MEL SHUTZ  

Mel moved to Arizona from Philadelphia, PA, following a career in the office furniture industry, in management, marketing, sales and design.  Upon retirement, he began a second career as a volunteer, working with more than a dozen organizations over the years, most of them caring for the needs of animals or children.  More recently, Mel has been a sponsor of horses and burros at Wildhorse, animals with other rescue groups, a young boy in the Philippines and even an Orangutan named Elo in Borneo.  For the last several years, Mel was both a facilitator and student with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Yavapai College in Prescott, exploring life, teaching and learning in this peer-directed program. He has written countless plays and short stories, and is also a watercolor artist.