part 3 - The Answer Newspaper

February 2012
THE ANSWER
Page 17
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THE ANSWER
February 2012
February 2012
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Travels With All God’s Children
International to Ethiopia
Special to The Answer
PORTLAND, Ore. — When Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
knocked on the Watson family’s door in Knoxville, Tennessee, a week
ago, one of the show’s producers was half-way around the world with
All God’s Children International (AGCI). Traveling with AGCI’s orphan care mission team, he discovered what life is like in the birth
country of Silas, the Watson’s two-year old son who was adopted
through AGCI, and joined the team in their work to improve local
school facilities.
“We are honored that the first international trip to Africa by an
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition producer has been with our orphan care team,” said Frank Betzer, Orphan Care and Development
Director for AGCI. “One of our projects at the Hedase Elementary
School in Ethiopia is to improve the facilities where 1,300 children
are currently sharing one pit toilet.”
The 17 person team addressed the school’s needs by building a
new soccer field, basketball court and volleyball court. The team also
began construction of eight new latrines and a library building. These
projects will be completed by local contractors in the next few weeks
with materials provided by AGCI donors. The team also spent time
visiting with the children at AGCI’s Hannah’s Hope transition home,
where Silas was cared for prior to the completion of his adoption by
the Watson family.
The Emmy award winning reality program “Extreme Makeover:
Home Edition,” now in its 9th season, is produced by Endemol USA,
a division of Endemol Holding. It is executive-produced by Brady
Connell and George Verschoor. David Goldberg is Chairman, Endemol
North America. The show airs as holiday specials on ABC.
About All God’s Children International: Founded in 1991, All God’s
Children International passionately serves the world’s orphan and
vulnerable children by offering hope through the life-changing ministries of adoption, orphan care and missions. Over the past two decades, AGCI has had the privilege of uniting over 2,500 orphans from
around the world with their forever families. Through AGCI’s Hannah’s
Hope orphan homes, children are provided medical care, education,
ministry and safety while waiting to be placed in loving homes. Additionally, AGCI impacts an average of 10,000 lives annually by providing orphan care for the unadoptable, family preservation projects,
and short-term mission trips to help provide shelter, care, and love for
children in need. www.AllGodsChildren.org.
THE ANSWER
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THE ANSWER
February 2012
SENIOR NEWS
AARP Tax-Aide Provides Free Tax Preparation in Nevada
By Deborah Moore Jaquith
AARP Nevada
Director of Communications
As tax season rolls around again,
are you dreading filling out your
forms? Perhaps the AARP Tax Aide
program can help.
Free tax assistance and preparation for taxpayers with middle and
lower incomes of all ages. Help is
available through AARP Tax Aide
from February 6 through April 16.
You do NOT need to be a member
of AARP or a retiree to use AARP’s
free tax service.
We all know that tax law can be
confusing. AARP Tax Aide volunteers can make the process of filling out tax returns a whole lot
easier. AARP volunteers have gone
through a rigorous training program
offered in conjunction with the Internal Revenue Service, and have
the skills to prepare your return
while taking advantage of money
saving provisions of the tax code.
Well-trained AARP Tax Aide volunteers will offer assistance with
personal income tax returns; and to
speed your refund, most of our sites
file returns electronically.
During the 2010 tax season, 236
AARP Tax-Aide volunteers helped
more than 23,000 Nevada residents
file their income tax returns statewide. The program is offered 16
public sites in northern Nevada (and
many sites in Southern Nevada) in
locations such as senior centers, libraries and other places convenient
to the general public. Visit our
website for a complete list of the
northern
Nevada
sites,
www.aarp.org/nv.
Who uses Tax Aide? People like
you. According to research, about
4 out of 5 (78 percent) Tax Aide clients nationwide are 60 or older, 63
percent are women, and more than
half have annual incomes of less
than $30,000. Most of those who
use Tax Aide indicate that they
would have paid to have their returns prepared without the program.
When you go to a Tax Aide site
to have your taxes done, you’ll want
to bring a copy of last year’s return,
all W-2 and 1099 forms (including
SSA-1099 for Social Security benefits paid, property tax records if applicable), all receipts and canceled
checks (if itemizing), Social Security cards for yourself and dependents, and if applicable, dependent
care provider information including
name, employer, and social security
number. Don’t worry, if you forget
an important document our tax
preparers will work with you to assure you complete your tax documents.
