Frontdoors - July 2017 by Frontdoors Media

JULY 2017 VOLUME 15, ISSUE 7

How 100 Years of Saint Maryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Catholic High School Helped Form Phoenix JULY 2017

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PUBLISHER Andrea Tyler Evans EDITOR Mike Saucier CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Tom Evans SOCIETY AND FASHION WRITER Tyler Butler CONTRIBUTING WRITER Jamie Killin CREATIVE DIRECTOR Cheyenne Brumlow ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Lynne Wellish CMP

On the Cover PHOTOGRAPHY Saint Marys Catholic High School

BEAUTY PARTNER - MAKE-UP The Sparkle Bar BEAUTY PARTNER - HAIR STYLING Julia Mendez

Thurlkill Studios MAKE-UP Gabriella Espinoza â&#x20AC;&#x201D; The Sparkle Bar

GENERAL INFORMATION & PRESS RELEASES info@frontdoorsmedia.com 3104 E. Camelback Road #967 | Phoenix, AZ 85016 480-622-4522 | frontdoorsmedia.com

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TABLE OF CONTENTS {july 2017, volume 15, issue 7}

42 EDITOR’S NOTE......................... 05 Mike the Sauce NEXT DOORS............................. 06 The Restaurant Boom is Real COVER STORY........................... 08 Saint Mary’s Catholic High School KITCHEN DOORS....................... 18 Where We Ate This Month OFFICE DOORS.......................... 20 Melissa Trujillo of Be A Leader Foundation

GIVING IN STYLE....................... 22 Fashion in the Philanthropy Lane HEAR HERE................................ 26 News, Updates & Events GIVING BACK. . ........................... 30 Desert Voices, Educare Arizona, and Read Better Be Better BOOKMARKED........................... 34 Who’s Reading What this Month A SECOND ACT.......................... 38 with Judy Pearson OPEN DOORS.. ........................... 40 It’s July: Keep Calm and Beach On 4 | FRONTDOORSMEDIA.COM

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EDITOR’S NOTE {on the job}

influence the socioeconomic outcomes of the children it serves. It can infuse a sense of pride. Saint Mary’s does all of that. In seeking a deeper understanding of the meaning and purpose of education, Saint Mary’s is rooted in the ancient tradition Not many institutions in Arizona can claim of western civilization, an approach that a century of existence. This central Phoenix is ordered toward happiness. In other school, the oldest Catholic high school in words, Saint Mary’s isn’t some automaton Arizona, has served a diverse population of a school churning out students who of students since its founding by the only understand competition and getting Sisters of the Precious Blood in 1917. Since ahead. The students also understand that then, over 10,000 young men and women “man was not created just for career and have passed through its hallways and college; he was created for happiness,” as classrooms en route to a strong Catholic the school’s magazine states. They teach liberal arts education. students how to fulfill their purpose, how to find happiness. Education is an enterprise that touches everyone’s lives in the community. Because The high school or college experience of the thousands of young people it has is something that we tend to see fully in shaped since 1917, Saint Mary’s is a living retrospect. We don’t realize until far later monument to the history of Phoenix. The that it was such a pivotal moment in our students it has turned out over the past lives. That is almost certainly true for the century walk a little taller because they’ve thousands of students who got their start passed through its doors. in life in the classrooms of Saint Mary’s. In October, Saint Mary’s Catholic High School will commemorate 100 years of education in Arizona. Its proud past will meet its present during a much-anticipated centennial gala at the Sheraton Grand Phoenix.

With generations of family members to count as alumni, Saint Mary’s is an iconic symbol of Phoenix. It also helps that it has a storied past in athletics, turning out greats like Andre Ethier and Channing Frye, to name only a couple. The memories made there bind uncles, aunts, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers and neighbors – forging an immutable community memory and marking its permanent place in the life and lore of Phoenix.

Mike Saucier Mike Saucier EDITOR

@mikethesauce

A school can meld a population. It can be a catalytic institution that can positively

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NEXT DOORS {ahead of the curve}

THE RESTAURANT BOOM

IS REAL.

AND PROBABLY NOT SUSTAINABLE. BUT STILL GOOD.

Tom Evans | CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

I’ve lived in the Valley since 1994, so I’ve seen it grow quite a bit. I remember really feeling like the city was hitting its stride in the late 1990s. Long-planned freeways were getting done, we had new sports teams, great new development projects were popping up. Things were getting … better. Our quality of life was improving and Phoenix was getting closer to that elusive “real city” status. The economic downturn had an interesting effect on all that. Gone was the era of multiple cranes in the downtown skyline. In came a renaissance of local business and with it the most noteworthy change: a shift in our culinary scene. As has been detailed ad nauseum, the past few years have seen an explosion

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in (mostly) locally owned restaurants throughout the Valley. A few pockets have really killed it — downtown Gilbert, North Central Phoenix (I live there so I’m allowed to capitalize it) and Old Town Scottsdale. But now the boomerang is coming back, and we’re starting to see some of the new local establishments struggle a bit — and longstanding restaurants battle fierce competition. So I asked the guy who’s arguably the dean of the local restaurant scene for his thoughts. Here’s what Chris Bianco, the James Beard-award winning chef who one magazine once credited with “perfecting bread,” had to say about where we are as a food town and why this isn’t just a phase.

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IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT RESTAURANTS

ONCE A FOOD TOWN, ALWAYS A FOOD TOWN

Bianco is famous for being a local pioneer in incorporating a “farm to table” approach to cooking, getting the freshest local ingredients sourced from Arizona farms. These sources, Bianco said, are more plentiful than ever before, and he enjoys rattling off his favorites in front of customers.

Success breeds success, and as Phoenix’s reputation as a culinary destination improves, it will help attract great chefs to our community. Acclaimed chef Scott Conant of Mora Italian is a great example — he could have located anywhere in the country, but picked Phoenix. The resorts help too, by providing more opportunities for signature, upscale dining experiences that need to be a little bit different to survive and thrive.

