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Dear John,
The holidays are a time of celebration for so many of us, but for a very special group of people, they are also a time of action. This is when the real helpers in our world ask themselves what they can be doing for others, often volunteering to help the needy, or collect gifts for kids who might not otherwise enjoy the season, and so on.
Dr. Carol Gandolfo is one of those helpers. When she moved to Sedona, Arizona, she set out right away using her training as a psychologist by volunteering to help firefighters who survived some of the worst wildfires in state history—because a number of their friends didn’t make it. She became a listening ear for her new community in order to make the best of a bad situation in her own life.
She had practiced psychology in her previous home state in California, but licensing officials in Arizona refused to recognize her license and more than 20 years of experience. More control over licenses meant more power for them, and less competition in their field.
Our friends at Goldwater Institute recognized this problem, not just for psychologists, but for licensed professions that touch every aspect of life in Arizona. They worked with Carol and policymakers to pass a law that recognized licenses professionals brought with them from other states, allowing them to use their talents to work and improve their communities.
The story should have ended there, but it didn’t. Even with the new law, those state officials who blocked the way for Carol still did not want to grant her a license.
That’s when the Goldwater Institute took up Carol as a client in their litigation programs, forcing the state board to back down and comply with the new law. Now, Dr. Carol Gandolfo can serve her community as a licensed Arizona psychologist, and 6,500 other licensed professionals in Arizona have now been able to use their credentials under the universal recognition law, too.
I love Carol’s story because I think people should be able to use their talents, and I don’t like it when the government—or anyone else—puts obstacles in their way. We think Goldwater Institute’s efforts can be an inspiration to people across the country and around the world, so our team has made a documentary about Carol’s story that you can find here:
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