SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, USA, September 8, 2017 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Cancer research at Intermountain Healthcare has received a generous gift of more than $1.2 million. The gift came from the estate of Elvin "Andy" Anderson, who passed away at age 104 in St. George, Utah. While Andy's contribution will benefit many people, thanks to a twist of fate, it's also making a difference for one of those he cared for the most.
In 1985, Andy and his wife June formed the Elvin and June Anderson Trust. Following June's death from breast cancer in 1992, Andy amended the trust as a perpetual endowment for the Cancer Center at Intermountain Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George, Utah. The endowment will benefit Intermountain's Cancer Genomics research, which holds tremendous promise for cancer patients throughout Utah and across the nation.
"Andy loved June and wanted to do something to honor her," says Kalynn Larson, who served for many years as the couple's full-time caregiver and trustee of the estate. "We spent long hours talking about it. He wanted the money to go to fight cancer."
Since they were nearly always together, Andy and his caretaker developed a deep mutual fondness and a comfortable routine. But during the final week of August 2016, two events converged that would change their lives forever: Andy passed away, and Kalynn was diagnosed with cancer. Kalynn is currently undergoing treatment at Intermountain Dixie Regional Medical Center.
Kalynn says Andy's passing left a legacy that will benefit countless cancer patients — herself now included. "Andy's gift makes me feel like he's taking care of me, just like I took care of him," she says. "Now I have my memories of Andy, and his inspiration helps me through my own ordeal with cancer."
For more information on how to make a contribution to the fight against cancer, see DixieRegionalFoundation.org/give or call (435) 251-2480.
Intermountain Healthcare is a Utah-based, not-for-profit system of 22 hospitals, 180 clinics, a Medical Group with some 1,500 employed physicians, a health plans division called SelectHealth, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare through high quality and sustainable costs. For more information about Intermountain, visit intermountainhealthcare.org.
ASSE International Student Exchange Programs is seeking individuals to serve as Area Representatives in your local community. ASSE provides academic year and semester exchange programs in the United States for high school students from around the world. Students are 15 to 18 years of age, have passed a series of academic and character requirements and are awaiting an opportunity to embark on their American Adventure.
Area Representatives recruit and screen prospective host families, interview students to study abroad and supervise the exchange students in their community. Area representatives are compensated based on the number of students they are supervising. There is also a great bonus opportunity.
ASSE’s primary goal is to contribute to International understanding by enabling students to learn about other languages and cultures through active participation in family, school and community life. ASSE’s Area Representatives are the cornerstone of the organization, making all of this possible!
For more information about ASSE or becoming an Area Representative, please call our Western Regional Office at 1-800-733-2773 or email us at asseusawest@asse.com. Please check out our website at host.asse.com. We look forward to welcoming you to the ranks of Area Representatives nationwide – striving towards a world of understanding, one child at a time!
ASSE International is a nonprofit 501.c.3 educational and cultural exchange organization headquartered in Laguna Beach, California. ASSE promotes global learning and leadership by offering a unique, richly personal experience for students, volunteer families, host high schools and local communities. ASSE reaches across interpersonal and international borders, celebrating worldwide community through the spirit, character and promise of our youth.
Secretary Perdue Announces USDA Improvements for Customer Service & Efficiency
(Washington, D.C., September 8, 2017) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today called on Congress to address the way the U.S. Forest Service is funded so that the agency is not routinely borrowing money from prevention programs to combat ongoing wildfires. Perdue argued that taking funds from prevention efforts only leaves behind more fuel in the forests for future fires to burn, exacerbating the situation. Perdue made his remarks during a ceremonial swearing in of new Forest Service Chief Tony Tooke at the Department of Agriculture.
Currently, the fire suppression portion of the Forest Service budget is funded at a rolling ten-year average of appropriations, while the overall Forest Service budget has remained relatively flat. Because the fire seasons are longer and conditions are worse, the ten-year rolling fire suppression budget average keeps rising, chewing up a greater percentage of the total Forest Service budget each year. The agency has had to borrow from prevention programs to cover fire suppression costs. Perdue said he would prefer that Congress treat major fires the same as other disasters and be covered by emergency funds so that prevention programs are not raided.
Click here or on image to watch Secretary Sonny Perdue call on Congress to fix Forest Service funding problem to stop borrowing from fire prevention programs to fight ongoing wildfires.
Perdue’s verbatim comments are as follows:
“I’ve had serious concerns about an issue. And I want to be very clear about it. You can have the right leadership. You can have the right people. I believe we have the right leadership. I believe we have the right people. I believe that we have the right processes and the right procedures of attacking and fighting fires. But if you don’t have the resources and the means of dependable funding, that’s an issue.
“Every year, when we have to take, in the Forest Service, and hoard our appropriated dollars in order to have money to fight the fires, where we know they are going to be insufficient, that’s wrong. We need with all of our heart and strength and mind, Tony, to appeal to the appropriators in Congress, and the law writers, to fix the fire borrowing problem once and for all.
[Applause]
“As good as you are, and as well as you know the Forest Service, there’s no way you can manage the Forest Service, not knowing what you’re going to have to spend. That is not the way appropriations should work. I’ve communicated that to OMB, I’m communicating that to members of Congress, I’ve communicated that to the president. And by golly, we hope we’re going to get something done about it this year. I think the momentum is there, along with other disasters.
“I met yesterday with [Office of Management and Budget] Director Mulvaney. We described the need and the issue of a permanent fix and I think we’re along our way to get there. Tony’s going to have to meet with members of Congress and to persuade them that’s the ultimate solution so we can manage ahead of time.
“I’ve told people the analogy – it’s like eating your seed corn. You know, when you have to spend so much fighting fires, you can’t spend the money that’s appropriated to prevent forest fires. You know, Smokey wants us to prevent forest fires, don’t you, Smokey?
“You know the facts. Our budget has moved from 15 percent of fire suppression to over half – 55 percent-plus. It may be more than that this year, in having to fight fires. And there’s no way we can do the kind of forest management and the prescribed burning and harvesting and insect control, all those kinds of things that diminish fires.
“Fires will always be with us. But when we leave a fuel load out there because we have not been able to get to it because of a lack of funding, or dependable funding, we’re asking for trouble. We’re asking for disasters, year in and year out. And that’s what we hope to get fixed.
“I want you all to know that I’m fighting hard for that. Tony Tooke’s going to fight hard for that. This whole department at USDA is going to fight hard to communicate to Congress and the administration that we need a permanent fire funding and stop this fire borrowing once and for all. So, thank you all for understanding that and understanding where we need to devote our resources.”
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