By Carol La Valley

Photos courtesy of organizations

The ability to create an emotionally healthy environment is a gift that comprises the givers as well as the receivers. People who advocate for children, the homeless, and animals share a common caring heartbeat.

Consider that when a child enters the court system, it is often through the inappropriate actions of his or her parents. The child’s experience is stressful, frightening, and always heart wrenching. A court-appointed special advocate, or CASA, comes into a child’s life when a judge believes that abuse or neglect exists. Each CASA volunteer establishes a rapport with the assigned child, meets with the people in the child’s life—teachers, foster parents, grandparents, friends, counselors—and then reports their findings to the judge.

“Many judges have told me that they read the CASA report first,” says Justine Grabowsky, a program-development specialist with the Maricopa County CASA Program. “Because our program is made up of unpaid ‘fact finders,’ judges expect the CASA volunteer’s report to be an independent and objective assessment of the child’s situation.”

CASA volunteers receive polygraph and criminal background checks. They receive 32 hours of training before they make at least a one-year commitment to their assigned children. There is a steady need for CASAs throughout Arizona, especially bilingual ones. Being able to speak with the child and the family without an interpreter builds rapport faster. “Hispanic volunteers also provide Hispanic children with a level of understanding of their cultural traditions and a value of their heritage that non-Hispanic volunteers cannot,” Grabowsky says. In Maricopa County, fifteen Hispanic volunteers are serving seventy-three children.

Find out more about CASA at maricopacasa.org. (602) 506-4083 or volunteer@maricopacasa.org.

Shoebox Ministry has a goal: Collect 40,000 pairs of new socks by December 18 for distribution to the homeless through Valley shelters by Christmas.

Since 1988, Shoebox Ministries has given Valley homeless the means to wash, shave, and brush their teeth with boxes made for families and individuals. Shoebox presently receives requests for more than 1,000 boxes per month—up 200 from past months—but donations are down.

Program director Laura Borgeson would rather have a $20 donation than have someone spend that same amount for items at the dollar store—she can stretch the money further. “We have to use limited, valuable funding to purchase toiletries,” she says. “I can purchase deodorant in bulk for 30 cents each.” The current need for hotel toiletries is a different matter. They’re the perfect size for a box going to a single person, but travelers who drop the tiny soaps, shampoos, and lotions off report that hotels are not passing them out as freely as they did before the economy went south.

Borgeson encourages schools, churches, and businesses looking for a service project to participate by making up the hygiene kits that fit well in a shoebox. It’s a grassroots effort gone global. “I answered a request for an organization in South Africa asking how they could start a shoebox ministry in that country,” she says.

For a complete shoebox recipe and information, log onto shoeboxministry.org.

Food, collars, leashes, and litter for the family dog or cat cost money. With the recent spate of home foreclosures, forced pay cuts and layoffs, many pets suffer abandonment by their owners. The discovery by Realtors of the lonely, starving pets in foreclosed homes was the beginning of Lost Our Home.

“It takes about two months to place a pet with a good home, because shelters are full,” Jodi Polanski, president of Lost Our Home, says. “People don’t realize that it is a felony to abandon a pet if that pet becomes hurt.”

LOH fields calls by people trying to locate pet-friendly rentals, proactively adding a service to their Web site where Realtors and others can list this type of housing. The Realtors donate their time, and their commissions pay for the pet deposit.

The nonprofit also makes a difference with short-term gifts of food and nonemergency medical financial aid and offers foster care and adoption programs. LOH’s food bank sees an increase in need for food and litter during the holidays.

lostourhome.org

By Carol La Valley

Veterans are rebuilding their lives in the Valley through the United States Veterans Initiative (USVI). Camaraderie and similar goals are a part of what helps once-homeless veterans like Al, John, Corey, and George (pictured) move through homelessness to refreshing their work skills, obtaining a job, and becoming independent.

“You can’t be homeless very long without having your backpack stolen, and that often means losing your driver’s license and social security card,” says Donna Bleyle, site director. USVI staff helps veterans recover these documents and their service-discharge documents reissued. The staff acts as advocate for the veterans in overcoming legal barriers. The men and women in their care receive meals and transportation to job interviews.

USVI’s “proprietary resource builder” allows veterans to translate skills they learned in their military service to civilian occupations. As the veterans progress through the program, they attend life-skills classes.

