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(Tucson, Arizona) As teen pregnancy continues to drive up poverty rates in Arizona, 12 youth
advocates from Arizona Youth Partnership (AzYP) prepare to run 197.3 miles from Wickenburg,
AZ to Tempe, AZ to raise funds and awareness for their program. The Ragnar Relay, a series of
distance relay races that occur throughout the nation, comes to Arizona this weekend, Feb. 25-
26. AzYP¶s ³Hey Kids, Keep Your Pants On!´ relay team will be one of 350 teams to brave the
desolate course.

According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, Arizona has the 5th highest teen
birth rate in the nation. ³With few federal dollars to address this problem in rural, low-income
Arizona, we have had to find new and creative ways to ensure that the youth in Arizona¶s small
towns receive this critical prevention education,´ says Daniel Stoltzfus, Executive Director of
Arizona Youth Partnership. ³A 197.3 mile, 33 hour relay race is one way to demonstrate our
commitment to this program.´

A report by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy found that teen childbearing costs
Arizona taxpayers $252 million a year. According a recent analysis provided by Federally-
funded evaluation consultants, AzYPµs Teen Pregnancy Prevention programs potentially save
taxpayers $68,391 for every teen pregnancy prevented, while the program itself only costs
$95.71 per youth. The study cites costs to society in lost tax revenue, child welfare, and public
health care. ³Last school year, we educated 7,000 youth in 25 school districts across Arizona on
the realities of teen pregnancy,´ said Lori Malangone, Director of Youth Education for Arizona
Youth Partnership and captain of the relay team.

³Hey Kids, Keep Your Pants On!´ has become the mantra of the relay team because of the
AzYP¶s emphasis on setting boundaries around early sexual activity among youth. The 12
member team will begin the relay at 6:30 am on Friday, February 25 and leap-frog through the
central Arizona desert, across metro Phoenix and eventually end at Tempe Center for The Arts
sometime around 3:00 pm the following day. ³We¶re shooting for a 33 hour race,´ said Dave
Smith, a member of AzYP¶s Board of Directors who is also running the race. ³AzYP is an
amazing organization and I¶m honored to be a part of this massive undertaking to maintain our
prevention programs.´

To sustain prevention programs in the 13 communities where Teen Pregnancy Prevention

programs are operating, AzYP hopes to raise $20,000 in sponsorships for the relay team.
Donations can be made via the organization¶s website, azyp.org, or by calling 520-744-9595.

Arizona Youth Partnership (AzYP) based in Tucson, Arizona, works with youth and families
across the state to bring resources to under-served communities. Since 1990, Arizona Youth
Partnership has made great strides in reaching Arizona¶s children, youth and families in 29
communities in 9 counties. This past year, Arizona Youth Partnership served 22,783 youth and
families. For more information about Arizona Youth Partnership, call Joseph Howell,
520.744.9595, joseph@azyp.org.