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An Ounce Of Prevention

Two billion dollars per year. Billion with “b.”

That’s how much money is spent in the United States every year to collect, house, kill and dispose of unwanted pets.

“That’s $40 million per state, per year, that is preventable,” says Ruth Steinberger, founder of Spay FIRST!, a nonprofit pet spay and neuter advocacy program for low income residents in Oklahoma.

Steinberger started her career as a spay/neuter advocate while living in the poverty-stricken Appalachian region of southwest Virginia.

“Where there’s poverty, it becomes very clear that the problems you can prevent with spaying and neutering you cannot solve after the fact with rescue or adoption,” says Steinberger. “Not to suggest we don’t need shelters, but we don’t need them as the first line response.”

In 1999, after years of working in Virginia, Steinberger moved to Oklahoma to begin spay/neuter programs in a state without low-income spay/neuter options. She helped found Oklahoma’s first low-income, high-volume spay/neuter clinic, Spay Oklahoma, and she started Spay FIRST! in 2010.

“What Spay FIRST! does is reach out to places where an organization or people say, ‘We’re ready to make a change on the prevention end,’” says Steinberger. “We work to start programs in underserved areas where residents live in poverty or chronic poverty, far from existing (low-income) clinics.”

One successful Spay FIRST! program is “in-clinic clinics.” These are private practice partnerships around the state where existing veterinary clinics act as high-volume, low-cost spay/neuter clinics for a few hours each week or one day a month. The clinics are able to perform three to four surgeries per hour at low cost to pet owners all while using existing facilities and employees. This model often leads to a profit for the clinic, and most of these in-clinic clinics eventually become self-sustaining.

Spay FIRST! also sponsors mobile clinics that travel to areas in the state that have no local spay/neuter options.

Steinberger’s work has been so successful that she even garnered notice from the World Health Organization.

In September, Steinberger will give a talk at the First International WHO conference on Dog Population Management in England about her work on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota.

Steinberger was asked in 2002 to aid the reservation in starting a spay/neuter program to help decrease the number of strays on the reservation. The stray problem was so dire that the tribe performed yearly dog round-ups and dog kills, and many dogs were dying of starvation or becoming cannibals. As the dog population declined due to the spay/neuter program, life for dogs on the reservation improved. More dog food was being sold on the reservation, and more dogs were being brought in for yearly checkups.

With all the success Steinberger has had, there are still only 10 states in the nation that have accessible spay/neuter programs for people with low incomes. Steinberger hopes to eventually fix that.

“It’s a mission for me because spaying and neutering pets is so doable, it’s so ridiculously doable.”

Doing Something Right

It’s easy to pick up produce at your nearby grocery store without wondering who helped get that food into your hands. Lettuce is still just lettuce, no matter what wages the workers make, right?

With its mission to provide assistance to low-income farm workers, the ORO Development Corporation does not forget the hardworking individuals behind those full shopping carts. The nonprofit organization provides training, employment and affordable housing assistance, among other services, to help agricultural workers become self-sufficient and productive community members.

Executive director Jorge Martinez says that the approach to teach their clients skills has dramatic results.

“When a worker comes to us, they might make $10,000 a year or less. After they come to ORO and go through our training programs, when they finish and get a job, they can make upwards of $50,000 a year,” Martinez says. “That provides better education for their kids, and then they can actually live up to the American dream.”

Since its inception in 1971 when the organization received a small grant, the focus of ORO (Oklahoma Rural Opportunities) has changed quite drastically, Martinez says, evolving to a measurable-results model and then making difficult budget decisions.

“We cut our overhead costs substantially, and now the money being saved (translates to) more services for the farm workers,” he says.

These services provided are very diverse, says Director of Field Operations Herminia Castillo, from nursing and trucking trainings offered in Altus to new wind energy programs in the Oklahoma City area.

“The programs are determined by the needs that are already in the area,” Castillo says.

Case managers on staff do outreach in their communities, but when one farm worker finds success, word gets around, Castillo says.

“We also get a lot of our clients through word of mouth,” she says. “When one good thing happens to one person, it spreads like wildfire.”

Martinez explains that these triumphs stem from ORO’s unique approach.

