A6June 30, 2011 Valley News

Student defies odds

Making good on education promise

“We’re asking for an extension to July 31,” Roncarati said. “We can do it sooner, when all of the issues are resolved. We want to make it as smooth a transition as possible, especially for all the employees. The worry is if some of the employees get missed or dropped.”

Roncarati did say that his company would make the moves necessary to take over service on July 12 if needed, by bringing equipment and personnel

over from Spokane to cover the service until all of the local employees and equipment are ready to work.

Hospital board member Randy Zolman said he would like to see everything finished by July 26, which would be the day after the next board meeting. QVMC administrator Mehdi Merred said he did not favor extending the deadline.

“I have some issues,” he said. “I question our ability to provide the service beyond the 11th. I don’t think we can. I’m not sure if we can have the personnel to run the service.”

He added that the hospital gave

notice to the state that it was going to give up the service on July 11 six months ago.

“What would happen if we gave a two-month notice or a one-week notice?” Merred said. “I think we gave plenty of notice to everyone.”

The hospital board agreed with Merred and decided not to extend the deadline.

During the discussions, Roncarati mentioned that AMR’s rates would be higher than those charged by QVMC for ambulance services. According to AMR’s rate sheet, there is a flat-fee charge of $1,381.72 for ambulance

service in Grant County. Then there is a mileage charge of $20.39 per mile. For the same Advanced Life Support service, the hospital charges $935 and $17.05 a mile.

In other business, the hospital board agreed to spend $20,000 to develop a weight-loss program at Sageview Clinic through the Center for Medical Weight Loss, which has programs with 400 hospitals in the country.

Dean Taplett, hospital controller, said the clinic would have to enroll just seven patients in the program to break even.

“If we add more than that, we

make money for the hospital,” Taplett said. “It’s something I would recom-mend.”

Dr. Jaime Dominguez, a board-certified internal medicine physician who is the director of the clinic, will supervise the program.

He told the board that it would be a good way to increase business for the clinic.

Mike Pirkey, of Wenatchee, was introduced as the new operations-improvement manager. Pirkey has worked in the field of quality improve-ment for a number of organizations including Simplot Foods in Quincy.

QVMC:Continued from front page

The Quincy Valley Post-Register

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noon. Don’t miss the Line Dancing

Grannies onstage from 11:15-11:40, followed by bluegrass band Convergence Zone from noon until 12:55 p.m.

Meanwhile, the children’s game booth opens at 11:15, along with the Stars, Bars and Classic Cars show, which runs until 3 p.m.

The grand opening of the George Fire Station, which will offer public tours, will start at 1 p.m.

The Wenatchee Youth Circus will be present to astound and amaze all audiences, with ad-mission starting at 1:30 p.m., followed by the performance set to take place from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Ballet Ixtlilton is onstage from 2:15 to 3 p.m., and again from 4:15 to 5 p.m. In between performances onstage, watch for open mic times.

Rounding out the onstage entertainment will be live bands Convergence Zone and Darnell Scott and Desert Blues heating up the evening from 6 p.m. until dusk on the main stage. Once it gets dark enough, enjoy the fireworks.

George:Continued from front page

By ChuCk Alleneditor@qvpr.com

Cristian Ramon was 7 when she left Mexico with her parents to come to Quincy.

She spoke no English and had a hard time fitting in during those first few years as an elementary school student.

“It was the worst experience that a 7-year-old could have,” Ramon said. “I remember during recess at Mountain View. I was so scared because I couldn’t understand what was happening at school that I would hide under the big tires on the playground.”

Soon Ramon received the help she needed and she was able to learn English and do well in her studies, something that her parents hoped would happen.

“They are migrant farm workers,” Ramon said. “They brought me here because they wanted me to have a good education. I often would work with my mother out in the orchards and fields and she would tell me, ‘If you don’t want to have to do this kind of work, then you have to get an education.’”

In 2009, Ramon became the first person in her immediate and extended family to earn a high school diploma. At the end of her senior year, she had a chance encounter with Mike Blakely, a retired Quincy High School teacher and a trustee on the Big Bend Community College’s board of directors.

“I was going to present my senior project to a room of judges and at the last minute they changed my room to the room that Mr. Blakely was judging in,” Ramon said.