Bleyle says the program’s success rate is 65 percent, or twice the national average for homeless programs in America. “Our goal is stabilization with a life plan,” she says. “Most people didn’t end up homeless because of an event. It was a progression of events.”

Russell Stotts is one such veteran. He had been living in USVI’s 70-bed dormitory facility in Phoenix for veterans who are willing and ready to rejoin the workforce. In August, he transitioned to USVI’s latest project—an apartment complex of seventeen studio units. The 62-year-old’s career was “field assembly and aircraft work.” He has applied for social security but believes he will need to work part-time to achieve independence.

“U.S. Vets helps me get my foot in the door for an interview so I can sell myself and my experience,” Stotts says. “Now, I am up at 5:30 in the morning, drinking coffee, talking with other vets and helping keep us all walking the high road.”

To learn more, visit usvetsinc.org or call (602) 305-8585.

By Kevin Madness

 
Deep within cities or in distant reaches of the wilderness, there is unvoiced agony from vulnerable individuals—children neglected, abused, and orphaned; and wild animals starving, displaced, and poached. Although their cries may be unheard, someone out there is listening.

For Those Without a Voice (FTWAV) is a Valley-based nonprofit organization that provides immediate assistance for children and wildlife in perilous situations. By fund-raising year-round, they are prepared to respond swiftly and effectively to end suffering. When the organization is alerted to children or animals in need, funds and strategies are provided to specified charities or programs, allowing those entities to take direct action and alleviate the problem.

FTWAV’s mission is unique in its dual focus on children and wildlife, but it makes sense when seen in the broader sense of helping those who are innocent and defenseless.

“We focus on animals and children because they do not always have a representative voice,” says Petrrice “T.C.” Schuttler, founder of FTWAV. “We wanted to give a proper voice to children and animals that are unable to speak of their difficult plights.”

Before founding FTWAV in 2003, Schuttler was involved in other causes like preserving elephant populations and fighting poaching and water relocation in Africa. However, she felt that her efforts lacked focus, and so decided to implement them where she lives. Though it has only a small staff of family and close friends, FTWAV is gaining a great deal of recognition and awareness.

“The word is quickly spreading about FTWAV through the Valley,” says Shari Miller, the foundation’s community relations specialist. “People call us all the time: it’s our friends, it’s our families, it’s everybody calling, saying, ‘Hey, I heard about this situation. Can you provide 25 meals for homeless children? They are living in the bottom of a river and they need help.’”

Animal advocacy is essential in central Arizona; the area boasts a unique mix of mountain lions, black bears, coyotes, javelinas, and bobcats that is not found in much of the country. Threatened by urban expansion and habitat loss, these animals need a little support from their two-legged neighbors just to subsist.

When a mother bear unexpectedly died a few years ago, her ten cubs were left alone and defenseless in the wild. Though the Southwest Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Foundation rescued the cubs, they were still left without a proper habitat. When notified of the orphaned cubs, FTWAV helped raise enough money to fund the construction of a large enclosure.

“We rely upon [FTWAV],” says Loriann Busse, education administrator for Southwest Wildlife. “They have been invaluable in getting the word out about who we are, what we do and, most importantly, helping us out with our fund-raising.”

The rehabilitation was a success. The cubs were integrated with nonreleasable female bears in order to be raised without human imprinting and were released last fall.

FTWAV’s outreach to children is equally touching. When a 9-year-old boy with brain cancer and a dream of meeting his favorite baseball team, the New York Yankees, was placed on a waiting list by a wish-granting foundation, FTWAV stepped in to make his wish come true. They flew him from California to Phoenix to see the Yankees play the Arizona Diamondbacks. The young fan was invited into the dugout where superstars like Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, and Jason Giambi spent time with him and showered him with autographs and memorabilia.

“The boy was bald from chemotherapy, and Joe Torre took off his own baseball cap and gave it to the young man to cover his head,” says Schuttler, who accompanied him. “The boy looked up to me and said, ‘I’m the luckiest boy in the whole world.’”

The network of organizations affiliated with FTWAV has gradually broadened over the years. Raising and allocating funds for specialized charities has expanded the organization’s reach and impact in the community and helped them serve their purpose of improving the health and welfare of endangered lives in Arizona.

While there will always be unprotected individuals downtrodden by the dominating forces of society, there is a great assurance in knowing that there are people out there working hard to give them voice.