“ORO has been successful because we do extensive follow-up with our clients,” he says. “We let them know that we’re investing government money in them and that we’re going to be talking to them a lot.”

Last year, the ORO staff of 11 helped 235 workers improve their lives.

“If someone looks at the ORO and our results, and our record since 1971, it’s clear we’re doing something right,” Martinez says.

Martinez should know; he himself succeeded with ORO’s programs, rising from a farm worker to executive director of the nonprofit.

Heart's Home In Oklahoma

Two of our state’s most significant contributions to the pop music scene, blues-rocker Elvin Bishop and world-renowned drummer Jim Keltner, share some interesting parallels. Both were born in 1942: Keltner in Tulsa, Bishop in southern California. When Bishop was 10, his family moved to Tulsa. When Keltner was 13, his family moved to southern California.

They are alike in at least one other way: Neither man began his music career in Oklahoma. After graduating from Tulsa’s Will Rogers High School, Bishop went off to the University of Chicago on a full scholarship, ultimately finding the city’s blues scene more compelling than studying physics. Keltner, on the other hand, set his sights early on baseball instead of music, pitching a no-hitter while still in little league. And when he did start drumming seriously, he far preferred jazz to rock ‘n’ roll.

And although nothing he did in Tulsa indicated that he would grow up to become one of the leading drummers in all of rock, there was perhaps a portent or two.

“My dad was in the Akdar Shrine Drum Corps,” Keltner recalls. “The first time I ever saw him play was when my mom took us to a parade. I was sitting on the curb, and I could hear the sound of the drums coming down the street. I remember I started getting chills as it got closer. And as they walked past us, I saw my dad playing his snare drum, and then this enormous, big, funky sound was marching down the street right past me.

“That was probably the game-changer right there,” he adds. “I fell in love with the whole thing. It floored me. I think it was for that reason that my dad took me to one of their rehearsals later.”

Held in the basement of Tulsa’s Akdar Shrine Temple, the rehearsal, remembers Keltner, was full of men puffing on cigars, drinking Scotch and regaling one another with off-color jokes. “To this day,” he says, “when I smell cigar smoke and booze in a club or something, it takes me right back there.” The 12-year-old sat and listened to them practice, and when they were done, he picked up his dad’s sticks and recreated the exact cadence they’d been working on.

“I don’t remember being surprised,” Keltner says. “But it surprised them a lot.”

His father brought the snare home, setting it up in a closet. “It’s odd, but it was a real personal kind of sound for me in there, with all the clothes hanging and everything,” Keltner recalls. “I gave my little sister Judy a spoon and I told her, ‘Hit the edge of the head here like this – just go, one, two, three four, one, two, three four.’ She’d play that for me, and I’d play the cadence against it. It was the first little contrapuntal thing I remember doing, and it was totally fascinating to be able to hear that and feel that.”

His dad bought him a drum set soon after, and the family stayed in Tulsa long enough for Keltner, then a seventh grader, to play in the Roosevelt Junior High School orchestra and take a few lessons from noted local drummer Charles Westgate.

But if music was something that brought Keltner and his family closer together, it was also splitting his mom and dad apart. His mother’s brother, Willie “Smokey” Mendoza, was the bassist for Johnnie Lee Wills, who was then fronting the house band at Cain’s Ballroom. Keltner’s dad was working two jobs, keeping him busy day and night, and his young wife loved to go out and dance, especially to Wills’ western swing. It was not a recipe for marital harmony. It did, however, lead to their move west.

“They left Oklahoma because of so many crazy problems,” he explains, “like my mom having another life, and my dad working two jobs. They were going to divorce. I’d wake up in the morning, and I’d be hearing nothing but fights, because my dad worked the night shift and my mother had been out dancing.”

So, in August 1955, Keltner recalls, “We pulled out of our driveway on Woodrow Place in Tulsa with three things in a little trailer behind Dad’s new Chevy: our clothes in suitcases, my drum set and a TV set. You would think that music was my destination, but in reality it wasn’t. There was nothing to portend that. What I was, was a baseball player.”

That changed, however, when they reached southern California. Keltner’s father, a painter, landed a foreman’s job at the Santa Anita racetrack, and the family settled in Pasadena. But one day when Keltner was on the baseball field, he started breaking out in hives. Exertion and sweating, it turned out, was the cause.

