COMMUNITY

Kyrene Foundation sets signature fundraiser

BY COTY DOLORES MIRANDA

AFN Contributor

The Kyrene Foundation hosts its Night for Kyrene to raise funds to help the school district’s students and their families, local schools and educators.

Formerly called The Taste of Kyrene, this 10th annual signature fundraiser is slated to be held at the Arizona Grand Resort & Spa Sept. 24.

Tickets are still available for the special evening, that includes a plated dinner and dessert, cash bar, live music by Gilbert musician Guillaume Alvin Jefferson, various keynote speakers – including Kyrene School District Superintendent Laura Toenjes – the Silent Auction and Live Ask (online bidding), a fund-a-need feature and a $25 wine pull.

New this year is the Live Ask, an opportunity for those unable to attend the fundraiser to bid on items during the live online auction.

Sponsors, silent auction donors, wine pull donors (minimum value of $25 and up), and reserved table reservations are still accepted.

Among the musical entertainers is Guillaume Alvin Jefferson who will perform during the 6-7 p.m. reception hour.

Guillaume Alvin Jefferson, a Gilbert native and former model, plays jazz, blues and rock and roll throughout the Valley and California.

He said he is honored to be a lead-off musician for the 2022 Night for Kyrene entertainment line-up.

“I support the kids, families and teachers because I know the true concept of legacy, survival and education,” the 31year old musician and composer said. “And, continuing to give back to the community is my mission to inspire and love one another.”

Former morning radio host and longtime Ahwatukee resident Mathew Blades will emcee the evening as he did in the last Night for Kyrene, held in 2019.

A mental wellness speaker & podcast host of ‘Learn from People who Lived It’ said giving back to the community is what keeps him returning to aid the nonprofit Kyrene Foundation.

“My youngest attends Altadeña Middle School and the oldest is at Desert Vista. They’ve been in the Kyrene district their whole learning life which is pretty cool,” said Blades now the new Desert Vista hockey program head coach.

“I do this for the Kyrene Foundation be-

The emcee for the Kyrene Foundation’s Night for Kyrene is Mathew Blades of Ahwatukee, a mental-wellness speaker and podcast host of “Learn from People who

Lived It.” (Special to the Arizonan) seeRESOURCE page 42

Chandler churches’ merger includes campus re-do

BY JANELLE MOLONY

Contributor

SonRise Faith Community, a wellestablished church in Chandler’s Galveston neighborhood, has adopted a new name as it undergoes a major overhaul.

Now called Bethel SonRise to reflect a partnership with Bethel Chandler Church in southern Chandler, the 30-year-old church.

Residents in the area can now look forward to a re-opening of a 30-year neighborhood staple by the end of the year.

SonRise Faith’s leadership formed the partnership with Bethel Chandler last year to support the retirement of their pastoral staff and to fulfill an urgent need for building repairs and upgrades.

Due to the pandemic, SonRise’s campus remained virtually unoccupied for two years.

“There was a lot of work that needed to be done from a maintenance standpoint,” said Jenny Browne, project manager.

Steve Browning, an assistant associate pastor of SonRise Faith, is looking forward to seeing a long-awaited vision for the people and property realized through the renovation project.

He said the project is an opportunity “to maximize the impact on the community” and that “the renovation, to me, is more of a revival – one that’s been brewing all along.”

With the merger, the congregation is now led by the new building owners and executive pastors, Mike and Julie Gowans of Bethel Chandler.

The Gowans delegated the responsibility of project oversight to former IT professional and Ahwatukee resident Jenny Browne.

“This project has been a huge undertaking,” Browne said.

When the church campus reopens, it SonRise Faith Community at Galveston and Jay streets is now called Bethel SonRise after the two Chandler congregations merged. The Galveston campus is now being renovated. The top photo shows what it looked like before the renovation project began and the bottom shows how it looks like now. (Special to the Arizonan)

seeCHURCHES page 43

cause I want to see people succeed, and I love to offer a hand and some hope to families who feel like life is hard.”

Kyrene Foundation Board member Suzanne Rinker once again serves as Night for Kyrene chair. She chaired the 2019 fundraiser that raised more than $54,000.

A three-year Kyrene Foundation board member, Rinker is no stranger to foundations or fundraising as she is also vice president of enterprise development at the ASU Foundation.

“This is a great night to gather as a com-

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munity while helping raise funds for a meaningful organization,” she said. “The Kyrene Foundation really does make a difference in the lives of students, their families and educators throughout the district.”

She said among the speakers will be recipients of the teacher mini-grants, just one of the programs that aid Kyrene School District educators.

Kyrene Foundation, in partnership with the Kyrene School District, also offers principal grants, student scholarships for after-school enrichment and athletics, backpacks and other items for students in need.

They also annually provide Thanksgiving Food Baskets, and help sponsor the annual Winter Wonderland.

The Kyrene Family Resource Center, located next to Kyrene de los Niños, is also a recipient of The Kyrene Foundation’s largesse.

“The Kyrene Foundation exists due to the wonderful support of the Kyrene community,” said Kyrene Foundation Board President Shirley Coomer. “We partner with local businesses, non-profit organizations, and community supporters to provide essential assistance to our students and families.”