AARP Tax-Aide is a program
offered through the AARP Foundation in conjunction with the IRS. It
is offered nationwide. For more information visit www.aarp.org/
taxaide or call toll-free 1-888AARP-NOW.
February 2012
THE ANSWER
Page 21
SENIOR NEWS
Senior Citizen Students earning degrees into their 70s, 80s
By Diane C. Lade
Special to the Answer
“Graduating senior” is taking on
a whole new meaning at South
Florida’s colleges.
Both Florida Atlantic University
and Broward College presented diplomas this month to students in
their 80s. As the local 70-plus population has grown, graduation ceremonies now often include an older
scholar picking up a bachelor’s or
master’s degree.
Some hit the books for different
reasons than younger students: Instead of wanting a better job,
they’re chasing a long-held dream.
Many are women from a generation
when girls were told to forget about
college, that their husbands would
support them, then watched their
brothers go off to school.
Earning her diploma “expanded
my life, so I feel like I can do anything now,” said Elizabeth “Betty”
Reilly, an 85-year-old Sunrise resident who donned cap and gown to
receive her Broward College asso-
ciate degree in English on Wednesday.
Reilly dropped out of high
school in 11th grade to help support her family after her father
broke his hand, making 42 cents an
hour. In her 50s, she earned her high
school equivalency degree to be
more employable. Reilly now plans
to continue studying at FAU just for
the love of learning.
But at FAU’s School of Social
Work director Michele Hawkins
has seen people in their 60s and 70s
go after their master’s to go into the
workforce. One was a retired postal
worker; another was a 75-year-old
woman whose daughter had just
earned the same degree, Hawkins
said.
“What I see is people who are
coming back for second degrees or
who want second careers,”
Hawkins said. While she does not
believe there has been a big increase
in their numbers recently, Hawkins
said there definitely are more elder
degree seekers in South Florida
than she saw at her previous university job in Washington, D.C.
There were 20 students older
than 70 enrolled in Broward College this fall, with eight of them
seeking degrees in the arts, sciences
or nursing. Nova Southeastern University granted nine degrees to
people older than 65 in the first six
months of this year, and had 40
graduates over 60.
FAU had 19 people over age 70
enrolled in degree programs over
the last year, excluding the fall 2011
graduating class.
Those over age 65 enrolled in
degree programs remain a small
portion of the South Florida student
body, however, usually about 1 percent or less of the total.
Linda Maurice, director of the
Lifelong Learning Institute at Nova,
is earning her own master’s in
cross-disciplinary studies there.
She’s been surprised how many
women in their 50s through their
70s are in her graduate program,
and one student is 81 years old. “My
feeling is they never had the time
or the money in their earlier years,”
she said.
But Maurice said that while
many retirees love being on campus, the vast majority don’t want the
pressure – or expense – of getting a
degree.
Annual enrollment in Maurice’s
institute, for example, is $500 and
allows seniors to take multiple nocredit classes taught by Nova professors. Nova tuition for one threecredit graduate class is $1,800.
The University of South Florida
in Tampa has the largest number of
65-plus degree students among the
state’s universities, with 175 enrolled in 2010. FAU had 90 and
Florida International University in
Miami had 74, with one-fourth in
graduate school.
Mark Kantrowitz, a national expert on student loans and publisher
of FinAid.org, said more colleges
are allowing seniors to take noncredit classes at reduced fees or for
free. But most states, including
Florida, do not have age-based tuition waivers toward degrees.
Kantrowitz advises against senior citizens taking on debt to get a
degree – although if they do, it’s
probably better to take out a federal student loan. Those are discharged after the borrower dies,
while private loans are charged
against the borrower’s estate, he
said. One octogenerarian told
Kantrowitz she figured her debt
would outlive her.
Lois Voron, of Tamarac, considered her FAU bachelors degree in
interdisciplinary studies an investment in herself and paid for it out
of savings. When she graduated this
month at 82, she said the young students around her “went bananas”
when the school president mentioned her age and asked Voron to
stand.
“You would have thought I was
a rock star,” said Voron, who hated
school when she was a teenager. “I
just got caught up in going to college and had a wonderful time.”