Visit ftwav.org to learn more about For Those Without a Voice.

By Cassaundra Brooks

War has not breached American soil for quite some time. For those of us with no immediate family in combat zones overseas, it’s easy to shove the limited battles we currently fight on foreign land to the back burners of our minds. Little mention has been made in recent months about our troops who are on active duty, but as families gather around the dinner table this holiday season, the empty seat that dad, brother, sister, or friend typically occupies is painfully obvious. Thanks to Arizona’s own Packages from Home, there are a number of ways we can remind our troops that we miss them, whether we know them or not.

When Kathleen Lewis discovered in 2004 that her son Christian was the only soldier in his squad in Iraq receiving any packages from home, she and some friends decided to adopt the entire squad and began sending them care packages. Interest in her project increased exponentially after an interview with local AM radio talk show host Bruce Jacobs on KFYI 550, and by November of the same year, Packages from Home became a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

Packages from Home currently averages at least 1,500 parcels per month for deployed American troops at no cost to them. Roughly 100 drop-off locations have sprung up in twenty-two Valley cities. Their event calendar has filled up with fund-raising activities. Donation drives and packing parties have become increasingly popular.

Although boxes are addressed to individual American troops, Lewis says that our men and women always divvy up the contents of their care packages with the other soldiers in the squad who may not have received any. That way, no one is left out. The people of Afghanistan and Iraq also may get the idea that Americans are people who care about them; some of the mailed items are intended for citizens of those countries who are in hospitals, orphanages, burn units, and other dire situations.

With the economy on the fritz, some may wonder whether they can afford to become active. One of the best aspects of the organization is the diverse number of ways to get involved, regardless of financial situation. If you’ve got some extra “greenery” around the house, Packages from Home accepts monetary donations to pay postage. The Web site provides a long list of suggested donation items based on what actual troops say they need, and since items may be dropped off at any number of convenient locations, you may spend as much or as little on necessities as you wish. Perhaps you’d rather volunteer your time by helping to pack, raising funds through various events, collecting donations from your community, and donating your secretarial, administrative, and other professional skills. If your talents lean toward the creative, Packages from Home welcomes knitted and crocheted blankets, helmet liners, and various other cold-weather items. Perhaps personalized holiday reminders are your specialty. And there is always a need for general letters of support, encouragement, comfort, and appreciation. According to Lewis, “The guys absolutely adore anything the kids make. [Drawings] are the first things out of box and up hanging on the walls.” Photos are a big hit as well—even a simple picture of a tree.

This season, take a little time to remind our servicemen and women fighting around the world that they are in our thoughts. A short letter, a pair of socks, or even a can of tuna convey a thank-you. And what better time to start sending our thanks than this season of thanksgiving? As Lewis passionately states, “I can’t think of anything better to do with my time at this stage in my life than to give to those troops—to those men and women who are willing to give their lives for this country.”

For more information, including drop-off center locations, details on how to volunteer, a list of needed items, writing guidelines, and an event calendar, visit packagesfromhome.com or call (602) 253-0284. The packing center is located at 1201 S. 7th Avenue.

By Amy Vynalek
Photography by Jamie Peachey

Gary and Susan Atkins
Gary and Susan met more than seventeen years ago and have been married for eleven years. Ohio-born Gary has close to thirty years of worldwide experience in the financial service and asset management in the electronics industry. Susan moved from the Midwest to Phoenix at the age of ten. She worked in the semiconductor industry in The Netherlands and worldwide for most of her career, but now her most important jobs are wife and stay-at-home mother—they have two boys, who keep the family on the go. The Atkins’s community service work includes volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, Sun Angel Foundation, St. Mary’s Food Bank, Our Lady of Joy Church, Pope John XXIII School Development Board, the American Cancer Society, and the Scottsdale Healthcare Foundation.

Scott and Jackie Baumgarten
Jackie and Scott Baumgarten met at a bar in Tempe, quickly discovered that they both worked at the same company, and spent the next year in a forbidden office romance! They married in 2007. Scott grew up in California and now works in the commercial real estate industry as an office broker with Grubb & Ellis BRE, where he is a senior associate. Jackie is a Valley native and works in commercial real estate at CB Richard Ellis. When the Baumgartens aren’t busy with their community service work—which includes volunteering with the Ronald McDonald House, St. Vincent DePaul, Brokers for Kids, St. Luke Board of Visitor and the Thomas J Pappas School—they enjoy entertaining, traveling, attending concerts around the Valley, and spending time with their dog, Ivy.