But in order for the boom to really be sustainable, Bianco said, we have to have more than just new restaurants. We have to embrace what it means to have a true urban core. “The boom has many positive aspects,” he said. “But the city planners should be aligned on sufficient parking, transportation, and housing not only for the future customer base but affordable housing options to form a supportive workforce and a diversity of services for residents.”

“As with most things, it can be great if as a community we are thorough, diligent and examine what a particular neighborhood or project needs instead of relying only on what we want to give it,” Bianco said.

There’s bound to be some attrition in the face of intense competition and some potential overbuilding of new restaurants.

So yeah, the stats show that most new restaurants don’t make it past the first few years. And tough competition means that even some excellent restaurants won’t survive. But the impact of this current boom will last for decades to come, and has already had the effect of providing Valley residents with better dining options than they’ve ever had before.

“Unfortunately, most booms provide an outof-balance shift to the hospitality side with many restaurant spaces to fill sometimes leading to a less-than-stellar operation filling a space trying to ride a wave of a perceived boom,” Bianco said.

And dining is like the arts (which I wrote about last month), or great parks and public spaces, or good schools, or anything else that enriches our communities — it makes our quality of life even better. So raise a fork and raise a glass, and support your local chefs.

THE EAGLE HAS ALREADY LANDED

But even if that’s the case over the next few years — or another turn in the economy changes the landscape — Phoenix isn’t going back to being a chain-driven culinary environment. There are too many great places open now, with more to come, and local diners now have an expectation of excellence.

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Tom Evans CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

@tevans927

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Saint Mary’s Catholic High School 1917

Saint Mary’sCatholic High School 1920 Student Body

Photo credit: Thurlkill Studios

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COVER STORY {by mike saucier}

How 100 Years of Saint Mary’s Catholic High School Helped Form Phoenix Any Phoenix institution that hits the century mark occupies rare air. So it’s a significant feat of perseverance that the first and oldest Catholic school in the state, Saint Mary’s Catholic High School in Phoenix, founded just five years after Arizona achieved statehood, is celebrating its 100th year. That is some staying power. Because of its presence over such a long period, it has formed and nourished iron-strong JULY 2017

community ties — both the ties the students have with one another and those they forge with the school and the place they live. The Rideau family of Phoenix has had 53 of its members graduate from Saint Mary’s since 1946, according to the school’s principal, Suzanne Fessler. A fourth generation currently attends the school. The same is true for several other Saint Mary’s families.

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Saint Mary’s is one of the bedrock institutions of Phoenix. There really are not many things in the Valley that are 100 years old. It’s a very rich tradition and a large family. It has always been a great source of joy for me to be able to be a part of it. REV. ROBERT BOLDING

“It’s a great joy to see the children of former students, of mine in some cases, carrying on their family legacy and the Saint Mary’s family legacy in their own right,” Fessler said. These are the kinds of ties that bind generations of families to a school, to a faith, to a community. These same ties grow in strength and in length over the course of 100 years, making Saint Mary’s one of the true Phoenix pillars, the trunk of a century-old tree that has grown thousands of branches now stretching through the urban desert oasis. The words of its motto are etched on the original entryway to Saint Mary’s and were as true to its mission in 1917 as they are in 2017: Pro Deo, Domo, et Patria — For God, Home, and Country. “I consider it a great blessing to be a part of this family,” said Rev. Robert Bolding, the president-rector at Saint Mary’s. “Saint

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Mary’s is one of the bedrock institutions of Phoenix. There really are not many things in the Valley that are 100 years old. It’s a very rich tradition and a large family. It has always been a great source of joy for me to be able to be a part of it.” A hundred years of existence doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Part of Saint Mary’s fiber is the pride it takes in keeping alumni connected to the school. On campus and among former students, the saying goes: “Once a Knight, Always a Knight.” Graduates become part of a family — a giant one, with a century of Knights in Phoenix and scattered around the world. Herb Bool, Class of 1950, was once a Knight and still is. In fact, the Saint Mary’s gymnasium is named for him. Bool, who still lives in Phoenix, embodies both the Saint Mary’s mission and its “Always a Knight” spirit and has lived out each word of its motto.

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Betty and Herb Bool Photo Credit: Thurlkill Studios

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COVER STORY CONTINUED

Left: Herb Bool High School Basketball Photo, Middle: Betty and Herb now. Right: Herb Pool Graduation Photo

Pro deo: Bool and his wife Betty still go to church — not just on Sunday, but every day. Pro domo: Herb and Betty have made a family since settling in Phoenix in the 1950s, with four children and seven grandchildren. Pro patria: Bool served as a pilot in the Air Force and has served Saint Mary’s in several capacities since he left. Bool’s path to service is like that of generations of Saint Mary’s alumni who have served or are serving their city, state, or country as politicians, judges, police officers, firefighters, and servicemen and women. “Our graduates work pro patria (for country),” Fessler said. Bool, who turns 85 this month, has been “always a Knight” in a most significant way. He and fellow businessman Jim Meenaghan founded the “Sponsor-aStudent” program in 1996. It has since helped hundreds of students be able to attend Saint Mary’s whose families, in most cases, would not have been able to afford a private Catholic education for their children. JULY 2017

Bool recently reminisced about his days at Saint Mary’s. He recalled that the priests who ran the school at the time were “strict but pretty fair.” But his favorite memories were made on the football field, where Bool, as quarterback, led the Knights to a state championship and two city championships. He went on to play quarterback for Cornell University (he drove there in a 1937 Ford), where he also excelled at lacrosse and swimming. One of his classmates at Cornell, Peter Eisenman, would go on to design University of Phoenix Stadium. Bool would later attend the opening of the stadium as a guest of Eisenman and the Bidwill family. Bool moved to Phoenix from Dayton, Ohio, as a boy because his father has tuberculosis and was told by a doctor he was going to die very soon but could extend his life by six months if he moved to Arizona. Six months turned into 40 years and his father started a cactus business on Camelback Road, a dirt thoroughfare at the time. “He did pretty well having come here to die,” Bool said.