“So what was I going to do?” he asks. “Sports was out of the question for me at that point, and I was already playing music. I was in a dance band called the Moonglows, a little combo with trombone, trumpet, alto sax, clarinet, piano, bass and drums. My first professional gig was at Pasadena’s Jefferson Recreation Center. My mom had a picture, which I have hanging in my house now, with a dollar bill at the bottom. It says, ‘Jim’s first dollar.’”

By the time his junior year came along, he’d discovered jazz. “That’s the way I was coming up,” he says. “I was a jazz player. I was a jazz lover. I couldn’t hear any kind of rock ‘n’ roll that excited me at all.”

He married right out of high school, kept playing jazz, and took a job at a local music store, where he also gave drum lessons. He was behind the counter one day when Gary Lewis walked in and asked if he could take a few lessons.

“He’d already had a big hit, ‘This Diamond Ring,’ and I gave him four or five lessons,” remembers Keltner. “Then one day, he said to me, ‘You know what? I’m going to play the guitar in front of the band. Why don’t you be my drummer?’”

At the time, Keltner was making $85 a week playing jazz, teaching and working at the store. Lewis offered him $250.

“So I flipped out and did it,” laughs Keltner. “Got my hair cut, shaved my moustache and became this cute little rock ‘n’ roll guy.” 

Through Lewis, Keltner met fellow Tulsa native Leon Russell, who was producing the Gary Lewis and the Playboys sessions. Russell had stocked the Playboys with Tulsans, including guitarist Tommy Tripplehorn and bassist Carl Radle, and Keltner was soon palling around with them and other hometown boys who’d come to the West Coast in search of a music career,

Keltner certainly found his, as even a cursory glance at his biography will tell you. From John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr to the Stones and Pink Floyd, Keltner can put his roster of musical collaborators up against anyone’s.

And while that career may not have started in Tulsa, as was the case with so many of his contemporaries and friends, Oklahoma certainly influenced, and continues to influence, his position in rock music’s stratosphere.

“To me, Tulsa represents everything that I am in my flesh and bones,” Keltner says. “Being born in Tulsa in 1942 to a great Okie man and a little Mexican girl – that’s who I am. That’s what you hear when you hear me play. Oklahoma is more than just the place I lived. It’s my musical home. It’s my heart’s home.”

Buzzing Around Oklahoma

Green Country beekeeper Helen Hickey has been interested in bees for more than 12 years.

For Hickey, beekeeping is more than just “going green.” For her, beekeeping is a way to take care of the environment and every living thing in it – down to the smallest bee.

Oklahoma Magazine: What is your interest in beekeeping?
Helen Hickey: As an organic gardener, in the early ‘90s, I noticed there weren’t many bees pollinating my vegetables. I took a beekeeping class, and after a couple of years of using chemicals as instructed, my husband and I chose to keep bees naturally or not at all. We were told it couldn’t be done. I also keep bees naturally so I can enjoy a healthy source of honey with pollen still in it. Small doses of pollen work like allergy shots for me.

OM: Since becoming a beekeeper, you’ve taught many classes and conducted lectures around Green Country about the world’s bees disappearing.
HH: My husband and I feel we have a mission to educate others to the seriousness of the problem. I became a master gardener to speak to the public and children in our schools about the threat to bees. Einstein once said that if bees disappear, then man will also. He knew that most of the food consumed by man must be pollinated, and most of that pollination is done by bees. About a third of human food requires pollination. Some plants simply cannot grow without it.

OM: So what is causing the bees to disappear?
HH: Scientists have labeled it colony collapse disorder. CCD is a phenomenon in which worker bees abruptly disappear. CCD is thought to be caused by multiple problems. Bees forage over several miles and often bring back to the hive herbicides and pesticides in the pollen and nectar. Sometimes the bees die from exposure, or often end up weakening the hive by contaminating it. A weakened hive is susceptible viruses, pathogens and parasites. So, it can be complicated problem.

OM: You’ve worked as a microbiologist, chemist and epidemiologist; how has this knowledge been used in your beekeeping?
HH: I’ve researched the causes of infections, so I am familiar with how to “grow” organisms that are pathogens to humans. So I decided to research bee diseases and use that knowledge to reverse bee illnesses. This included how to monitor changes in the hive, hygienic practices, and ways to monitor pests.

