Arizona Nursing Jobs See Significant Growth

Arizona nursing jobs once again outperformed every other industry in terms of employment last month.

During October, Arizona's unemployment rate dropped from 9.1 percent to 9 percent, which is on par with the national rate we saw that month. The state's rate has decreased for the last three months in a row.

Arizona employed a total of 2,420,200 workers during October, which is a slight drop from 2,420,800 workers during September, but a 1.9 percent increase from last year.

The education and health services industry saw the biggest employment growth over the month and year, which is great news for anyone considering the nursing jobs Arizona has to offer among their future career plans.

The industry employed a total of 365,300 workers during October, which is an addition of 2,300 workers over the month, and a 4.9 percent increase over the year.

Here's a look at how each industry fared over the month and year:

• Education and health services: +2,300
• Construction: +1,400
• Government +300
• Mining and logging: +200
• Manufacturing: +100
• Information: No change
• Financial activities: -500
• Other services: -500
• Trade, transportation, and utilities: -1,300
• Professional and business services: -1,300
• Leisure and hospitality: -1,300

Here's a look at how each industry fared over the year:

• Education and health services: +4.9 percent
• Leisure and hospitality: +4.2 percent
• Construction: +4.1 percent 
• Manufacturing: +3.3 percent
• Mining and logging: +2.8 percent
• Information: +2.5 percent
• Trade, transportation, and utilities: +1.4 percent
• Government: +1 percent
• Financial activities: +.2 percent
• Professional and business services: -.2 percent
• Other services: -3.6 percent

Occupational Therapy Jobs Arizona Benefit from Increasing Mental Health Budget

While those with occupational therapy jobs Arizona (http://rehabjob.abrazohealth.com) are seeing more job security as the state's mental health budget increases, those in other states aren't so lucky.

"State Mental Health Cuts: The Continuing Crisis," a new report from the National Alliance on Mental Illness, found that states have cut a total of $1.6 billion from mental health funding between 2009 and 2012.

However, Arizona is one of only 22 states that saw their mental health budgets grow over the last few years, while 28 states saw declining budgets. Arizona's budget increased by 5.6 percent to $520.5 million, with only 11 other states reporting larger increases.

The 10 states that saw the largest mental health care cuts between 2009 and 2012 are:

1. South Carolina - 39.3 percent
2. Alabama - 36 percent
3. Alaska - 32.6 percent
4. Illinois - 31.7 percent
5. Nevada - 28.1 percent
6. District of Columbia - 23.9 percent
7. California - 21.2 percent
8. Idaho - 17.9 percent
9. Kansas - 12.4 percent
10. Mississippi - 10.4 percent

"The mental health crisis is not just about state budget cuts," NAMI Executive Director Mike Fitzpatrick, said in a statement. "People with life-threatening mental illness are being abandoned. The more that mental health care is provided through Medicaid, the greater the risk exists that uninsured or underinsured individuals won't receive the help they need. It is important to meet the needs of Medicaid enrollees, but not at the expense of uninsured or underinsured individuals living with serious mental illness."

Sales Jobs in Phoenix with Top Insurance Company

Those looking for sales jobs in Phoenix may soon have the opportunity to work with an up-and-coming insurance company.

Esurance recently announced its plans to hire about 30 new sales agents, sales managers, and trainers in Phoenix. The company already held two on-site career fairs for these positions, but interested candidates can still apply online.

Esurance provides personal auto insurance direct to customers online and through sales agents. The company is dedicated to constantly improving the way people shop for, buy, and manage their auto insurance.

Average employees earn about $50,000 per year, including competitive base pay and the opportunity for incentive bonuses. Top performers can earn up to $75,000 per year. Employees are able to participate in paid training, an insurance licensing program, and ongoing training to help reach their sales goals. They also receive a 401(k), full benefits, and flexible scheduling options.

Candidates should have: at least one year of successful sales or customer service experience, experience using a phone in a sales center environment, and previous experience working in the insurance industry or a related industry.

Esurance is now the third-largest provider of auto insurance quotes online. The company currently employs about 1,7000 people in 14 different offices throughout the nation. Esurance is part of Allstate, the largest publicly-held personal insurance company in the U.S.

Technology Jobs Tempe Go Solar

Those looking for technology jobs Tempe may want to consider a position in the solar industry.

The "National Solar Jobs Census 2011: A Review of the U.S. Solar Workforce," a new report from The Solar foundation, found that solar industry hiring is on the rise as hundreds of thousands of Americans currently work in the industry.