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Saint Mary’s Catholic High School 2017

Those were the days when Phoenicians would beat the heat by sleeping on the screen porch under sheets that had been soaked in cold water, Bool said. Fast forward to today. Herb and Betty Bool have contributed over $1 million over the years to ease Saint Mary’s tuition burdens for families. “Most of Saint Mary’s kids need help,” said Betty Bool. She said they try to give enough of a “push for them to be able to go to a Catholic school.” The Bools enjoy taking the students they help to lunch at Alexi’s Grill on Central Ave. “These kids are so nice,” Betty Bool said. “Almost all of them go to college after Saint Mary’s. It just amazes me how much they appreciate being there.” The Bools have dozens of thank you notes from students over the years who express their gratitude to the them for helping with tuition. 14 | FRONTDOORSMEDIA.COM

“I feel that the Catholic environment and teachings have made me a better person as a whole,” wrote a sophomore in 2015. “I do not think that attending this school would be possible without you.” The same student wrote that the main goal of the school “is to form virtuous men and women.” Last year, a young woman wrote to the Bools noting that she at first did not want to attend Saint Mary’s because her friends were in a public school. But, she wrote, after two years at Saint Mary’s, “I have fallen in love with the school. It has helped me become more responsible and outgoing. I am very thankful that my parents enrolled me into a school that has brought out the best in me.” Another student wrote: “I want to thank you for sponsoring me. You take a lot of stress off of my parents.” The Bools’ gifts go mostly toward helping students who will be first-generation college JULY 2017

How Love Built Saint Mary’s I can only imagine the great love, faith, dedication and commitment our founding Sisters and Priests put forth to lay the foundation of Saint Mary’s one hundred years ago. A more recent story (and experience) that comes to mind that embodies the Saint Mary’s experience is of how the school gymnasium was built. After moving to our new site at Third Street and Sheridan, our campus was “gymless” for a couple of years. We all needed and wanted a gym, but funds for building a new gym weren’t yet in the picture. Behold, our shining Knight, Roger Spade, Class of 1966, stepped forward to lead the charge. He gathered alumnae, families, friends, faculty, staff, and students to participate in the building of a gymnasium.

students. In 2017, those students made up 56 percent of the graduating class. The Bools are just one of thousands of generous donors who believe in the kind of education Saint Mary’s provides. They understand the ripple effect. Helping a student complete their studies at Saint Mary’s is an investment that will yield benefits for Phoenix, for Arizona and for the country. Approximately 88 percent of Saint Mary’s students receive full or partial scholarships so it’s crucial that its donors, from foundations to alumni, remain active. Saint Mary’s was founded in 1917 by the Sisters of the Precious Blood and opened its doors to 17 students — 5 boys and 12 girls. Since then, 10,257 students have received an education within its walls. JULY 2017

He made contacts with people from all over the Valley for material donations. He scoured the city for resources that could be used to build a gym and found a school that was redoing its entire gym floor due to some rain damage, but the flooring that was not damaged was plenty for the Saint Mary’s gym. He also found some metal siding for walls from another school that was closing, and countless fixtures. People volunteered their time and resources. The school even won state and national awards from the Arizona and National “Take Pride in America” campaign, honoring us for recycling perfectly good materials for our gym. Hoc fecit amor—love built this. — SUZANNE FESSLER, SAINT MARY’S PRINCIPAL

“Something that cannot be overlooked is that Saint Mary’s has always been a place where an excellent Catholic education is available to anyone who wants it and is willing to work for it,” said Rev. Bolding. “It is a very good school, but it is not elite and it is not exclusive.” Saint Mary’s opened its own location on East Monroe Saint in 1920 before moving to Polk Street later on. The rapid growth of downtown Phoenix made it hard for the school to expand. Its campus was razed in 1988 to make way for the Arizona Center. Today it resides at Third and Sheridan streets. The school’s mission has not wavered in the face of two World Wars, the Great Depression, the economic recession of FRONTDOORSMEDIA.COM | 15

COVER STORY CONTINUED

2008 and relocation. As Rev. Bolding and boys basketball teams winning a said in the latest alumni magazine feting combined 20 state championships and the 100th anniversary, the school has a one national championship (including the deeper understanding of the meaning and victorious 1949 team led by Bool). The purpose of education. It sees education school can brag that NBA champion and not merely a means former Phoenix Suns to transcend social star Channing Frye, class, to find the Class of 2001, and right job or to make Los Angeles Dodgers money. A Saint Mary’s outfielder Andre education, rooted in Ethier, Class of 2000, the ancient tradition were once (and will of western civilization, always be!) Knights. is ordered toward The century milestone happiness, the kind for Saint Mary’s will that comes from be feted at a gala fulfilling one’s true on October 21 at purpose. Students the Sheraton Grand leave with an Phoenix. Co-chairs for understanding of how Sign of a Catholic school a confessional the gala are alumni to live well. amid the hallway lockers. Beth Wand, director of “What makes Saint operations at Sunland Mary’s so special is its commitment to Water Company and Barbara Bandura, providing an authentically Catholic and first vice president at MidFirst Bank. authentically liberal arts education to its It will be a bittersweet celebration for not students,” said Rev. Bolding. “We strive to only alumni but also those who keep the fulfill the traditional aims of education — tradition alive every day, such as Fessler, to form young men and women in truth, its principal who has also served in her goodness, and beauty. In one very real sense, Saint Mary’s is from the ‘old school.’ 32 years at the school as teacher and assistant principal. However, this commitment to preserving the traditional ends of education has “I can think of no better way to spend my the effect of making us a little bit life than to be a member of this school countercultural, swimming upstream in a community which focuses on teaching way that is really refreshing and attractive students where and how Truth and to our families. So, in another equally real Happiness is found,” she said. sense, Saint Mary’s remains something new.” The gala will bring together the school’s nearby and far-flung alumni — the ties that The school’s classroom success extends bind them to each other and to the school to its fields and courts. Saint Mary’s has they love coming together for one night a rich athletic tradition, with 80 percent under the same roof in Phoenix. of its students competing in a team sport and its football, softball and girls