Bryan and Meghan Gottfredson
Bryan and Meghan Gottfredson met in college at the University of Arizona and married in 2002. Bryan was born in New York but was raised in Tucson, where he became a true Wildcat when he attended law school at U of A. He is now an attorney at Galbut & Galbut, and currently serves in the Phoenix Men’s Arts Counsel, is on the University of Arizona Law College Class Alumni Committee, is a volunteer lawyer for the Democratic Clean Elections Program, and is a member of the Beta Theta Pi Board of Directors. Meghan was born and raised in California before attending U of A for her undergrad degree, and she returned to California for her master’s degree. She currently is a second-grade teacher. Meghan’s most recent community service activities include Junior League of Phoenix, Tucson Children’s Museum Board of Directors, and Habitat for Humanity. Together, Bryan and Meghan enjoy golfing, entertaining, watching Pac 10 sports, and visiting friends and family. They now call Phoenix home.

Patrick and Carrie Klein
Patrick and Carrie Klein met at the University of Arizona and are huge Wildcat fans. They have been married for ten years. Patrick, who is originally from San Diego, is now an attorney at Fennemore Craig and previously worked for the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. His community service work includes serving on the Board of Directors of the Arizona Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and volunteer work with Brophy College Prep. Carrie is currently a yoga instructor at Desert Song Yoga and Massage Center, where she also serves as marketing director. Community highlights include serving on the Board of Directors for the Phoenix Art Museum’s Women’s Metropolitan Arts Council, and volunteering with the North Central Parenting Group and the Arizona Children’s Advocacy Center. The Kleins are the proud parents of a 2-year-old son, Kellen, and enjoy spending time with family and friends and exploring all Arizona has to offer.

Nicole Gonzalez-Valentino and Ryan Patterson
Ryan Patterson and Nicole Gonzales-Valentino were engaged this last April and are busy planning their June 2009 wedding in Puerto Rico. Nicole was born in California and spent her youth living in Puerto Rico, Honduras, and other countries. She graduated from the University of Arizona Law School and is public affairs manager for the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce. Her community service work includes volunteer work with YMCA and the Red Cross, fund-raising for the U of A College of Law, the Hispanic National Bar Association mentoring program, and others. Ryan is a Valley native who also attended law school at the U of A. He now is an attorney with Quarles & Brady. Ryan’s community service highlights include fund-raising for the U of A College of Law, being a homeroom parent at an underprivileged elementary school, and volunteer work with the Boys & Girls Club and YMCA. Ryan and Nicole are excited about starting their lives together and planting their roots in Phoenix.

John Shaff and Charlotte Risch
John Shaff and Charlotte Risch met at an Arizona Cardinals football game and are currently planning their wedding in January of 2009. John is an Arizona native and a physician’s assistant at Arizona Hand and Wrist Specialists. John is a member of the Team in Training with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Foundation, and has volunteered time at Big Brothers Big Sisters and Habitat for Humanity. Charlotte hails from the Midwest. Following a career in TV and advertising, she started her own PR business, The Media Push, three years ago. Charlotte has been a Fiesta Bowl Media Relations Committee member since 1999, is a mentor for the Pat Tillman Scholar program, and provides numerous hours donating her talent in public relations to local charities. When they aren’t planning their wedding or working, they enjoy watching local sports, going out to eat, watching movies, and throwing pool parties at their Phoenix home.

Curt and Leslie Smith
Curt and Leslie are both Valley natives and were high school sweethearts at Brophy Prep and Xavier. Curt is a CPA, has his MBA, and has worked in commercial banking for more than thirteen years. He is senior vice president and Southwest Credit Executive at MidFirst Bank. Curt volunteers on the executive council for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Phoenix and as the board liaison to the Board of Directors. Leslie practiced law at Snell and Wilmer for ten years and is now working in government for Federal Judge James A. Teilborg. Leslie participates in the Volunteer Lawyers Program and contributes pro bono services to several charitable organizations. She is a member of the Junior League and spent two years on the Women Living Free Committee. They are proud parents of 4-year-old Carter and 1-year-old Madeleine. The family enjoys traveling and spending time with friends and family.