The report ranked Arizona third in terms of solar industry employment, as the state currently has about 4,786 solar-related jobs. Only California and Colorado have more solar industry jobs than Arizona.

"Arizona continues its ascension as a national and global leader in the solar industry," Gov. Jan Brewer said in a statement. "Driven by its abundant sunshine, highly-trained workforce and renewable-energy tax credits, Arizona is the place to be when it comes to solar energy location and expansion. This report is further evidence that Arizona is on the right track when it comes to fostering job growth in the solar industry."

Since Arizona's Renewable Energy Tax Incentive Program became effective in 2010, nine renewable energy companies have located or expanded operations in the state, creating more than 2,100 jobs and injecting more than $1 billion into the local economy.

There are currently three large-scale renewable energy utility projects under construction in Arizona that will result in a thousands of new jobs and a total investment of more than $2.7 billion. Those projects include: Abengoa Solar, Inc.; Agua Caliente; and Mesquite Solar 1 LLC.

Nationwide, there are currently more than 17,198 solar employment sites that are responsible for 100,237 jobs throughout all 50 states. Over the next year, employers plan to increase hiring in the solar industry by 24 percent, creating 24,000 new jobs.

"The solar industry has grown into a major economic force with more than 100,000 employees in the United States," Andrea Luecke, executive director of The Solar Foundation, said. "We expect even greater growth in the foreseeable future. But policymakers, workforce training providers, and the industry must work together to continue creating good jobs for skilled workers."

Dallas Restaurant Jobs Could Benefit from New Campaign

A national organization is pushing the importance of the restaurant industry, a move that may create many Dallas restaurant jobs (Click here) and positions throughout the country.

The National Restaurant Association recently unveiled the America Works Here campaign in an effort to draw attention to the nation's restaurant industry, which is the second-largest private-sector employer and an important player when it comes to economic growth.

The campaign will highlight a number of important details about the restaurant industry, including everything from how to learn job skills appropriate for the industry, to how to own a restaurant, to the positive impact that restaurants can have in their communities.

"Everyone can agree that America's restaurants play an important role in people's lives, whether as a place to celebrate a special occasion, a spot to grab an early morning cup of coffee, or a place to meet with colleagues over a business lunch or dinner," the NRA notes.

"The 'America Works Here' slogan highlights not just the fact that nearly half of all Americans have worked in the industry, but that the nation's nearly 1 million restaurants are the place where business deals are made, where people can rise from the dishroom to the board room, and where organizations go for the philanthropic support that helps them do great work in local communities across the country," the association adds.

Here are some interesting facts about the restaurant industry:

• Restaurant sales have almost doubled over the last 11 years, reaching $604.2 billion during 2011, nearly 4 percent of the nation's GDP.     
• With 12.8 million employees, almost one in 10 Americans work in the restaurant industry.
• A number of proposed policies could add another 1.3 million jobs to the industry over the next 10 years. 
• Almost half of all adults have worked in the restaurant industry and more than one in four had their first job experience in the industry.
• 80 percent of restaurant owners say their first job was an entry-level position in the restaurant industry.
• 94 percent of restaurant employees think the industry is a good place for your first job and to learn basic working skills.
• 88 percent of employees think restaurants provide the opportunity to start at the bottom and work your way up to management.
• 81 percent of employees think people of all backgrounds and experience levels can open their own restaurant.
• 46 percent of employees would like to eventually own a restaurant.

Nursing Jobs in Arizona Help Support Local Economy

Those with nursing jobs in Arizona (http://azjobs.cancercenter.com) play a significant role in supporting the local economy.

After climbing for the previous two months, Arizona's unemployment rate dropped from 9.4 percent to 9.3 percent during August. Despite that decrease, however, the state's unemployment rate was still higher than the national average at the time of 9.1 percent.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Arizona employed a total of 2,408,400 workers during August, which is up from 2,393,000 workers during July and a 1.7 percent increase from last year.

The healthcare industry continues to be a strong point for the local and national economy. Arizona's education and health services industry employed 360,400 workers during August, and although that number is a slight decrease from the previous month, it's a 4.6 percent increase from last year.

The national healthcare industry added a total of 43,800 jobs between August and September, with every sector except nursing care facilities seeing an influx of workers.