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KITCHEN DOORS {where we ate this month} BLAZE Phoenix The most interesting fact about Blaze’s executive chef, Bradford Kent, is that he once worked for the Department of Defense as a food scientist specializing in natural preservations of foods and technologies for military rations. While at the DoD in the 1990s he worked on food technology for 2020. These days, he hopscotches around the globe in search of divine ingredients. Kent’s diligence pays off in the pies served up by Blaze. He IS the pizza whisperer – emphasizing the importance of the fermentation process. Blaze’s interactive kitchen format lets guests create their own pie. The fresh (never frozen) dough is made from scratch. The fire deck ovens cook pies in 180 seconds. In the assembly line, I went with a sausage, red peppers, sautéed onions, mozzarella and red sauce pie, which was light, fresh and extremely tasty. — Mike Saucier

Photo Credit: Mike Saucier

SONATA’S RESTAURANT North Scottsdale I was not very familiar with Eastern European cuisine but after my experience with Sonata’s it is now on my radar. I started with the Kepta Duona, which I was told is an Eastern Europe specialty. The appetizer consists of crisped rye bread, tossed in duck fat aioli and covered in Havarti cheese — good, but a bit heavy. I moved on to the chicken shashlik, a skewer of chicken and vegetables nearly as long of my table and sauces like tabbouleh, hummus, tomato and cucumber tapenade and their house fancy sauce. The chicken was amazing, and I could eat it every day with the hummus and tabbouleh. At the insistence of the incredible staff, I conceded to finishing my meal with Spurgos “Varškes” - a Lithuanian curd cheese donut that’s a lot better than the name suggests. I was also pleasantly surprised by Sonata’s terrific atmosphere — a patio and enormous main dining room ornately decorated with chandeliers, plush couches and leather chairs and a wall of wooden stump ends. — Jamie Killin

Photo Credit: Kris Mocny

CORONADO BREWING COMPANY San Diego Whether you hop over to the San Diego area for a weekend, week or month, one of our favorite post-beach chill spots is Coronado Brewing Company. The Coronado Island and Imperial Beach locations have a full menu and the Mission Bay location offers brews. Some favorite apps: the calamari strips and the three-piece buffalo tenders with heat choices. Brews on tap range from Seacoast Pilsner (pairs well with ahi tuna dishes) to Belgium-style Orange Ave. Wit (my favorite) to a deeper flavored Mermaid’s Red. Lots of options abound: tacos, salads, burgers, sandwiches, flatbreads and pastas. All made fresh to order. A kids menu and breakfast menu make it easy to drop by on the weekends. Coronado Brewing also gives back to its community, so, they’re Frontdoors approved! — Andrea Tyler Evans 18 | FRONTDOORSMEDIA.COM

Photo Credit: Andrea Tyler Evans

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KITCHEN DOORS CONTINUED

Dust Cutter

Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel Tucked into the magnificently renovated lobby of the iconic Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel is a saloon so well-designed, so warm and inviting that to call it a saloon seems like an insult. Dust Cutter is no swinging-doors, swill-serving watering hole. It’s a modern, urban saloon that has taken the best of the beautiful west and distilled it in a ruggedly handsome room that will be sure to win its share of national and local accolades. The name, like the design elements, was well conceived. When the west was wild, after a day of riding the desert trails, a cowboy would saunter into a saloon for a shot of something strong to cut the dust and lift his mood. Hence, Dust Cutter. While there’s no longer a need to cut the dust, the weary denizens traversing our urban desert can find comfort on the bar stools mimicking lug nuts and under light fixtures made of salvaged old bridge parts. A feature wall, The Cabinet of Cocktail Curiosities, pays homage to mixologists of yore with a display of vintage barware and collectibles. It all works extremely well, making it an ideal spot to show off to a visiting friend or relative – cool, contemporary cowboy minus the bravado. JULY 2017

The menu is inspired by the Sonoran Desert, courtesy of Dust Cutter’s executive chef Josh Murray. Among the choices: mesquite tree pods are ground to create waffles; chicken served with Copper City bourbon syrup; and avocado fries with chiltepin pepper. The same Sonoran theme carries over to the drinks, via lead mixologist Tony Escalante. His concoctions are infused with desert shrubs and syrups. One fun thing: when the clock strikes 6 p.m., Monday through Thursday, locals and hotel guests can partake in the complimentary “Discovery Hour” in Dust Cutter. With their own cocktail recipe or inspiration of the day, a bartender will fill an old-fashioned punch bowl with the libation and welcome all to clink glasses to the discovery of new flavors and perhaps, new friends. Dust Cutter is not just another hip, cowboy-themed bar in a hotel. It simultaneously elevates and disrupts that whole genre. It’s in a league of its own. — Mike Saucier