OM: You described a modification to interior structure of the hive that helps keeps bees healthy. What is this modification, and why is it important?
HH: After a lot of research, my husband and I added a screen to the bottom of our hives so mites, which are detrimental to bees, can fall through. We also used an additional screen to catch the mites to count how many were infecting the hive, and only treated when we had to. We also took out the traditional inner cover, which let moisture drip on the bees in the winter. Warm moisture plus honey equaled bacterial and fungal growth; the new configuration helped eliminate that problem. This modification in the structure of the hive is now widely practiced, but at the time we were told we were crazy.

OM: What are your future plans with your beekeeping?
HH: Future plans include a project in helping refugees from Sudan. We are raising money for scholarships to teach men and women of the country how to making a living through beekeeping and for purchasing needed equipment.

OM: You are very active in your bee club. Why is it important for novice beekeepers to get involved?
HH: I feel it is a calling, if you will, to mentor new beekeepers. Our club classes are full, and there is a great interest in backyard beekeeping. We want new beekeepers to be successful so that they can help save the bees and the world, one beehive at a time.

Fall Fashion: Living On The Edge

Decidedly modern with a nod to the past, the season’s latest looks are all about sexy, classic silhouettes rendered in sultry leather, lace, silk and fur. Black and navy are de rigueur, but luscious jewel tones, pops of shocking red and shimmering gold lend an unmistakable edge.

 

Backfield In Motion

College football season has arrived, and sports news has been flooded with stories counting down to Sept. 1 – the first day of the season for the Big 12 and other conferences.

Journalists and fans have been sizing up the field’s contenders to see which starters could go down in legend and which seemingly anonymous players look clear for a breakout year. Most, however, have been asking questions: Is University of Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops worthy of his big salary? Can Sooner quarterback Landry Jones make the magic happen as a senior? Will University of Tulsa’s Golden Hurricane keep its hard-fought momentum built upon a slow start in fall 2011? Will true freshman Wes Lunt be able to pick up for the Oklahoma State University Cowboys where former starting quarterback Brandon Weeden left off?

In a state where weddings are planned around the season schedule and where even hunter orange can be a fashionable color, college football is in a perpetual state of having everything to gain and, yet, everything to lose – let the fan pandemonium begin.

The OSU Cowboys have the honor of playing the opening season game on its home field when they welcome the Savannah State University Tigers to T. Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater. OU will play at the University of Texas El Paso on Sept. 1, but returns to Norman and the OU Gaylor Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium to play Florida A&M University on Sept. 8. TU also will visit the away team when it goes against Iowa State University on opening day, but returns to the TU H.A. Chapman Stadium to face Tulane University on Sept. 8. For tickets and complete schedules, visit www.okstate.com, www.soonersports.com or www.tulsahurricane.com

Centenary Sentinel

Ina K. Labrier is a centenarian. She lives in a home on a working ranch that her late husband ran for more than 40 years. Labrier has born witness to many of the significant events and advancements in the past century, including the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl and the first man landing on the moon. Labrier has one daughter, three grandsons and seven great-grandchildren.

I was born on August 29, 1912, in Wylie, Colorado. I moved to Oklahoma in 1938 with my husband, Ross. He ran The 101 Ranch in Kenton. I still live on the ranch, and my daughter (Jane) lives beside me.

The Depression hit as I graduated from school. I went to college for one year – back then when you went to one year of college you could teach – and I taught country school for seven years. I made $75 a month. We used my money to buy gas and to pay for daddy’s water to irrigate the fields. Mother raised chickens for their eggs, and we had milk cows, so we used the eggs and milk to buy groceries. During the Dust Bowl, I would drive five or six miles to school to teach; some days the dust would be so bad that I couldn’t see the road, it was so dark.

Lots of things have happened in my lifetime, so many that sometimes I forgot about them afterwards. When I was 2 years old, my family got our first car. Then when I was in the first grade, they turned us out of school to go outside to see an airplane go by. When man landed on the moon (in 1969) we listened to the radio all morning. We didn’t have a TV until about 30 years ago, just before my husband died. Now we have paved roads, but before that we couldn’t go out to feed the cattle when it was stormy and muddy. Back then, when we fed the cattle, we would have to scatter the feed from a truck. Now all you do is push a button and the feed goes into the feeder. That’s quite a difference in how we did it back then and how we do it now.

