(Substance abuse) is an issue and we want to make sure our community is educated. I am helping, and doing something in their memory.

It was neat to hear the children express to us. As young as they are, they knew a lot already. It was amazing to me what they knew. It kept their attention the whole time and it was well received by the kids.

It's to get the education out there to dispel the myth that everybody is doing it. (Middle school-aged children) have the misconception that everybody in middle school drinks. It is not the social norm. That is what we're trying to get across to them.

We are opening it up to the community at large because child abuse has no ZIP code.

Pima Town Council identified substance abuse as a problem in its community and declared a war on drugs. We held meet-your-neighbor nights, educational nights, and we got the community informed and communicating about the issue.

The desert is an unpredictable place. One day you're sweating, the next you're freezing. One moment the air is damp and cloudy like when the tide is coming in, the next the entire world is orange and dusty. The desert must be a woman.