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OFFICE DOORS {leadership}

MELISSA TRUJILLO BE A LEADER FOUNDATION

Jamie Killin | CONTRIBUTING WRITER In just three years, it’s expected that nearly 70 percent of Arizona jobs will require post-secondary training. But with rising tuition costs, many Americans aren’t seeing the value in higher education. Melissa Trujillo, president and CEO of the Be A Leader Foundation, is trying to change that. “We know that the rising cost of college can often prevent students from seeing the value that a college degree can have in their careers and lives but the fact is that those with a college degree still earn nearly a million dollars more over their lifetime than those with only a high school diploma,” she said. Trujillo, a first-generation college student, founded the organization with her husband Gary, also a first-generation college student, 15 years ago. “My journey towards a degree was definitely not easy,” said Trujillo. “So, when Gary and I were thinking of how we could 20 | FRONTDOORSMEDIA.COM

best give back, we knew that access to the mentoring, college-going information and support that was lacking in our lives was the clear answer on how to best support the next generation of leaders in our community.” She began her higher education without understanding financial aid and scholarships and is now passionate about empowering students with the information they need to make the best decisions possible for their education. “As the first in my family to receive a college degree, the journey was definitely a struggle,” she said. “Not understanding the process was certainly a detriment to me while in high school. The conversation at home certainly did not involve college so I had to learn about the college process through peers at school.” Like Trujillo, many of the students the Be A Leader Foundation works with come from families in which parents did not

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attend college and don’t talk to their children about the college application or financial aid process. “When no one else around you has ever been through the process of applying to college, it is easy to believe you will never be able to go to college either, unless there is some external intervention or organization like the Be A Leader Foundation,” Trujillo said. In 2016 alone, the Be A Leader Foundation’s eight programs have served 5,500 students, helping them prepare for college. The programs help students at all stages of college preparation, including an initiative that focuses exclusively on seventh graders, providing them with mentorship and the tools they need to start exploring their options for college. “Because both Gary and I were personally familiar with the challenges faced by first-generation college students and JULY 2017

understood the life changing benefits that a college degree can have on both the student and their family, we soon decided that we needed to reach students at a younger age,” she said. The programs are proven to work, too, with 82 percent of participants either having earned their degree, or enrolled in college. Be A Leader Foundation students also obtain a bachelor’s degree at more than double the state’s average of 19 percent within six years. “Every day continues to be just as rewarding as the next,” she said. “Watching students I have known since the seventh grade walk across that commencement stage to receive their college degree makes me as proud as any parent in that audience. Knowing that we have a small part in each student’s educational pursuit is the most rewarding experience we will ever need.”

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GIVING IN STYLE {fashion in the philanthropy lane}

Celia Chic:

My Mom Was a Fashion Inspiration Tyler Butler | SOCIETY AND FASHION WRITER Since I started this column I have made it a point to have the focus firmly set on the intersection where fashion meets philanthropy. Each month this column concentrates on causes and crusaders in an effort to share their stories of giving back. This month I was approached with the opportunity to share some perspective and memories about my own fashion inspiration, my mom, Celia Darling Butler. So I will be taking a departure from my columnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s usual format and to share some stories on how my own sense of style came to be. This retrospective is timely, as my mom lost her battle with congestive heart failure last month. She fought a long hard crusade over many years and endured many surgeries. Sadly, her body just could not continue. Having had a little time to reflect on this amazing human whom I got to call mom, I feel compelled to share how she is the reason for so much of what I do and who I am. I grew up in a gypsy nomad construction family â&#x20AC;&#x201D; moving from state to state every year or so with a rough and tough crew 22 | FRONTDOORSMEDIA.COM

of construction workers and of course my mom, dad and brother. This upbringing gave me the mindset that home was wherever my family was. We never stayed anywhere long enough to call it home or say that I hailed from there. This exposure to different places in my formative years enabled me to grow and see the different styles, cultures and communities across the land. Living in Austin, it was picking up a southern drawl and a proclivity for feminine grace. In Las Vegas, the focus was on glitz and glam juxtaposed by the rough neighborhoods that surrounded the city. Exposure to a wide range of places and perspectives allowed me to develop my own style. Beyond these environments, I was most influenced by my mom and her own sense of style and free spiritedness. My mom designed her own prom dress, which was inspired by the daisy, her favorite flower. She was a woman who took hand-medowns and made them new by styling them differently. She shopped not based on label or brand, but instead based on fit, flair and fun. She was a woman who would stand out in a room either because of the outrageous print she was wearing JULY 2017

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GIVING IN STYLE CONTINUED

or because of her shining smile and the positivity she radiated. My mom was incredibly flexible with me and literally allowed me to wear whatever I wanted as a child. Luckily for her my choices were never overly risqué, but there were times when they were odd and I can only imagine what other parents were thinking. Even when playing dress-up in her closet I would find new ways to wear her clothes. I would take items, like her sequin haltertop, and pair them with articles of my own, Then I’d strut around the house feeling empowered to express myself through fashion however I saw fit. And much like my mom I loved to find old clothing items and reimagine them. At one point I “borrowed” several pairs of her leg warmers, which were not yet the rage at my school, and began wearing them daily. This trend actually took off so it was great that I found all the fashionable supplies I needed in my mom’s closet to keep up with this fad, as we usually didn’t have much money in my formative years. I remember a time in elementary school where I had three of the same outfits in different colors, a tank-top and matching short set. Those three outfits were all I would wear for a few months. My mom never poked or prodded me to wear something else. She just kept washing them and allowing me to choose from my three-color options. That was what I was drawn to wear at that time. One Halloween while living in Tyler Butler

SOCIETY AND FASHION WRITER @tylerjbutler

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California my entire class was supposed to dress up as clowns for the day. First, I didn’t like clowns, but more importantly, I didn’t want to conform and dress the same as everyone else. I told my mom this and that I wanted to dress up as a ballerina. Without hesitation she helped me fashion a ballerina costume that I proudly wore on “clown” day. The photos of a few dozen kids as clowns and me as the lone ballerina are still among my favorite. They remind me that I had the flexibility to develop my own sense of self and my own independent thoughts on style at an age when most children were not given this same fluidity. My mom truly believed that I should have the opportunity to just be me. My mom had a style of her own in the way she dressed and thought. She had a heart of gold and was drawn to all things brilliant and shiny. She made no excuses for her for personal style. She owned it and that made her a woman that was noticed in every room she entered. She believed strongly in the power of self-expression and the right for each person to convey their own personality in whatever way made the most sense for them. She was a crusader for acceptance and self-love. She believed beauty was something that radiated from inside out. In her rules of life, kindness was king. I was fortunate to have learned these valuable lessons and to have them incorporated into my life. The lessons have become part of the woman I’ve grown to be. I feel blessed to have had such a remarkable role model. While her presence will forever be missed, I know that she alone was the greatest influence of love and light and style that I will ever have. For that I am grateful.