Cory and Christine Whalin
Cory Whalin and Christine Corey Whalin met on April Fools Day, and some say fate brought them together, given the name they have in common. They were married in 2006 and reside in Phoenix. Cory is from Texas. He joined the United States Marine Corps Reserves and served in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, and the Horn of Africa. After service, he followed his passion and opened Scottsdale’s First Winery, Su Vino Winery. His community service work includes helping the Epilepsy Foundation, the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, Boys and Girls Club of Greater Scottsdale, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and more. Christine is proud to call herself an Arizona native. She attended Northern Arizona University and is currently an attorney at the Maricopa County Public Defender’s Office. Christine supports the Ronald McDonald House and served as a Big Sister in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.

–GROUP PHOTO–
Top Row (left to right): John Shaff, Ryan Patterson, Curtiss Smith, Leslie
Smith, Bryan Gottfredson, Carrie Klein, Patrick Klein, Cory Whalin, Scott
Baumgarten
Seated (left to right): Charlotte Risch, Nicole Gonzalez-Valentino, Meghan
Gottfredson, Christine Whalin, Jackie Baumgarten
Not Pictured: Gary and Susan Atkins

By Cassaundra Brooks

AZ’s FINEST Couples is a program designed to shine the spotlight on the accomplishments of Arizona’s most influential trendsetters—those professionals whose impressive charitable contributions warrant special notice. Each couple is nominated by a member of its community and completes an application before undergoing an interview process in which the two individuals must show they “exemplify philanthropic qualities and overall have excelled in the community.”

This year’s nine winning couples have each agreed to raise more than $5,000 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation—last year’s honorees cumulatively raised just over $50,000 for the Foundation—and will be honored at a dinner on November 9 at Fleming’s Steakhouse and Wine Bar, sponsored in part by Fred Astaire Dance Studios. A Top Fund-raising Award and Top Couple Award will be presented at the dinner.

The nine couples are as follows:

1. Gary and Susan Atkins, Scottsdale
2. Bryan and Meghan Gottfredson, Phoenix
3. Patrick and Carrie Klein, Phoenix
4. Ryan Patterson and Nicole Gonzalez-Valentino, Phoenix
5. Ryan and Veronique Rayburn, Cave Creek
6. John Shaff and Charlotte Risch, Phoenix
7. Curtiss and Leslie Smith, Phoenix
8. Scott and Jackie Baumgarten, Phoenix
9. Christine and Cory Whalin, Phoenix

By Patti Jares

When Shannon Nelson heard her daughter begin to make plans for a Super Sweet 16 party, she decided to propose an idea of her own.

“Right now, MTV’s My Super Sweet 16 is all the buzz,” Nelson says. “It’s a competition on who can have the most outrageous sixteenth birthday party. I wondered how, as a parent raising a child in North Scottsdale, I could refocus her energy away from something so self-serving.”

It was the recent visit to an orphanage in Raymond, Haiti that brought about Shannon’s brainstorm: to challenge her daughter, Shaelyn Mercer, to build an orphanage in lieu of a Sweet 16 party, and aim for December 16, Shaelyn’s birthday, to be the completion date. When Nelson approached Shaelyn with the idea, the 15-year-old became excited after the initial shock wore off.

“I was kind of surprised my mom came up with an idea so big,” admits Shaelyn, “but when I realized we could do it, I was thrilled.”

The two have collaborated to establish S3 For a Purpose (S3 standing for the first letters of Super Sweet Sixteen), a nonprofit organization developed to raise money for the expansion of an existing orphanage in Haiti. The goal is to purchase seventeen acres surrounding the orphanage and build a house, a school large enough to contain 800 students, a community center, and a recreation area. On March 12, Nelson and the organization’s board of directors will accompany Shaelyn to Haiti to view the site for the new facility. While many of her friends are partying during spring break, Shaelyn will be meeting children who will benefit from her labor of love.

“Shaelyn has a gift of mercy,” Nelson says. “We have to give our kids tools that can make them a part of something larger than themselves. When I got her to think about this, there was no hesitation. It opened her eyes.”

Because of the generosity and activism of Shaelyn Mercer and Shannon Nelson, children who have had little sweetness in their lives will remember this more-than-super Sweet 16.

Anyone interested in donating to S3 for a purpose to help realize Shaelyn’s project can contact Shannon Nelson at (800) 430-6322, ext. 1616. For more information, view the organization’s Web site at futurewithpurpose.org.