Here's a look at how the sectors of the national healthcare industry fared during September:

• Ambulatory healthcare services - +26,000 jobs
• Offices of physicians - +12,200 jobs
• Outpatient care centers - +3,800 jobs
• Home healthcare services - +5,000 jobs
• Hospitals - +13,300 jobs
• Nursing and residential care facilities - +4,500 jobs
• Nursing care facilities - +/- 0 jobs

Phoenix Sales Jobs See Significant Yearly Growth

Phoenix sales jobs (Click here) and sales jobs throughout the nation saw little movement last month as sales remained virtually unchanged, but the industry continues to flourish when compared to last year.

According to a recent report from the National Retail Federation, retail industry sales increased by .1 percent during July and by 6 percent over the last year. This shows that consumers are still hesitant to spend money, but are becoming more confident over time.

"Consumer spending in August was tempered by a continued lack of confidence in the strength of our economy," Matthew Shay, president and CEO of NRF, said in a statement. "Having carried the brunt of the economic recovery so far, consumers may be waiting for good news in terms of employment and market stability, cautiously spending on things they need and thinking twice about things they want."

A separate report from the U.S. Department of Commerce found that total retail sales - including such items as gas, automobiles, and restaurants - increased by .1 percent in July and by 9 percent over the year.

The following types of stores saw sales growth over the month:

• Sporting goods, hobby, book, and music stores - +2.4 percent
• Electronic and appliance stores - +.5 percent
• Health and personal care stores - +.2 percent
• Building material and supplies stores - +.2 percent

"August retail sales mirror August employment figures – zero growth," said NRF Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz said. "Consumer spending has stalled, and it will be important for consumers to see positive changes in the economic outlook going into the fourth quarter. While we're not expecting a complete pull back in spending, the outlook remains modest in terms of growth."

IT Jobs Phoenix Recognized for Partnership with Panasonic

Those with IT jobs Phoenix (http://jobs.insight.com) were recently recognized for their partnership efforts.

Insight Enterprises, Inc. recently received two two Panasonic Reseller of the Year awards at the Panasonic Solutions' Partner Summit in Scottsdale. The company's operating division was honored with Partner of the Year and Top Partner for Toughbook Computers awards.

Panasonic evaluated companies on three major criteria, including revenue performance and growth, strength of partnership, and level of proactive business development.

"We are honored to be named as Panasonic's Partner of the Year and Top Partner, Toughbook Computers," Brian Davis, senior vice president of product marketing for Insight, said in a statement. "This recognition demonstrates Insight's technical capabilities for delivering a range of solutions that combine our partners' innovative technologies with technical skills and capabilities that support client needs across the IT environment - from the mobile solutions in the field to the cloud."

Insight is a leading technology provider of hardware, software, an service solutions to business and government clients. The company has operations in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia-Pacific.

Non Profit Jobs Continuing to Flourish

Many organizations are continuing to add non profit jobs (http://jobs.heart.org) as the rest of the nation strives to recover from the recession.

The most recent report from the Johns Hopkins Nonprofit Economic Data Project found that nonprofit organizations were able to hold their own throughout the economic recession and are continuing to flourish during the recovery.

Nonprofits saw employment growth of 1 percent between 2009 and 2010, pushing the sector's labor force up by 5 percent between 2007 and 2010, the years during which the recession was in full swing.

At the same time, for-profit employment dropped by 1.1 percent in 2008, by 6.2 percent in 2009 and by .9 percent in 2010 - resulting in a total decline of more than 8 percent between 2007 and 2010.

On the downside, the rate of nonprofit job growth has slowed in recent years, dropping from 2.6 percent in 2008 to 1.2 percent in 2009, and then to .8 percent in 2010.

The nonprofit employment growth and for-profit employment decline was consistent in almost all of the 45 states included in the report. Employment increased in five of the six nonprofit sectors, with ciic organizations seeing the only decline.

Some other key findings of the report include:

• Nonprofit organizations employ 10.5 million workers, which accounts for close to 10 percent of the nation's workforce.
• The nonprofit workforce is the third-largest in the nation, behind only manufacturing and retail trade.
• Nonprofit employment varies from state to state, ranging from 2.6 percent in Nevada to more than 18 percent in New York and Rhode Island.
• About 50 percent of nonprofit jobs are in healthcare, while 13 percent are in education, and 11 percent are in social services.

Hotel Corporate Jobs Phoenix Among High-Paying Hospitality Careers

The hotel corporate jobs Phoenix (Click here) has to offer are among the top-paying hospitality jobs available.