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HEAR HERE {news, updates and events} The best stories we saw this month about those who give generously and work for a better future.

AT 82, HE LITERALLY HERDS CATS (AND SAVES NONPROFIT THOUSANDS) Feral cats of Phoenix, beware. Bob Snow and his network are coming for you. What started as trapping a few wayward cats in Snow’s backyard has turned into a serious all-out cat-herding operation. A network of like-minded residents intent on decimating the population of feral cats has helped turn the tide, which means fewer and fewer cats every year will be forced to meet their fates by way of euthanization.

Snow, an 82-year-old Chandler resident, is no cat vigilante. But he is vigilant when it comes to trapping cats and helping others do so. Snow has brought thousands – yes thousands – of cats to the Arizona Animal Welfare League over the last several years, spending approximately $20,000 of his own money every year doing this work. He diligently tracks his trapping work in a spiral-bound notebook.

READ MORE ONLINE

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GIVING BACK {charity spotlight}

BRINGING YOUNG BRAINS TO FULL POTENTIAL WITH EARLY LITERACY HOW DESERT VOICES, EDUCARE ARIZONA, AND READ BETTER BE BETTER ARE HELPING Jamie Killin | CONTRIBUTING WRITER Because of the rapid brain development that takes place in a child’s early years, young children who are exposed to early language and literacy experiences prove to be better readers later in life. Thirty-seven percent of children begin kindergarten without the skills necessary for a successful lifetime of learning, and

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it’s proven that the majority of children who get behind in school early in their academic career will stay behind, making them more likely to drop out of high school. Fortunately, Arizona is home to several great organizations that are working diligently to keep early literacy rates high, and ensure children are successful throughout their lives.

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DESERT VOICES Desert Voices helps forge the way for literacy for young children suffering from hearing impairment, as Arizona’s only nonprofit private oral education school for deaf or hearing impaired children. They teach children language skills needed to speak and understand when others talk to them. “For 20 years Desert Voices has been giving children a voice,” said executive director DeeAnn Chapman. “We are the only Listening and Spoken Language school in Arizona and have grown from a small student population of 11 with classes in a rented church hall to a strong program serving almost 50 children and now located in two buildings in North Phoenix.”

to speak and develop language skills, so they’re able to communicate without sign language, lip reading or cued speech. The earlier children enter the program, the more effective it is, with some children as young as just eight-weeks-old learning to communicate with hearing aids or cochlear implants. The program sets children up to excel in kindergarten at a traditional school, making learning easier for the rest of their lives. “More than 350 kids have passed through our doors and gone on to traditional elementary schools, high school, college and graduate school—they all attribute their success in life to Desert Voices,” she said.

Desert Voices was founded by parents who believed that they should have a choice of educational opportunities for their children. The program focuses on teaching children

EDUCARE ARIZONA There are currently 6 million children under the age of 5 living in poverty in the United States, and with research proving that children from disadvantaged families learn significantly fewer vocabulary words in their early years, the threat to their ability succeed in school is evident. Educare Arizona is helping to bridge this achievement gap, by serving as a model preschool, where children from underprivileged backgrounds can gain access to top quality educational programming. “Educare recognizes that the first years

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of a child’s life are absolutely critical, and it’s high-quality programming, like the curriculum here at Educare Arizona that gives underserved children the opportunity to succeed throughout their life,” said Christine Nowaczyk, chairwoman of Educare Arizona. “Educare Arizona almost completely closes the achievement gap, and participants are proven to be more likely to succeed and stay in school.” Children from birth to five-years-old attend Educare’s all day, year-round programming, with curriculum that incorporates the arts, emphasizes social-emotional development

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GIVING BACK CONTINUED

and provides an enhanced focus on literacy and problem solving. Educare ensures their staff is highly qualified and requires intensive staff development, and the program maintains a low staff-child ratio to ensure all children receive adequate attention. Educare also helps families by providing on-site family support services in their state-of-the-art facility.

Underserved children who don’t have access to high-quality early educational programs, like Educare, are 70 percent more likely to be arrested for a violent crime and 25 percent more likely to drop out of school.

READ BETTER BE BETTER Read Better Be Better is an after-school literacy program specifically designed to help third graders improve their literacy skills, helping them to become better learners and ultimately helping them to excel in all aspects of their academic career. It utilizes 8th grade volunteers to work oneon-one with the younger students, helping them to improve their skills and cultivate an interest in reading. “Third grade reading is the single most significant indicator of future success - we will never move towards social justice unless we do more to support those kids who are struggling,” said founder and CEO Sophie Etchart. “Read Better Be Better inspires and equips 8th graders to help us solve Arizona’s literacy crisis. Not only do we have an impact on third-grade literacy, but in doing so, we create a generation of youth who enter high school with increased confidence and a strong sense of civic responsibility. It’s a no-brainer.”

minutes of core reading comprehension programming, and during the remaining time participants can choose from one of three programs: Be A Better Reader, Be A Better Thinker or Be A Better Mover. Each activity is designed to focus attention and improve concentration, and have been directly linked to the improvement of reading proficiency. It’s proven to work too - 100 percent of evaluations show that participants enjoy improved concentration, enjoyment of reading and reading comprehension after just one semester, and 99 percent of participants would join the program as fourth graders if they could. It makes an impact on the volunteers too, with one in five volunteers using the skills they learned through the program to read with younger siblings at home.

The free program, which is currently operating in Avondale, Tolleson and Osborn Elementary School Districts, provides 45

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Hair by Julia Mendez

Corrective Cutting • Event Styling • Color Specialist Personal Appointments Available

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BOOKMARKED {what are you reading} Where Frontdoors Media asks high-profile Valley visitors and residents what books they have been reading.

W H AT B R U C E I S R E A D I N G

Bruce Hornsby, who will play Celebrity Theatre on July 6 with his band the Noisemakers.

The last five books I’ve read are, latest first: 1. A short story collection by the great writer Don Delillo, “The Angel Esmeralda” 2. A collection from the late poet Bill Knott, “I Am Flying Into Myself” 3. Robbie Robertson’s memoir “Testimony” 4. Thomas Pynchon, “Inherent Vice”

5. David Foster Wallace, “The Pale King” I loved all of these, maybe especially the Wallace. “Infinite Jest” is his most famous work, but I prefer this last, unfinished novel. All of these writers are very special, and Delillo, Wallace and Pynchon take me to new places I’ve never been before.

W H AT P H I L I P I S R E A D I N G

Philip Caputo, author of “A Rumor of War” and “Crossers,” (who recently appeared at a Changing Hands book signing in Phoenix)

A multigenerational story about a South Texas ranching and oil family going back to the founder of the family who was as a kid in the 1850s captured by Comanches – it tells the story from that generation on through. I’ve also gone back to a lot of the classics. I’ve just gone back to

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a new translation of “The Iliad” (by Homer). And then another one, “The Aenied” (by Virgil). I was also reading Robert Graves’s book “The Greek Myths” - maybe I’m just so horrified by the modern world I want to go back to ancient Greece or something.

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BOOKMARKED EVENTS

Red, White and BBQ Meghan Leatherman | CONTRIBUTING WRITER Red, White and BBQ: that’s our theme for the month of July and our son’s first birthday party. In between scrolling Pinterest for party ideas, I found several local “celebrities” will be in town

BARNES & NOBLE AT DESERT RIDGE Wednesday, July 19. 7pm. Free.

Bruce Arians, “The Quarterback Whisperer” Come meet your Cardinals head coach and learn more about how he coaches young men to greatness.

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promoting Prohibition-era fiction, pizza and football. Sounds like a good month of reading what’s more American than that?!

POISONED PEN

CHANGING HANDS

Thursday, July 13. 7pm. Free.

Monday, July 31. 7pm

Beatriz Williams, “Cocoa Beach” Escape to Prohibition-era Cocoa Beach for a historical fiction thriller.

Chris Bianco, “Bianco: Pizza, Pasta, and Other Food I Like” The artisanal pizza creator from our own backyard is launching his new cookbook sharing some of the secrets at the pizza stone. Will there or will there not be samples? Mouths watering at the thought.

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BOOKMARKED {this month in books}

IN ASU WRITING PROGRAM, A LIFE IS CHANGED & FAMILY SECRETS UNEARTHED Jamie Killin | CONTRIBUTING WRITER Every family has secrets, but Yvette Johnson learned first-hand that sometimes the history of our families are secrets even to those closest to us. While participating in a family history writing program at Arizona State University, she learned something that no one in her family knew, that her grandfather, Booker Wright, who was living in Mississippi, had been interviewed about racism for a documentary that aired on NBC in 1966. The revelation changed her life — leading to a blog, a documentary and now a book, “The Song and the Silence.” Wright, a Northern Arizona University graduate, was struck by the impact her grandfather’s inclusion in the documentary had made. While his message on the pain of racism touched many, it also led to him losing his job at the whites-only restaurant where he was employed. He was also beat up by a police officer. But that wasn’t the end of his troubles. Seven years after the airing of the

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documentary, he was murdered, which Johnson believes was yet another result of his public statement against the controversial integration movement taking place in the South at that time. She explained that for many white people living in the area at that time, hearing Wright speak was the first time they’d understood the effect of racism and segregation in their community. “A lot of them had previously felt like the movement was about voting rights or where you sit in a restaurant or where you sit in a bus, but they hadn’t seen the humanity that was being lost,” she said. “They didn’t understand the fight for dignity, but they saw that in my grandfather, which was really amazing.” After she’d discovered the documentary, she went on to create her own in 2012, while blogging her experiences through an independent study class. To produce her film, she traveled Greenwood, Miss., knowing that many of

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those who had been against integration during her grandfather’s life were still alive and living there. “I was ready to confront them,” Johnson said. “But what I found were immensely kind people, and so my research kind of shifted.” “I began looking more and more closely at what was the white experience before and during the movement because I think the way that we’ve told the story historically is that they’re all just a bunch of monsters, like anyone white in any of those towns that was against integration was just a horrible racist, and what I found is that that’s not the whole story,” she continued. Her experience made her re-evaluate her own views on racism, and realize that she could make more progress by looking for the humanity in those who held different beliefs than hers, as opposed to approaching with a carefully laid argument. That experience, which Johnson shared in her blog, is what led her to write her book, which is as much about her grandfather’s story as it is hers.

by my grandfather’s story, but more by how it was informing my own questions and my own struggles to understand my own racial identity and really how to explain race in America to my two sons,” she said. After several years and six rewrites, “The Song and the Silence” was published this year, prompting many to wonder why there were so many things left unsaid between Johnson’s own family members. “It’s still really painful for the members of my family to talk about what it was like,” she said. “Sometimes I can start the conversation, and they kind of get excited like ‘Oh yeah, I remember like a barber shop’ or ‘Oh yeah we’d go get pancakes at this place,’ but then the more that we talk it’s like this shadow falls into the room and I can just sense that sadness in them.” She shared that her family’s reaction to the book has ebbed and flowed, bringing with it fears of exposure of family secrets and unwanted attention, the opening of old painful memories and ultimately an understanding of the benefits of sharing their story. “I think now they understand that by sharing our story we’re trying to provide a story, we’re trying to help others,” she said.

“People were just kind of fascinated, yes

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A SECOND ACT {stories of perseverance}

Tell the Mountain the Size of God Judy Pearson | CONTRIBUTING WRITER “Don’t tell God the size of the mountain, tell the mountain the size of God.” Eight months after chemo for stage 3C ovarian cancer, and in celebration of her 60th birthday, Jan Coggins hiked 100 miles in the Swiss Alps. “That mountain quote sums up the faith I used to beat cancer and then climb the Alps,” Jan says. “My gynecologic oncologist said that I might be a little crazy when I told him I was going. But I did it anyway. My mindset was that I had beaten cancer, and the mountains were next!” Prior to her own diagnosis, Jan had never met anyone with ovarian cancer. Even during her 27- year career as a healthcare worker and a hospice volunteer, she knew nothing about ovarian cancer. The disease is called the silent killer, but Jan decided, as a result of her diagnosis and treatment, she was going to be anything but silent. She created Teal It Up to give women like her a voice through education and support. Starting with a 2011 golf tournament, 38 | FRONTDOORSMEDIA.COM

the organization has now grown into a formidable powerhouse of information about ovarian cancer and the importance of genetic counseling. New genetic mutations are being discovered with increased frequency. New and repeated counseling and testing is vital, and potentially lifesaving. Jan is the perfect example. “I was tested for the mutation everyone knows about, BRCA (also known as the breast cancer mutation). I was negative. But then in 2015, I was retested to include the new mutations that had been discovered since my original test.” Not only was Jan positive for the newly found PALB 2 mutation, which puts her at higher risk for pancreatic, breast and ovarian cancers, but both her sisters were positive as well. Genetic counseling became the organization’s primary mission: money raised by Teal It Up covers the costs of genetic testing (when it’s deemed medically necessary) for women throughout Arizona. This passionate dynamo has guided Teal It Up’s mission to include much more. In JULY 2017

A SECOND ACT CONTINUED

addition to raising awareness about ovarian cancer and its symptoms, they’ve added a house cleaning service and comfort bags for those in treatment. And then there’s the pet therapy program, headed up by a handsome canine named Bozeman. Certified at the age of one to visit chemo rooms and hospitals by referral, Bozeman brings joy to patients and Jan alike. “We visited a woman at her first day in chemo. The poor thing was so overwhelmed, it made me think of my first day in chemo. I was scared to death; I would have loved a visit by a dog like Bozeman.” Jan and Teal It Up have come a long way since her triumphant hike through the Alps. Yet she feels there is much more work to do. And then, sometimes, something really amazing happens.

“I was checking out at a department store and a woman saw my teal bracelet that carries the words faith, hope and love. The woman asked me the meaning, and when I told her about Teal It Up, she was overwhelmed. She told me her best friend had just completed her chemo for ovarian cancer and was in Hawaii celebrating with her hubby.” Jan gave this complete stranger her bracelet, explaining that teal is the color of ovarian cancer. The woman said to her, “God bless you,” and Jan replied, “No, God bless you.” “My inspiration comes from reaching out to others. If I could do that 10 times a day, my mission would be complete!”

Judy Pearson is a journalist, published author, and the founder of A2ndAct.org. Her organization supports and celebrates women survivors of all cancers as they give back to the greater good in their 2nd Acts. Her passion is finding those who have have healed themselves by helping others.

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OPEN DOORS {publisher’s page}

IT’S JULY: KEEP CALM AND BEACH ON I have a tradition that I go through each July — one that started during my days as a nonprofit staffer many years ago. When most annual fundraising ends on June 30th and goals have been set for the next campaign, it’s time to get away and reflect. Or at least reflect. I am fortunate that for the past five years I’m able to leave the Valley for most of July and work from cooler locales. I pass along this break from the usual routine to my children. It’s my time to ponder ideas that were put on the back burner, recharge my creative side and set personal and professional goals for the coming season. I make lists. Lots of lists. I find those long, lost emails that never made it to the top of the inbox. I read articles I saved over the past nine months. I listen to audio books I purchased over the past year. I watch movies I couldn’t get to (thank goodness for the invention of streaming services). I set lots of coffees and lunches for early August when the kids will be back in school and the calendar is open.

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Do I get everything done on my “July To Do List”? No way! But the process is relaxing and sets me up for an efficient August when I start cracking the whip on myself again. I look forward to applying these exercises to Frontdoors and the new plans we have. I am dedicated more than ever to using Frontdoors to expand the reach of the nonprofit community. Here’s hoping your July includes a view of a beach. May you have time to reflect on your season and what’s possible in the coming months.

Andrea

Andrea Tyler Evans PUBLISHER

@AndreaTEvans

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Fall Arts & Culture

SPECIAL EDITION

At Frontdoors Media, we love supporting all the incredible arts organizations in our community. We believe the arts have rare ability to benefit the Valley because they attract creative people, bind communities and benefit the economy. To show our appreciation, we’d like to invite you to submit your arts organization for our Fall Arts & Culture Special Edition being published this August. Send us your logo and 100 words on your arts organization to be considered for the special edition. We will be limiting our complimentary directory to 36 organizations, which will be selected on a first come, first served basis. These organizations will be featured in the Fall Arts & Culture Special Edition, showcased to our e-mail database of over 35,000 and to our social media networks. All submissions must be received by editor@frontdoorsmedia.com by July 17. Please include “Fall Arts & Culture Submission” as the subject line. For more information on special issue advertising packages, contact sales@frontdoorsmedia.com.

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