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Show Page 12 The Ogden Valley news Volume XIX Issue XIX August 15, 2011 Ogden City Golden Hours Senior Center’s OVMS Offers After-School Enrichment Program Valley Montessori School is offerWednesdays - If you have a child who is Veterans Club Visits Fort Douglas Military Museum ing Ogden an exciting after-school Enrichment struggling in math or would enjoy working Members of the Ogden Golden Hours Senior Center Veterans Group recently traveled to the Fort Douglas Military Base in Salt Lake City to spend the day touring the Utah Military Museum. Participants were able to view the military history of Utah from Johnson’s Army to present day through beautiful displays and interesting stories from the seasoned tour guides. In addition to the materials inside the museum, our veterans were able to catch a close glimpse of various military armament and transportation items including a HUEY helicopter. Each Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. the Veterans Group meets at the Golden Hours Center to discuss many topics including local projects and public affairs that they are involved in. Currently the Veterans are playing an active and major role in the preservation of the World War I monument at the Ogden City Cemetery. The Soldier statue is the center piece of a fenced-in area that has been designated as a memorial to the Armed Forces. On each side of the street there is one tree planted for each of our local fallen soldiers from WWI with a plague beneath them in tribute of their service and sacrifice. The GHC Veteran’s group is working hard to help preserve what is there and to restore the area to its original splendor in an effort to help Ogden residents show their support for the Armed Forces. For more information regarding the Veterans Group, please contact the Golden Hours Center at 801-399-5230. What Does the Budget Deal Mean for Rural America? While President Barack Obama, Speaker of the House John Boehner, and other Congressional leaders worked to reach an eleventh hour compromise that would allow the national debt ceiling to increase in exchange for, potentially, as much as $2 trillion in long-term spending cuts, many in rural America continued to try to sort out what all the horse-trading will mean for their communities. “Rural development funding for small towns and small business will face growing pressure under the federal budget agreement, which will reduce annual appropriations for all programs by nearly $1 trillion over the next decade,” said Chuck Hassebrook, Executive Director of the Center for Rural Affairs. “But rural development funding has already been cut by more than one fourth, just since 2003.” According to Hassebrook, there is an alternative to reducing investments in the future of rural communities. “We should make the first cut by putting hard caps on subsidies to the nation’s largest farms—subsides they use to drive mid-size farms out of agriculture,” explained Hassebrook. “The current policy of unlimited mega farm subsidies is so misguided that smart reforms could both save money and strengthen rural America,” Hassebrook argued. “It seems like a no-brainer for both parties—cut counterproductive spending first.” A 2007 Center for Rural Affairs analysis demonstrated that USDA and Congress have severely over-subsidized the biggest and most powerful farmers while consistently under-investing in rural America’s future, spending twice as much on subsidizing the 20 largest farms in each of 13 leading farm states as it invested in rural development programs to create economic opportunity for millions of people in thousands of towns in the 20 rural counties with the most out-migration in each respective state. A full report - An Analysis of USDA Farm Program Payments and Rural Development Funding In Low Population Growth Rural Counties can be viewed or downloaded at <www.cfra.org/node/603)> Established in 1973, the Center for Rural Affairs is a private, non-profit organization working to strengthen small businesses, family farms and ranches, and rural communities through action-oriented programs addressing social, economic, and environmental issues. Should You Put Retirement on Hold? By Jason Alderman One indicator our economy is still hurting is that more and more people are postponing retirement. According to the Department of Labor, those over 55 and still working have increased steadily since the recession began— 28.9 million at last count—and some surveys show more than a third of employees expect to work past age 70 or never retire. Would-be retirees have faced a perfect storm of negative situations: • Having to tap retirement savings early to cover • • • bills or tide them through unemployment. Plunging home values diminished or erased the equity many had hoped to draw on in retirement. Unable to afford—or qualify for—health insurance they’ll need until Medicare kicks in. And many boomer parents have put their own savings on hold while helping their kids struggle through the recession. If you’re hoping to retire in the next few years, consider the following: How much will you need? Financial planners often suggest people may need 70 percent or more of pre-retirement income to maintain their current lifestyle, but it’s difficult to generalize. For example, some people downsize housing or retire to less expensive areas and thus need less. Others can expect increased medical, utility, and other bills to outpace earnings on their savings. Start estimating your retirement needs by using online calculators: • The Retirement Estimator at www.ssa.gov/ • estimator automatically enters your earnings information to estimate your projected Social Security benefits under different scenarios, such as age at retirement, future earnings projections, etc. You can also download a more detailed calculator to make more precise estimates. Check whether your 401(k) plan administrator’s website has a calculator to estimate how much you will accumulate under various contribution • and investment scenarios. If not, try the various retirement calculators at <www.bankrate.com> AARP offers a retirement calculator to help determine your current financial status and what you’ll need to save to meet your retirement needs. After you’ve explored various retirement scenarios, consider paying a financial planner to help work out an investment and savings game plan. If you don’t have a personal referral, good resources include www.cfp.net, www.napfa.org and <www.fpanet.org> Social Security Issues - To make ends meet, many people begin drawing reduced benefits from Social Security before reaching full retirement (65 for those born before 1938 and gradually increasing to 67 thereafter). This can have several financial consequences: • Your monthly benefit will be reduced by up to 30 • • Program from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays starting in