Blakely was impressed with Ramon’s

presentation and how she and her partner, Lupe Cortez, did volunteer work at the Quincy Community Health Center teach-ing migrant workers good health habits. He learned that Ramon and Cortez re-ceived a national award for their work.

“This young lady presented her senior project in flawless English and extreme clarity,” Blakely said.

During her presentation, Blakely learned that Ramon had a goal of earning a college degree. When he asked her how she was planning to finance her education, Ramon said she didn’t know.

“At that point, I felt like almost giv-ing up,” Ramon said. “I didn’t have the money for college and didn’t know what I was going to do.”

Blakely told Ramon to see him after the presentations to see what he could do. He found her in tears.

“Between sobs, she said, ‘Mr. Blakely, you’re the only person who has offered to help me and I feel so blessed,’” Blakely said.

The next day, Blakely introduced her to Doug Sly, BBCC’s Foundation Direc-tor, to see about the possibility of her applying for a scholarship. It was late in the application process, but Sly gave her a form to fill out anyway. When Ramon returned the form, Sly was impressed with her writing ability.

“His statement was, ‘My Gosh, this kid can write. I’ve been a reporter half

my life and she can write better than I can,’” Blakely recalled.

Ramon received a $10,000 scholarship to help her earn her associate’s degree from BBCC. She graduated this spring. During the graduation ceremony, she missed out on making good on a pledge she made to Blakely two years earlier. So the next day, she called Blakely and asked him to meet her on campus.

When they met up, Ramon handed Blakely her diploma and asked him to present it to her, just like they had planned after she received her scholarship.

“I presented her diploma and gave her a big hug,” Blakely said.

Ramon has been accepted to the Uni-versity of Washington. She plans to study neuroscience.

“I want to do research on brain dis-eases like depression, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease,” Ramon said. “I want to help people like Mr. Blakely, who has Parkinson’s, and also people in the migrant community who don’t understand these kinds of diseases.”

Ramon has earned at least $7,000 in scholarships to help continue her educa-tion, which will not go far toward paying for all the costs. Still she is determined to achieve her goal.

“The odds have been against me,” Ramon said. “But so many people have helped to keep me going and now I know I can do it.”

Submitted photo

Cristian Ramon is presented her associate’s degree diploma by Mike Blakely, a Big Bend Community College trustee.

From Page A3

June 248:39 a.m. — Harassment was

reported on the 200 block of D Street SE.

6:38 p.m. — A domestic dis-turbance was reported on the 300 block of A Street NE.

9:49 p.m. — A domestic dis-turbance was reported on the 200 block of O Street SW.

June 2512:53 a.m. — Suspicious activ-

ity was reported on the 500 block of G Street NE.

10:25 a.m. — Elias Guzman Torres, 65, was cited for third-degree driving while license suspended.

9:37 p.m. — A gunshot vic-tim was reported at the C Street Park.

111:30 p.m. — Suspicious ac-tivity was reported at 2nd Avenue and B Street NE.

June 2612:12 p.m. — Theft was

reported on the 100 block of D Street NE.

12:15 p.m. — Harassment was reported on the 100 block of C Street NE.

4:55 p.m. — Damage was reported on the 200 block of J Street SE.

5:04 p.m. — Suspicious activ-

ity was reported at the city pool.6:22 p.m. — A burglary was

reported on the first block of J Street SW.

6:30 p.m. — Harassment was reported on the 200 block of G Street NE.

7:37 p.m. — Trespassing was reported on the 300 block of B Street NE.

June 274:43 a.m. — Damage was

reported on the 200 block of I Street SE.

6:56 a.m. — Damage was reported on the 500 block of Divi-sion Street.

7:31 a.m. — Damage was reported on the 300 block of A Street NE.

8:15 a.m. — Theft was reported in the Quincy City Park.

9:26 a.m. — Theft of gas was reported on the first block of Cen-tral Avenue N.

1:47 p.m. — Graffiti was re-ported on the 800 block of Central Avenue.

1:48 p.m. — Graffiti was reported on H Street and 3rd Avenue SW.

6:13 p.m. — People selling drugs were reported.

7:09 p.m. — A 16-year-old fe-male was arrested on a warrant.

10:37 p.m. — Shawna Marie Hernandez, 30, of George, was arrested on warrants.

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