Gilbert Sun News - December 2017 by Times Media Group

December 2017

Relentlessly local coverage of Gilbert and our neighboring communities

Season’s Greetings

Maddie Leppert, 6, dances with other children at the Gilbert Concert Series and Holiday Lighting event at Water Tower Plaza.

Fire Station 9 will help with four-minute response time

Students launch plant experiment in space

BY SRIANTHI PERERA

BY MELODY BIRKETT

Gilbert ceremoniously broke ground on construction of its last-planned fire station in November. Fire Station No. 9, located near Ocotillo and Higley roads, will serve residents in the far southeast part of town, which, until recently, consisted of quiet cotton and alfalfa fields surrounded by scrub desert horizons. Now, with more and more red roofs and plastered walls breaking up the view, the fire station is necessary to help Gilbert maintain its four-minute emergency

response time throughout the town, officials said. Station No. 9 is really the town’s 11th station. “It’s the last station that we have planned on the books,” said Fire Chief Jim Jobusch, addressing the town dignitaries, staffers and a handful of residents gathered at the site. “Somewhere in the future, we may have to add a station if the town grows up and reaches build out. As far as plans for today, this is it.” SEE

FIRE STATION

Five high school students representing Gilbert stood by at NASA’S Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia recently. They were awaiting the NASA commercial cargo provider, Orbital ATK Cygnus Spacecraft, to launch its eighth mission to the International Space Station. The launch was special to them because the spacecraft was carrying their science experiment. Devised over many months, the experiment will evaluate the growth of micro clovers in microgravity PAGE 6 and how nitrogen deposited in the soil can

5 18 28 36

Community Neighbors Business Youth

be used to grow additional plants in space. But at the site, the blast-off was more immediately exciting to the teens. Devin Askue, 16, a junior at Mesquite High School, said there were “no words” to describe it. “It was so loud. We were two miles away, and it felt like a small earthquake. It was crazy. It was beautiful. It was my first rocket launch experience, and I was in awe,” he said. SEE

45 Spirituality 47 Arts 52 Opinion

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Community

December 2017

Ophelia’s Place offers hope for eating disorders BY SRIANTHI PERERA

An eating disorder threatened to derail Gilbert resident Holli Zehring’s life when she was just 16. The Syracuse, New York native came to Remuda Ranch in Wickenburg for treatment. She made good progress, but she relapsed after returning home. “One thing I loved about treatment (was) I was surrounded by people who understood, who got it. You didn’t feel so isolated or weird. You feel connected,” she said. “I missed that.” Then her mom, Mary Ellen Clausen, did something that few mothers would or could do: In 2002, she created Ophelia’s Place, a comprehensive program that offers support services, education, outreach, community building and treatment programs to those afflicted by eating disorders in upstate New York. Zehring moved to Gilbert 13 years ago, met her future husband and settled. Now in her 30s and a mother of two, she has a dream to replicate Ophelia’s Place in the Valley. To that end, she has just established the beginnings of the program within the offices of Arizona Restorative Psychiatry in downtown Gilbert. It helps that her husband, Brad, is a psychiatrist with a specialization in eating disorders. He founded the psychiatric clinic earlier this year. “We would love to duplicate the model that they have there,” Zehring said, referring to Ophelia’s Place. “One of the big gaps is the awareness and support piece, which is exactly what we do. They don’t know what it looks like, where to find it. They don’t know if they have one. The education is so crucial.” Eating disorders run the gamut, Zehring said. “There’s a spectrum of a complete and healthy relationship with your body and food, and an eating disorder. Most people fall into this spectrum of disorder eating, and when it comes into play, to be an eating disorder, it’s how much it’s invading your life. Is it affecting your health and the social aspects of your life?” Zehring believes that yo-yo dieting, calorie obsession, viewing food in terms of “good” versus “bad,” and constantly worrying about having to work out communicate a really dangerous message to the next generation and to the world that “we care more what we look like than what we can do and offer.”

She has to work diligently to undo the confusing effects because her 9-year-old daughter and 6-year-old son are “constantly inundated with messaging,” she said. Clausen said negative body image is a risk factor for eating disorders; thus education around body image and selfesteem is important. “We’ve normalized the yo-yo, the chronic dieting. We’ve normalized that we believe this culture that thinness equals health,” she said. “We’ve made this interpretation based on what the culture supports and media messages that we’re completely inundated with.” Their mission promotes the message that “every body is beautiful.” Before Clausen created her clinic in upstate New York, she gauged the community’s need by organizing an open house in a wellness center that she publicized by placing a notice in a local newspaper. She was amazed when 75 people attended. With help from others, she began mobilizing the effort. Ophelia’s Place began in a donated classroom until a building was purchased in 2005. The next few years were spent renovating the space and outfitting it for the purpose. In 2007, it partnered with a treatment program and housed an outpatient service that provides case management and follows the individual through with a full continuum of care. The program serves 50 to 75 families and individuals each week. In 2009, it opened a café, Café at 407, to fund the operation. “The café has helped to eliminate the shame and stigma around eating disorders and mental illness,” Clausen said. Zehring said “the café turned Syracuse from a lonely place for eating disorders to a vibrant place.” Ophelia’s Place has a staff of five, and the café employs about 12. Zehring also created Circles of Change, a movement to change the culture and conversation around health, beauty and body image. A half marathon held under the umbrella of the movement raises funds for the program as well. Awareness is crucial because treatment for eating disorders is not available to everyone. “I was one of the lucky ones,” Zehring said. “My family really looked at it like a family disorder. They didn’t say, ‘You go to treatment and get fixed and come

(GSN photo by Srianthi Perera)

Holli Zehring (seated) with her mom, Mary Ellen Clausen, at Ophelia’s Place, their newly opened Gilbert clinic for eating disorders.

home all better, and we’ll just live our lives,’” she said. “They were very invested in the process, and a lot had to change in our family in order for us to be in a healthier place. Without that, I don’t know where I’d be.” Her family also included her dad, younger sister and two cousins. Ultimately, it was her family support, faith and knowing that she could turn things around that helped her overcome the odds. “This can be something lifegiving and something I can learn and grow from,” she thought then. “It takes a lot of courage for somebody to make that initial phone call because there’s so much stigma attached to this,” Clausen said. “What’s important is to get them connected to care as soon as possible. That’s a big part of what we do – triaging and managing those phone calls.” The comprehensive model is now a national leader. With help from her mother, Zehring has been working for two years to bring Ophelia’s Place to Gilbert. Ultimately, she would have to take over both locations. The effort is worth it because eating disorders are a matter of life and death. “Eating disorders have the highest

EVERY BODY IS BEAUTIFUL

mortality rate and suicide rate,” she said. Among females age 15 to 24 who suffer from anorexia, the mortality rate associated with the illness is 12 times higher than the death rate of all other causes of death, according to the National Eating Disorders Association. “I feel the severity of it gets brushed aside,” Zehring said. “This is important.” Details: Call 480-436-7683 or visit opheliasplace.org.

Ongoing support • Moving Forward Support Group: 5:45 p.m. on Thursdays at Arizona Restorative Psychiatry, 459 N. Gilbert Road, Suite C-110, Gilbert. • EveryBody Matters Online Support Group: 7 p.m. on Wednesdays. • Friends and Family Online Support Group: 8 p.m. one Wednesday a month. Visit: opheliasplace.org/resources

December 2017

FIRE STATION

FROM PAGE 1

Gilbert is spending close to $8 million – drawing from system development fees – for the cost of the land, design, engineering, management, construction and equipment, which includes an engine. Annual personnel costs for the 12-member staff amount to approximately $1.3 million, which will come from the general fund. Gilbert Mayor Jenn Daniels said: “As Gilbert continues to grow, we are excited to break ground on this new fire station, which will enhance service to citizens in this area and further promote Gilbert’s commitment to safety. “We’re committed to making sure that our response times stay low and that our citizens enjoy the highest level of service... We do everything we can to keep tax low and services high,” she added. Jobusch said the fire station is “critical.” “This area has really developed. There’s a lot going on in the way of residential, and nearby is a lot of commercial growth,” he said. “The stations that surround this area are running a lot of calls into this area and serving the citizens here and unfortunately that leads to long response times.

Communit

y www.GilbertSunNews.com “So this station will be critical to serving the citizens in this part of the town. I think the citizens will appreciate having us in their neighborhood,” he added. Fire Station No. 9 is being constructed by Phoenix-based Willmeng Construction and designed by St. Louis, Missouriheadquartered HDA (Rendering courtesy of Town of Gilbert) Architects. A rendering of Fire Station No. 9, which is being constructed by Phoenix-based Willmeng The station will be a Construction and designed by St. Louis-based HDA Architects. It will open next August. little more than 12,000 square feet and consist of four apparatus bays for fire trucks, 10 dorms, a residential-style kitchen, dining room, day room and decontamination room, among other spaces. (GSN photo by Srianthi Perera) An added feature that sets it The station will apart from Gilbert’s other fire contain four stations is its “dirty bathroom” in apparatus bays for the bay. “As firefighters come back fire trucks, such as to the station after a call, they are this shiny one. able to keep those contaminants in the bay. And they can keep the inside – the living quarters – as

(GSN photo by Srianthi Perera)

Firefighters take a turn at moving the loose soil at the future site of Fire Station No. 9.

(GSN photo by Srianthi Perera)

A group of town dignitaries, led by Gilbert Mayor Jenn Daniels (middle, in red blazer), move sod during the groundbreaking for Fire Station No. 9 in southeast Gilbert. The little girl in red is Lexi Ray, daughter of Town Council member Jordan Ray.

clean as possible,” said Carl Grant, Gilbert firefighter and paramedic. This feature falls in line with modern fire stations that emphasize supporting the health and wellness of firefighters, said Rob Duggan, assistant fire chief. While the No. 1 killer of firefighters is heart attacks (the station will provide facilities for the crew members to be well-conditioned to combat the effects of firefighting and the rigors of the job), the No. 2 reason is cancer, he said. “The building represents the pinnacle of construction to ensure the safety of our personnel,” Duggan said. Fire Station No. 9 was included in a master plan established 15 years ago to help meet Gilbert’s growing needs. With its vision of growth, Gilbert began building template fire stations that were much larger than the department was accustomed to build. “We are on the precipice of a vibrant and still-growing big city,” Duggan said. “With big city comes different threats,

different service levels that we have to provide.” He said the design team of HDA Construction allows efficiencies of space, effective land use and also the vision to know that “we’re going to expand because the threats of today will be different than the threats of tomorrow. “We have the capacity to run several crews out of this location, several different types of apparatus. We don’t know all the threats 20 years from now, but this station will be able to respond to those and protect this community,” he said. The station will initially house a four-person crew that will include two paramedics and two emergency medical technicians and will be built to accommodate additional apparatuses and crews as the community grows. Although it won’t seek LEED certification, the single-story building will feature energy-saving devices such as jumbo brick masonry and insulated concrete form, which, according to Project Manager Jason Alvarado, is an energysaving insulation method that few cities use. In addition, the station will have a standing seam metal roof, an energy saving LED lighting system throughout, and low water use landscape materials.

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Community

Wellness center combines mental and physical health care BY JIM WALSH

Communities across the country are starting to realize the necessity of offering mental health services to their residents, rather than pretending such needs don’t exist. Gilbert is doing something about it. At a recent grand opening, doctors, social services providers, politicians and behavioral care clients extolled the benefits of an expanded Gateway Health and Wellness facility. Operated by Partners in Recovery, the outpatient facility is the first of its kind in the East Valley, merging behavioral health care with physical care by adding a nurse practitioner. Gilbert Mayor Jenn Daniels and former Mayor John Lewis celebrated the expansion as a major step forward for the town. Lewis, now president and CEO of the East Valley Partnership, said he was especially gratified to attend the grand opening of the wellness center because the behavioral health task force started under his administration in Gilbert. “As a community, we have learned about the need and embraced it,” Lewis said. “I think it’s appreciated to have the services nearby. This is something that all of us have had a personal experience with. Sometimes it’s a friend, sometimes it’s a family member.” The facility, located on Baseline Road east of Higley Road in Gilbert, is all about treating the behavioral issues and physical health of clients like Manuel Olivarez, Laurie Kasper and Marilyn Bailey, who attended the event. “There’s a little bit of everything here under one roof,” Olivarez said. “I feel more comfortable. I don’t have to go from one place to another.” Kasper, who was diagnosed with a mental illness 33 years ago, said the personal approach makes a big difference for her. She said many doctor’s offices that treat physical health are either put off by her mental illness or ill-equipped to handle it. At Gateway Health and Wellness, the nurse practitioner sits only a few feet from the psychiatrist, and the two consult in tandem to treat patients. “It’s someone to talk to you, rather than just give you a pill,” Kasper said. “It’s someone to sort out your weird thinking.” Mayor Daniels noted that Gilbert has not always embraced the idea of having behavioral health facilities inside the town.