There are plenty of hospitality jobs that pay high salaries - some in the six-figure range - and offer great job security. These jobs include everything from hotel manager or chef to housekeeping manager or even professional wine taster.

In order to embark on any of these career paths, you should first have a good education, plenty of experience, and great leadership skills. Once you have those three qualifications, the possibilities are endless.

According to Monster, these are some of the best hospitality jobs you can get, based on median salary:

1. Casino property general manager - $218,300
2. Regional chef - $124,800
3. Hotel manager - $112,400
4. Regional restaurant manager - $95,800
5. Head of housekeeping - $77,000
6. Executive pastry chef - $60,200
7. Sommelier - $50,400

Sales Jobs Phoenix in Danger from Cisco Cuts

Some technical sales jobs Phoenix could be negatively affected as a prominent company braces for thousands of layoffs.

Several news sources are reporting that Cisco Systems Inc. is planning to layoff thousands of employees and move thousands of other positions in the coming months in an effort to cut $1 billion in costs.

The company plans to layoff about 6,500 employees, including 2,100 workers who volunteered for early retirement and a 15-percent reduction of executive-level employees.

"(These are) painful steps in the right direction," Shaw Wu of Sterne Agee told MarketWatch. "This should help lower overhead and allow the company to be more competitive in the marketplace."

Cisco also is planning to move another 5,000 jobs to Foxconn Technology Group, which recently bought the company's manufacturing facility in Mexico..

"(The sale is a pleasant surprise) I would add, because it's always tough to see people lose their jobs," Wu added. "At least now they will be at Foxconn. Cisco really shouldn't be in the business of manufacturing, as they are a designer and marketer of products."

Nursing Jobs Arizona Supported by New Collaborative Imaging Lab

A new collaborative imaging lab will not only advance the nursing jobs Arizona already has to offer, but will bring many new positions to the Valley.

Cardinal Health recently opened The Center for the Advancement of Molecular Imaging in Phoenix. The one-of-a-kind collaboration lab, which will bring about 20 new jobs to the area, is aimed at developing imaging technology to treat complex diseases.

In addition to making many nursing jobs in Arizona (Click here) easier, the lab will be hiring new employees to fill a number of high-tech positions. Current openings are for radio-chemists, engineers, scientists, product development managers, project managers, and quality regulatory personnel.

Employees at the lab will use state-of-the-art technology to help pharmaceutical companies and academic research institutions develop, test, and commercialize radiopharmaceuticals and Positron Emission Tomography imaging devices.

"The launch of The Center for the Advancement of Molecular Imaging is a strategic investment in the future of the molecular imaging and pharmaceutical industries," John Rademacher, president of Nuclear and Pharmacy Services for Cardinal Health, said in a statement.

"By helping pharmaceutical companies and academic research institutions accelerate innovation and reduce the time it takes to get new imaging agents to market, we can more accurately diagnose diseases earlier in their onset," he continued. "Ultimately, our goal is also to drive better patient outcomes by helping physicians track how well patients are responding to treatments."

The new center also will feature:

• Collaboration laboratory
• Fully functional, confidential, private guest laboratories
• State-of-the-art PET manufacturing facility
• Global PET Production Control Center

Dallas Hotel Jobs will Flourish as Industry Recovers

Now is a great time to find Dallas hotel jobs, as the industry continues to improve and reach for a full recovery.

The hotel industry throughout Texas experienced growth in all of the important indicators at the beginning of this year, according to the Texas Hotel Performance Report for Q1 2011 from the Governor's Office of Economic Development and Tourism.

In fact, the numbers are so impressive that experts think the local hotel industry will reach a full recovery by 2013. That means the industry will be in full swing in the coming years, both locally in Dallas and statewide.

The Dallas-Ft. Worth-Arlington area accounts for the majority (29.3 percent) of the state's hotel market share. The area saw its total hotel revenue increase by 19.3 percent to $520.7 million between Q1 2010 and Q1 2011.

Some other interesting facts about the Texas hotel industry during Q1 include:

• Room revenues increased by 15.5 percent to $1.778 billion.
• The majority of revenue gain is from consumers paying more for rooms.
• The number of nights sold grew by 10.8 percent.
• Occupancy rose by 7.2 percent, while the price of a room grew by 4.2 percent, and the revenue per available room increased by 11.6 percent.
• Room supply grew by 3.5 percent.
• Mid to upscale, limited service, and mini suites hotels accounted for the majority of room supply growth.
• About 40,535 hotel rooms closed in the last year, the highest level in the past seven years.

