San Manuel g n i t a r Celeb g! Sprin
MINER
Proudly serving as the Tri-Community’s source of weekly news since 1954
Vol. 57 No. 15
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Fire departments collaborate on specialized training On Sunday, firefighters from Mammoth, Oracle and San Manuel, as well as Oracle CERT volunteers, two flight crews from LifeNet and Tri-City Meds, collaborated on several simulated rescues. Explorers (high school students who work with firefighters) got a chance to learn how to use the Jaws of Life. The day culminated with a ‘rescue’ from a vehicle that had gone over an embankment. To see video and a slideshow from the training, go online to www.copperarea.com. (John Hernandez photos)
Periodicals Postage Paid at San Manuel, Ariz. 85631
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Oaks Festival and Spring Run Car Show set for Saturday in Oracle
Wildlife in the Oaks is the theme of this year’s Oracle Oaks Festival. The Oracle Community Center is sponsoring a wildlife photography contest as part of the festivities. Be sure to check out the full schedule of events on Page 6 of this week’s Miner. Who will win the prize? (Javelina photo by John Hernandez; Cardinal photo by Jennifer Carnes)
Taylor’s Take: The Stem and the Flower
Senior center seeks local volunteers By Taylor Sheaffer Ritter I was originally asked by Annie Hinojos, Councilwoman of Winkelman and Director of the Hayden Senior Center, to do a story on the Mayors for Meals program and naturally, I was excited. However, once I saw the many facets of the Hayden Senior Center, I knew the story must grow from there. Let me explain. I love old people, or rather people who conquer me by means of age, wisdom and experience; old is really the wrong term to use. So…I showed up early a few Wednesdays ago and watched the process by which the staff of the Hayden Senior Center go through in order to give meals to individuals who simply just need a little help. I like to think of it as coming full circle. You start out needing help with acquiring food and you end life generally needing help acquiring food. A person will spend so many years as a child looking to others for their sustenance, so does it not make sense that as an adult the role is reversed and they then take care of those who took care of them. And the cycle goes on. In many cultures, this is most certainly the case…they take care of their elderly right to the end. Yet, in some cultures this is not the case, hence the need for the homebound program taking place at the Hayden Senior Center. This program does not just affect the senior citizens in Hayden, it affects the aged in more than
20 communities throughout the Copper Corridor, many of whom are completely homebound. This program stretches from Kelvin to Silver Creek to Mammoth and down to Oracle and is technically called the Pinal-Gila Counsel for Senior Citizens. The mayors of many of these communities were available to show their support for the program during the annual Mayors for Meals day, though a few could not be reached for their support. This program desperately needs the support of its communities, not just their mayors. Annie said that when the program started, “We had a slew of volunteers, but over the last few years the volunteers have dwindled off to just a few, like Neil Gambell of Kearny.” This program started more than 30 years ago in 1976, taking
meals to all senior citizens and disabled people in the area. In speaking with Annie, my heart immediately warmed to her; she is absolutely one of the more warm and generous people I have met and it is blatant that she truly cares for the well-being of others. She smiled and said, “People need to know that when they volunteer for the delivery program, they are doing so much more than just delivering meals. They are making that social contact that people really need.” When you consider that, at times homebound people have very few visitors at all, it makes absolute sense as to why this interaction means so much more than just receiving a meal. Annie expressed that in the past the program was set up to deliver meals every day to See Seniors, Page 9
The Easter Egg-spress will make annual stops in Tri-Community Hey, Kids! Get out your Easter baskets and get ready to hunt some eggs! The Easter Egg-Spress will be making its annual stop at the park by the pool in San Manuel on Saturday, April 23. The fun begins at 11 a.m. The Easter Bunny’s train will make another stop in the Tri-Community on Sunday, April 24, at the Oracle Union Church. The church bell will ring promptly at 10 a.m. and the hunt will be on! Don’t be late! You don’t want to miss out! More than 100 eggs will be hidden - some with prizes! The event is open to children 9 years and younger.