But a human services needs assessment it commissioned in 2014 to find out the gaps and needs in the community discovered that behavioral health was among the town’s most pressing needs. “There is not a family that will not be touched in some way by substance abuse and mental health,” Daniels said. “I think having this needed facility in our community makes a big difference. These are our friends, neighbors and family members. Because of the stigma that goes along with substance abuse, people often hide that piece from family and friends.” Christy Dye, president and CEO of Partners in Recovery, said the behavioral health facility opened in February, and the nurse practitioner was added in September, completing the wellness approach. She said a pharmacy at the wellness center also allows patients to get medication for their physical and psychological issues. The center also includes a dietitian and a gym. Partners in Recovery is a wholly-owned affiliate of Marc Community Resources, a Mesa-based nonprofit that has a variety of programs for the developmentally disabled and behavioral health programs. “It’s the whole person perspective,” Dye said. “Part of it is addressing this whole stigma issue.” Dr. Darwyn Chern, medical director, said Partners In Recovery arranges transportation to the center. He said many patients rely on public transportation and had problems making it to medical appointments in different locations, leading them to make one appointment and neglect another. He also believes patients are getting more complete treatment than ever before. The most common diagnoses include depression, anxiety, diabetes, hypertension and obesity. “These are the medical illnesses that shorten the lives of mental health patients,” Chern said. Tad Gary, COO of Mercy Maricopa Integrated Care, said, “We all know that mental illness (is associated with) a higher rate of preventable illness.” Mental health patients are anticipated to have a lifespan 20 to 25 years shorter than someone without a mental illness. “This is a model for our highest risk people with mental illness,” he said. “It really resonates with my own heart.”

December 2017

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December 2017 PLANT FROM PAGE 1

“It was amazing how you could literally see the rocket fly off, and you couldn’t hear anything until a couple of seconds later because of sound traveling,” said Ian Anderson, 14, a freshman at Mountain Ridge High School in the Deer Valley School District who hopes to become a NASA engineer. “The sound just rattles your bones; it was amazing,” he added. The science experiment is among three from students around the country selected as part of the nonprofit Higher Orbits’ mission of promoting science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education. Orbital ATK was one of the sponsors of the Go For Launch competition at Mesquite High School. (Southwest Airlines allowed the team and a parent to fly to Baltimore and back for free.) “The winning experiment from the Go For Launch event was chosen to go to the space station out of all the ones that were sponsored,” said astronaut Frank Culbertson, president of The Space Systems Group at Orbital ATK. Culbertson has been part of the space program for 33 years – since 1984 – and has flown into space three times. He had the chance to meet the students. “They definitely have a great future ahead of them,” he said. “They clearly all like science, technology and math, and they’re all very motivated, very intelligent and very bright. It’s a lot of fun to watch them work and to come up with their ideas.” Culbertson said the team was creative and exhibited a lot of teamwork. He said their experiment was selected because it “has a lot of scientific value and viability, and it was worth doing.” If the micro clover experiment works, “it could also be a good food source for the colonization and fertilization of Mars,” said Askue, who hopes to be an aerospace engineer. The team picked micro clovers over peanut plants during the course of the experimentation. “We originally designed this to be used with peanut plants, but due to the size of our cube lab... that turned out to be smaller than we thought, we ended up switching our experiment to use micro clovers,” said Abigail Youngker, 15, a student at Casteel High School in Queen Creek and the only girl on the team. “Micro clovers are still nitrogen fixed, so our outcome in the experiment will be unchanged,” she added. Where to learn more: Higher Orbits; visit HigherOrbits.org, or follow on Twitter @HigherOrbits Orbital ATK; orbitalatk.com. Go For Launch!; GoForLaunch.space or follow on Twitter @HigherOrbits. The next program takes place March 3-4 at Mesquite High School and seeks students in grades 8-12 from any school in Arizona.

Communit

y www.GilbertSunNews.com “Hopefully, if it works as well as we think it will, NASA will use peanuts next time and see if that works, because that could also provide a good food source from us,” Askue said. The results of the team, which calls itself the “Saguaro Snakes,” are expected within a month. “They may get interim results as the experiment goes along. I’m not sure how much data they’ll be able to transmit to them, but eventually, they’ll get a good set of data (Photo courtesy of Higher Orbits) and can tell how The Saguaro Snakes comprises Rian Espinosa, Devin well the plants Askue, Abigail Youngker, Nicolas Jepsen and Ian grew and what Anderson. the chemistry was,” Culbertson said. watching the light bulb go The experiment will be executed within on and have them come the newly installed Tango Lab, operated by up with some creative Space Tango inside the International Space ideas is inspiring to me.” Station. The astronaut said the Nicolas Jepsen, 17, moved to Henderson, experiment is important Nevada, after contributing to the for other reasons as well. experiment and attends Coronado High “We have to keep School. inspiring the next “Here we are high school kids with a generation or we’re bunch of people who have Ph.D.s, and going to lose our they’re putting so much effort to getting leadership in technology, (Photo courtesy of Space Tango) something onto the ISS,” Jepsen said. “It’s which includes space The experiment, shown inside the International Space Station, just an extremely humbling experience… exploration,” he said. will evaluate the growth of micro clovers in space. We’re getting something into space, and “So it’s very important we’re not even in college yet.” to get the kids engaged He recalled he had an interest in space in things like this, exploration from the outset. “When I whether it’s science was a kid, I remember going outside and and technology, or art, watching the stars with my very small or music or history or telescope. And now, I’m getting a step whatever it is,” he added. closer every day to actually being, not an “The more the astronaut, but having a career in space, parents, the mentors, having something in space.” the teachers, the Jepsen, who wants to study workforce gets involved astrophysics and help design rockets one with the next generation day, said it was “an amazing opportunity... and their schools, the I’m so thankful for those who provided it.” better they’re going to Culbertson said he admired the do in keeping our world students. safe and keeping this “I learn a lot from them,” he said. country the leader that “That’s one of the fun things of doing it is in all these areas.” these programs… The kids always come (Photo special to GSN) up with something unique and something The experiment is sealed and readied for takeoff. people haven’t thought of before. And just

December 2017

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Community

December 2017

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TechShop Chandler rescue in the works BY WAYNE SCHUTSKY

TechShop Chandler – the maker space for small business owners, hobbyists and students throughout the East Valley – may have a new lease on life after unexpectedly closing on Nov. 15 in the wake of a bankruptcy announcement by its parent company. Dan Rasure, a Kansas resident with a background in manufacturing, is in talks with the parent company to purchase the entire entity, which includes 10 TechShop locations across the country. “I have met with the TechShop board several times and have an agreement in principal, but there are outstanding issues with landlords and agreements such as with ASU, and we will need to have some level of understanding and resolution before we can proceed,” Rasure said. If the deal goes through, Rasure plans to continue operating the facilities under the TechShop name for the time being. He also plans to continue operating a for-profit business model, something current TechShop CEO Dan Woods said was unsustainable in his official statement on the company’s bankruptcy.

“It is my personal opinion that the model of TechShop, while it had some flaws, was actually good,” Rasure said. “The issues faced were not on (the) local side but elsewhere; the actual local shops did fairly well.” TechShop Chandler is located within the ASU Chandler Innovation Center in a building owned by the City of Chandler and leased to ASU. Because of this existing relationship, Rasure is hesitant to move forward with the purchase without at least tacit support from ASU and the city. “This (Chandler) facility is critical to the decision to buy TechShop or not,” Rasure said. “It is one of the better locations they had. It is a larger, newer facility with room to expand.” Due to the surprise nature of the bankruptcy announcement – ASU found out about it only a half an hour before the closure – Rasure did not speak with university officials about his plans until

a scheduled call on Nov. 21. Little was resolved in the call, though. ASU made an attorney available to speak to Rasure, but no university officials were on the call, he said. Rasure flew into the Valley on Nov. 21 for a meeting between ASU, Chandler and TechShop members. Ji Mi Choi, ASU associate vice president for the Office of Knowledge Enterprise Development, led the meeting along with Chandler Economic Development Director Micah Miranda. Choi expressed sympathy for those displaced by the TechShop closure at the meeting and said that the university is still examining every possible outcome to the situation, though it is still too early to make any promises about the space’s future. That meeting featured numerous heartfelt testimonies from users about its importance – including from

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Hacienda Healthcare’s Tom Burick, who used the space to run a program for young autistic adults. Burick ran about 80 percent of his program out of TechShop. He emphasized that its importance extended beyond the physical space, since numerous employees, instructors and members provided support and instruction to the young adults he works with. “This means a great, great, great deal to us,” Burick said. Rasure said even if he buys TechShop, the space’s future “would go through a new vetting process” because the university “does not trust TechShop as an entity.” The situation is further complicated by the status of the parent company. Initially, TechShop stated that it was filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and published an email address for a trustee for concerned parties to contact. However, the company has yet to actually file, Choi said at the meeting. This uncertainty further complicates the university’s ability to respond to the closure, and ASU’s counsel is currently in talks with TechShop lawyers.

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December 2017

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Powerhouse Realtor® Balances Career and Family, Empowers Women

hen Shivani Dallas began her career in real estate more than 12 years ago, she was a divorced mom with three children. Finding a balance between career and family was proving to be a challenge, so she reached out to several “rock star” Keller Williams rea l estate producers in hopes Partner of finding a menadvocates for tor. W h at s he mentoring, talks found instead was success and disappointment. goal setting. “I saw a l l of these successful women, and I thought they knew the secret for success and for balancing their lives. But they weren’t interested in sharing their time or experience with me,” Dallas says. Since then, Dallas has been become a rock star in her own right. She is recognized as a top Arizona real estate agent, was named Realtor® of the Year by the Southeast Valley Association of Realtors,® and was named as one of the best real estate agents in the nation by The Wall Street Journal. She has also made it her mission to share a message of female empowerment far and wide.

THE AZ HOME TEAM Following 12 years as an independent agent, Dallas has joined Keller Williams Integrity First Realty® as a partner. Her team, AZ Home Team, consists of five women in addition to herself— all moms, all learning to balance the various demands in their lives. “It’s been an excellent transition, and one that allows me the opportunity to be that

The Care Fund Shivani Dallas is both happy and fortunate to be able to give back to her community through The Care Fund, an organization she has been involved with since its inception four years ago. She is currently a board member. “The Care Fund has helped more than 375 families with critically ill children by covering their rent or mortgage payments,” she explains. “A parent should never have to choose between working to pay their mortgage and caring for their ill child.” To learn more about The Care Fund, visit thecarefund.org.

mentor I want to be and to empower other women to grow in their personal, spiritual, and business lives,” she says. “It’s a beautiful thing when career and passion come together. “We come from contribution and bring a great experience to every client. With today’s advanced technology available in abundance, the personal touch makes a difference. Our clients want to work with someone they can trust and whose hand they can shake. The number of referrals we continue to receive

The AZ Home Team (l to r): Tiffany Mortensen, Aimee Greene, Sarah Morales, Shivani Dallas, Mary Markou, Katie Darby

Photo by: Gary Helland (hellandphoto.com)

from existing and former clients best illustrates this.”

EMPOWERING WOMEN Dallas also takes her message of empowerment on the road, participating in as many as two dozen national and local panel discussions every year and speaking to numerous women groups annually. “Each of us must build the life that speaks to our priorities. We must define what success looks like to us, and then we must push ourselves to achieve that success,” Dallas says. “And if along the way I can give you a hand or a word of encouragement, know I will.”