Houston Engineering Jobs for the Green-Minded

When you're in the midst of a employment search, since countless Americans currently are, there could possibly be a job suitable for you amidst the conservational collar industry, where you can find Houston engineering jobs, among other positions.

There has been a lots of focus around the green collar industry throughout the last few years, and that's not expected to switch any stage shortly, since additional ecologically aware jobs are being created and added local, state and federal support is being slated to becoming further environmentally favorable.

An eco-friendly vocation is basically any position that instantly contributes to minimizing our environmental foot print, whether it's by creating tech solutions or giving ideas. Although loads of environmentally friendly jobs demand out-of-door work, which isn't excessively unexpected because of the category of the job, there too are numerous indoors jobs that are also considered to be green.

Now is a good point in time to get hold of green occupations, as the financing for employment in the ecologically aware collar industry keeps wheeling in. Most outstandingly, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provided $750 million toward programs to prepare and set workers among emerging, vigorously-rising industries.

The conundrum for scores of employment seekers looking for a ecologically aware occupation seems to be that the idea of conservational occupations is even pretty unfamiliar, and although there are a variety of occupations that have been created specifically for being ecologically aware, a number of of them are so innovative that there isn't a heap of figures on them and their longevity is yet to be seen.

Nevertheless, there are several traditional positions that are now considered to be ecologically aware, all of which compensate advantageously and should develop in the future years, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Hence if you're interested in the conservational collar industry, although don't know where to start out, take a gaze at our listing of the top 5 traditional conservational careers:

1. Construction laborers
2. Farmer
3. Environmental scientists
4. Environmental engineers
5. Foresters and conservation scientists

Many of the occupations listed above have been around for a long time, but as the environmentally-friendly collar industry maintains to arise, so do the variety and mass of brand new positions that are alone aimed on going green.

A variety of these not-existing careers include: sun electricity installation workers who make and put in electric models that function off the sunshine; designers who plan and manufacture parts for wind turbines; start-ups who create and work for ecologically aware employers; recycling professionals who labor to further and enforce the interest of recyclable materials; and city planners who work to drop their metropolis's carbon footprint.

IT Jobs Phoenix with Insight Continue Growth

One company that supports many of the IT jobs Phoenix (Click here) has to offer is continuing to grow.

Insight Enterprises saw tremendous company-wide growth during Q1 2011. The company's net sales increased by 18 percent to $1.2 billion, while gross profits grew by 12 percent to $162.5 million, earnings increased by 32 percent to $22.9 million, and net earnings grew by 43 percent to $13.1 million.

Insight is a leading technology company that provides hardware, software, and service solutions to business and government clients throughout North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific. The company currently employs about 5,100 people worldwide, including many jobs in Tempe (Click here).

"Our financial results in the first quarter reflect solid sales execution and continued strength in demand for IT products globally," Ken Lamneck, president and CEO of Insight, said in a statement. "As we move through the balance of 2011, we will be highly focused on organic growth in our portfolio while continuing our disciplined cost management efforts."

In North America alone, Insight saw its gross profit increase by 11 percent between Q1 2010 and Q1 2011, reaching $109.5 million. Net sales throughout the country increased by 23 percent over the year to $847 million.

A 33 percent increase in software sales accounted for the majority of Insight's net sales growth, followed by a 22 percent increase in sales of services, and a 19 percent increase in hardware sales. Selling and administrative expenses increased by 9 percent to $7.7 million over the year.

Furniture Sales Jobs Florida Grow Alongside Retail Sales

The local retail industry, which supports many of the furniture sales jobs Florida (Click here) has to offer, is continuing to grow.

The March District Retail Survey from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta found that sales tax revenues throughout the sixth district increased by 6 percent over the year. Each state in the district - which includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee - saw sales increase over the year.

Florida saw the third-largest increase in sales revenues, growing by 5.9 percent over the year. This is great news for anyone seeking Tampa jobs FL or jobs Fort Lauderdale (http://broward.jobing.com) in the furniture industry or any other retail sector.

Louisiana saw the largest increase in sales revenues, at 15.1 percent, followed by Georgia at 8.1 percent, Tennessee at 4.1 percent, Alabama at 2.9 percent, and Mississippi by 2.2 percent.