Page 22
THE ANSWER
VALENTINE TREATS
Discover the Perfect
Valentine’s Day Gift
By Amanda Wynant
The Answer Staff Writer
Need help finding the perfect
gift for a sweetheart? We’ve got a
fantastic list of gifts for your loved
ones. Gifts for kids, for grandma,
for your spouse and for your best
friend – you’ll find it all here.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Got a few minutes and some pictures online? Make a Valentine’s
Day video to share with friends and
relatives around the globe. At
www.animoto.com, they encourage
you to “Turn your photos, video
clips, and music into stunning video
masterpieces to share with everyone. [It’s] fast, free, and shockingly
easy!” The quality of the videos you
can make at Animoto is stellar. And
for the recipient, it’s as easy as
clicking a link to view it.
Need a gift idea for the man in
your life? Sure – some guys like
roses and heart-shaped boxes full
of mediocre cream-filled chocolates. But if you really want to give
your man a gift that he’ll brag to
his buddies about – get him a power
tool. A cordless drill is one tool that
every guy needs – and one that he’s
sure to love. Other power tools at
the top of his list include a compound miter saw, power sander and
hedge trimmers.
A great gift for your best girlfriend is a nice pair of comfy pajamas. A nice, soft pair of flannel
pants and a silky t-shirt works. Buy
a nice set and wrap it up yourself.
Or go to a site like
www.pajamagram.com and have a
pair of custom pajamas sent to her
home. They’ve got a great product
called the “hoodie-footie” that’s
sure to keep her warm all winter.
They also sell fantastic slippers,
nightgowns and bathrobes – all
packaged in fabric hatboxes with a
lavender sachet inside.
Looking for a truly unique gift
for the person who has everything?
Try sending them a singing telegram. All in One Entertainment is
a local, Las Vegas company that
offers a variety of fun singing telegram services. Send Mae West, a
duck or a tap dancing tomato to
your sweetheart’s door to sing her
a love song this year. They’ll also
come with a bundle of balloons and
a message card for your loved one.
Are you looking for the ultimate
romantic evening for Valentine’s
Day? Check out the website
www.mountcharlestontrailrides.com
to book a sleigh ride for two in the
snow. They offer horse-drawn carriage and sleigh rides through the
crisp white snow. Pack a thermos
of hot cocoa and a warm blanket
for an unforgettable ride in the
mountains.
When the budget is an issue but
you still want to give a gift, consider baking a gift. Everyone loves
a batch of homemade cookies or a
delectable pie. Baked goods are
perfect gifts for friends, co-workers and sweethearts. A nice dozen
brownies is just right for your
daughter’s ballet teacher or your
boss. Chocolate covered berries are
perfect romantic gifts. And a pie is
a nice gift for friends or family
members.
In all that you do this February,
do it with sincere love and kindness.
Jesus called us all to love our neighbors and all those around us. “Dear
friends, let us love one another, for
love comes from God. Everyone
who loves has been born of God and
knows God.” 1 John 4:7
February 2012
Give Your Marriage a Tune-up
By Amanda Wynant
Answer Staff Writer
Book: Happily Ever After,
Six Secrets to a
Successful Marriage
By Gary Chapman, Ph.D.
Price: $15.99
Available: Amazon.com
“How can we solve problems
without arguing?”
“Will my spouse ever
change?”
“Why is money always a tense
subject?”
“How do we maintain a satisfying marriage when children
come along?”
“How can we keep the passion
alive in our marriage?”
“What about those pesky inlaws?”
In 1992, Dr. Gary Chapman
wrote the landmark book, The
Five Love Languages. He sold over six
million copies. As a relationship counselor for more than 30 years, Chapman
has worked in the trenches
with thousands of couples,
while maintaining a successful marriage himself and
raising two children.
In his most recent book,
Happily Ever After: Six secrets to a Successful Marriage, Dr. Chapman outlines
the six most common problems marriages face and
gives practical insights on
how to successfully navigate
through the issues.
The book is an A to Z
marriage primer, boasting
370 pages of relevant information for any married person. This would be a great
book to give a newlywed
couple; but it’s equally as
valuable for couples who’ve
(See Book Review, Page 23)
February 2012
THE ANSWER
VALENTINE TREATS
Local Church Hosting New
York Times Bestselling Author
Attendees will see life’s troubles in a whole new light
Special to The Answer
Abundant Grace Church is pleased to announce best selling author and speaker, Don Piper, as its special guest on Sunday February
19, at 8:30 & 10:30 am.
On his way home from a church conference in 1989, Don Piper’s
Ford Escort was struck head-on by an 18-wheeler. He was killed instantly — pronounced dead by four sets of paramedics. But God
worked a miracle and sent Don back to a broken body. To date, 34
surgical procedures have taken place. He walks only as a result of
miraculous and in some cases medically unexplainable circumstances.