The signature fundraiser will be held from 6-10 p.m. at the Arizona Grand Resort & Spa located off 8000 Arizona Grand Parkway.

For more information on the event or sponsorship opportunities, or to purchase tickets for the 2022 Night For Kyrene see KyreneFoundation.org.

For those unable to attend the Sept. 24 gala, donations to the foundation and their programs can also be made on the website.

Donors can either email suzanne.rinker@kyrenefoundation.org or submit information e.givesmart.com/events/rDx/ donateNewItem.

Tickets for the event are $95 and tables are $1,250, and there are sponsor-

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will offer weekend and mid-week services and specialized small group gatherings. The ministry staff plans to offer regular after-school events geared towards teens, onsite career planning services, and re-opening of the food pantry for those in need.

Browning said there will eventually be enough programming available to meet the needs of the whole-person.

He said that besides meeting the practical needs of the community, they plan to host general counseling services and trauma-informed “soul care” programs to address mental and emotional health issues.

More programs are slated for the future, but “we plan to start small and grow through further outreach,” said Denise Flores, executive assistant for Bethel Church.

In the short time the remodel has been underway, “we’ve had many miracles,” Browne said, adding that the first was the overwhelming support of the unified congregation.

“With two churches merging, we’re celebrating the combination of ethnically and generationally diverse groups.”

Since last November, combined church members raised over $250,000 towards the campaign for the renovation.

Galveston residents and church volunteers have also put in over 400 hours of physical labor towards the renovations, which has reduced overhead costs.

Browne said that volunteers’ contributions of time and energy comes with the expected limitations of qualified skills and general availability.

Beyond the volunteer workforce, she said recent contributions from corporations have surprised the organization.

To date, Associated Architects in Mesa donated $22,000 towards the project, and their architects and engineers committed 185 pro-bono hours to design and draft the master plan and restroom remodel.

Phoenix’s Interior Concepts Inc. donated $40,000 worth of flooring products and offered free installation. Sincerus Technology provided thousands of dollars’ worth of labor and sold project materials to Bethel “at cost.” Paul Neerings of Gilbert’s Victory Electric offered discounted labor and oversight.

Browne said the companies that have been so generous “see the bigger picture.” Though the official groundbreaking began in March, the campus remodel has been divided into three phases, which are anticipated to be completed before 2023. The first phase involves an upgrade of the multi-purpose room and was completed earlier this summer.

The remodeled 1,800-square-foot space allowed for the immediate occupation of the Bricks4Kidz elementary STEM summer program.

The room will also be rentable for community events, parties, conferences and programs that need an affordable meeting space.

The remodel of the sanctuary is now underway with a target completion date of Sept. 25.

Browne said that because of the limited labor force, sometimes it feels more like “we are hoping for a Christmas miracle.” The sanctuary remodel will feature a technology upgrade that includes a sound and lighting system to make services (both live and online) more attractive to the modern audience.

A restroom upgrade comprises the third phase and will accommodate the needs of a growing church community and those of groups that rent the multipurpose room for special events and the crowds those events bring. In addition to the church-specific uses, Bethel SonRise’s tenant, Head Start Preschool, will tackle a portion of the upgrades to the classrooms and children’s restrooms it uses during the week with the help of a recent grant.

This work is expected to be completed mid-November.

Browne still hopes to form new relationships with more general contractors and subcontractors to assist with project completion.

“We are still looking for donors and volunteers,” she said, hoping to invite more to help with this legacy project.

And congregants hope for a surge of new interest and excitement for the reopening by inviting local families to the forthcoming kid-friendly Harvest Fest on Oct. 29.

Ob uaries

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Alma Walser Skousen

Alma passed away in the company of his family, in Mesa, Arizona on September 8, 2022, at the age of 96. Alma was born a US Citizen in Colonia Dublan, Chihuahua, Mexico. His parents, Angus and Gertrude Skousen, farmed in Mexico until they moved as a family to the United States when Alma was 15 years old. He lived a full and happy life. He had a love for aviation that began at a young age and continued throughout his life. He joined the Army Air Corp at the tender age of 17 and served five years until being honorably discharged in 1946 just before WWII ended. He joined the USAF, applied as an aviation cadet and was accepted into their training program in 1950. He completed flight school and became a jet- fighter pilot, serving missions in Korea and Vietnam. He completed 26 missions in Korea, over 100 in North Vietnam, and 33 more in South Vietnam. Alma survived a forced crash landing due to mechanical error over Lind, Washington. He was able to continue his flight career after recovering from a broken back and served in the USAF for 23 years. He retired as a Lt. Colonel serving his country over a span of 28 years. Alma married his first love Lorna, who was his wife of 57 years. During his career, they raised a large family of 9 children. Alma and Lorna ran a Stretch & Sew fabric store in Peoria, Arizona for 7 years. After Lorna passed, he married his second love Phyllis, his wife of 12 years. He loved all his family. He taught his children to love one another and to love their mother, our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ (whom he considered his hero). As a father, his teachings of unconditional love were one of his greatest gifts. Alma’s many descendants remember him as a loving father, grandfather, an ardent patriot, and a man of deep faith and love. He is survived by his wife Phyllis, his children, 43 grandchildren, 69 great grandchildren and 3 great-great grandchildren. We love you Dad, God speed. Services were held on September 17, 2022

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