Arizona Republic from Phoenix, Arizona • Page 8

MONDAY, JULY 4, 201 1 B3 TOLLED SMITE Metro News, 602-444-NEWS (6397) metronewsarizonarepublic.com Non-profit Valle del Sol names new CEO THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC Sheppard, who joined agency in '99, aims to give the underserved 'a voice' Last summer, the agency joined representatives from the Anti-Defamation League and others in voicing support for the 14th Amendment and to about $13 million and staff of 155, the organization serves 12,000 clients a year, regardless of ethnicity. Sheppard said about 60 percent of the clients are low-income Hispanics. Services include lurt oppose legislation Sheppard certjf jcates t0 pard said. "It's about the people we serve, addressing the needs in the Latino community, and the community's issues." Lydia Lee, chairwoman of the board of directors, said that after years of working with and serving employees and constituents, Sheppard's expertise is Valle del Sol. "One of our important programs is leadership development," Lee said.

"It's important that we recognize the leadership and talent we have. We recognize their talent and reward them accordingly. It's a seamless transition when you do that." Sheppard, 51, grew up in a tough Baltimore neighborhood. Mentors, a military career and attaining a higher education helped him get to where he is today. He's married and has a daughter.

He retired from the Air Force in 1998. For peace and solitude, he hikes Lookout Mountain, located near his home in north-central Phoenix. "Very few of us are far away from needing help," Sheppard said. "Understanding that, knowing that gives me a passion for this work. It helps me stay grounded and humble." By Sadie Jo Smokey The Arizona Republic Kurt Sheppard, the new CEO of Valle del Sol, is no stranger to the behavioral-health agency.

He joined Valle del Sol in 1999 as director of quality management. Sheppard most recently served as the agency's chief operations officer. He is replacing Luz Sar-mina, who after 15 years as president and CEO will become president of strategic initiatives. Sheppard said Sarmina mentored him and helped prepare him for his new role. "What is unique in the non-profit sector is resources are scarce and many times people are given more opportunities to do different things," Sheppard said.

"I've worked in almost every department here." Founded in 1970, the behavioral-health agency is one of the largest Hispanic-based non-profits in the Valley. With a budget of A LOOK AT CITY'S PAST Man spends 2 years making a scale model of downtown Flagstaff in 1950s It" substance-abuse treatment, mental-health counseling, parenting classes and homeless prevention. "(Hispanics are) a very underserved community compared to the rest of the population," Sheppard said. "They need an advocate to provide a voice." Tin-- SU 1 ervation, even if only in miniature sometimes these buildings aren't protected, and they end up being torn down," he said. He unveiled the shelf model in early May, mostly just for friends and family to enjoy.

One wall has a section of track running past Beaver and San Francisco streets. "This part of the shelf layout captures a slice of Flagstaff," he said. "Imagine yourself standing at the passenger depot looking south across the tracks." All the buildings in the downtown layout are now serving other purposes than those in the 1950s. children of illegal immigrants. It was a role the agency was proud to take, Sheppard said.

After 25 years, Valle del Sol's leadership-development programs have more than 700 alumni. "It's not about us," Shep Model railroading is a hobby where rail transport systems are built at a reduced scale or gauge. Scandura said his preferred model gauge is one of the smallest, but the Santa Fe layout is in gauge, a larger but not very common size for train models. Parts and kits are less available, and buildings in layout often need to be built from scratch using doors and windows that can be ordered through the Internet. Scandura said he chose to work in that gauge because his eyes are not as good as they once were.

"This was an experiment into this scale size," he said. "With the bifocals and older eyes, I said, 'Let's try A layout is the exacting model of a railroad and the scenery through which it passes. Attention to detail is the name of the game for Scandura, who works as an electrical engineer designing cockpits for commercial airplanes. Looking through his records, Scandura said the whole project cost about $2,500. "As with any hobby, you can spend as much or as little as you want," he said.

