Terry Goddard Pays Tribute to Volunteers during National Volunteer Week

(Phoenix, Ariz. – April 25, 2006) Attorney General’s Office volunteers who work tirelessly to improve their communities will be honored during National Volunteer Week, April 23-29, by Attorney General Terry Goddard at a reception in Phoenix today.

“Our volunteers provide invaluable services to Arizona consumers by staffing satellite offices and helping residents complete civil rights and consumer fraud complaints,” Goddard said. “These volunteers make it possible for residents to access services without having to travel to Phoenix or Tucson.”

The National Volunteer Week theme, “Inspire by Example,” reflects the power volunteers have to inspire the people they help and to inspire others to serve.

Some of the volunteers across Arizona who have made outstanding contributions include:

  • Tempe: Paul Coble is one of three coordinators for the Attorney General’s Arizona State University Satellite Office. He is currently enrolled at the Sandra Day O’Connor School of Law. He serves on the pro bono board at the law school. Coble worked to create an online calendar for scheduling hours and has helped expand the satellite office hours from three days a week to seven days a week.
  • Flagstaff: Sue Huston has been a volunteer with the Flagstaff Satellite Office since June 2005. Huston, who is manager of the East Flagstaff Office of the Stockmen’s Bank, has consistently worked Monday nights at the satellite office. She has been in banking for 40 years and holds a bachelor’s degree in finance. She is also Vice President of the Board of the Sunnyside Neighborhood Association.
  • Lake Havasu City: Terrie Patton has been volunteering in the Lake Havasu City Satellite Office since 2004. She also volunteers at the Lake of the Lake Catholic Church in Lake Havasu City. Patton and her husband have four children and 11 grandchildren.
  • Prescott: Dawn Knight works in the Prescott Area Satellite Office. She has served the office and the public for more than five years in this capacity and helped move the office to its current location. She is very active in the Prescott area. Her sister, Gerry Emmett, is also a volunteer.
  • Sedona: Jan Haury works in the Sedona Satellite Office and coordinates the office's volunteers. She is a member of the Northern Arizona Interfaith Network and St. Andrews Episcopal Church,

where the satellite office is located. Jan and Northern Arizona Interfaith have been leaders in maintaining the Sedona office.

  • Tucson: Sandra McRae volunteers at the Satellite Office in Tucson, which shares space with the Pima Council on Aging. McRae has fielded many calls about lottery mail schemes, misrepresentation of products and services, investment scams, suspicious telephone solicitations and identity theft issues. In addition to staffing the satellite office, McRae gives presentations throughout Tucson on ID theft and other consumer issues.
  • Green Valley: Roberta Tucker is one of the original volunteers with the Green Valley Satellite Office, which opened in 2003. Tucker fields calls about such issues as telephone scams (the most frequent complaint) to problems with builders, movers, cleaning establishments and bad checks.
  • East Valley: Barbara Spence has been with the Community Services Program since its inception. Barbara serves as volunteer coordinator for the East Valley, taking on extra responsibilities such as scheduling, keeping track of supplies and making sure everything goes smoothly. She also organizes the monthly volunteer luncheon at Vito’s Italian Restaurant.
  • Mesa: John Guderian, a retired Treasury Agent with the Secret Service, has been a volunteer with the Community Services Program for about six months. Besides staffing the Mesa Satellite Office at the Mesa Downtown Senior Center, he helps out at events and often provides useful information about scams.
  • Sun City: Bob Mitchell and Del Zack are the heart and soul of the Sun City Satellite Office, often working together. They have been volunteering with the Community Services Program for so long that no one is sure when they started. For a time, they were the entire volunteer staff of the Sun City Satellite Office. They are always ready with a friendly smile to help folks in need of help.
  • Phoenix: Dianne Barker is a community activist with abundant energy and enthusiasm who volunteers at the Phoenix Satellite Office housed at the Phoenix Urban League. She also works at Sky Harbor Airport, driving shuttles, and sometimes comes into the satellite office following an all-night shift.
  • Phoenix: Lucas Lopez has been with the Community Services Program for about a year. He is now volunteering at his third location, the Sunnyslope Satellite Office. Lucas started at the Mesa Senior Center Downtown, then helped get the Phoenix Urban League location off the ground and recently moved to the Sunnyslope location.

Attorney General Office volunteers will be recognized at a reception being hosted by Goddard and his wife Monica. All of the volunteers being honored will be available for media interviews.