During the time he was dead, Piper was granted the extreme privilege of glimpsing Heaven itself.
Ninety minutes after dying, Don Piper came back to life where he
faced a long and grueling recovery. Don travels across the country
and around the world sharing his amazing story of hope and healing.
His message is simple ... We can have a better life now and an eternal
life someday through faith in Jesus Christ! Don has appeared and
shared his miraculous story in numerous national media outlets, including Fox News, CBN, “The Today Show” on NBC and Newsweek.
Abundant Grace Church, 7391 Prairie Falcon Rd., Las Vegas, NV.
89128. Pastor Rob Wright, Graceinlasvegas. com, 702-655-3619.
Lady in Waiting
By Natasha Webster
Answer Staff Writer
Breathe deep, capture the serenity. Exhale slow, release the insanity. As Valentine’s Day approaches
we become self-consciously and
overwhelmingly aware of our singularity. It is an awareness that stirs
an acute longing for companionship, an innate desire for completion. A drive purposed for the intertwining of two, joined as one. This
drive is often motored by our wants,
not necessarily our needs.
We want blooming burgundy
roses from men who gift our hands
while gracing our hearts. We want
windswept romance, whiteknighted chivalry, silhouetted
candlelight and faithful companionship. We want handsome but not
haughty. We want timid yet tough,
commandeering yet catering. As
single women, many are our needs,
Book Review
(Continued from Page 22)
been together for decades.
Dr. Chapman tackles the most
delicate topics in marriage from
sexual intimacy to problems with
the in-laws. If it causes conflict in
marriage, it’s in this book!
At the end of the book, there are
several bonus tool sections. One is
titled, How to Get Your Spouse to
Change without Manipulation. An-
other section has two parts: one is
a collection of what husbands have
said when asked the question,
“What would you like to see your
wife change?” And the other: a collection of what wives say when
asked, “What would you like to see
your husband change?” It’s like a
candid list of the things that might
drive your spouse up the wall – but
things he or she would probably
Page 23
never dream of actually saying.
Dr. Chapman also gives a list of
suggested resources for couples
from how to handle money to how
to enhance sexual fulfillment in a
marriage.
This is a must-read for people
who want to keep their nuptials
fresh and alive. In this season of
romantic love, give your marriage
a tune-up!
impossible are our wants and vain
are our efforts to find that perfect
man, our fated mate.
With life styles founded in immediate gratuity, we have become
disconnected from our capacity to
be “ladies in waiting,” as we ditched
our ladylikeness, trampled “waiting” as we began emulating the forwardness of men. Primed for conquests, we war against our Father’s
mandates and wreak spiritual destruction by seeking, drawing and
mating with men who are not our
husbands. Is it wrong to create an
on-line dating account, join chat
rooms, experience speed dating and
attend social gatherings in hopes of
finding that perfect man, our fated
mate? And if so, where exactly are
we to position ourselves as “ladies
in waiting?”
The greater question is what
motives are in our actions, what is
the true intention of our hearts. Are
we engaging in social activities for
singles, reactively responding to a
prompting from God? Or are we
preemptively seeking love because
we distrust God’s faithfulness to
meet our every need? Strives made
to advertise our singleness to men
must be transformed into a testament of our commitment to God.
That perfect man, our fated mate
will not enter our lives until we have
achieved true completion, a wholeness that can only be justified in a
covenant with God, which will allow our time and His will to be of
one accord.
Once we are made whole, we
will develop demureness, a positioning that delights our Father’s
heart. An increased understanding
of our preciousness, a beauty that
cannot be magnified in our outerwear, but rather in the spiritual garments we adorn. As brides of Christ
Jesus, we are made anew, perfectly
fitted in the spirit for God’s armor.
How beautifully girded are our
waists, when belted in truth. How
preciously guarded are our hearts
with breastplates of righteousness.
How footed in preparedness are our
path, when paved by the gospel of
peace. How strengthened are our
spirits, when shielded in faith.
Gowned in His perfection, His motives, ways and thoughts become
seeded and harvested in our hearts.
Loneliness that once marked us as
desperate becomes loveliness that
denotes His divinity in our lives.