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Community

December 2017

Gilbert Concert Series and Holiday Lighting

www.GilbertSunNews.com Photographs by Cheryl Haselhorst

Gilbert ushered in the festive season in the Heritage District recently with holiday lights, a piano concert, horse and carriage rides and competitively decorated storefronts. Unlike other municipalities in the Valley, the town lights its iconic water tower rather than a festooned tree. Merrymakers of all ages were around and evidently enjoyed the atmosphere. 1. Saya Miele, 3, wears a Christmas lights necklace as she dances. 2. The iconic movie, ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’, plays on TV in the decorated window of Norwood Furniture at 216 Gilbert Road. 3. Driver Wendy Issichopoolos of KC’s Classic Carriage Company offered horse carriage rides. 4. Illuminated trees and lamp posts along Gilbert Road create a lovely drive. 5. Shelby Munson offers a sushi roll sample from Kona Grill; behind her is Rob Barkley, general manager. 6. Shawn Strunk hands out samples from Nothing Bundt Cakes. 7. Holiday decorations fill the windows of SoCal Fish Taco Company at 219 Gilbert Road. 8. Lilly Ferguson, 2, contemplates her next move. 9. Liam Ferguson, 4, adjusts his Santa hat while making some moves on the dance floor. 10. Amazing Pianos performs as part of the Fall Downtown Concert Series. 11. The water tower used to store the precious liquid for use by residents of yore. Nowadays, it has a different purpose: as a centerpiece for the town’s holiday lights.

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Community

December 2017

Trap-neuter-return program best for homeless cats

www.GilbertSunNews.com

STORY AND PHOTOS BY CATHERINE HATHAWAY

The Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) method is popular with local animal rescue organizations as a humane response to complaints about homeless cats. The Animal Defense League of Arizona runs a TNR Hotline to assist residents in spay and neutering cats to keep the population down and ease their annoying habits such as spraying, screeching and fighting. “We started the Spay Neuter Hotline in the early ’90s,” said Stephanie Nichols-Young, league president. “We started the program because there really wasn’t any availability of pet spay neuter. We realized there were cats on the street and that people were feeding colonies.” At the time, a smaller organization was heading TNR efforts, but when it dissolved in 2009, the league resumed the responsibility. Since 2009, it has spayed and neutered approximately 15,000 cats annually. “Their cats won’t immediately go

away, but those behaviors that are really troubling, like yowling, fighting, spraying, and just the real visibility and noise of the cats goes down right away, which causes complaints to go down, and then slowly the numbers decline,” Nichols-Young said. Gilbert resident Lori Babicka had to call the Spay Neuter Hotline for a colony of five cats in her neighborhood. She says the process was easy, accessible and effective. “They got me in touch with the person who has the traps,” Babicka said. “They taught you how to set the traps up, so I did that. Once I had the cats, I called, and they let me know where to go and what time to take the cats.” Many people try to dispose of cats by surrendering them to animal control, where it is unlikely they will have a successful adoption. Arizona Humane Society does not accept most homeless cats, but they do support TNR. “A lot of times these neighborhood cats may be second- or third-generation

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wild,” the organization’s Cat Community Programs Coordinator, Traci Pepper, said. “They maybe have never lived with a person before, and so generally, they’re much more difficult to move out that way. Outdoor cats may never be suitable for a home pet style life.” In some cases, people trap the animals and take them to be euthanized or dump the animals with the intention of killing them. According to Arizona Statute 13-2910, it is illegal to “intentionally, knowingly or recklessly inflict unnecessary physical injury to any animal.” “People who have tried the trapping and killing, it just doesn’t work because they have something in their area that attracts cats, so even though they remove one group, other cats will move in,” Nichols-Young said. Babicka educated herself on TNR and the best way to care for the animals. “It’s a really big problem,” she said. “They just breed and breed and breed,

and nobody takes care of them. With people moving in and out of Arizona, a lot of people will have pets, then they will leave them behind.” If they were not born into the homeless cat population, the majority of the time the cat was dumped by a family under the impression the cat could fend for itself. This is not the case. “So many other cats that have had a home wind up being put out,” said Patricia VanScoy, a certified feline behaviorist. “If they’d been in a home, they have no idea really how to take care of themselves.” VanScoy, who is also Gilbert-based Save the Cats Arizona’s financial officer, works to place abandoned cats in a home and care for abandoned cats. Save the Cats Arizona currently has a rescue sanctuary where approximately 57 cats call home. VanScoy says it has more cats than the sanctuary can comfortably accommodate. Since reaching its limit, Save the Cats Arizona has been working as a “broker” to find cats comfortable homes, sanctuaries or fosters. “People are just uneducated about spaying and neutering their cat,” said SEE

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Terry Salono, volunteer sanctuary manager at Save the Cats. “And they’re uneducated about de-clawing.” Cats that are de-clawed cannot climb trees to escape predators or catch food. Solano says that when a de-clawed cat is dumped, it is left to starve or become prey. Abandoned house cats do not have the skills necessary to survive outside of a home environment. VanScoy believes that there are some cats that are happier living outside, but she warns residents that outdoor cats still need a caregiver. Save the Cats Arizona assists with TNR efforts in the community. It ensures its cats are spayed or neutered. “We have about five people who are very experienced trappers,” VanScoy said. “Spay Neuter is such an amazing organization.” Catherine Hathaway is a student reporter at ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism.

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www.GilbertSunNews.com

December 2017

Adopt a senior

The Gilbert Chamber Foundation is organizing the ninth annual “Adopt A Senior” program to benefit low-income seniors as well as homebound and disabled Gilbert residents, in partnership with the Gilbert Senior Center. Support the chamber by requesting a wish list, then shopping for and dropping off the items to the chamber by Wednesday, Dec. 6. Fulfilling an average list costs $25. The chamber also seeks donations of miscellaneous items in quantities of 50 or more to fill goody bags for lowincome seniors to be given at a party. Items range from magnets to mouthwash. To fulfill a wish list or provide donations, contact Ashley Silva at ashley@ gilbertchamber.com. Include your contact information and the number of seniors/lists you would like to adopt. Monetary donations are accepted and will be used to purchase gift cards for unfulfilled wish lists. Donations can be sent to the Gilbert Chamber Foundation, PO Box 527, Gilbert, AZ, 85299.

Toys for Tots

Dignity Health facilities across Arizona are teaming up with Toys for Tots for a community toy drive and are collecting unwrapped toys for children ages 0-12 through December 10 at 11 area locations. The Gilbert drop-off site is at 4760 E. Germann Road. The U.S. Marine Corps Reserve’s Toys for Tots program has been delivering toys to children in need since 1947 and is the largest outreach program in the Department of Defense. The program has since given out more than 494 million toys to more than 230 million children. Dignity Health Arizona General Emergency Room facilities will be clearly marked as Toys for Tots drop sites with large holiday inflatables. The facilities are open around the clock, making it even more convenient for the public to drop off gifts.

Riparian After Dark

Stroll around trails at Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch lit with luminaries and other festive displays from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on December 8, 9, 15 and 16. School choirs, carolers and others will present holiday entertainment. Trails are accessible by strollers, wheelchairs and walkers. Each night will benefit a town nonprofit agency, and participants are requested to bring an item to donate. Parking is available at the Southeast Regional Library. Pets on leash are welcome. Details: gilbertaz.gov/departments/ parks-and-recreation/special-events/ riparian-after-dark.

Neighbors

Gilbert Community Briefs

Nicantoni’s holiday event

Nicantoni’s Pizza, Pub & Grill is hosting a holiday event from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 5 to support Gilbert Fire and Rescue’s clothing and toy drive to benefit needy families in town. It will feature carols, cocoa, cider and cannolis in the patio. Santa will visit at 7 p.m. and be available for photos. Gilbert’s Fire and Rescue team members will provide fire safety information for the holidays. You may bring your pet to this free event; bring also a new, unwrapped toy to donate. Details: 480-892-2234.

Chiropractic care for toy

Choice Chiropractic of San Tan Valley, led by Jeffrey P. Shiflet D.C., is holding a holiday toy drive through Dec. 8 in exchange for chiropractic services. Toys received will be donated to the Marine Corp Toys for Tots campaign. New patients may receive their initial visit, including consultation and exam, in exchange for a new, unwrapped toy. The office will be open from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Dec. 9 to offer adjustments to existing patients in exchange for a toy donation. The clinic is at 36493 N. Gantzel Road, Suite 102 in San Tan Valley. Call 480-888-7383 to schedule an appointment and visit mychoicechiro.com.

New appointee to HUSD

Maricopa County School Superintendent Steve Watson appointed Richard Thornock to the Higley Unified School District Governing Board. He fills the vacancy that occurred when Allison Ford resigned her position on October 26, due to work reasons. County school superintendents have statutory authority to appoint qualified individuals to fill vacancies on school governing boards and the Maricopa County Community College District governing board or, if appropriate, to call for a special election. Thornock is a longtime resident of Gilbert and active in the community. He also grew up in the town, where he attended public schools and was active in scouting. He serves as the in-house attorney for a local fire protection company. Thornock and his wife are raising five children, two of whom attend Higley schools; the other three are set to join.

proving the health of Arizona’s mothers and babies and is governed by the Arizona Perinatal Trust. Guzman was elected to the board of directors in 2016. “His knowledge, enthusiasm and ability to collaborate with perinatal health care providers and centers will help us continue our work improve the health of Arizona’s mothers and babies,” said Deb Christian, executive director. Guzman is the supporting OB/GYN physician for MomDoc Midwives in Gilbert, an OB/CNM (certified nurse midwife) collaborative practice, which emphasizes that high-touch care and empathy should be at the forefront of providing women’s health care. During his 11 years as a private practice generalist in the East Valley, he has remained active in additional leadership positions within health care, including as vice chairman for the OB/GYN Department at Dignity Health Mercy Gilbert Medical Center. “Personally, I have appreciated the value of participating as a board member, which has rekindled my passion for improving care to my patients,” Guzman said. MomDoc opened its practice in 1976 and has 18 offices. More are on the way.

Patient safety award

ADOT Alerts travel app

A free app from the Arizona Department of Transportation is available for mobile devices to help commuters avoid unplanned and lengthy travel delays and other serious highway hazards. ADOT Alerts will help keep drivers moving on Arizona’s highways and away from potentially dangerous situations by providing information to drivers before they are trapped on a highway closed because of a crash or severe weather. Using geo-fencing technology, ADOT will send alerts to mobile devices with the app in affected areas and in advance of roadway decision points, giving the public plenty of time to choose an alternate route or delay travel plans and avoid sitting in lengthy backups. ADOT already provides real-time information to drivers via overhead message boards and social media. By using geofencing, ADOT can send alerts only to mobile devices with the app in an impacted area. That means affected motorists can make a decision to reroute or delay their travel plans long before encountering a traffic backup. The app can be downloaded in Apple’s App Store and Google Play. Search for “ADOT Alerts.” Details: adotalerts.com

www.GilbertSunNews.com

Richard Thornock

“I am very humbled to receive this special appointment and for the opportunity to serve my own education community,” Thornock said. “This is a responsibility I take very seriously with the goal of ensuring Higley teachers, parents and students have the resources they need in a highly competitive educational climate.” “Each of the candidates I interviewed was highly qualified, committed and ready to serve,” Watson said. “My decision to appoint Richard Thornock comes at a time when Higley faces some important competitive challenges in the region.” Maricopa County is home to 58 traditional public school districts with 276 governing board positions.

Appointee to perinatal nonprofit

Arizona Perinatal Regional System has appointed Dr. Grayson Guzman as its president of the board of directors, a two-year commitment. The nonprofit is dedicated to im-

Dignity Health Mercy Gilbert Medical Center was recently awarded an “A” grade for its commitment to keeping patients safe and meeting the highest safety standards in the United States. The rating was given by The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit health care ratings organization. The group assigns letter grades to hospitals based on their performance in preventing medical errors, infections and other harms. Developed under the guidance of a national expert panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses 27 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign A, B, C, D and F grades to more than 2,600 U.S. hospitals twice per year. It is calculated by top patient safety experts, peer reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public.