Here's a look at how four important areas of the retail industry are stacking up:

• Employment - The majority of retailers in the sixth district said they had no trouble filling job openings during March, marking the sixth consecutive month that there was an overabundance of job seekers. Nationwide, employment in the retail industry increased by 17,700 workers.
• Sales and expectations - About 56 percent of retailers saw more sales than last year, while about 55 percent of retailers saw more traffic. A total of 72 percent of retailers expect that sales will continue growing during the next three months.
• Inventories - Most retailers in the sixth district saw inventories remain steady or slightly increase during March. Throughout the nation, retailers have seen a slowdown in inventory growth during the last year.
• Prices - The majority of retailers in the district saw their selling prices remain stagnant or slightly increase during March, with many reporting that input and labor prices have continued to climb.

San Diego Government Jobs, Others Criticized on Finances

Those with San Diego government jobs (http://sandiego.jobing.com/jobs/government) and other state positions are being criticized for their lack of financial responsibility.

The California State Controller's Office recently released several audits showing that there are a number of state agencies that failed to collect salary and travel advances from employees. That led Gov. Jerry Brown to order all state departments to recover taxpayer money and improve their internal accounting practices.

Current state law allows state agencies to advance an employee's salary when checks are delayed, an employee travels, a hardship request is made, a vendor requires immediate payment, or an employee quits and needs their final check.

One audit from 2009 found that most state agencies either took too long to collect salary advances or failed to collect them at all. In particular, 11 agencies failed to collect a total of $13.3 million in advances, including $500,000 that had been outstanding for three years.

However, Brown is now requiring all state agencies to clear salary and travel expense advances within 30 days, after which time the agency will be required to deduct the advance from the employee's next paycheck. In addition, agencies are being asked to improve their record keeping, oversight, training, and collection practices.

"It's shocking that the state has apparently failed to collect millions of dollars in salary and travel advances owed by state employees," Brown said in a statement. "This situation reinforces the worst stereotype of ineffective and inefficient government, and I have ordered state agencies to immediately investigate the backlog of uncollected debts and find every penny owed to taxpayers. State agencies must regain control of this program."

And the audits aren't over yet, as Controller John Chiang plans to continue examining the practices in place at many other state agencies. Those future audits could result in millions of other dollars that have yet to be collected.

"The state's poor debt collection and accounting practices are fleecing public coffers at a time when vital public programs are being decimated by unprecedented budget cuts," Chiang said. "I applaud Governor Brown's commitment to making every dollar count."

Nonprofit Fundraising Jobs See Donations Grow

Those with nonprofit fundraising jobs are starting to see an influx of donations. Visit http://jobs.heart.org to learn more.

A recent report from the Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund found that more people are donating money this year. Incoming donations to the organization increased by 25 percent between Q1 2010 and Q1 2011, marking the highest first quarter contribution level in the organization's history.

Fidelity is an independent public charity that helps donors support more than 140,000 nonprofit organizations with more than $11 billion in grants. The organization is the largest donor-advised charity and one of the largest public charities in the nation.
The report further found that:

• New charitable donations came in at $269 million during Q1 2011.
• Outgoing grants reached $293 million, an 8 percent increase from Q1 of last year.
• Incoming donations accounted for $1.6 billion during 2010, a 42 percent increase from 2009.
• 2011 marks the sixth year in a row that Fidelity has received more than $1 billion in donations.

"We are seeing a significant increase in donors leveraging a broader spectrum of their assets, such as restricted stock and privately held securities, for charitable purposes," Sarah Libbey, president of the Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund, said. "This reflects continued strength in the mergers and acquisitions market, and also is a sign of more strategic charitable planning on the part of donors and their advisors.

"This is an exciting trend, as these types of assets have powerful tax advantages and donating them to a donor-advised fund like the Gift Fund makes the process easy and typically more financially advantageous for the receiving charities," she added.

Volunteer Mesa Arizona Jobs Recognized Nationally

Those with volunteer Mesa Arizona jobs are being recognized for their hard work. Visit http://phoenix.jobing.com/tag/mesa to see current openings.

The City of Mesa was recently awarded $10,000 and featured in USA Weekend for its 2010 Make a Difference Day. The city is one of three - along with Trenton, Ohio, and Wheaton, Illinois - that were recognized  for their volunteer projects and events.