September. Programs are designed for all elementary-aged students who may benefit, no matter where they attend school. All classes will be taught at the Ogden Montessori School in Eden, but you do not have to be a Montessori student to benefit from this Enrichment Program. Space will be limited for each session, so call now to reserve a slot for your child. The following programs are available to choose from—each lasting a number of weeks: Reading Horizons language program (Tuesdays), Hands-on Montessori Math (Wednesdays), and Creative Art (Thursdays). Call the instructors listed below directly for more details and to register. Tuesdays - If your child needs language support and enrichment, contact reading specialist Kathy Chandler at 801-745-6360 and let her tell you what she has to offer using an interactive phonics program called Reading Horizons that guarantees your child will make fast gains in reading-grade levels. The easyto-teach phonics instruction materials are research-based and constitute the perfect reading curriculum for beginning and struggling readers. Miss Kathy will take your child through guided reading activities on his or her reading level with comprehension support and reading strategy development, including fluency training. Your child will enjoy a variety of word study activities to systematically learn the many spelling patterns of our complex language. Results typically show one to three grade levels improvement with improvement in both reading and spelling. Soroptimist International Announces Summer Social On 16 August 2011, Soroptimist International of Ogden will hold their summer social and kick off meeting at Rovali’s Restaurant on 25th Street in Ogden. Dinner will begin at 6:30 p.m., followed by a short business meeting. Soroptimist International of Ogden is a service organization with a mission of “Improving the Lives of Women and Girls.” Fundraising events are held to support projects at YCC, Children’s Justice Center, Christmas Box House, St. Anne’s, Youth Impact, and other Ogden Community Service Centers. Fundraisers for the organization have allowed members to make contributions in support of the Rape Crisis Center and Domestic Violence Shelter at YCC in Ogden, the Christmas Box House, Children’s Justice Center, Youth Impact, St. Anne’s Homeless Shelter, and ARC. Through the years the organization has also supported international club members in the war-ravaged countries of WWII, and has helped provide instruments for the Music Department at the old State Industrial School in Ogden, bought play equipment for underprivileged children at the first minority center in Ogden, and provided donations to Weber State College’s library. The group has also been involved in projects for POW camps, USO, and the Red Cross Canteen. All women of Ogden Valley and the surrounding communities are invited to Ogden Soroptimist International meetings, which are held the third Tuesday of each month. If you are interested in learning more about this service organization, or for more information on attending the summer social, please call Susan Jensen at 801-668-1988. Back to School InformatIon percent. Conversely, if you postpone benefits until after reaching full retirement age, your benefit increases by 7 to 8 percent per year, up to age 70. Although many states don’t tax Social Security benefits, they are counted as taxable income by the federal government. So, depending on your overall income, you could owe federal tax on a portion of your benefit. IRS Publication 915 at www.irs.gov has full details. If you begin drawing Social Security while still working, your benefit could be significantly reduced depending on your income. Read “How Work Affects Your Benefits” at www.ssa. gov for details. (Rest assured, however: Those reductions aren’t truly lost since your benefit will be recalculated upward at full retirement age.) VallEy ElEMEnTary Back to School Night at Valley Elementary will be held Monday, August 22 from 5:00 to 7:30 p.m. Parent and students may attend any of the three classroon presentations which will be held at 5:00 p.m., 5:45 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.; First day of school for grades 1-6 is Tuesday, August 23. . Kindergarten begins on Tuesday, August 30. SnoWCrEST Jr. HigH Back to School Night at Snowcrest Jr. High will be held Friday, August 19. 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. – Seventh Grade Students and Parents ONLY 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. – Open to all junior high students and parents. One last suggestion: Once you’ve settled on what you think will be a sufficient retirement budget, try living on it for a few months first before retiring to make sure it actually works. Note: Jason Alderman directs Visa’s financial education programs. To follow Jason Alderman on Twitter visit <www.twitter.com/ PracticalMoney> with hands-on math materials, let Amanda Scheuermann share her Montessori expertise and equipment with them. In traditional education more children are introduced to math as an abstract, intellectual concept. The Montessori Method calls for a more sensorial approach that brings math alive and makes it understandable step by step. The multi-dimensional, well-designed program builds a strong base of math concepts, from the concrete to the abstract, through the use of Montessori materials. Children master math skills at their own pace and thoroughly enjoy the process, making their own discoveries along the way. They are taught in small groups or on an individual basis and can move ahead freely into more challenging concepts. If you want your child to love math through this program, call Amanda at 801-391-1656. Thursdays - Every child is creative and different in the way they interpret the world and express their creativity. Linda Knudtson’s goal is to inspire your child to develop their unique creativity. She is well known in the Valley for the quality of her teaching and the rapport she has with her students. They enjoy learning to use lines, shapes, colors, textures, forms, spaces, and different mediums to express themselves. Linda teaches such things as perspective drawing, cast shadows, the color wheel in exciting and meaningful ways. You will be amazed at what they learn and come home with. Help your child to see the world in their own unique way and grow in joy and confidence as they express themselves through the various mediums of art. You can call Linda Knudtson at 801-745-6662. “Feathers” $7 Each We are a sponsor of “Locks of Love” Back to School Time! Located in the Fresh Market Complex at 21st and Harrison Blvd. Haircuts $5-$13 * Women’s Color $40 * Women’s Perms $45 Men’s Color $30 * Highlights & Weaves $55 and up. (All Perms & Colors include cut, style, & condition) Experienced Stylists ~ Walk-ins Welcome! Military, Senior, Missionary/Clergy, and Family Discounts! Mon.- Sat. 9 AM-7 PM 801-334-0999 |