Save the dates

• Gilbert Mayor Jenn Daniels will present the Digital State of the Town on Tuesday, Jan. 23 at Harkins Theatre at SanTan Village. Details at gilbertaz. gov/departments/town-hall/stateof-the-town. • The 2018 “Gilbert Comes Alive: A Night at the Museum” gala organized by Gilbert Historical Museum takes place Saturday, March 3 at HS South, 10 S. Gilbert Road. Details at hdsouth.org.

www.GilbertSunNews.com

Neighbors

December 2017

Town resident wins prestigious art contest

BY GSN CONTRIBUTOR

Gilbert resident Kyna Tek is a winner in the Illustrators of the Future Contest. The prestigious illustration competition is in its 29th year and is judged by some of the premier names in speculative fiction. Tek’s winning illustrations have earned him a cash prize, a trip to Hollywood for a week-long intensive workshop and a gala awards ceremony, which draws in excess of one thousand attendees, as well as a shot at winning the Golden Brush Award and a $5,000 cash prize. His art will be published in the annual bestseller L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 34. Contest judges include coordinating judge Echo Chernik. Tek was born in 1980 at an unnamed refugee camp in Thailand along the Cambodia and Thailand Border. His family eventually immigrated to Tempe, where he grew up a typical ’80s kid playing video games, watching movies and reading comics. It wasn’t until he attended Mesa Community College that he discovered his passion for drawing and painting and graduated with a degree in digital arts. Since then, he has continued to hone

Kyna Tek developed a passion for drawing at Mesa Community College. his craft and discover where he fits in the illustration world. He enjoys self study and creating inspired illustrations in the fantasy and science fiction genre. L. Ron Hubbard created The Writers of the Future writing contest following the 1982 release of his internationally acclaimed bestselling science fiction novel Battlefield Earth. It’s written in celebration of 50 years as a professional

writer, and released as a 21st Century trade paperback and audiobook in 1983 to provide a means for aspiring writers of speculative fiction to get an introduction. Following on the success of the writing contest, he created the companion Illustrators of the Future Contest in 1988. The intensive mentoring process has

proven successful. The 392 winners of the Writing Contest have published 838 novels and nearly 4,000 short stories. Among them are 27 New York Times bestsellers. Their works have sold more than 50 million copies. The 322 past winners of the illustrating contest have produced more than 4,500 illustrations and 356 comic books, graced 594 books and albums with their art, and visually contributed to 36 TV shows and 46 major movies. The Writers of the Future Award is the genre’s most prestigious award of its kind and has become the most successful vehicle for budding creative talent in the world of contemporary fiction. Since its inception, the Writers and Illustrators of the Future contests have produced 33 anthology volumes and awarded nearly $1 million cumulatively in cash prizes and royalties. Hundreds of winners have gone on to successful careers in art and illustration following their win and publication in the anthology.

For more information, visit writersofthefuture.com.

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December 2017

New dressing for old

Neighbors

www.GilbertSunNews.com

Photographs by Srianthi Perera

HD South, housed in the Gilbert Historical Museum, updated some of its exhibition rooms recently. The Farming Room, Town Room and School and Community Room were given a new twist. In addition to preserving town history, the center has a new and larger mission to orient toward promoting culture and the arts. For information about this month’s programs, call 480-926-1577 or visit hdsouth.org. 1. Gilbert’s first doctor was Dr. Lucius Tompkins, who came to the town after World War I. His practice was established south of the railroad tracks east of Gilbert Road (the site of the Gilbert Chamber). Dr. Tompkins, who, according to the old-timers, had a fondness for the bottle and a game of cards, was well-liked. This is his medical bag. 2. Management Assistant Kellen Escoto sits at the new storytelling porch, the site of future gatherings. 3. The question has been asked repeatedly as to why Gilbert is called a town and not a city. The explanation is detailed in this display board. 4. The mailbox at the Gilbert Airport, established in 1946 by Bill Mastin and his brother-in-law, Joseph Wilbur, west of Gilbert Road in the downtown area. 5. Arizona State University intern Ari Ashcroft (at left) assists curator Mary Melcher with making signs for the School Room. 6. Liberty Market and Serrano Brothers were two of the early businesses in town. 7. Blakely Garage, the first self-service gas station in Arizona, used to give out glasses, pitchers, plates and other items to customers in the 1950s and 1960s. They have become some of the state’s top collectors’ items. The garage had a location in downtown Gilbert. 8. A room at the museum is devoted to art: Gallery 4, curated by Art Intersection, displays thought-provoking and timely exhibitions. Work from a photography workshop is hung to dry.

www.GilbertSunNews.com

December 2017

Neighbors

Ask the expert: Should you stretch before exercise?

www.GilbertSunNews.com

BY SITHARI EDIRISOORIYA

Many years ago, stretching was thought to be something you perform before exercising. We were told to stretch before exerting our bodies; otherwise we might be prone to injury. While it is still important to stretch the muscles, doing it before sports and exercise may not necessarily be the answer. A study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports from 2013 suggests that stretching before a workout actually inhibits the muscles. According to one study, athletes jump less high and runners run slower if they stretch before their respective activity without significantly decreasing their risk against injury. I recommend stretching after exercise or during non-exercise times (in the middle of your eight-hour work day) to condition the muscle and increase flexibility. Stretching a muscle should be performed when the muscle is short, meaning the length of the muscle for the task the person is trying to accomplish is contracted or feels tight. While a person who competes in hurdles requires the hamstring muscle to be lengthened in order to clear the

leg over the hurdle, the majority of runners with shorter strides generally don’t need this. Continuous stretching of a runner’s hamstring muscles in preparation for a 5K is not going to help the person run very far or efficiently. The bigger confusion is between flexibility training and warming up before exercise. Stretching is defined as “lightly bringing a joint to its end range of motion.” If you are looking to gain flexibility, I would recommend stretching and holding each stretch 30-60 seconds. Although many people stretch to warm up their muscles before exercise, this would be better performed by more dynamic movements such as squats, lunges, front kicks, back kicks, jumping rope, jumping jacks and jogging. Dynamic movements such as these bring the body through a full range of motion and activate increased blood flow. These movements will lengthen a muscle but will also increase the temperature of the muscle and better prepare it for exercise, thereby reducing risk of injury.

The following are a few examples of basic low back stretches that you can do at home. Knee to Chest: Lie on your back with both knees bent. Grab one leg by the thigh underneath the knee and bring it towards the chest in a pain-free range of motion. Hold for 30 seconds, relax. Repeat 10 times on each leg. Lumbar Rotation: Lie on your back with both knees bent. Keep knees together and slowly rock them from one side to the other side in a pain-free range of motion. Allow the back to rotate slightly. Repeat 10 times. Pelvic Tilt: Lie on your back with your knees bent. In this relaxed position, the small of your back will not be touching the floor. Tighten your abdominal muscles so that the small of your back presses pain-free flat against the floor. Hold for five seconds, relax. Repeat 10 times.

Sithari Edirisooriya, D.C.

Gilbert resident Sithari Edirisooriya, D.C., runs AcuChiro at 333 N. Dobson Road, Suite 5 in Chandler. AcuChiro offers acupuncture, chiropractic care and physiotherapy. She welcomes questions at 602-7539130 or via acuchiroaz.com.

Birthday Presence fills a void in foster kids’ lives BY INDRAKSHI WANGU

Memories from childhood keep hearts warm and spirits high in adulthood. But not all children are able to create good memories. Devon Rentas, a former case manager for Child Protection Services and a Gilbert resident, realized that most kids in foster care have never experienced a birthday celebration. Every child needs to be celebrated, especially when it’s a milestone such as a birthday, and these small celebrations can have a lasting impact, she said. Less than two years ago, Rentas created the nonprofit Birthday Presence, which focuses on creating birthday celebrations for foster kids. “Foster children spend an average of two birthdays in the foster system, and when I learned that oftentimes, it isn’t recognized, my heart broke,” she said. “Foster children already feel as though they are abandoned, so having a day that is dedicated to them will surely make a difference in their self-esteem.” The effects last longer than just that evening, she said. “It is my belief that any child that feels good inside, feels good about themselves, feels important and cared for, does better in society as a whole,” Renta said. “They try to excel in school,

they try harder, they want to improve and be more involved. They are kinder, nicer people. When you feel good, you do good.” Rentas and her team of voluneers work with three group homes to provide birthday celebrations to their residents. A lot of planning goes into each event because it’s customized for every child. “These parties are planned in the same fashion as you might plan for your own child. We meet and ask the birthday kid what kind of party they want,” she said. “The magic happens when we are able to find a venue where we can celebrate the child and they can just laugh and play and be themselves. “We sing to them and make it as special as can be. Each child receives their own cake and a present,” she added. Since its founding, Birthday Presence has made a difference in the lives of 420 kids. From toddlers to teenagers and from backyard picnics to Hollywood-themed events, every wish has been fulfilled and every dream birthday is now a cherished memory. Even though all the birthday parties hold a special place in Rentas’ heart, she mentioned one particular day when she realized the importance of her

work. “We threw a backyard movie night birthday party for a sweet little girl, Daisy. She is such a girly girl, but a tough girl with five brothers,” she said. “We simply set up blankets and bean bags, decorated the backyard with balloons and streamers, ordered pizza and cake, and watched a Disney princess movie that she had requested. It was so simple and fun.” The next day, Renta received an email from the group home stating that Daisy was ecstatic about her party and said she had never had a birthday party before. “It was such an amazing feeling. It was in that moment that I truly realized that it is all about the ‘presence,’” she said. “Being there and celebrating and just having a little party make all the difference to a child.” As the nonprofit grows and plans to make an impact on more lives, it has formed partnerships with local organizations that donate space or services for the parties. Among them, Nothing Bundt Cakes provides birthday cakes and AZ Helping Hands provides birthday gift bags. Rentas and her team also constantly work on building up the toy inventory. It is inspiring to see the dedication

Devon Rentas is the founder and executive director of Birthday Presence.

and efforts of the Birthday Presence team. However, every helping hand is welcome to the party. “Come to a party and you will see the magic. Birthday Presence found its name on the idea that the party is special, but it’s truly about the people that provide the ‘presence’ at the party that really make it memorable and special,” Renta said. “And I promise, when you leave, you will be more touched than you ever imagined.” To find out how you can contribute to Birthday Presence, call 480-375-8286 or visit birthday-presence.org. You may write to the organization at info@birthdaypresence.com.

Neighbors

www.GilbertSunNews.com

December 2017

Farm Bureau honors veteran colleague

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BY GSN CONTRIBUTOR

Farm Bureau Financial Services employees in Gilbert recognized veteran colleague Bob Strachan for his military service and presented him with a handcrafted quilt. “Today we honor Bob Strachan and thank him for his service to our country, whether here or abroad, recent or a long time ago,” said (Photo courtesy of Farm Bureau Financial Services) CEO Jim Brannen. “We honor Veteran Bob Strachan receives a handcrafted quilt from our veterans’ efforts to deFarm Bureau colleagues. fend the Constitution and the liberties that we hold dear. Working with The Quilts of Valor “We see how your experience has Foundation, employees Sheryl Houston shaped you as a leader, and how the and Lori Strottman organized a group values and discipline learned helps of quilters who worked all year long to deliver on our common purpose now – make the quilts, which took between 20 to protect livelihoods and futures. We and 100 hours each to complete. They are honored to have Bob on our team, were presented to veteran Farm Bureau and we thank him for his hard work and team members in seven states: Arizona, dedication,” he added. Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, New “I know my colleagues put a lot of Mexico, and South Dakota. work into this quilt,” said Strachan, a The foundation’s mission is to cover senior commercial underwriter who has service members and veterans touched been with the company for eight years. by war with comforting and healing “It means a lot, and I’m very thankful Quilts of Valor. for this kind recognition.”

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Champions for child well-being lauded

Neighbors

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BY GSN CONTRIBUTOR

Several Valley residents from the Arizona Department of Child Safety were recognized as 2017 Community Champions for Child Well-Being by Arizona State University. Among them were Janette Bell of Gilbert, Joanne Mathlin of Mesa and Amy Fox of Queen Creek. The awards are given to individuals who are supervising and working with field teams to improve outcomes. “When we started the Center for Child Well-Being two years ago, we knew that in addition to research and training, one of the things our staff was adamant about was appreciating the child welfare workforce,” said Dr. Judy Krysik, director, ASU Center for Child Well-Being. “Although the rewards of working with children and families can be great, at the center we feel that those on the front lines should be publicly acknowledged for their unwavering commitment to helping children and families in the face of adversity.” Bell is a program administrator in the Central Region and was recognized as an Outstanding Transformational Leader. Taking the helm of the Central Region during its most challenging time, she led with a strong vision of hope and pride to transform the culture.