Can that perfect man, our fated
mate be found? Perfect in the sense
that our men will meet the standards
of our endless, impossible wants,
no. Perfect in the sense that our men
will meet Gods’ standards according to our needs and the love He
has purposed for our lives, yes.
What shall our men look like, how
shall we know when our men have
(See Lady in Waiting, Page 24)
Page 24
THE ANSWER
February 2012
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
LVBNM hosts fundraiser to honor
KCEP Power 88.1 FM Radio for 40
years of business in Las Vegas!
Platinum-selling ensemble
earns Stellar Award
Stellar Awards scheduled to air on
GMC Channel February 11 at 7 p.m
Special to The Answer
The RIAA certified platinumselling praise and worship ensemble, Shekinah Glory Ministry
has earned a Stellar Award (Gospel
music’s answer to the Grammy
Awards) in the category of Contemporary Choir of the Year for their
latest double CD, “Refreshed By
Fire” (Kingdom Records). The ceremony took place at The Grand Ole
Opry House in Nashville and will
make its television broadcast debut
on The GMC Channel on February
11, 2012 at 7: 00 PM EST. Visit
www.watchgmctv.com for further
information.
Released last fall, “Refreshed By
Fire” debuted at #1 on Billboard’s
Top Gospel Albums sales chart –
their second #1 debut. The CD also
came in at #2 on Billboard’s Christian/ Gospel chart, #12 on the Independent chart, #61 on the Top 200
pop chart and #59 on the Current
Albums chart. The live DVD version of the CD was also a Top 10
debut and continues to sell briskly.
The majestic ballad “Just For Me”
became a Top 20 radio hit and the
video of the song has received almost 200,000 YouTube views. The
group’s success is currently profiled
in the February 2012 issue of Sister 2 Sister magazine.
Kingdom Records is a leader in
African-American praise and worship music with hits such as
Shekinah Glory Ministry’s 2001
breakthrough smash, “Praise is
What I Do.” The million-selling
SGM is not a choir. It’s a dynamic
ensemble of psalmists, minstrels,
and banner bearers who perform
“under the anointing of the Holy
Spirit. “ Their Hebrew name means
“the glorified presence of God.”
Their CDs Praise Is What I Do (#5
peak Top Gospel Albums) and
Shekinah Glory Ministry Live (#3
peak Top Gospel Albums – 103
weeks on the chart) were both certified gold in 2005 and 2008 respectively. They also have three gold or
platinum DVDs to their credit. In
explaining Shekinah Glory
Ministry’s success, Apostle H.
Daniel Wilson, the group’s founder
and visionary, says, “We put worship on wax and God just blew on
it.” Visit www.kingdomrecords
inc.com for more information on
Shekinah Glory Ministry and other
exciting artists.
Lady in Waiting
(Continued from Page 23)
arrived? Beloveds, our men will resemble Christ Jesus, we shall know by
freshness of their salt and the brilliance of their light. Where shall we find
our men, what positioning will ensure they recognize us as their counterparts? Our perfect men, our fated mates, shall find us in God’s word,
stayed in His presence, fulfilling our purpose, buried deeply in our Father’s
heart, living the gift of life from the inside out.
Special to The Answer
Join us for the 5th Annual Celebrate Black History
Month, produced by the Large Vision Business Network Mixer. It’s a mega mixer expo with over 50 business exhibits, here’s your opportunity to network oneon-one.
In celebration of Black History Month, exhibits of
Black Art & Collectibles, also displaying of national
African American organizations, businesses of all types
showcasing and complimentary tasty American Soul
Foods at our LVBNM Chefs Corner.
LVBNM will host a fundraiser to honor KCEP
Power 88.1 FM for 40 years of business in Las Vegas,
Nevada. KCEP Power 88.1 FM is a 501(c)(3) corporation, owned by EOB of Clark County and one of the
oldest urban NPR radio station in the United States.
The guest speaker for this month will be Craig
Knight, General Manager of KCEP Power 88.1 FM
Radio.
LVBNM Mega Mixer Expo, now in its fifth year
offers to all attendees and businesses exhibiting the
opportunity to connect with one another, create awareness and visibility, generate contacts, build leads for
potential sells, exchange marketing ideas and a host
of other benefits.
This is a special event month for LVBNM; doors
are open to the public and for the entire family.
Tickets are $10.00 per person and all proceeds will
be donated to KCEP Power 88.1 FM. To purchase
tickets, please call KCEP Power 88.1 FM at: (702)
648-0104. There is no registration requirement to
attend.