or at the door!

As always, Boom Town is always accepting new skaters, officials, volunteers and non-skating officials.

Look for us on Facebook!

After the game, longtime fan, John Frye, mentioned that even with a four player disadvantage defense was strong, endurance was impressive, and our jammers never quit. The 50-point gap shocked him due to the tight gameplay, even knowing that 50 points is not a big loss in derby. Both Boom Town and Orange Crush have taken turns reigning victorious over the other from season to

Alaska Aces, golf tournaments and much more! It wasn’t until 2015 that the pond tournament was created. After two years in Anchorage, the event already started looking for a new home that could accommodate the number of teams and attendees that come out for this three days of hockey and fun.

While it was located at Goose Lake, it became Anchorage’s largest hockey event. Carlos knew that in order to grow the tournament, he had to move to another location. During the 2016 event, Carlos committed to moving the following year to Big Lake. With 13 rinks, a goal of 100 teams, a family rink, 60’x140’ warming tent, food, drinks, a concert and of course, hockey, it has now been moved to the Burkeshore Marina for the 3rd Annual Event on March 10th, 11th and 12th.

Not a hockey player? No problem.

With music, food and the outdoors, there is guaranteed fun for the entire family. Besides hockey, the three days of events includes music, food and even a crowd favorite, H3, playing on Saturday night. The concert is open to the community at no charge, to thank the Valley for all of the support this year.

The goal is to not only raise money for TSGF, but to also give back to local businesses and organizations.

For more information visit www.akpond.com

VOLUNTEERISM Contributed by Joanne MacClellan From tiny orphaned baby birds to stately red-tailed hawks, the volunteers of AWBR work hard to fulfill the mission of our organization. We rehabilitate injured and orphaned birds, and release them back into the wild. We educate the public about these birds and their habitats. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation EIN #14-1958727, organized in the state of Alaska, and operate under permits from the US Fish and Wildlife Service for education and for rehabilitation, and are also permitted by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Through our efforts, many passerines have been rescued, rehabilitated at our Center, and released back into the wild. Thousands of children and adults have been introduced to our resident education ambassadors, and have learned about birds and the environment we all depend on.

If you would like to be part of this unique hands-on experience with wild birds, we invite you to join us. Quite

COMMUNITY

simply, we can’t do it without you.

Bird Rehabilitation Our rehabilitation functions include hand feeding of baby birds, caring for, treating sick or injured wild birds, cleaning cages and assisting in daily care of the Center. We provide the hands-on care so necessary to our patients. During baby bird season, the work largely centers on hand-feeding babies and juveniles, and preparing them for release. However, injured birds are in need of treatment year-round. We have an excellent veterinarian who works with us, and follow-up care is performed at the Center.

Volunteers in our rehabilitation program will have the opportunity to work with birds of many species as you learn how and what to feed them. Requirements: Be reliable, be 18 or older, be a team player, be willing to learn and be willing to get dirty.

Education Birds Everyday volunteers come into the Center to clean and feed the birds housed at our facility. These are birds that have recovered from an injury but

have sustained permanent damage, making them incapable of surviving in the wild. Volunteers are responsible for keeping the birds fed and cleaning their mews. We work with these raptors, making sure that they can be comfortable going out in the public; our daily contact is a help with this goal.

Volunteers keep a close eye on the condition of the birds, making sure that they are safe and providing an enriched environment for their everyday lives.

Participants in this program have a uniquely rewarding opportunity to closely work and interact with birds usually observed only from a distance.

As they advance, volunteers can learn how to safely handle the birds on their gloved fist. They learn to work with the birds so they can be comfortable going out in the public, sit on a handler’s fist and enjoy being the center of attention.

After successfully completing our training, volunteers will be able to present these wonderful birds at educational events.

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Birds and our Community We always love help sharing an enthusiasm for and knowledge of birds, enlisting community and business support and spreading the word about our programs. We depend on people of all ages and backgrounds. And no, you don’t have to know a lot about birds to get started! Keeping the program going requires lots of volunteer hours.

You can help in many other vital areas, such as facilities construction and ground maintenance. We can always use help with administrative tasks, and with outreach and education efforts.

Volunteer Bring your skills, interests and enthusiasm. Jo Walch, the Volunteer Coordinator, says, “We are always in need of more help.”

Call 892-2927 for more information.