Mathlin serves as a Central Region supervisor in Mesa. Her calming energy, patience and kindness are at the root of understanding the struggles individuals face, the department said. With a teacher’s philosophy, she is exceptionally adept at pinpointing when a person is struggling and helping them not only identify the barrier but overcome (Photo special to GSN) it. Mathlin doesn’t (From left) Arizona Department of Child Safety Deputy Director Shalom Jacobs, Janette Bell of Gilbert and Greg give up on anyone; McKay, director of the Arizona Department of Child Safety. instead she adapts to help guide them goal of DCS. creating a positive environment that to become better As a direct result of Fox’s leadership, empowers hundreds of caseworkers individuals, it further stated. according to the department, the Place- across the state, but embody our misFox is a program manager within ment Unit has achieved several milesion to strengthen families and ensure the Placement Unit in the Southwest stones in the past two years, including both safety and permanency for the Region. She is heralded for her true reducing the amount of time it took to state’s youngest residents,” said Gregory compassion for children and families, McKay, director of the Arizona Departcaring for the underdog and the forgot- place a child by 140 percent. “These individuals highlight the ment of Child Safety. ten. Fox has dedicated herself to many incredible qualities of the hard-working The awards were announced durlate nights and long hours to ensure the teams at the Department of Child ing the DCS Leadership Summit held in best interest of the children by placing Safety. They are dedicated to not only Phoenix recently. them in family-like settings, a major

The 12K’s of Christmas

(Photos special to GSN)

A popular Gilbert precursor to the holiday season, the 12K’s of Christmas, will take place from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, Dec. 9 in Freestone Park, 1045 E. Juniper Ave. Scottsdale-based Fieldworks Events & Marketing produces the event with the help of an army of youthful volunteers and community sponsors. It features Santa’s Pet Village, the Christmas Bazaar, entertainment and various runs/walks. Runners/walkers, shoppers, entertainers, rescue groups and animals have made it popular over the years. Over the past eight years, the event has donated more than $80,000 to The Arizona Pet Project (the non-profit arm of Maricopa County Animal Care and Control) and participating rescues, according to event founder Kathleen Toupkin. The 12K’s of Christmas has also helped nearly 2,000 pets find forever homes. To find out more, including how to pre-register for the activities, visit 12kchristmas.com.

December 2017

www.GilbertSunNews.com

Library travel slideshow KITCHEN & BATH REMODELS Paula Cullison of Phoenix recently took a group of avid travelers on (GSN photos by Srianthi Perera) a trip around the world via a slideshow and from the comfort of a seat at the conference room in the Southeast Regional Library. The retiree writer and travel photographer has had her passport stamped in more than 40 countries and plans to collect more. Her three main photography exhibits are Have Passport - Will Travel, Journey Through the Emerald Isle and To Cuba with Love. Details at paulacullison.com.

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Neighbors

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Wintry delights in a medieval German town STORY AND PHOTOS BY WAYNE SCHUTSKY

Between its balmy climate and desert landscape, Arizona is not exactly the typical holiday backdrop made famous in postcards and Coca-Cola commercials. So, when I was looking to scratch that quaint Christmas itch, I packed my bags and headed to Western Europe. The region is famous for its Christmas markets – expansive outdoor gatherings full of vendors, gift shops, entertainment and hot food and drink. The first stop on my whirlwind trip across the region was one of my most memorable. After arriving in Frankfurt, my wife and I quickly hopped on a train to Rothenburg ob der Tauber. One of the oldest preserved medieval towns in Germany, it puts on a world-famous Christmas market every year that is not to be missed. While Old Rothenburg hosts a range of events throughout the year, from a Spring Festival to a Hiking Festival in the fall, it is most famous for this Christmas Market. The Reiterlesmarkt, as it’s known in German, dates back 500 years and is the best avenue to experience everything this medieval town has to offer. We arrived in the town at dusk and made our way to Old Rothenburg, the section of town that is completely surrounded by a preserved 14th-century wall. Walking through the ancient gate made me feel like an extra in King Arthur. During the Christmas season – from late November to late December – string lights illuminate the cobblestone streets and highlight stalls selling food and drinks. You can find everything from roasting chestnuts and ginger cookies to

The Christmas market in the medieval town of Old Rothenburg

Wayne Schutsky, a staff writer at Times Media Group, recalls a winter visit to a small German town where the Christmas market has been a tradition for more than 500 years. For a chance to feature your travel in the next column, write a 500word article and email it with a photo to srianthi@timespublications.com by December 15.

The walkways from the 14th century wall afford a great view of the town and countryside.

grilled Bavarian bratwursts. Adults cannot miss out on glühwein. The hot mulled wine – a flavorful mix of red wine and spices like cloves and coriander – is available at stalls throughout the town and is warm and delicious, the perfect complement to a cold winter night. Also, it’s cheap. One cup will cost you only a few Euros, and refills cost only a fraction of that. Plus, the seasonal mugs the glühwein is served in double as a special souvenir. Other stalls sell a range of holiday

gifts like wooden toys and handcrafted ornaments. Speaking of souvenirs, Rothenburg is a shopaholic’s dream. The town is home to the popular Käthe Wohlfahrt chain of A stroll through the cobblestone streets of Old Rothenburg stores, which sell a range of on Game of Thrones. traditional Christmas items and German The land outside the wall is an trinkets like beer steins and cuckoo experience unto itself. Rothenburg clocks. is located in the lush, green Bavarian While the store is a chain and borders countryside amongst rolling hills and on kitsch, it provides a more affordable the Tauber River, which makes it the alternative to the other stores in perfect place to go for a nature walk. town where steins and clocks can cost Many easy walking trails line the hundreds or even thousands of dollars. hillside outside the walls of Old Beyond the market, there are several Rothenburg, and we spent a few hours other attractions and activities we exploring the lush landscape. experienced during our trip. The town is also located along Remember that 14th century wall? It Germany’s Romantic Road, a 220is open to the public, and we marched mile travel route that leads visitors through its walkways above the city. Not to all sorts of notable landmarks like only does it provide a great view of the Neuschwanstein Castle, which makes town and countryside, it also made me Rothenburg a great spot to stop on a feel like a brother in the Night’s Watch longer trip throughout the region.

www.GilbertSunNews.com

Ask the expert: breast cancer Mary Cianfrocca, DO, specializes in breast cancer medical oncology at Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center in Gilbert. To make an appointment with Dr. Cianfrocca, call 480-256-6444. Question: I recently heard the fight against breast cancer has been improving over the years. Is this true? Answer: The American Cancer Society reported this week that breast cancer death rates declined almost 40 percent between 1989 and 2015. This means about 322,600 deaths were averted, which is very significant news. There are several potential reasons for this decline. Throughout that time period, there were numerous advances in treatment options for women who have breast cancer. In the ’80s, doctors began to use chemotherapy after surgery. This practice was refined over the years, helping to prevent breast cancer from returning after surgery. Treatment options have also advanced to include a variety of hormonal

therapies and targeted therapies. Hormone therapy prevents female hormones (including estrogen) from increasing the growth of breast cancers that have estrogen or progesterone receptors. This therapy can involve taking drugs by mouth or injection, or having surgery to remove the ovaries if a woman has not reached menopause. Targeted therapies are drug treatments that target certain features of the cancer. For example, Herceptin is a type of biologic therapy that targets breast cancer cells that produce too much of a protein called HER2. This protein is over-produced in 20 to 30 percent of breast cancers. Another potential reason for lower death rates is that women are undergoing breast cancer screenings. Mammograms allow doctors to try to detect breast cancer at an earlier stage. This means there is a better prognosis because it is more treatable. There have also been major improvements in imaging services that allow

Neighbors

December 2017

Celebrating Tagore

Dr. Mary Cianfrocca

doctors to better detect breast cancer at an earlier age. Ongoing research plays a major role in advancements in treatment. At Banner MD Anderson, patients who qualify can participate in numerous cutting-edge trials. While this decline in death rates is excellent news, breast cancer still affects one in eight American women. For those facing the disease, there are many medical experts working hard to find a cure, as well as new ways to treat and prevent breast cancer.

Dressed in Kandyan-style Sri Lankan outfits, this group from the East Valley recently performed a tribute to the greatness of Indian philosopher Ravindranath Tagore. Mesa-based Akshaybhasha’s Celebrating Universal Tagore took place at the Phoenix Center (Special to GSN) for the Arts and heralded the great thinker’s influence in countries such as Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, China and Mexico, in addition to India. Shown at a rehearsal in Gilbert are (front, from left) Pushpa Balasooriya and Ranjula Kulapala and (back, from left) Vindy Weerahandi, Wijitha Nilaweera, Sanju Liyanage and Thushari Ginige.

Behind every first is a one of a kind pediatrician. Childhood is full of first steps and first words you don’t want to miss. The pediatricians at Dignity Health Medical Group attend to both your child’s needs and yours to ensure you experience all those unmissable firsts. Start a relationship with one of our pediatricians at dignityhealth.org/DHMG or call 602.406.3464 (DHMG).

Business

December 2017

www.GilbertSunNews.com

Horne family knows the key to success in the car business BY MELODY BIRKETT

The Horne name is ubiquitous in Arizona. East Valley residents have most likely traveled down Horne Road. There are 11 Horne family car dealerships in Arizona, including Horne Kia in Gilbert. “My grandchildren are sixth generation Hornes in the valley,” said Robert C. Horne, founder of Horne Auto Group. “My greatgrandfather, Henry Horne, settled here in Arizona in 1880. Horne Road located in Mesa is named after our family.” Robert C. Horne and his wife, Cheryl, have eight children and 21 grandchildren. Following college, Horne got his CPA license and went to work as a partner at Henry and Horne CPA, the largest regional accounting firm in Arizona for 14 years. It was founded by Marvin Henry and Robert C. Horne’s father, Gail B. Horne. After his father retired, Horne went into real estate for a few years and then became the chief financial officer at Chapman Auto Group. That’s when the car bug hit him. “I really enjoyed the car business and decided I wanted to get into it if I could,” Horne said. In 1991, he bought the Chevrolet store in Show Low and from then on grew the business. Sons Aaron, Adam, Andrew and Michael and son-in-law Martin Jones work in the family business. In addition to Tempe and Gilbert, Horne Auto Group has dealerships in Apache Junction, Show Low,

(Photo courtesy of the Horne family.)

Robert C. Horne and his wife, Cheryl; the Hornes own 14 car dealerships in Arizona.

Globe and Nogales, plus two used-car stores and one large body shop. Horne never dreamed the business would grow to this size. “When I started, I really wanted to have a family business where my sons could work in it if they wanted to,” said Horne. “I always loved Show Low/Pinetop, and I always said if I could find a way to earn a living there, I would. Once we bought the store in Show

Sealed for 25 years

Gilbert Leadership, a program of the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce Foundation, celebrated its 25th anniversary with a time capsule at HD South, Home of the Gilbert Historical Museum. Memorabilia from the first 25 years of the program is encased in the capsule, which was sealed shut and will not to be opened until the 50th anniversary of the program. Shown are past and present members of the program; Cathy Tilque, president and CEO of the chamber, is fourth from right. For details, visit gilbertleadership.com.