More than 325 volunteers participated in last year's Make a Difference Day, which focused on the Casa Mesa neighborhood as part of the Building Strong Neighborhoods Initiative, as well as other neighborhoods throughout the city.

"This is a tremendous honor for Mesa and a very fitting national recognition of our staff and, especially, our hundreds of volunteers who care so much about our city and work hard to make a difference," Mayor Scott Smith said in a statement.

Volunteers who participated in the event:

• Removed 39 tons of trash from alleyways.
• Picked up trash along roadways .
• Used 50 gallons of paint to remove graffiti.
• Cleaned playground equipment at a neighborhood park.
• Delivered fire safety awareness information to 800 homes.
• Painted 469 address numbers on curbs in an effort to decrease emergency response times.
• Registered 100 people to receive important financial information.

City officials selected Casa Mesa for the Building Strong Neighborhoods Initiative, which provides training, education, and resources to specific neighborhoods and works to inform residents about services and programs that can enhance their quality of life.

Mesa plans to grow its volunteer efforts even more by joining the Cities of Service coalition, a bipartisan group of mayors who work together over several years to expand community service and volunteer activities throughout the nation.

Top 10 Schools for Arizona Pharmacy Jobs

There are a number of great schools to consider if you're considering Arizona pharmacy jobs. Visit http://azjobs.cancercenter.com for more information.

Attending the right pharmacy school can help you prepare for one of the many pharmacy jobs available to students, including pharmacy aides, pharmacy technicians, and pharmacists. All of these employees play an important role in helping people get their prescription drugs.

The majority of pharmacy employees, about 65 percent, work in a retail setting. Some other employees work for hospitals, mail order and Internet pharmacies, pharmaceutical wholesalers, physicians' offices, and the federal government.

According to Education-Portal.com, the University of Arizona is one of the top 10 schools in the nation for pharmacy majors. The university offers a variety of great pharmacy programs that prepare students for their future careers.

The top 10 pharmacy schools, as well as the pharmacy programs they offer, include:

• Ohio State University - Bachelor of Science in the Pharmaceutical Sciences; Doctor of Pharmacy; Ph.D. in Pharmacology; Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry; Ph.D. in Pharmaceuticals; Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Administration; PhD in Translational Science; MS in Health-System Pharmacy Administration.
• Purdue University - Pre-Pharmacy; BS in Pharmaceutical Sciences; Doctor of Pharmacy; Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology. ; Ph.D. and MS in Industrial and Physical Pharmacy or Pharmacy Practice.
• University of Michigan-Ann Arbor - BS in Pharmaceutical Sciences; Doctor of Pharmacy; Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry; Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences; Ph.D. in Social and Administrative Sciences; and Master of Engineering in Pharmaceutical Engineering.
• University of Arizona - Pre-Pharmacy; Doctor of Pharmacy; and Ph.D. and MS in Drug Discovery and Development; Pharmaceuticals and Pharmacokinetics; Pharmacology and Toxicology; Pharmaceutical economics, Policy, and Outcome; and Clinical Research.
• University of Southern California - Pre-Pharmacy program; Pharmacy Explorers Program; Doctor of Pharmacy; Ph.D. in Clinical and Experimental Therapeutics; Ph.D. or MS in Molecular Pharmacology and Toxicology, Pharmaceutical Sciences, or Pharmaceutical Economics and Policy; and Certificate, Doctor, or MS in Regulatory Science.
• University of Iowa - Doctor of pharmacy; Ph.D. in Clinical Pharmaceutical Sciences; Ph.D. in Medicinal and Natural Products Chemistry; Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Socioeconomics; Ph.D. in Pharmaceutics.
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - Doctor of Pharmacy; Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences; Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry and Natural Products; Ph.D. in Molecular Pharmaceutics; Ph.D. in Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics; Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy; and MS in Health System Pharmacy.
• University of Kentucky - Pre-Pharmacy; Doctor of Pharmacy; Ph.D. and MS in Traditional Pharmaceutical Sciences, Clinical and Experimental Therapeutics, or Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy.
• University of Illinois-Chicago - Doctor of Pharmacy; Ph.D. in Biopharmaceutical sciences; Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry; Ph.D. in Pharmacognosy; Ph.D. in Pharmacy Administration; and MS in Forensic Science.
• University of California-San Francisco - Doctor of Pharmacy; Ph.D. in Biological and Medical Informatics; Ph.D. in Biophysics; Ph.D. in Chemistry and Chemical Biology; and Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacogeconomics.