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PUBLISHER Andrea Tyler Evans EDITOR Mike Saucier CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Tom Evans
On the Cover LOCATION JW Marriott Desert Ridge HAIR Julia Mendez MAKEUP Lillian Fogel PHOTOGRAPHY Thurlkill Studios
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CONTRIBUTING WRITER Vondalynn Dias SOCIETY AND FASHION WRITER Tyler Butler CREATIVE DIRECTOR Cheyenne Brumlow
GENERAL INFORMATION & PRESS RELEASES info@frontdoorsmedia.com 3104 E. Camelback Road #967 | Phoenix, AZ 85016 480-622-4522 | frontdoorsmedia.com
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SOCIAL MEDIA {engage}
FACEBOOK @frontdoorsmedia TWITTER @frontdoorsmedia INSTAGRAM @frontdoorsmedia
Frontdoors Media celebrates the people and groups who give generously and work to build the future of our community. It’s the premier source of information – and inspiration – for those who strive to make the Valley of the Sun a better place to live.
MARCH 2017
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TABLE OF CONTENTS {march 2017, volume 15, issue 3}
10 EDITOR’S NOTE............................. 06 Mike the Sauce NEXT DOORS................................. 08 Ahead of the Curve COVER STORY............................... 10 Nancy & Jimmy Walker’s Celebrity Fight Night KITCHEN DOORS........................... 18 Where we ate this month OFFICE DOORS.............................. 22 Brad Vynalek hustles for charity
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GIVING IN STYLE........................... 24 Fashion in the Philanthropy Lane HEAR HERE.................................... 30 News, Updates & Events GIVING BACK . . ............................... 34 PANDA Tackles Childhood Diseases TAX CREDIT DIRECTORY............... 38 Spring 2017 Edition OPEN DOORS.. ............................... 40 Welcome to the New Frontdoors
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MARCH 2017
Saturday, April 22, 2017 Hyatt Regency Phoenix
5:30 P.M. Silent Auction | 7:00 P.M. Dinner & Entertainment | 9:oo P.M. After Party
Event Co-Chairs Mark Bonsall, General Manager & Chief Executive Officer, SRP & Mary Bonsall Dr. Bryan Brayboy, Special Advisor to the President on American Inidan Affairs, ASU & Son, Quanah Brayboy MARCH 2017
Join us for the 2017 Silver & Turquoise Ball,
celebrating 70 years of the Phoenix Indian Center! The event will feature premier American Indian art auction items, a unique dining experience prepared by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian executive chef and phenomenal cultural entertainment.
Individual Tickets $250
Table and Sponsorship Opportunities Available
Visit www.phxindcenter.org or call (602) 264-6768. FRONTDOORSMEDIA.COM | 5
EDITOR’S NOTE {what’s inside}
Frontdoors is what I consider to be a “glue” publication. An early newspaper mentor of mine used to tell me that our small but mighty publication was the “glue” of the community – binding disparate lives together for the purpose of telling their stories, and a community’s collective story, in one single place, day after day. With Frontdoors, boldly created by Julia Patrick 15 years ago, the thread that will run through it — and has always run through it — is the concept of giving. It’s the stories of people giving their time, or their sweat, or their hard-earned money to help others or help the community at large. I look forward to building on that ideal. We are looking to expand this niche — community and giving — in scope and geography. The online magazine will continue to incorporate more and different features. We will populate frontdoorsmedia.com with relevant and compelling stories about people, nonprofits, the arts and giving.
@mikethesauce mike@frontdoorsmedia.com Mike Saucier is the Editor of Frontdoors Media, and oversees all editorial content for the magazine, web site, e-blasts and social media. He has an extensive background in public relations, newspaper editing and copywriting. Before moving to Phoenix, Saucier served as a spokesman for the New York City Department of Environmental Protection and the New York City Department of Correction during Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration. Prior, he worked as an editor for The New York Sun and the Boston Herald.
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I once was urged by an editor in New York, via Blackberry at a very late hour, to push on a story he was urgent to get. One email he sent simply read “fast fast fast,” which I took to heart, and hurried. He also would walk around the newsroom exhorting reporters to get scoops, to beat competitors by being first with information. That’s what I wish for Frontdoors — to be fast and first on the stories that matter to you. And, of course, to be the glue that helps bind us here in the Valley of the Sun. To use yet another play on our publication name, our door is open — so please feel free to reach out with your story by emailing me at editor@frontdoorsmedia.com. Onward!
Mike Saucier Mike Saucier | EDITOR
MARCH 2017
Find your cause. Invest in your community.
Arizona Gives Day is a single statewide day of giving that has raised $7.4 million for Arizona nonprofits since 2013.
Find your cause and preschedule your donation at
Your donation on this day can help your favorite organization win a cash prize! MARCH 2017
FRONTDOORSMEDIA.COM | 7
NEXT DOORS {ahead of the curve}
Arizona’s future is unfolding in ways you may not hear about.
We’re going to change that. Tom Evans | CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
So a few of us, including our esteemed editor Mike Saucier and I, went to the grand opening of 1951@SkySong back in October. We were still in the kicking-the-tires phase with Frontdoors Media at the time and were attending as part of our consulting work. If you’re not familiar with 1951@SkySong, it’s the newish co-working space at SkySong, The ASU Scottsdale Innovation Center, and it was hosting an impressive crowd of several hundred visitors and a program that included a number of local business and educational leaders. ASU President Michael Crow was one of them, and during his remarks, he brought up the fact that the 1951@SkySong opening
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was great for the Valley, but it was just one of a bunch of great things happening that no one was hearing about.
A massive business school. A start-up that just won a national award from former AOL founder Steve Case. And more and more.
“You are hearing from the leader of one of the most significant research universities that exists, that human beings have ever built, that is accessible by the entirety of our qualified student body, working to advance this place to the highest level of economic performance possible. And we’ve gotta get people like you all that are here to start talking about this stuff.”
“We’re trying to do everything we possibly can to produce fantastic graduates, fantastic linkages, fantastic networks, to connect to people who have the ability to advance to success our social outcomes and our economic outcomes.
Crow then pointed out several major initiatives that were underway, companies that had grown out of ASU or won awards, or were contributing to the economy in a significant way. Four new innovation campuses.
“But you would think that the single most exciting thing here (in Arizona) is the rate of which an orange grows on a tree,” he said. “We have to find a way to get this in the local lexicon.” And so Saucier turned to me and said, “See, this is the kind of stuff we could write about in Frontdoors.” The kind of stuff that isn’t easy to encapsulate and
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Photo credit: Thurlkill Studios
But you would think that the single most exciting thing here (in Arizona) is the rate of which an orange grows on a tree,” he said. “We have to find a way to get this in the local lexicon.
”
that people are missing, but is having a massive effect on the future of our state. I liked the idea, so I stole it. Thanks Mike. And this will be my little contribution to Frontdoors: A column about the great things that are happening in our community — some of them may even be next door — that are flying under the radar or not getting the attention they deserve.
almost ubiquitous presence in the Valley — gets frustrated because he can’t get the community to hear about some of the great work being done, it’s a sign that there are many other great stories out there that aren’t being told. I look forward to helping tell some of them. And if you have an idea for something that could be featured here, drop us a note at editor@frontdoorsmedia.com.
When someone like Michael Crow — who seems like an
@tevans927 Tom Evans is a Contributing Editor and the co-owner of Frontdoors Media. He is the Principal of Evans Communications, a Phoenix-based public relations, marketing and event planning firm.
NEXT DOORS CONTINUED MARCH 2017
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Photo credit: Thurlkill Studios
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COVER STORY {by mike saucier}
FIGHT NIGHT FOUNDER’S FAMED SCHMOOZING HAS HELPED RAISE MILLIONS TO FIGHT PARKINSON’S Celebrity Fight Night founder Jimmy Walker is in a league by himself when it comes to schmoozing — you don’t get A-list celebrities to show up for your event year after year by fluke. It’s an impressive list — Jennifer Lopez, Harrison Ford, Kevin Costner, Halle Berry, Carrie Underwood, to name a handful. How does he get them to say “yes”?
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His secret is really no secret to anyone who has known Walker and Celebrity Fight Night, now in its 23rd year: It’s all for the cause. “It’s the fact that making people happy brings back happiness’” Walker said during an interview at his Phoenix office. “I know I could do a lot more but it’s the joy of giving. Making that contact — it’s
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COVER STORY CONTINUED
a challenge — and I really love challenges. I am comfortable in those situations. The end result can be a positive for our charity.” The charity is, of course, the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix. Since its inception, Celebrity Fight Night has raised more than $127 million primarily to benefit the center. On March 18, Walker, celebrities and guests will celebrate and honor the life of Ali at Celebrity Fight Night at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa in Phoenix.“The passion I have for this certainly comes from seeing that we’ve raised a lot of money and helped a lot of people at the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center,” Walker said. “We’re providing people who couldn’t afford their medication for Parkinson’s disease so it’s the old philosophy, ‘If you want to be happy, find a way to make other people happy.’ So thanks to a lot of generous donors we’ve really got an event that’s as much national as local.” For Walker, the event is a passion, fun and entertainment. “You meet some wonderful people,” he said. “But it’s very challenging. It’s a commitment. We want to keep raising the bar and we want to improve upon it every year and we’ve seen where we’ve gotten some real good results.” 12 | FRONTDOORSMEDIA.COM
His wife, Nancy Walker, said she never imagined before Fight Night that she would be rubbing elbows with A-list musicians, athletes and Hollywood actors. But she never doubted that her husband could get all these bold-face names to embrace the cause. “He really is very amazing,” she said. “When he first started this he said this is a charity event that’s one year at a time. Because when you have something for the first time you have no idea that’s it’s necessarily going to be something that continues on for this many years and become what it is. And we just appreciate the support from so many people that have helped make this what it is.” Guests pay between $1,500 and $5,000 for Celebrity Fight Night tickets. This year, ticket holders will get to see a lot of stars — from hometown heroes Larry Fitzgerald and Carson Palmer to actor Harrison Ford. Billy Crystal, Sharon Stone and Larry King will present a special tribute to Ali. Ali’s wife, Lonnie Ali, and daughter, Laila Ali, will attend. Actor Dennis Quaid, country stars Reba McIntyre and Brooks & Dunn, singer Smokey Robinson, Beach Boys co-founder Mike Love, and singer Brian McKnight will also be there. MARCH 2017
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The best moment is just sitting next to Muhammad Ali and just watching him, observing him. He loved it. He loved being Muhammad Ali. He loved the attention and he got the attention.”
The celebrities keep coming back because they truly enjoy the evening, Jimmy Walker said. “I say this very humbly — many of them say it’s their favorite event,” he said. Nancy said, “I’ve sat next to so many celebrities through the years and they’ve all been amazing and so supportive and so willing, and wanting to be there and to help.“ The high wattage of the celebrity lineup has been a staple since the first Fight Night event, which featured Charles Barkley, who played for the Phoenix Suns at the time; Dan Majerle, the former Suns star, and boxing champion Michael Carbajal, who sparred with Barkley in the ring with oversized boxing gloves. “It’s certainly an event here locally that’s the only one of its kind,” said Nancy Walker. She and her husband make the celebrities get MARCH 2017
the star treatment. They may fly into Phoenix on private jets donated by the owners in support of the event. They get a driver who is available to them all day and night. They stay in some of the best rooms in some of the area’s best hotels. Muhammad Ali was always the big draw to Fight Night, Nancy said. “People loved Muhammad Ali — and Muhammad Ali loved people, and he made that completely understood,” she said. But Nancy also has other fond memories and favorite moments, such as Kevin Costner’s acceptance speech for an award he received at one of the events and the support of a local celebrity of sorts, GoDaddy.com founder and philanthropist Bob Parsons. Parsons, she said, “really, really loved Muhammad and really wanted to see the Parkinson Center become bigger and better and really able to make a difference with this disease.” The Walkers want the legacy to continue because they want to see the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center continue to grow and improve. FRONTDOORSMEDIA.COM | 13
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“When I recognize and realize what has been accomplished at the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center, we’re extremely thankful to have had this opportunity and to give back in this way,” Nancy said. The process of getting to the big night — to showtime — starts with Jimmy. Many people are timid when a celebrity comes around. Not Jimmy. “We all know everyone puts on their pants the same way,” he said. “But they are some of the most wonderful people but at the same time, as you would expect, they have some big voids and insecurities in their lives — we all have some of them. None of us have it all together...there’s always something.” Jimmy’s ties to the celebrity world can be traced back to his days at Arizona State University, where he played basketball. Jimmy’s best friend was Reggie Jackson. Jackson, of course, would go on to become one of the most recognized figures in sports when he played for the New York Yankees. He meets them “at different events,” — “Clive Davis’s party,” “the pre-Grammy party at the Beverly Hilton,” “Elton John’s dinner party for the Oscars,” he said. “I get with them and I like to get acquainted with them.”
Carrie Underwood’s appearance resulted in a donation to an animals’ rights’ foundation. Jennifer Lopez wanted to help women who get abused. This year’s Celebrity Fight Night will honor Dr. Robert Spetzler, a world-renowned neurosurgeon who is retiring in July. Dr. Spetzler will receive an award onstage from Ali’s wife Lonnie as a thank you for all the help he has given to Barrow Neurological and the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center. Speaking this year will be former baseball player and Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2015. More than 10 million people worldwide are living with Parkinson’s disease — a progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects movement. “My experience with Parkinson’s patients when they get diagnosed — I have a lot of people coming to me because they know my involvement with Muhammad Ali and the Parkinson Center — is that most of them like to keep it under the table for awhile,” Jimmy said. “As much a six months to a year until the tremors just start going and they realize that it’s better to get it out on the table. Quite a few people come to me and I want to help them.”
Very rarely do the celebrities receive a fee for attending the event. Instead, Jimmy makes donations to causes of their choice. Last year,
Jimmy’s Ringside Tale: Halle Berry “I’ll never forget Halle Berry. When we honored Halle - I met her at Clive Davis’s party, just sitting down at a table and visiting with her. She wanted to come to our event and she did. I remember when we honored her and she got up there and said, ‘You know, I married all these other men, I should’ve married Muhammad Ali.’ And Muhammad’s right next to her and Lonnie Ali said, ‘Well there he is, he’s all yours, take him.’”
Photo credit: Jimmy Walker
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Jimmy’s Ringside Tale: Andrea Bocelli “I’ll never forget meeting Andrea Bocelli. I was with [former Suns and Diamondbacks owner] Jerry Colangelo and his wife Joan. We were in the lobby of the Ritz Carlton in New York and Jerry says to me that Andrea Bocelli’s at the elevator. I said, ‘excuse me’ and I hustled to the elevator and I put my hand in the elevator to stop it from going up and I said to Andrea: ‘You and I have a mutual friend in [famed record producer and Fight Night musical director] David Foster.’ I knew David did his music.” “He didn’t say too much so I had to come up with something better. So I said, “Well I do this event in Phoenix with Muhammad Ali … and right then he stopped and said, ‘Do you know Muhammad Ali? He’s my hero, he’s my favorite. I’ve always wanted to meet him all my life.’ So I
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said, ‘Andrea, I know you’re coming to Phoenix next week and if you’d like, if he’s in town, we could go out to his house.’ He said, ‘I can go to Muhammad Ali’s house?!’ “Long story short, Nancy and I go to the Ritz Carlton, pick up Andrea, the conductor and four or five Italians, and we go to Muhammad’s house in Gainey Ranch. We’re walking up to the front door, I hardly even know Andrea, and I said, ‘By the way, Andrea, it’s Muhammad’s wife’s birthday today.’ And Lonnie opens the door and he sings happy birthday to her. So then she opens the door and I’m making an introduction of a blind man to a man that can’t speak. I’m trying to get them together. Andrea gets near Muhammad and kisses him a couple times, gets down on his knees and said, ‘Muhammad, I’m humbled and
honored to be near you, this is the biggest thrill of my life.’ He gets up and kisses him again and then Muhammad whispers, ‘You sing to me.’ And he sang an Italian opera song right there in the living room.” “And the next night we’re in the arena, we’re in the front row, Nancy and I and Muhammad and Lonnie. Bocelli comes out with boxing gloves on and in front of 16,000 people he said, ‘My dream came true - I met Muhammad Ali.’ It gives you goosebumps.” “Later Andrea said [when talking about the elevator encounter]: ‘I thought this guy Jimmy was a robber. But now he’s my friend.’ He considered me a robber.”
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Jimmy’s Ringside Tale: Robin Williams “My son came to me the next day after the event and said, ‘Dad, you’re not going to believe this but I was in the bathroom and Robin Williams was in there and he’s got a football game going and he’s the quarterback … with a roll of toilet paper and he was throwing passes and I was going out for passes catching toilet paper from Robin Williams. And he was calling himself Joe Montana.”
Planning for and executing a big event like Celebrity Fight Night obviously takes a team. Executive Director Sean Currie shoulders a lot of the load. Nancy makes sure they’re scrutinizing the expenses and determines the menu and the look of the room, among other things. For Jimmy, “the biggest challenge is time,” he said. “Just everything I’m doing but there’s a lot of people doing a lot more than me. I do get up very early in the morning. I go to bed early at night but I get up early in the morning and I don’t even consider it to be work — it’s just a passion that I have. But the biggest challenge is just trying to get everything on the plate accomplished.” He gives plenty of time, of course, to his three children and seven grandchildren. He also runs his own business, an insurance company. In 2007, Jimmy founded a program for the homeless at St. Vincent de Paul in Phoenix called Never Give Up, which serves 500 to 600 men and women every Monday. He’s there every Monday, if he’s not traveling. On Tuesdays, he leads a men’s and women’s Bible study. For 33 years, he has organized a Christmas party for low-income children, who receive bicycles — he has given away 7,000 of them — and gifts from friends of his who “chip in,” he said.
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Jimmy also organizes Celebrity Fight Night in Italy, in September. This year’s will feature Andrea Bocelli and Elton John, and it will take place in the Colosseum in Rome. “I don’t look at myself as a philanthropist because I’m not a wealthy man,” he said. “A philanthropist in my opinion is someone who gives large amounts of money. I give quite a bit of time. That’s what I’m able to give.” This year’s Celebrity Fight Night in Phoenix will have a different feel without its inspiration, Ali, who died last June. At his funeral service in Louisville, Ky., Nancy said one thing everybody was talking about was his big heart. “They all said that he had such a big heart and no matter who they were, what they accomplished in life, it didn’t matter to him. He treated everybody the same,” she said. “He had a real heart for what you may consider the underprivileged or those that weren’t celebrities, or anyone he came in contact with — he’d just want to stop and spend time with them.” That, she said, has been and will remain the spirit behind Fight Night.
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KITCHEN DOORS {where we ate this month} PURE SUSHI The Colony - Midtown Phoenix This new staple is part of the feeding frenzy on 7th Street between Missouri and Bethany Home, located in The Colony. I’m a sushi lover but not a particularly adventurous one — cook my food, please — so I don’t need to be blown away by the exotic. Pure Sushi is ideal for my kind of sushi lover — it’s friendly, accessible, has all the old standards and gives you a chance to branch out when you are feeling adventurous. Dining companions went a little further into the menu and expressed satisfaction, so we can confidently report that Pure Sushi is a good option for the more conservative sushi enthusiast. - Tom Evans Photo Credit: Pure Sushi
KEEGAN’S GRILL Arcadia Keegan’s Grill on Camelback and 32nd St. in Phoenix was my go-to place when I first moved to Phoenix because it was nearby, the service was great and I didn’t know much else. Five years on, Keegan’s is my go-to place, the service is still great and I know of much, much else in terms of restaurant options. There are hipper options - places where you go to see and be seen. But most times you want a place where there are more knowns than unknowns, to awkwardly paraphrase Donald Rumsfeld. Keegan’s knowns: consistently excellent service; the most underrated chicken wings in Phoenix; a well-curated draft beer menu; a bustling happy hour; and reasonably priced lunch specials. The unknowns: none, which is why Keegan’s is the perfect go-to – you know what it is, which is unfailingly unpretentious. The retired set flocks there for dinner while lunch is more of a younger-older mix. The clients keep coming back to Keegan’s for the clean, cheery, no-drama place with reliable service. - Mike Saucier
Photo Credit: Keegan’s Grill
FRANK & ALBERTS Arizona Biltmore Your humble Frontdoors owners were so dedicated to bringing you the new Frontdoors that we neglected to make Valentine’s Day reservations and ended up at Frank & Albert’s at the Arizona Biltmore thanks to a last-minute opening. And we’re glad we did. Along with their trusty menu of organic and garden-fed food, they had a special Valentine’s menu featuring two choices of appetizer, dinner and dessert, anchored by entrees of filet mignon and scallops. We mixedand-matched like a good couple and especially enjoyed the scallops — which were not only huge, but perfectly cooked — and the two desserts, one a lemon tart martini and the other a decadent chocolate cake that Andrea said “is like a Hostess Ding Dong on steroids.” Combine a great meal with the ambiance that only the Arizona Biltmore provides and it made for a great date night. - Tom Evans 18 | FRONTDOORSMEDIA.COM
Photo Credit: Frank & Alberts
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Mora Italian Seventh Street Stretch The 7th Street restaurant scene gained another gem this past month, and Food Network fans are going to enjoy having access to Chef Scott Conant’s fabulous fare at the new Mora Italian. The menu has been set with seven categories, and it can be a bit difficult to decide just where to start. Here are my recommendations from several categories to consider on your first few visits: Bread Cart: Just say yes! The stromboli with thin sliced salame and artichoke bomba is delicious. For the Table: The foie gras & chicken liver pate is delicious and served with a buttery cippolini agro dolce.
out the magic to this velvety, creamy polenta — but no luck. Pasta for the Soul: One word — gnudi. These pillows of spinach and ricotta “in the nude” are perfectly with a concentrated tomato sauce. Pizza Napoletana: For a spin on a classic, try the Mora margherita with burrata and blistered crust thanks to a brush of olive oil. Oh, and the bar is stocked full of fun, playful cocktails — remember to try the Rose Snowcone this summer when the 100-degree-plus temps kick in! - Andrea Tyler Evans
Antipasti: Do not miss the polenta with mushrooms and the grilled octopus. I tried to find
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Photo Credit: Mora Italian
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Birth
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3 yrs.
4 yrs.
5 yrs.
6 yrs.
7 yrs.
8 yrs.
Read On Arizona is committed to creating an early literacy system that delivers the right program at the right time for every child.
Successes Made by Arizona’s Children
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• reading achievement of 4th graders • progress made on state reading assessment
2
by economically disadvantaged students • decrease in chronic absences in grades K-3
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of economically disadvantaged and all students Read On Arizona is a public/private collaboration of 500+ partners committed to improving language and literacy outcomes for Arizona’s children from birth through age eight.
Learn more at ReadOnArizona.org 20 | FRONTDOORSMEDIA.COM
3 NAEP,MARCH 2015, 2AzMERIT 2017 2016, ADE 2016
1
DISCOVERING HEALTH SOLUTIONS ► $2.1 Billion Economic Impact by 2025 ► First MD Medical School in Phoenix ► Training with 1,200 Local Healthcare Physicians ► Matching 100% Medical Students to Residencies Every Year ► Collaborations with Banner, HonorHealth, Mayo Clinic, Phoenix Children’s and Barrow Hospitals THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
College of Medicine Phoenix
FRONTDOORSMEDIA.COM | 21 MARCH 2017 LEARN MORE AT PHOENIXMED.ARIZONA.EDU
OFFICE DOORS {leadership}
Brad VYNaLEK DANCES HIS WAY THROUGH LAW, FAMILY AND PHILANTHROPY
Vondalynn Dias | CONTRIBUTING WRITER
All attorneys are asked to do a lot with their time. For Brad Vynalek, partner at Quarles & Brady, a day in the office can mean billable hours to log, firm events to attend, travel, managing clients and teams, and the never-ending quest for business development opportunities. Along with the many responsibilities and time commitments, Vynalek, a married father of three, has dedicated nearly 20 years of his life to community service projects throughout the Valley. “This is a community with a lot of heart and opportunity,” Vynalek said. ”If we don’t have people really engaging to grow the market and the community, I feel like we’re not going to become what we need to be.” One of his fondest charitable contributions was working with the Make a Wish Foundation. “About nine years ago, I started helping the organization with a turnaround project where they changed the trajectory and refocused on new
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leadership and board recruitment,” Vynalek said. “I was one of many people who assisted in getting them a new wish house and helping them hit the goal of granting almost 500 new wishes a year. That was a phenomenal opportunity for me.” When he isn’t working or volunteering, Vynalek hangs out with his family — his wife Amy and his children Hazel, Gabe and Mabel — whether playing on their front lawn, hiking, skiing, traveling to the beach or visiting family in other parts of the country. He serves on the Board of Directors for Greater Phoenix Economic Council and Teach for America, and has mentored students and helped outreach and fundraising at Capital Elementary School in Phoenix for more than 17 years. He most recently took on a 10-week physical challenge, “Dancing With the Stars,” for the National Kidney Foundation of Arizona — where he won the People’s Choice Award for his energetic dance routine.
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“It has been an awesome journey of putting myself into unique situations with crazy challenges,” said Vynalek. “It’s really kind of forced me to challenge myself physically and mentally.” His advice for those looking for an effective way to gain leadership experience or get involved in your community? Vynalek said to find a cause that you’re passionate about and take risks. “I see so many people who are really slow to get involved,” Vynalek said. “If you let that be impediment five years down the road you’ll be saying, holy smokes, why didn’t I get involved?”
Photo credit: Vondalynn Dias
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If we don’t have people really engaging to grow the market and the community, I feel like we’re not going to become what we need to be.
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GIVING IN STYLE {fashion in the philanthropy lane}
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with Ally Hilfiger Tyler Butler | SOCIETY AND FASHION WRITER Fashion has been a constant theme throughout my career, a place where giving back has been met with style and grace. Whether producing charity events, such as Arizona Humane Society’s Compassion with Fashion or being recognized for my own trendsetting attire, fashion has been my passion. It is woven into my love for charity and community. So when the opportunity arose to be part of the new Frontdoors Media as a society and fashion contributor, I saw it as a chance to tap into my two favorite arenas while visiting my roots in publishing. My first post-college job was as a founder of the weekly publication College Times. And while I moved my career over to non-profit and corporate responsibility a few years later, I recognized that philanthropy, media and fashion could have a happy, seamless union.
BITTEN BUT NOT SHY When it was announced that fashion royalty Ally Hilfiger, daughter of fashion scion Tommy Hilfiger, was coming to the Valley to share her story about living with Lyme disease, I knew this had to be the focus of my first Frontdoors column. Ally’s book, “Bite Me: How Lyme Disease Stole My Childhood, Made Me Crazy And Almost Killed Me,” chronicles her agonizing experiences with the debilitating illness. Having suffered for 14 years prior to proper Lyme detection, she learned firsthand how critical 24 | FRONTDOORSMEDIA.COM
diagnosis and treatment are for those who struggle with this disease. Ally’s visit to Arizona had a simple mission: to increase awareness about the disease and push for better testing for those affected. In my exclusive interview with Ally, we dove deeper into her perspective on Lyme disease. She has come a long way. Her father institutionalized her during the darkest days of her illness. Now he is her biggest advocate and extremely proud of her and the work she does to help spread awareness about Lyme disease. I met up with Ally at the JW Marriott Camelback Inn, where she was speaking at the Focus on Lyme conference and Wave of Change Gala. It was cool to see up close her keen sense of style as she strutted in to the room wearing an in vogue pair of Givenchy booties and a Stella McCartney dress. What follows is a condensed version of our interview: FD: What do you think is the one thing that's most needed in the fight against Lyme disease right now? Ally: The one thing most needed is more research. It’s all about the science. We can educate people and talk about how it affects you and what happened, but at the end of the day it is all about science and if there isn’t an accurate way to test then what is the point of finding out if you have Lyme disease? MARCH 2017
Photo credit: Felice+Whitney Agency
FD: What inspired you to share your story at this event? Ally: I met Tammy Crawford (executive director of Focus On Lyme) at the mindbodygreen conference. She and I really got along and I loved that she was really trying to get everybody under one roof to make a difference and try to come up with a more accurate way to diagnose and test for this disease. I feel very passionately about this as I believe in looking ahead to the future and not being bitter about the past. So I think the best revenge is really being bold and honest and controversial and this was a safe environment to do so. FD: When you mention being controversial, how does that relate for you in gaining mainstream attention for this disease? Ally: I think it is scary for public figures to talk about a disease that is so debated or politically opposed. It’s really unfortunate that the government and CDC have been so unsupportive of the truth about this disease and what people go through and the lack of advancements in science. MARCH 2017
FD: So then how do you think we can get more people to be more aware of it? Ally: I see an opportunity to make people more aware of this disease through fashion and through bringing some glamour to the cause. Think of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll and how by bringing people who are in the limelight in the entertainment business, fashion world and music industry comfortably forward so that they feel safe enough to share their story and how this will bring more awareness to the cause. It takes a lot of vulnerability to share something so personal and people get scared to be open to scrutiny and judgment, but I don’t care because I am just being honest and hopefully it will help people out there who are listening. FRONTDOORSMEDIA.COM | 25
GIVING IN STYLE CONTINUED
Photo credit: Felice+Whitney Agency
FD: You’ve mentioned using fashion to bring more awareness to Lyme disease. How do you see philanthropy and fashion fitting together?
@tylerjbutler Tyler Butler is the Society and Fashion Writer for Frontdoors Media. She is the founder of 11Eleven Consulting, a boutique consulting firm focused on aiding companies in developing meaningful and innovative corporate social responsibility programs. She has a extensive background in both publishing and philanthropic roles. She is also the first Frontdoors Ambassador — a Frontdoors Media initiative we will be announcing soon. 26 | FRONTDOORSMEDIA.COM
Ally: When creative people are successful in their field they have an obligation and a duty to be philanthropic. It gives more sustenance to certain crafts if you are marrying them with philanthropy. If a percentage of sales can benefit a certain cause or donating fashion show tickets to different fundraisers, there is an opportunity to use fashion for good. There are a lot of ways the fashion world can contribute. I particularly like it when brick and mortar stores bring awareness to causes by donating proceeds from a particular item’s sales to a certain charity. Fashion can be a machine to bring awareness. FD: What’s next for you? Ally: I am starting my own podcast, with PodcastOne. I believe people have a toolbox in coping with different things so I intend to bring in experts who I respect from different fields to share with us what is in their toolbox. Yolanda Foster, a fellow Lyme disease survivor and advocate will be one of my first guests. Her book is coming out soon and she has tremendous vulnerability by telling her story.
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Big event coming up? Leave your look to the experts! HAIR BY JULIA MENDEZ Leiden Mitchell Salon at 44th Street & Indian School or by Personal Appointment Call 602-312-5245
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We believe in Altruism. The belief that acting for the benefit of others is right and good. b u i ld i n g co m m u n i ti e s th r o u gh ph i lant h r opy
Current and Recent Clients: Arizona Science Center Boyce Thompson Arboretum Crosier Fathers and Brothers Furnishing Dignity Ryan House Special Olympics Arizona
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CONGR AT U L AT IONS
16 Class of Piper Fellows th
Katherine Cecala
President Junior Achievement of Arizona
JoAnne Chiariello
Director of Family Support Services AASK—Aid to Adoption of Special Kids
Leah Fregulia
Head of School and CEO Arizona School for the Arts
Amy Schwabenlender
Vice President of Community Impact Valley of the Sun United Way
“Our four new Piper Fellows bring experience and vigor to the Trust and the Fellows’ community. Each designed an impressive and substantive fellowship plan with intentions to strengthen and evolve their talents, and ultimately build resilience organizationally and within the larger community.” – Susan Pepin, MD, MPH, President and CEO, Piper Trust
Learn more about Piper Fellows’ work at pipertrust.org/piperfellows
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© 2017 Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust
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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.
HOW LaRRY LEaRNeD GeNeROSITY Larry Fitzgerald Jr. was recently named the “Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year” for his work with the Larry Fitzgerald First Down Fund, which made contributions to organizations from Phoenix Children’s Hospital to the Starkey Hearing Foundation, helping fit hearing aids for those in need throughout Africa. Generosity runs in the family and it’s something that Larry Jr. learned at home. His mother, Carol Fitzgerald, counseled HIV-positive patients at the dawn of the AIDS epidemic. When she died from cancer in 2003, his father, Larry Fitzgerald Sr. established a fund in her name to honor her and support the causes she held dearly. His father, Larry Fitzgerald Sr., a fixture in the Minneapolis-St. Paul sports media world for 30 | FRONTDOORSMEDIA.COM
decades, explained how his son’s upbringing shaped his approach to the world. Larry Jr. and his brother Marcus would be exposed to a range of athletes and the world of sports “but yet on the other side they were grounded in getting this life lesson that people make mistakes in their health that get them in trouble,” Larry Sr. said. “And so in doing that you have to find a way to deal with it with a kind of humility and a confidence and a faith that you can get through it. I think those were points they learned clearly from being around us, being around their mother. We’re a church-based family. We believe and follow the lead of God.” READ MORE ONLINE
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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.
GeeNa HeaDeD TO THe VaLLeY Geena Davis, the Academy Award winner best known for her roles in “Thelma and Louise” and “A League of Their Own” will speak at a luncheon presented by the Women’s Leadership Council of the Valley of the Sun United Way. The April 28 event at the Phoenician Resort will raise funds for the Valley of the Sun United Way’s Breakfast in the Classroom program. Honorary
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Chairwoman of the event will be Angela Ducey, Arizona’s First Lady. Davis is also well known for her long-time advocacy on behalf of women. All proceeds from this luncheon directly benefit the Valley of the Sun United Way Breakfast in the Classroom program. READ MORE ONLINE
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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.
‘BeaUTY’ BeCOmeS THe HeaRD
The Heard Museum has opened its new 7,000-square-foot space – the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust Grand Gallery. The inaugural exhibition, “Beauty Speaks for Us,” will feature more than 200 rarely seen works selected from private Phoenix collections and the Heard’s own collection of more than 40,000 works of art. It’s the museum’s first new gallery in a decade. READ MORE ONLINE
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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.
3 GRaMMYS FOR BaILeY Zuill Bailey, the 44-year-old artistic director of Mesa Arts Center’s Classical Music Inside Out Series, won Grammy Awards for his cello performance on “Michael Daugherty: Tales of Hemingway, American Gothic & Once Upon a Castle (Live).” Bailey received Grammy Awards for Best Classical Instrumental Solo, Best Contemporary Classical Composition and Best Classical Compendium. His 14-year-old son Mateo accompanied him to the event at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday. His son, of course, was in awe of all that was around him. Bailey said his son told him, “Someone just told me to pinch myself. I don’t want to because I might wake up.” READ MORE ONLINE
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GIVING BACK {charity spotlight}
PANDA PANDA AIMS TO END CHILDHOOD DISEASES Tom Evans | CONTRIBUTING EDITOR PANDA: People Acting Now Discover Answers, or the Phoenix Women’s Board of the Steele Children’s Research Center at the University of Arizona College of Medicine.
The Cause PANDA “supports discovery processes to improve treatments and cures for devastating childhood diseases. The strong and unique partnership between the PANDA members and the researchers and physicians at the Steele Center has made it possible for us to embody our name, People Acting Now Discovering Answers.”
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The Event PANDA’s 2017 “Children Helping Children” Fashion Show Saturday, March 25, 2017 Phoenician Resort in Scottsdale
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GIVING BACK CONTINUED
Photo credit: PANDA Henry, age 9 and Joaquin Pastor, age 7
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GIVING BACK CONTINUED
The Story PANDA started in the early 1980s in Tucson, when a friend of PANDA co-founder Robyn DeBell by the name of Louise Thomas had a son named Michael diagnosed with leukemia. Michael unfortunately passed away despite receiving the best medical care available at the time. Thomas vowed in her grief to start a facility that would find the causes and cures for childhood diseases like the leukemia that took her son — and that would become the Steele Children’s Research Center. Fast forward a few years — DeBell moved to Phoenix and met PANDA co-founder Penny Gunning, who made it their mission to expand the Steele Children’s Research Center to Phoenix. DeBell and Gunning started a children’s fashion show to raise money for the center, and started a group of 35 women dedicated to the cause. Since then, the group that became PANDA has raised more than $7.25 million for the Steele Center to aid in its research and treatment. “Our goal is to end devastating childhood diseases,” said Jennifer Karas, President of PANDA. “We work with the team down at the Steele Center and fundraise for them to help make sure the doctors have the resources they need. That’s the incredible thing — the return on investment our donors receive and our community receives. We’re not just looking at cancer, we’re looking at how we are going to solve cancer.”
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The Chairs Janey Henze Cook and Tammy Ryan
The Details This year’s event will raise funds specifically for the Children’s Autoimmunity and Allergies Project, which seeks to help unravel the mystery of common autoimmune issues among children – including type 1 diabetes, juvenile arthritis, Crohn’s disease, colitis, eosinophilic esophagitis, celiac disease and postinfectious autoimmune encephalopathy. The event is sold out — more than 1,000 people will be in attendance, and Karas said it’s the fastest the event has ever sold out. However, raffle tickets and online bidding for the silent auction will be available to everyone. For more details, visit PANDA’s web site.
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GIVING BACK CONTINUED
It’s incredible, so uplifting, and our goal is that everyone leaves with a sense of hope for the future of these kids and for medical research,” Karas said. “Children from throughout the Valley participate in the fashion show, and this year Vans has given children shoes so they can make their own designs. The children go through the summer doing lemonade stands to raise money for the event, and we have an ice cream social for them during the summer so we can really show them how they are the ones who are creating the event.” For More Information Visit azpanda.org or e-mail pandareservations2017@gmail.com
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TAX CREDIT DIRECTORY {spring 2017}
Tax credit contributions fuel non-profits and schools, help donors’ bottom line Tom Evans | CONTRIBUTING EDITOR They almost sound too good to be true. But Arizona's charity and education tax credits are very real, and completely legitimate. And they're more than just a great way to save money on state and federal tax returns — they've become one of the most important fundraising tools available for hundreds of non-profits and schools statewide. "It is a win-win for everyone," said Christine Ewing of Ewing Consulting, a Phoenix-based fundraising consulting firm. "This legislation improves the quality of life for deserving Arizonans and should be taken advantage of for the benefit of all." If you're not familiar with tax credit contributions, you should be. Here's how they work in a nutshell: Every year, you pay state income taxes to the Arizona Department of Revenue based on how much money you make. However, state law allows you to receive a dollar-for-dollar credit on the amount of tax you pay if you donate to a qualified charity or educational institution in one of four categories: Arizona Qualified Charities, which is a general
category most non-profits fit in. Contributions are limited to $400 per person or $800 per couple. Arizona Qualifying Foster Care Charitable Organizations, which as the title implies
encompasses non-profits who provide foster care services. Contributions have a $500 limit for individuals and an $1,000 limit per couple.
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Public Schools, including charter schools, with a
$200 per person and $400 per couple limit Private School Tuition Organizations, which
fund contributions to private schools, which have a $1,087 total limit per person and $2,183 limit per couple So, for example — say you give $800 to an Arizona Qualified Charity. As a result, your state income tax owed is reduced by $800. Period. And, you can claim that same $800 charitable contribution on your federal taxes, lowering your federal tax bill as well. It's a net win compared to paying tax dollars to the state, and you directly contribute to these beneficial organizations instead. With all the different categories, individuals can save as much as $2,187 and couple as much as $4,383 on their state tax bill, while claiming the same amount of contributions on their federal taxes as well. Arizona law changed last year as well to allow for these contributions to be made all the way up to the April 15 tax deadline and still count for the 2016 tax year (contributions made in 2017 would count for your 2017 federal taxes, however). So it's crunch time right now for many organizations who rely on these contributions for funding. "This tax credit is an opportunity for you to direct your tax dollars by sending these funds directly to the charities you wish to impact versus leaving the money with the state to allocate at their discretion," she said. "You get to take these allocations into your own hands." MARCH 2017
Frontdoors Media’s guide to Arizona charity and education tax credits, how they benefit you and how they help organizations throughout our community.
Click Here MARCH 2017
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OPEN DOORS {publisher’s page}
True Story: My college degree from ASU is in Exercise Science. In other words, I never really thought about being a magazine publisher. But through some fortuitous twists and turns in life, I’m proud to be here today and to introduce myself as the new publisher of Frontdoors Media. Let me tell you a little bit about the journey. When I graduated from college, rather than jumping right into a job in the sports or fitness industry, I gave myself one year to travel and work at a favorite restaurant. As the year was coming to an end, I was given the opportunity to join the American Heart Association — an organization with at least some connection to my degree in health and science. My job at the Heart Association quickly morphed into an event planning role — and thanks to Pat Leach, I was offered the position of Heart Ball Assistant. And I loved it. It was my first exposure to the Valley’s philanthropic community and thanks to Past Chairs Bonnie Martin, Priscilla Nicholas and their incredible committees, it was something I enjoyed a great deal. I learned from the best.
@AndreaTEvans andrea@frontdoorsmedia.com Andrea Tyler Evans is the publisher of Frontdoors Media. She has an extensive background in the Valley business and non-profit community as a successful event planning and fundraising consultant. She can be reached at 480.622.4522 or andrea@frontdoorsmedia.com.
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My next move was to The Phoenix Symphony, where I worked on the Symphony Ball, managed volunteer programs and had even more exposure to the people making a difference in our non-profit community. I then branched out into the private sector, where I met my husband, who just happened to be…a former journalist. I went through Valley Leadership in 2002 and met more amazing people who were making a difference every day for causes small and large. Tom and I started our own consulting firm in 2003 — he focused on PR and marketing, while I grew my event planning client base.
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OPEN DOORS CONTINUED
Our business grew, and we eventually found ourselves with our own office space and a staff of supportive, talented people — including two more talented former journalists and a great Creative Director. In other words, all the pieces you need if you wanted to, say, produce a magazine. And then last summer, Julia Patrick took me to coffee and asked if we’d be interested in purchasing Frontdoors from her. After a few months of conversations, we knew it was a unique fit — we had been working in the philanthropic community for years, and we had the right mix of people to take Frontdoors to a new level. So here we are, excited and ready to roll out the next chapter in Frontdoors’ evolution. What will you see in the coming months? We’re going to build on the amazing foundation Julia Patrick has created for Frontdoors — thank you, Julia! We’ve already started making changes and tweaks designed to make Frontdoors an even better source of information. We’ve refreshed the design, added some features to the web site, revamped our weekly newsletter “The Knock,” and more. We’ve got some great ideas for the future as well, and are looking forward to
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introducing you to more of the great people, organizations and causes in our community. And we even drafted a new mission statement: Frontdoors Media celebrates the people and groups who give generously and work to build the future of our community. It’s the premier source of information – and inspiration – for those who strive to make the Valley of the Sun a better place to live. We’re grateful for all the kind notes, phone calls and social media posts we’ve received since the announcement last month. We’re excited to start telling the stories we find in our community. And we’re committed to playing a part in making our community an even better place to live. Welcome to the new Frontdoors. We hope you enjoy it!
Andrea Tyler Evans Andrea Tyler Evans | PUBLISHER
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BE A PART OF
the new frontdoors Frontdoors News is now Frontdoors Media, with a new team bringing you the best coverage of the Valley’s events, philanthropy, culture and much, much more. We’re already working to take the great Frontdoors Media platform and make it even better for readers and advertisers. You’re seeing a big step in this process with this redesigned and revamped March 2017 issue of our online magazine. The new magazine is sure to get some notice — and we’ll be sharing it with our 35,000 e-mail subscribers and extensive social media networks to make sure. You can be a part of the new Frontdoors Magazine by advertising in our April 1 issue! Our advertising packages start at just $600 for the magazine, and we can tailor some great digital solutions for your marketing needs that include our weekly e-blasts, web site and social media platforms. Click this ad to view our rate card, or for more information, contact:
Andrea Tyler Evans | Publisher andrea@frontdoorsmedia.com
3104 E. Camelback Road #967 | Phoenix, Arizona 85016 | 480-622-4522 | frontdoorsmedia.com 42 | FRONTDOORSMEDIA.COM
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