There is a lot of variation in health outcomes when it comes to individual states in America. Some states, such as Hawaii, have the life expectancy equivalent to that of developed countries, whereas states like Mississippi have the life expectancy equivalent to that of third world countries. This raised the questions of which states are doing well in health and why, and if their health has to do with their performance in the primary, secondary, tertiary, and/or quaternary prevention levels. The purpose of this research was to investigate if there is a correlation between performance in any of the prevention levels and the overall health status of a state, and if there is, which prevention level would be most beneficial for states to prioritize. The hypothesis of this research was: states that prioritized primary and secondary levels of prevention would have better health than states that prioritized tertiary and quaternary levels of prevention, since basic health measures contribute more to health outcomes than advanced medicine. To investigate this question, indicators were chosen to derive the ranking of each state in health and each of the four prevention levels. Six states were then chosen to represent the high, average, and low health statuses respectively. The six states were ranked for all indicators, and the data was analyzed and compared to determine a potential relationship between the prevention level rankings and the overarching health ranking. It was found that there is a correlation between performance in the primary and secondary prevention levels and a state’s overall health status, whereas there was no such correlation for the tertiary and quaternary levels. A model for health was proposed for states looking to improve their health status, which was to invest in primary prevention, followed by secondary, tertiary, then quaternary prevention and only moving to the next prevention level once the previous level reached a satisfactory threshold.

Fundraising is a difficult yet critical function of nonprofit organizations. Special events make up a portion of fundraising strategy, and this project covers the basic components for throwing an inaugural event – one that the nonprofit organization has not done before but would like to continue to host regularly, typically annually – as it compares to my personal experience spearheading the Inaugural EmpoweRanch Roundup. When organizing any event, the first step is to define the purpose of the event by establishing a vision and goals. When establishing the purpose, consider what the funds from the event will directly pay for— the more specific you can get, the better. Donors want to see the impact they are making through their contributions, which will be clear if the purpose and projected profit allocation is communicated well. After establishing the time, date, and location, one should consider staff structure, volunteer management, organization, budgeting, print and digital marketing, social media marketing, risk management, site operations, food and beverage, accessibility, and sponsorships. Sponsorships become increasingly important depending on the budget for the event. After the execution of the event, it is important to evaluate and consider what improvements could be made if the event were to be reproduced. Evaluate if the event as a whole accomplished the purpose and goals established at the beginning of the process as well as how each component of the event and its production contributed to the purpose and goals.