I think the outdoors, the fresh air and the food we eat gives us a longer life. My daughter has a beautiful garden this year, and we’ve been eating everything you can think of: green beans, squash, cucumbers, a little bit of lettuce. I read a lot, and I used to sew lots, but my hands won’t let me sew anymore. I also spend a lot of time with my family.

12 Retirement Dos and Don’ts

Studies show most of us don’t have a retirement plan, yet we fear not having the resources to live out our lives more than death itself. Here are a few things you should do and a few things you should avoid when planning for retirement.

DO

  • Define what retirement means to you: Like most things in life, retirement is an individual pursuit, but how you spend those years will affect the course of your planning. Imagining what retirement means for you will help determine how much money you’ll need to make those dreams come true and what assets are available.
     
  • Plan and plan often: Less than half of Americans have any idea how much they need to save for retirement. Even fewer have a plan to reach that goal. With life expectancy on the rise, the unavoidable fact is that many will run out of money. The only way to achieve peace of mind and security is to determine where your retirement income will come from, how much money you will need and how to make your money last as long as you do.
     
  • Create a budget: Creating a retirement budget is challenging, but it’s the only way to determine how much money you’ll need. Experts suggest you plan for 80 percent of your current monthly budget as a starting point. Track your monthly expenses for several months to get an idea of where your money goes. Don’t forget to factor in things like inflation and debt.
     
  • Expect the unexpected: Think of all the little things that come up in your daily life now, unexpected repairs and emergencies. Such budgetary surprises will continue during your retirement and may even become more frequent. Make a back-up plan part of your overall plan.
     
  • Create a social network: Whether you realize it or not, working provides a social network which keeps you engaged with the world. Lack of social interaction is a pitfall for many retirees, one that can lead to health problems. Creating avenues for social interaction well before you retire will make the transition much easier.
     
  • Get help: Funding retirement, budgeting and wading through a host of options can be a daunting task, but a lack of action can cost you money. If you feel overwhelmed or intimidated, get professional assistance.

DON’T

  • Wait: Einstein may not have actually commented on the power of compounding interest, but the force of this economic principle is nonetheless tremendous. Socking away money for retirement at an early age gives your money a chance to work for you. Likewise, investments and other savings devices benefit from time to grow.
  • Spend retirement money early: It may seem like a good idea to use money from a 410k to pay off a credit card or take a vacation, but you’ll be taking a huge loss. Uncle Sam will penalize you, and you’ll miss out on years of interest. Don’t touch it, and if you change jobs, roll that money into an IRA or other eligible account.
  • Retire too early: Social Security benefits are an important part of most retirement plans, but the amount of your monthly payment varies considerably depending on what age you opt in. Incentives end at age 70, but until then waiting can pay off.
     
  • Leave money on the table: Most of us do not take full advantage of employer matching 401k contributions or other savings plans, which is really like throwing money away.
     
  • Count your home as an asset: If you sell your home at retirement and move into less expensive digs, you may make a profit that can be used to fund retirement. However, home values and real estate markets can be volatile. Furthermore, counting your home as an asset can discourage other savings.
     
  • Ignore your health: Staying on top of your health care, maintaining a healthy weight and exercising regularly will decrease the chances of major health problems later in life. This can lower your costs and yield a higher quality of life.


Sources: AARP, Prudential, CNNMoney.com.

Top of the Class

Funding Fundamentals

It seems like every year the cost of college gets higher for students and their families. In June, the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education approved a tuition increase for 25 of 26 state colleges. As the cost of receiving a college education continues to increase, students and their families need to be more aware of the various types of programs available to assist in covering the costs. From scholarships and grants to long-term savings programs and student loans, there are a number of options available to students. The key is to determine the right path for each individual and to know what options are available.

