Desert Messenger

14 www.DesertMessenger.com February 20, 2019 • Birth • Obituary • Anniversary Place it FREE in the: Desert Messenger! 928-916-4235 Got something to share? by Joanne Winer The annual Party in the Park to celebrate Celia's Rainbow Gardens will be held at the pavilion in the Town Park on Sunday, March 17 starting at noon. The party will in- clude a free barbecue lunch with burgers, hot dogs, salads, dessert and drinks. Donations to help with the cost of the food are greatly ap- preciated--donation cans will be on the serving table. Entertainment this year will be Paul and his friends--Steve Hohstadt, Mitch Swatez, Gary Rein- vault, and Buddy Apfel. They will be playing some great boogie/woogie blues, with some folk, rock and jazz thrown in. Also playing at the party this year again is the Rock't Band led by Nick Waite and his friends including CeCe Waite, George and Barb Payne, and Rick. They play some great rock and roll!! Get your feet ready to dance and come out to the party and have some fun!! For more information, please call 928-927-6551. By Jackie Deal Her dark eyes sparkle, her smile is contagious and she glows when she talks about her plans for the future. Her parents were born in Mexico, they don't speak English. Jasmine was born here, and speaks English fl uently. Her family probably never even dreamed of the future she will have. And what is the future she's working towards? She's in her second year at Northern Arizona University. Four years to become a Registered Nurse and then she plans two more years to become a Nurse Practitioner. True, she's not your average stu- dent; she started college at age 16 and has a straight 4 point average (that's an A for us fossils.) Six years of college doesn't come cheap but she was one of the Quartzsite Schol- arship recipients. And that was just a drop in the bucket; she applied for and received generous grants from several sources; the largest tuition grant from NAU. There are grants and loans avail- able says Fran Ogden, former High School Counselor. "Don't let the total cost overwhelm you. There is money available. You don't have to be a 4 point student but you do need to keep your grades up and work to- ward a future goal." We're not just talking college or university. We're also talking trade schools; they can hold the key to your future. And the Quartzsite Scholarships are for trade schools as well as college. Kids (and parents too) take a look into the crystal ball: what does your future hold? Seriously, think about it. On one side you have welfare, sponging off Mom and Dad forever and the other side: going anywhere you want, being almost anything you're willing to work toward. You can't afford higher education? Listen up. Fran stresses there are scholarships and grants available, especially for minorities, but you've got to apply. APPLY. That's the key word. Jump through the hoops. Write that application letter. Write a re- sume. You don't know how? Your counselors, teachers, Fran; all these people know how and they'll help you. And follow through. If one source rejects you that doesn't mean you should quit. Apply again, and again. Get someone in your cor- ner: teacher, minister, counselor. And remember, when you go for that interview you have 15 seconds to make a fi rst impression! There is something called FAFSA, it practically does the work for you. Its Free Application for Federal Stu- dent Aid. Student and parents will be given a "pin number". This will identify you as you apply for grants and loans. Once all possible funds, loans, scholarships are calculated FAFSA will send you an EFC. That's an Estimated Family Contribution telling you what you are expected to contribute. Get to work: summer (here winter) work, after- school work and family contributions may be needed. The local scholarship is funded by the Roadrunners Gem and Mineral Club and the QIA. Information can be obtained from the Gem and Min- eral Club, the QIA or Fran Ogden can be reached at Holiday Palms RV Park. Local clubs, organizations and individuals are requested (begged!) to make donations to the scholarship fund. Many of us "oldsters" got where we are through scholarships funded by others. Let's "pay it forward." By Jackie Deal Alex "Muddy" Smith is a singer, songwriter, and guitar player from Reno/Tahoe, California area, cur- rently in Quartzsite, and he's scheduled some performances at Holiday Palms (might I add, he is very, very good!) Sat. Feb. 23 at Holiday Palms, 7 -9, a solo performance. $3.00 Wed. Feb. 27 at 10 am he'll be hold- ing a workshop for singers: tech- niques and ways to improve singing. Wed. March 6 at 10 am a workshop for solo guitar techniques. Workshops are $5. You can email him at alexmuddysmith@gmail. com for more information. THE GREATER QUARTZSITE UKULELE ORCHESTER Something new. Something dif- ferent! A group of ukulele players of all levels are getting together at Holiday Palms 10am every Tuesday for fun and instruction. They say it's a fun group (how could it not be with such a pretentious name!) and the cost is only $5. Call Alex Smith for more information. Annual Party in the Park March 17 Scholarship II Music in the desert at Holiday Palms Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ DesertMessengerNews Follow on Twitter @DesertMessenger @QuartzsiteRain

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