Scandura, who was born in New Jersey and raised in Missouri, came to Arizona V'V -i Trii A railroad worker sweeps the platform at the train depot in Phil Scandura's scale model of downtown Flagstaff in the '50s. photos by josh biggsarizona daily sun sT By Betsey Bruner Arizona Daily Sun FLAGSTAFF It's a busy spring day in the mid-1950s near the train depot in downtown Flagstaff. A railroad worker sweeps the platform at the depot; a worker at the Northern Arizona Warehouse Co. loads boxes into a blue GMC pickup truck; nearby, a policeman in a black uniform walks his beat on Beaver Street; and two men in work aprons and suspenders chat, while a black poodle looks on at the Flagstaff Lumber Co. "It's Saturday chatting at the lumberyard," said Phil Scandura, who made all the structures in the small shelf layout in his of ice, depicting a slice of the Atchison Topeka Santa Fe railroad through Flagstaff circa 1950s.

"I've played with trains since I was very little, and I still play with them, and I'm proud of that." A shelf to the left holds a spur of track running out to what was then El Paso Fuels and Flagstaff Roofing Supply, both on Butler Avenue, which is historically correct but not geographically, as it was far from the downtown section depicted. "I just liked that area and wanted to capture it," he said. "I wanted some industry to bring railroad cars back and forth to. A shelf layout is often like a puzzle deciding how to move a railroad car from one place to another in the least amount of moves." Working from his own measurements, track maps and other historical information, Scandura, 50, labored for two years to bring this little world into reality. Scandura calls himself an "amateur historian and preservationist," with an interest in Flagstaff history and culture.

"It's about historic pres- Working from his own measurements, track maps and other historical information, Scandura, 50, labored for two years to bring this little world into reality. in 1984, after college. Scandura joined the In Phoenix, he worked in Flagstaff Model Railroad electrical engineering at Club and was an active Honeywell Aerospace. He member until 2010. also met his wife, Lori, now For now, Scandura is a retired schoolteacher, happy to have his model With their two sons, they hobby in his home office moved to Flagstaff in 2007.

and to be in a train town. irwlwiiilpf.IM-)l -f' 4-. C5Sv iivffl I'm mm til Big Earl's BBQ tUKlali Ulf Dig JCiOJt 1 Virgie Jernigan, 88, smokes on the designated smoking patio at Waymark Gardens in Glendale. Waymark Gardens, a senior public-housing complex, is phasing out smoking on the property, charlie leightthe republic iii1 i I -) 9 III -iu i June. The designated smoking area is in the center of the complex.

Residents were given one year's notice that the property will go smoke-free. Lisa Sunderlin, the property's administrator, said it costs up to $5,000 to renovate an apartment so that there is no trace of smoke left. Sometimes, the walls are yellowed and need to be stripped and repainted. The outdoor smoking area has become a social gathering place of sorts. But smoking in the heat is not ideal for the elderly, some residents said.

While residents say no ban will stop a longtime smoker from lighting a cigarette, it is a hassle to trek out to the designated smoking area. "When I was in the house, I'd smoke all the time because all I had to do was get out my cigarettes," said Es-tella Burks, 73, a Waymark Gardens resident. "We've been doing it all these years, you know? It's kind of hard." Likewise, Lamb's smoke-free campaign at Sunriy- slope Manor has not been popular among smokers. "When I want to (quit), that'd be nice," said resident Al Jackson. Smoke-free Continued from B1 he is worried about secondhand smoke and the possibility of fire.

He wants to see the property ban all smoking. "You can't even sit on the bench (outside) without someone sitting down next to you and blowing smoke in your face," Howarth said. "I don't see why we can't adopt a (smoke-free) policy here." Staff at properties that have gone smoke-free said the change has proven to be a smart business decision. It saves properties several thousand dollars a year in fees to clean units before turning them over to a new resident, they said. It also decreases the fire risk, especially in senior homes where residents might fall asleep or have a medical attack without extinguishing their cigarettes.

The reaction has been mixed, however, among residents at properties that have adopted smoke-free policies. Some moved out. Others finally kicked the habit. Waymark Gardens, a senior home in Glendale, went partially smoke-free in i "i I 'A11 mum PHnlinu And Prnmotlnndl veruon Hf yi uaih lil Jlil.LL. Sjfr 13udaeiie azjcentralcom a tszr i Wirt .1 ut mm online iiamx..