Low, we lived there for 18 years.” “As we grew, the majority of the business began to grow in the Phoenix metropolitan area,” Horne added. “My family started moving down here to run it. And since I have five sons in the business, we can keep on growing.” Each family member has a defined role that contributes to the group’s success. “I’m involved in the acquisitions and the development of the group, buying stores and growing the business,” Horne said. “We have a philosophy in our business, and always have, that if it’s not legal, moral or ethical, we will not do it. So we have a lot of good people who believe in the same philosophy that work for us. And we’ve grown to have a very good reputation in the business as an honest car company.” Horne attributes the success of the dealerships to integrity and a great reputation. “I think the main thing is reputation. I’ve always believed it takes you 20 years to build your reputation and 20 minutes to destroy it,” he said. Good employees also contribute to success. “This is a people business, and you have to have good quality employees, and that has helped us attract more good people – good honest people. With our good reputation, treating people well, and honest employees, we have the key to success.” Horne Auto Group employs about 350 people around the state, a couple of whom have been with the company for 25 years. The policy is to try to hire and promote from within. “I think we’ve created an environment that is employee friendly,” said Horne. “And if somebody’s looking for employment,

they’ll talk to another employee, and that’s where we get the recommendations to come here. Our employees, overall, are happy to be with us.” When customers walk into a Horne dealership, “they can expect to be greeted warmly, to have a salesman determine what their needs are, to find a vehicle of their choice and take them on a test drive. The salesman will make sure that they want it, and after they’re completely satisfied that this is the car they want, they’ll be able to purchase it at a price that’s satisfactory to them.” Keeping up with technology has also helped with success. “I believe we have state-of-the-art electronic data programs that help,” Horne said. “A lot of stores are lagging in that area. You have to be vigilant every day to see what’s new and improving.” The internet has also changed the carbuying and selling business. “At least 75 percent of people look on the internet to see what they want before they call,” said Horne. “We have an internet department at every store. You can get an answer in a few minutes if you’re on the internet and want to inquire about a certain vehicle.” However, Horne said, the basics of the car business haven’t changed much at all. “People want to come in, they want to touch the car, they want to drive it, they want to smell it, they want to be able to experience the feel of a new car,” he said. “And then most of them want to negotiate a purchase price. It’s all the same thing. You have to be the best at treating the customers properly and creating value in the car and making sure they’re happy with the deal they have.” While Horne admits he has several cars he likes to drive, he won’t divulge his favorite. “I have found that almost all of the models today are almost equal quality,” Horne said. “So you can find something nice in every brand if you want to. It’s just a matter of the relationship you have with the dealer and the ongoing service, parts and whether you have a good experience.” What’s the most popular color? Traditionally, white vehicles make up as much as 40 percent of the market. After 26 years, the Horne family wants to continue the tradition of giving great service to customers. “Success does not come easy,” Horne said. “But if you dedicate the time to making sure your customers are satisfied, you will build a reputation of honesty and integrity, which goes a long way in the car business.” Details: horneautogroup.com.

December 2017

www.GilbertSunNews.com

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Business

December 2017

www.GilbertSunNews.com

Town wins awards for East Valley group looking economic development for angel investors BY GSN CONTRIBUTOR

BY GSN CONTRIBUTOR

Gilbert has won a Golden Prospector Award and two Golden Prospector Awards of Merit from the Arizona Association for Economic Development recognizing excellence, innovation and creativity in economic development. Gilbert’s marketing brochure, “Fiscal Year 2016 Annual Report,” earned top honors, while its special event, “Gilbert Business Walk,” and metro area deal of the year, “Silent-Aire U.S. Headquarters,” each received an award of merit. The annual report details measurable outcomes of Gilbert’s economic development five-year strategic plan, highlights transformative projects and showcases achievement within the community. The “Business Walk” is a day dedicated to learning more about the local business community through face-toface interviews on their turf. The Fall 2016 Business Walk covered Corridor 1, Gilbert’s densest employment center in the middle of the town. Over a span

of four hours, nine teams walked to 110 businesses. The deal of the year award of merit recognized the expansion of SilentAire’s current manufacturing facility and relocation of the company’s U.S. headquarters to Gilbert. This project will result in 200 retained and 225 new local jobs, $17 million in payroll and approximately $16 million in capital investment. Overall, 10 Golden Prospector Awards and seven awards of merit were presented at the association’s fall forum in Prescott. Founded in 1974, the association has a mission to serve as Arizona’s unified voice advocating for responsible economic development through an effective program of professional education, public policy and collaboration. For more on the Arizona Association for Economic Development, visit aaed.com or call 602-240-2233.

The East Valley is home to some of Arizona’s top innovators and startups. Many entrepreneurs have innovative business ideas but lack funding to get them off the ground. This is where the East Valley Partnership’s Angel Investor Initiative steps in to identify, educate and activate local angel investors. The organization’s leaders are focused on providing these innovators access to early-stage capital to propel their business to the next level through local investment. What is the East Valley Partnership? The East Valley Partnership is a nonpartisan coalition of civic, business, educational and political leaders dedicated to the economic development and promotion of the East Valley of Greater Phoenix. The partnership advocates for changes and improvements in areas such as economic development, education, transportation and infrastructure, arts and healthcare. What is an angel investor? An “angel” is an individual with a net worth of $1 million or an annual personal income of $200,000 who invests his or her own money in a startup company in

exchange for an equity share in the business. Many angels not only invest money into the business but also invest their time as additional capital to help grow the startup. How do you become an angel investor? East Valley Partnership, in partnership with Arizona Tech Investors (ATI), is hosting a series of free workshops at the ASU Chandler Innovation Center at 249 E. Chicago St., Chandler. They are designed to educate those individuals interested in becoming angel investors and give them the necessary tools and resources. After completion of the workshops, those interested in moving forward may transition into becoming members of ATI and begin diversifying their investment portfolios through angel investments.

Upcoming Workshops

December 6: Is this company worth it? January 10: Setting the terms of a deal February 7: Trends in investing, with a nod to venture capital March 7: Angel investing – doing it. For more information or to register, visit evp-az.org

Sister Cities venture

(Special to GSN)

(Photo special to GSN)

Staff from the Gilbert Office of Economic Development: (from left) Amanda Elliott, Heritage District liaison; Cori Garcia, economic development administrator; and Jennifer Graves, deputy director.

A 14-member delegation from Gilbert Sister Cities visited Sister City Antrim and Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland recently to build relationships and explore economic opportunities. Representatives met with the city’s Borough Council, Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Lord Mayor of Belfast, Invest Northern Ireland and Ulster University, among others. Greg Tilque, long-term president and founding member of the Gilbert Sister Cities program, was designated by the Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council as its first Honorary Citizen. Town Councilmember Brigette Peterson; Heather Wilkey, the Gilbert mayor’s chief of staff; and Kathy Tilque, CEO of the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce, were also among the participants.

December 2017

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Business

December 2017

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Toll Brothers at Whitewing selling FirstBank’s ‘Good Week’ gets a great start BY GSN CONTRIBUTOR

Toll Brothers at Whitewing, a private, staff-gated luxury home community, has opened. It is located at 2731 E. Pelican Court, two miles from the Loop 202 San Tan Freeway, at Greenfield and Germann roads. Prices start from the upper $700,000s. According to Phoenix-based Belfiore Real Estate Consulting, Toll Brothers at Whitewing is one of the Southeast Valley’s best sellers, recognized as the No. 1 top selling new home community priced over $550,000 in Gilbert as of July. Set against a backdrop of mountain views, the single-story homes range from 3,556 to 6,909 square feet of welldesigned interior living with three to seven bedrooms and three-and-a-half to six-and-a-half-baths. Five home designs are on offer, and

the Cholla decorated model is open for viewing. Floor plans may be personalized with structural options such as basements, casitas and additional garages. Characterized by indoor-outdoor living spaces with courtyards, porches, banks of windows and expansive glass, plans are also designed to take full advantage of each home’s picturesque setting. The estate-sized home sites are situated in a tranquil environment with meandering walking trails and a children’s playground. The development is located within the Higley Unified School District. The sales office is open from noon to 5:30 p.m. Mondays and 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. For more information, visit tollbrothers.com/ luxury-homes-for-sale/Arizona/TollBrothers-at-Whitewing.

A design from Toll Brothers at Whitewing in southeast Gilbert

(Photo special to GSN)

FirstBank, the nation’s third largest privately held bank, with numerous banking locations in Arizona, recently wrapped up its inaugural “Good Week.” Branch locations in Gilbert and Scottsdale provided food, drinks and treats to the public. The occasion sought to raise money for and awareness of local nonprofits. (Photo special to GSN) Food and drinks were do- FirstBank launched its inaugural “Good Week” at its Gilbert nated to the Gilbert branch – location recently. Food, drinks and treats were provided to located off Gilbert and Base- the public to raise money for local nonprofits. line – by Queso Good, Garcia’s Mexican Restaurant, Kettle He- new company-wide mantra, ‘banking for roes, Cheese Love & Happiness and Waffle good,’ which reflects our longstanding Crush. Onsite nonprofits included Mat- philosophy to do what’s right for customthews Crossing Food Bank, About ers and the communities we serve,” said Care, Boys and Girls Club, Friends for Life Joel Johnson, FirstBank President, East ValAnimal Shelter and One Small Step. ley. “In hosting Good Week, we encour“The goal of Good Week is to encourage aged the public to not only enjoy a free kindness and inspire people to give back meal on us, but listen to what these imto organizations that make Arizona a great pactful organizations have to say and conplace to live and work,” said Bryce Lloyd, sider helping their efforts.” bank president, Phoenix Metro. “As the Donations were not required to receive main corporate sponsor of Arizona Gives free items or services. Day, we try to make it easier for individuals to help their favorite nonprofits, and To learn more, visit efirstbank.com/ hopefully, Good Week will expose resibankingforgood. dents to even more worthwhile causes.” “Last April, FirstBank launched its

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December 2017

BRIEFS

Nordstrom Rack coming

Seattle-based Nordstrom has announced plans to open a Nordstrom Rack in SanTan Village, Gilbert. The approximately 25,000-square-foot store will be Nordstrom Rack’s sixth store in the Valley and is scheduled to open in fall 2018. The store will be on the corner of Williams Field Road and SanTan Village Parkway, and will feature merchandise across women’s, men’s, kids’ and home categories. Nordstrom Rack is the off-price retail division of Nordstrom, Inc., offering customers on-trend apparel, accessories and shoes at an everyday savings of up to 70 percent off regular prices.

Fired Pie opens

Fired Pie, an Arizona-based, fast-casual pizza and salad restaurant, has opened an outlet in SanTan Village at 2218 E. William Field Road, Gilbert. It is the chain’s 19th location in Arizona. The company recently received a $2.7 million funding package from BBVA/Compass Bank, which has solidified its plans to open up to five more stores within the next year, including out-of-state expansion. Fired Pie allows a diner to take on the role of chef by picking and choosing his or her own type of dough, sauce and top-

Fired Pie’s Gilbert location

Becky Emden

ping. The sophisticated yet affordable pizzeria also offers build-your-own salads. The Arizona-based pizza restaurant opened its first Fired Pie in Phoenix the summer of 2013. It has two outlets in Chandler and one each in Tempe and Mesa. Details: firedpie.com.

Pioneer Title Agency’s Reserve Branch, located at 225 E. Germann Road, Gilbert, has hired Becky Emden as an escrow officer. Emden, a Gilbert resident, will be responsible for opening orders, clearing titles, conducting closing appointments and

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communicating with all parties. Prior to her position with Pioneer, Emden worked at Great American Title in Gilbert as an escrow officer assistant. Emden has a Bachelor of Arts in Health Physical Education and Recreation Management.

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December 2017

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Buying a home for the holidays SUBMITTED BY CARI GILILLAND

Have you been dreaming of a new home? If so, the holiday season could be just the right time to start your home search. Why would anyone go through the hassle of looking for a new home during the holidays when there are so many other fun festivities to partake in? Well, here are a few things to consider before you completely dismiss the thought of a buying a new home during the holidays. While inventory may decrease this time of year, sellers who do have their homes on the market can be very motivated to sell. It could be for tax reasons, new home purchase, relocation or a variety of other situations. There’s also not as much buyer competition. Why not take advantage of other home shoppers’ distractions and use it to your benefit? While other buyers are decking the halls, you could be the one to scoop up that next great deal. Not only are many active buyers slowing down this time of year, but their realtors might be as well. Make your new

home purchase a top priority, while others put it on the back burner. Interest rates are still great. There may be tax benefits to an end-of-year closing. Check with your accountant to be sure. And finally, what better way to start off the new year than with a new home? If you are curious about the Gilbert market, here is some simple data that even the least analytic person can appreciate. No spreadsheet needed, no sophisticated computer algorithm… just real numbers: Gilbert 85233 Number of homes sold: 78 Average sales price: $315,858 Average days on market: 43 Number of active listings: 98 Number of pending/under contract: 63 Gilbert 85234 Number of homes sold: 99 Average sales price: $336,546 Average days on market: 46 Number of active listings: 95

Number of pending/under contract: 83 Gilbert 85295 Number of homes sold: 114 Average sales price: $329,966 Average days on market: 48 Number of active listings: 106 Number of pending/under contract: 92 Gilbert 85297 Number of homes sold: 91 Average sales price: $337,591 Average days on market: 64 Number of active listings: 75 Number of pending/under contract: 66

Cari Gililland

Gilbert 85298 Number of homes sold: 115 Average sales price: $428,536 Average days on market: 59 Number of active listings: 178 Number of pending/under contract: 100 Note: Arizona Regional Multiple Listing System information based on sales

between 9/1/17 - 11/15/17, single-family homes only.