Savings Plans

There are only so many scholarships available each year for students entering college, so many times the best way to insure that there will be money to pay for tuition is with a good, old-fashioned savings account. The most popular savings plan is the Oklahoma 529 college savings plan, in which you are able to contribute a tax-deductible amount of up to $10,000 per year individually ($20,000 if married filing jointly) to the account. This money can be withdrawn tax-free when the student enrolls in college. However, if the student decides not to go to college, the money in this account may be subject to taxes, depending on its intended use.  

“The 529 really is the most prominent plan anymore,” says Todd Hoffman, senior vice president and client advisor at Bank of Oklahoma. “You want to try and find ways to minimize the tax amount on a savings plan.”

Aside from the Oklahoma 529, Hoffman says UGMA/UTMA custodial accounts are popular as well. With one of these accounts, money is placed into an account in a minor’s name but is controlled by a custodian or trustee until the minor reaches a certain age. These types of plans carry no restrictions, and therefore when the minor reaches adulthood, he or she may use the money for any purpose.  

“Many people still like using regular savings accounts,” Hoffman says. “That way they have complete control over how the money is used.”  

Another way to save money that is growing in popularity is Upromise, a program that allows consumers to earn a percentage back on purchases made through partner retailers. The percentage earned can be applied to a 529 account or invested in a high-yield savings account.

“Even if you are starting a savings plan when your child has only one or two years left,” Hoffman says, “You can contribute some, and every bit helps.”

For many families opening a savings account may not be an option, but there are still numerous avenues to be explored when looking into ways to pay for college.  

Do Your Research

In order to maximize potential when it comes to earning scholarships or grants, experts agree that it is best to take initiative and explore options.  

“There are numerous pools of government money floating around,” says Susan Tolbart, director of recruitment and student activities at Oklahoma State University-Tulsa, “but they aren’t bottomless pools. I always urge students to start looking at the different opportunities that are out there early.

“(Students) should look at it almost like a part-time job,” says Tolbart. “They can look online at websites like Fastweb and Peterson’s and see what different types of scholarships are available.”  

Students should also feel comfortable forming relationships with administration at the colleges they are considering.  

“It’s not unusual for incoming freshmen to work with academic support centers on campus,” says Kayla Acevo, vice president of public relations at the University of Tulsa, “to try and find just what forms of aid they are eligible for.”

According to Acevo, knowing which questions to ask is a frequent stumbling block for high school students.

“You see it a lot,” Acevo says, “especially when a student is the first, or one of the first, in their family to go to college. I would just say don’t be daunted if the answers to your first questions aren’t what you had hoped to hear.

“This is where your relationship with your high school counselor comes into play,” Acevo continues. “You can find out what steps need to be taken.”

The first step is to submit the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) as early as possible. This will determine a student’s eligibility for various programs like federal Pell Grants and student loans. 

Keep Your Grades Up

Not to be forgotten in the discussion is the importance of maintaining your grade point average. The competition is fierce when it comes to scholarships and grants, and students with the highest GPAs and standardized test scores usually attract the most attention.  

Maintaining a high GPA increases the likelihood of receiving a scholarship, widens the scope of possible institutions the student can attend and it may decrease the need for a student loan.

“We have the highest admission standards in the state,” says Dr. John Feaver, president of the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, “but only 35 percent of our students graduate with debt.”

According to Feaver, students at USAO are encouraged to look at all non-debt options first, and to work with academic counselors to assure that the program they follow is efficient and without superfluous classes.

“The thing that drives costs up,” Feaver says, “is a lack of good counseling, direction and student advisement.”

Student Loans Don’t Have To Be The Enemy  

Still, for many students, college would be impossible without student loans.  

“Sometimes,” Tolbart says, “(a student loan) will be the only way for a student to pay for school.”  

Like many schools, OSU-Tulsa offers graduating students exit counseling to make the transition from student to the professional world easier. It also serves to inform students about their responsibilities concerning repaying those student loans. A program that is growing in popularity is the Income Based Repayment (IBR) program. IBR allows enrollees to cap their monthly student loan repayments based on their income and family size.

“A lot of people choose an institution based on expectations of what college will cost,” says Acevo. “I strongly recommend to not discount any institution based on cost. Submit the FAFSA, look into the different grants and scholarships available and most importantly make sure the college you want to go to is a good match. There are always ways to pay for your education. You just have to be willing to do the work.”