Cari Gililland has been a full time, full service realtor since 2002. For questions or tips, contact her at Cari@ CariSellsHomes.com or 480-390-9247. Or visit her on Facebook at CariSellsHomes.

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December 2017

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December 2017

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Shane and Megan Baskerville operate School of Rock franchises in Gilbert, Ahwatukee Foothills and Scottsdale, known for their brand of music education that’s performance-based and oriented toward fun. The Gilbert school has a student body of 110 and growing. Details: locations.schoolofrock.com/gilbert.

4 High-energy ed Photos by Kimberly Carrillo

1. (From left) Soriya Dominguez, Justin Kreiser and Lucas Shaw jam together. 2. Cassie Freedman. 3. Monica Babu and Isabella Hasen back up singing to “Walk Like an Egyptian.” 4. Rustin Robson. 5. Sophya Shultz. 6. Shane Baskerville teaching Recker Eans. 7. Recker Eans playing drums. 8. Hunter Cipowski. 9. Aiyanna Egnew. 10. Farrah Hannah sings “Walk Like an Egyptian.” 11. School of Rock class with teachers Megan and Shane Baskerville (seated).

5 8 7

11 9

Youth

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December 2017

“Go! Play! Have fun now!” at School of Rock

BY COTY DOLORES MIRANDA

‘Aunt B’ bandmates Shane and Megan Baskerville don’t identify with the stereotype of late-rising, hard-partying musicians. And neither do their students. The Gilbert couple runs the three School of Rock franchises in Ahwatukee, Gilbert and Scottsdale. The Baskervilles are also respected musicians in their own right, and their seven-member band has done well in the greater Phoenix area. Together with franchise owner Steve Gentilini, they tapped into the popularity of the 2003 movie School of Rock to change the standard approach to music education, making it more fun and performance-based. It’s working. Attendance has increased steadily since the couple opened their three schools, which provide after-school and Saturday lessons with teachers who are, for the most part, working musicians. Currently the Ahwatukee School of Rock has 85 music students. Gilbert has 110. And Scottsdale – the first to open, in 2012 – boasts more than 200 students. Managing three schools spread across the county requires a great deal of time, travel and discipline. “We work a lot,” said Megan Baskerville, who also fronts the Aunt B band that plays

soul, ska and, of course, rock. “We have an incredible staff, and that’s invaluable to us.” Megan is the main day-to-day operations manager, while husband Shane “floats” between the three schools in his Ford Escape. “It gets great gas mileage and holds lots of gear,” said Shane, who is the guitarist with the Aunt B Band. Finding their way from Minnesota to Arizona was a serendipitous moment. The couple was accompanying the 2011 School of Rock All-Stars on a tour. “Of 20,000 kids who apply, 170 are chosen,” Megan said. “It is the ultimate School of Rock goal to be on this annual tour.” On that tour, Megan served as tour coordinator, and Shane was music director not only of that tour but also of three Minneapolis School of Rock locations. In total, he has worked with School of Rock for 13 years. It was while riding on the bus that Steve Gentilini – executive vice president of Dunham Associates, an engineering firm – asked the School of Rock Chief Operations Officer why there wasn’t a franchise in Arizona, where he often traveled as part of his job. “We were getting tired of the cold, so

we chimed in, ‘We’ll do it,’” Megan said. “And six months later, we were here.” While opening the Scottsdale location, the trio researched demographics and selected Gilbert and Ahwatukee. The store locations are excellent and have expansive space. The Ahwatukee location is 2,400 square feet, while the Gilbert School of Rock is 2,750 square feet. Plus, the “cool family vibe” of the areas reminded them of the Midwest. They opened both locations in 2014. Their philosophy of making music fun and available to all personalities has gained them fans. “A lot of kids haven’t found their tribe, and we work really hard with our staff to make School of Rock a place of inclusion – a place where they can come and just exist,” said Megan. A few students who have “found their tribe” are avid enthusiasts of the schools and their programs. Victoria ‘Torri’ Ross, a Desert Vista High School junior, has been with School of Rock for nearly five years and says it’s like “a second home”. “I could talk endlessly about how School of Rock is such an amazing place. I really appreciate having such a loving group of people who genuinely care about

one another. I think that’s super cool, and (it’s) my favorite thing about School of Rock,” said Ross, a self-described “multiinstrumentalist” who plays guitar, bass guitar and drums, plus sings. “For a while, I was doing both Ahwatukee and Gilbert purely because of the performance show Gilbert was doing; I did a Red Hot Chili Peppers versus the Beastie Boys at Gilbert this past season,” said Ross, 15, adding that she’s the youngest DVHS junior she knows. Brophy College Preparatory sophomore Michael Valentine started at School of Rock in Ahwatukee more than four years ago at age 11. He began with guitar and vocal lessons before adding keyboard. “I found School of Rock and haven’t looked back,” said Valentine, 15, who now focuses mainly on vocals. “I think no matter who you asked, everyone would agree that the atmosphere of School of Rock is what makes it so great,” he said. “Everyone is there to support each other and just have fun. It’s a stress-free environment where you get to play music with your friends and have a direct connection with your band director. I’ve had many teachers through my years there and never had a bad experience.”

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December 2017

HIGLEY HAPPENINGS

Williams Field High stuffs the bus SUBMITTED BY MICHELLE REECE

Students from Williams Field High School gathered donations for the annual Stuff the Bus service project. A school bus and a truck full of canned and dry goods arrived at United Food Bank in Mesa; the food will be distributed to the needy over the next few weeks. This marked the seventh year of the Stuff the Bus initiative at the Gilbert school in Higley Unified School District. The students gathered 12,913 pounds of food, which will serve 10,761 meals this holiday season. “It’s tremendous, and it’s wonderful to engage youth in giving back to the community because the next generation is going to inherit a lot of the social challenges we have today,” said Rustyn Sherer, president of United Food Bank.

“Preparing them to meet that challenge is important. United Food Bank feeds half a million Arizonans every year.” Prior to unloading the full school bus, the class that collected the most donations received a tour of the facility. “I really liked it,” said Black Hawk junior Anna Meyer. “It helps out a lot of people who need it, especially with the holidays coming around. There are a lot of people hungry who can really use these cans. I felt like we were unloading the bus forever. It’s amazing to see how many people donated.”

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Robotics picking up East Valley schools played quite the battle on a recent Friday night, and it wasn’t just on the football field. Higley Unified School District hosted a robotics match-up at Cortina Elementary School in Queen Creek with 33 of the 38 teams in the newly created VEX IQ Robotics East Valley League. Robotics programs are flourishing in Higley, which was represented at the match by Cortina, Chaparral, Higley Traditional Academy, Power Ranch, Bridges and San Tan elementary schools, as well as Sossaman Middle School. The next event will be the East Valley League finals matches to be held December 9 at Cortina. Sossaman will host a VEX IQ qualifying tournament on February 3. (Photo courtesy of HUSD)

Williams Field High School packed a truck full of goods for United Food Bank.

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“The VEX IQ Robotics East Valley League is a way for students to collaborate and grow mechanical engineering skills, programming skills, team building skills and social skills,” said Sossaman Middle School instructor John Burke. “Students will not only learn to develop these skills within their individual school robotics programs, but they will also learn to create and develop these skills with other students throughout HUSD’s elementary, middle school, and high school robotics programs as they participate in East Valley League events,” he said.

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Youth

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December 2017

Fly without leaving the ground at AZ Ice

BY MELODY BIRKETT

This season, winter sports fans can shoot some goals and practice their double salchows – even on the holidays. AZ Ice in Gilbert knows that the family that skates together, stays together. So it keeps its rinks open every day of the year, including Christmas and New Year’s. “Skating is a family event, and it’s a great way to spend time together,” said Jim Rogers, owner and partner of the rink. Whether you’re an amateur skater or have aspirations of making the pros, AZ Ice can help. It offers public skating, hockey – including adult hockey – learnto-skate programs, group lessons and classes via the town’s parks and recreation department. There’s also speed skating, dance, choreography and ballet – on and off the ice. (Call ahead for details about public skating times.) Rogers, along with a partnership group, bought AZ Ice Arcadia in 2001 and then AZ Ice Gilbert and AZ Ice Peoria a few years ago. His passion for ice skating started in high school at age 15 after a summer job at an ice rink. It turned into a lifelong career. Rogers became a hockey player after watching the 1980 Olympics. He didn’t make it to the pros but has enjoyed teaching and coaching hockey for 35 years. Rogers said the No. 1 draft pick in the National Hockey League last year trained at Arcadia AZ Ice from the time he was about 4 years old, which, incidentally, is an ideal age to start skating. But people of any age can skate, of course. “I had an 80-year-old guy that told me he was too old to ice skate,” Rogers said. “I got him on the ice. “It’s open to everybody. It’s all levels out there. We have figure skaters who jump (and) spin in the middle, hockey players racing around on the outside.”

When it comes to hockey, “you either love it or hate it,” Rogers said. “A lot of people don’t understand it, so they don’t like it. Once they get the feel for the energy, you go to a hockey game, a pro hockey game, it grabs kids.” “We have Learn to Play programs, so we teach kids and adults the basic skills of hockey. Hockey is one of the few sports you can’t just go out and play it,” Roger said. The Learn to Play programs include skating skills, stick handling, passing and shooting. “We also have open stick and puck sessions where people come out and just goof around,” he added. AZ Ice also has started a new speed skating program conducted by instructor Mark Fitzgerald, who has been teaching it for 21 years. He started skating when he was 2 1/2 years old, when his “parents threw me out on the ice at Rockefeller Center.” That turned into a figure skating career. “I did all four disciplines with my sister when we were little,” he said. “We did figures, ice dance, pairs and freestyle. We ended up getting a call to go to the Junior World Championships in ’92, and we decided to specialize in ice dance at that point.” Many just skate for fun, but others are aiming to compete internationally. “Some people are perfectly happy just feeling good about getting all the way around the rink once,” Fitzgerald said. “We have a few here working on triple jumps and have aspirations of going onto national championships.” One such skater is 15-year-old Zoe Chrisagis, a sophomore at Corona del Sol High School in Tempe. She started skating 11 years ago and has aspirations of making figure skating a career. She hopes to get

AZ Ice Gilbert owner and busines partner Jim Rogers has been skating since he was 15 years old.

to the nationals and eventually wants to teach. “I like watching the enjoyment on kids’ faces when they’re learning to skate,” said Zoe. She, too, started young. “My brother quit baseball, so I said, ‘Mom, can I join a sport?’ And she said, ‘Yeah, what do you want to try?’ And I said, ‘I want to try figure skating; it sounds like a lot of fun.’ And so I just fell in love.” Zoe practices six days a week for up to four hours a day after school. Her routine includes double and triple jumps. Peyton Sawyers is a 16-year-old junior at Gilbert High School. She started skating 10 years ago. “I don’t think I’ll get to the Olympics, but I definitely do want to start coaching,” Peyton said. “I actually teach Learn to Skate right now... I want to be a teacher, and that sprung from the Learn to Skate coaching that I do here.” She encourages parents to get their kids involved in skating. Each rink environment is “a great place to grow up,” she said. “There’s nothing really more rewarding than seeing the smile on someone’s face

when they finally master something as simple as a basic turn or as complicated as a triple jump,” added Fitzgerald. “It’s really all about each individual person and what makes them happy when they learn it.” At the beginner level, Rogers keeps prices down so more people can have an opportunity to try. He said it’s very inexpensive if you come out once a week. The sport does take more time and money as you progress, however. “The figure skating you see in the Olympics – it’s a daily grind,” Rogers said. “Four, five, six hours a day.” In the summer, day camps get kids skating about four hours every day. “This is the closest you can get to flying without leaving the ground,” said Fitzgerald. “It’s really an amazing sensation.” AZ Ice Gilbert is at 2305 E. Knox Road, within Crossroads District Park in Gilbert. For details, visit azice.com/gilbert or call 480-503-7080 for public skating hours.

Skaters practice on the Gilbert rink, located within Crossroads District Park.

Youth

December 2017

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Game jam SPARKs innovation, camaraderie SUBMITTED BY JENNIFER ALVAREZ

Junior high and high school students from across Arizona gathered recently for two full days of coding at the SPARK Game Jam at ASU’s Polytechnic Campus. The coding competition is created by the town of Gilbert in partnership with Arizona State University’s Fulton Schools of Engineering. This year, it was also hosted in collaboration with the Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center. The theme, “Invention and Eats,” mirrored the activities taking place at the Smithsonian’s SPARK!LAB in Washington, D.C., and encouraged students to rethink the way we grow, prepare and consume food while also engaging the invention and gaming process. “An event like this is important to the Smithsonian in that we’re interested in getting kids involved in technologies and helping them to learn about new ways to create, new ways to invent, and new ways to be innovative,” said Tim Pula with the Smithsonian. Event sponsor Waymo, formerly called the Google self-driving car project, was also onsite offering students an inside look at the self-driving vehicle. Waymo Program Manager Elena Kolarov provided insights into the power of coding and shared her career journey. “I think it’s really exciting to see local government investing in the youth of this city and building the next generation of innovators,” she said. The Best Overall Game winners were the <div>ergent from Desert Ridge High School. The group’s winning game, “The Hunger Games,” concentrated on ending world hunger by fighting evil food monsters in order to collect and share good food with the world. “I’ve been passionate about computers and electronics since I was in elementary school,” said <div>ergent member Amira Fisher. “Back then, I would’ve never

The Nerds from Gilbert High School – Miranda Rae Stusen, Owen Reynolds and Army Rodriguez – won Best Game Design for “SPARK Lunch Box Designer” sponsored by Rick Spears.

(Photos courtesy of Town of Gilbert)

This year’s SPARK App League was held at ASU’s Polytechnic Campus in Mesa. Dozens of students from around the state participated.

thought this could’ve ever happened, that this could’ve been the result of that small curiosity I had.”

Other winners include:

Best Game Design: Nerds from Gilbert High School for the game “SPARK Lunch Box Designer.” Best Visual Design: Dream Makers from Highland Junior High School for the game “Chef Jeff’s Sandwich Adventure.” Best Technical Game: Nochael, a home school team from Mesa, for the game “Cheeseburger Madness.” Model Citizen Award: The Dream Meme Team from Gilbert Classical Academy for the game “Deliver for Me.” To learn more and to access the winning student games, visit SPARKAppLeague.com.

The winners of this year’s SPARK Game Jam seem happy to code for food.

Local students receive scholarships from Eastern Arizona College BY TARYN LAMB

Eastern Arizona College’s 33rd Annual Scholarship Banquet was held recently to recognize the scholastic achievements of 58 students. The banquet, held at EAC’s campus in Thatcher, recognized donors and recipients of nearly 40 scholarships. Many of the scholarships are annually funded by the contributions of various organizations and individuals, while others are endowed scholarships funded by the earnings of funds provided by the gifts of donors. Justin Heslop, of Gilbert, son of Chad and Karen Heslop, was awarded the Harvey J. and Loretta Olsen Memorial Scholarship.

Established by a bequest from Harvey J. and Loretta Olsen, this scholarship is awarded to a returning sophomore seeking a university transfer degree. Brittany Miner, of Queen Creek, daughter of Brian and Bonnie Reed, was awarded the Dr. Pam Rule Memorial Scholarship, which memorializes Dr. Pam Rule who taught anthropology at Eastern Arizona College and served as a director of the EAC Museum of Anthropology. Rylee Brower, of San Tan Valley, daughter of Ryan and Eileen Brower, was awarded the Kathryn Murphy-Spencer L. Kimball Scholarship. Students majoring

in a university transfer curriculum with an excellent GPA and who have provided service to the college and the community may qualify for this scholarship. Phillip Lunt, of Mesa, son of Ted and Lisa Lunt, was awarded the Dennis Braithwaite Scholarship. This scholarship is to help students who love music and wish to continue their study of music at the college level. Riley Bucko, of the San Tan Valley, daughter of Matthew and Joele Bucko, and Talon Bates, of Gilbert, son of Shelli Lamoreaux Engler, were awarded the Alumni Association Scholarship.

This scholarship is awarded to children or grandchildren of EAC alumni who demonstrate exemplary character traits and academic ability. Samuel MacKinlay, of Mesa, was awarded the Fred and Olga Pace Scholarship. This scholarship is given to a deserving Graham County resident returning to EAC in pursuit of a degree that provides preparation for gainful employment. For more information about scholarship opportunities, call the college’s Alumni Center and Foundation at 928-428-8295.

December 2017

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* Average tuition after scholarships is approximately $8,600. Scholarships may be awarded based on 6th semester transcripts. At the time in which final, official transcripts are received, GCU reserves the right to rescind or modify the scholarship if it is determined that eligibility was not achieved. GCU reserves the right to decline scholarship awards for any reason. If a student does not meet the minimum renewal criteria, their scholarship will be forfeited. GCU reserves the right to change scholarship awards at any time without notice. If a student does not meet the minimum renewal criteria, their scholarship will be forfeited. Prices based on 2016-17 rate and are subject to change. ** Housing and meal plan rate includes triple occupancy, suite-style residence hall and $1,350 Dining Dollars, plus applicable sales tax as required by state law. Prices reflect 2016-17 and are subject to change. The information printed in this material is accurate as of May 2017. For the most up-to-date information about admission requirements, tuition, scholarships and more, visit gcu.edu. Important policy information is available in the University Policy Handbook at https://www. gcu.edu/academics/academic-policies.php For more information about our graduation rates, the median debt of students who complete the program, and other important information, please visit our website at gcu.edu/disclosures. Please note, not all GCU programs are available in all states and in all learning modalities. Program availability is contingent on student enrollment. Grand Canyon University is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (800-621-7440; http://hlcommission.org/). GCU, while reserving its lawful rights in light of its Christian mission, is committed to maintaining an academic environment that is free from unlawful discrimination. Further detail on GCU’s Non-Discrimination policies can be found at gcu.edu/titleIX. ©2017 Grand Canyon University 17GTR0279

Spirituality

www.GilbertSunNews.com The Bridge Church 645 N. Gilbert Road, Suite 180, Gilbert 480-294-7888 bridgechurchaz.org Service: 10 a.m. Sundays We exist to help people know God and become everything God created them to be. We do this by helping people begin a relationship with God, grow in that relationship to find freedom from the struggles they experience, discover the purpose for which God made them and live out their purpose to make a difference in the church and in the world. Central Christian Church-Gilbert 965 E. Germann Road, Gilbert centralaz.com Services: 4 and 5:30 p.m. Saturdays; 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and noon Sundays While the Bible itself is the church’s official document of faith, the website lists a variety of statements that fundamentally define the church. Please visit the website for more information. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 3301 S. Greenfield Road, Gilbert 480-822-5000 lds.org First United Methodist Church of Gilbert 331 S. Cooper Road, Gilbert 480-892-9166 gilbertumc.org Services: 8 and 9:30 a.m. (traditional services) and 11 a.m. (contemporary service) Sundays The two traditional services feature the Chancel choir and traditional worship. The 11 a.m. service has a contemporary

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feel, with music from the Praise Band. The 9:30 a.m. service generally has the largest attendance. Gilbert Presbyterian Church 235 E. Guadalupe Road, Gilbert 480-892-6753 azgpc.org Services: 8:30 and 11 a.m. Sundays Gilbert Presbyterian Church is called to be a Christ-centered covenant family nurtured by the Holy Spirit to worship God and to share God’s love. The Lawrence Memorial AME Zion Church 1141 E. Guadalupe Road, Gilbert 480-772-3603 Services: 10:15 a.m. Sunday; Bible study is 6:30 p.m. Tuesday The Lawrence Memorial Church is a contemporary church. We are a multicultural church that is simply looking to reach the unreachable with love. Living Water United Methodist Fellowship Highland Park Elementary School Sundays at 10:00 am New Location 645 N Gilbert Rd, Suite 180 Gilbert, AZ 85234 (Southeast corner of Gilbert & Guadalupe, south of EVDI) Pastor Kent Bertrand 480.294.7888 www.bridgechurchaz.org

230 N. Cole Dr., Gilbert livingwaterum.org Services: 10 a.m. Sundays Living Water exists to bring people in to meet Christ, build people up to follow Christ and send people out to share Christ. Mission Community Church 4450 E. Elliot Road, Gilbert 480-545-4024 mission68.org Services: 4 and 6 p.m. Saturdays and 9, 10:30 and 11:59 a.m. Sundays The Bible is God’s word to all people. It was written by human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. Because it is inspired by God, it is truth and without error in the original manuscripts. Redemption Gilbert 1820 W. Elliot Road, Gilbert 480-632-2220 gilbert.redemptionaz.com/about/ a-brief-overview/ Services: 8, 9:30 and 11 a.m. Sundays Gospel means good news, but it is truly the most profound and glorious truth ever revealed. It is not advice, nor is it a system or philosophy to add to the congregants’ lives. It is an exclusive truth claim, a holistic worldview, the true story of the whole world, which by its very nature must redefine and recolor everything else.

Resurrection Episcopal Church Meets at Gilbert Community Center, 130 N. Oak St., Gilbert E. Guadalupe Rd. Starting January 8th, 2017, 480-719-5343 please join us as we work throughresurrectiongilbert.org the Community Bible Experience together, Services: 10 a.m. Sundays as a church family! Resurrection officials say the congregation is a church you can believe in because you belong. This means it welcomes and embraces all N. Gilbert Rd.

Advent Series Begins Sunday, December 3rd

Spiritual Connections

December 2017

people because God already has. Come for worship, fellowship and Bible study on Sundays and join the group on a spiritual journey to better understand God’s plan for our lives. San Tan Bible Church 1424 S. Promenade Lane, Gilbert Phone number N/A. santanbible.org Services: 8:30 a.m. (Bible hour); 9:30 a.m. (Café 2:42) and 10 a.m. worship service Sundays The church believes the glory of God is the chief end of all we do. Sun Valley Community Church 456 E. Ray Road, Gilbert 480-632-8920 sunvalleycc.com Services: 4 and 5:30 p.m. Saturdays and 9, 10:30 and 11:59 a.m. Sundays The atmosphere is casual and friendly at Sun Valley Community Church. It places high value on authentic Christian living and placing Christ at the center of all our teachings. The church also offers worship music that is current and uplifting, along with focused weekend sermons that break down the Bible in a way that makes it easy to connect the word of God with today’s busy life. Two Rivers Church 326 E. Guadalupe Road, Gilbert 85234 480-892-2435, 2riverschurch.org Services: 6 p.m. Saturdays; and 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. (Spanish) Sundays Two Rivers Church exists to help lead congregants into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ by encouraging and equipping them to love God intimately and serve others. It has a casual environment with a serious faith. Vineyard Community Church 601 S. Cooper Road, Gilbert 85233 480-892-5828 vineyardaz.com Services: 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Sundays Vineyard Community is a casual, friendly and inviting church. Its desire is to be a safe place where people’s lives are being transformed by Christ in community for the world. The diverse community of Christ-followers seeks the radical in-breaking of the kingdom of God here and now. Followers worship God with the intention of touching heaven and changing earth.

December 2017

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Arts

December 2017

Gilbert’s own Lindsey Stirling to play holiday concert BY CATHERINE HATHAWAY

Lindsey Stirling is a master multitasker. Onstage, the Gilbert native plays the violin like a champ and captivates audiences with her unique EDM (Electronic Dance Music) style on a traditionally classic instrument. Offstage, she is literally dancing from project to project. Recently, she was balancing grueling rehearsals for her winter tour, Warmer in the Winter, as well as working around the clock to hold her leading position on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, and she couldn’t be more excited. “It’s exhausting. I’m not going to lie,” Stirling admitted. “Yesterday, I did five hours of Dancing with the Stars rehearsal, and then I worked for three and a half hours with my choreographer for tour. My mind and my body are so exhausted by the end of these days. I haven’t really felt like this in a long time.” The performer and her dance partner, two-time Mirrorball Trophy champion Mark Ballas, were favorites for the coveted Dancing with the Stars award, pulling high scores every week. In the November 21 finals, she took second place. “I love that we get to be so creative,” Stirling said. “I know my favorite moments are right when I finish a routine and we’re like, ‘Ah, we did it!’ That’s such a high. It’s such a high to work on something so hard for a week and then go out there, be terrified, and then pull it off.” And work hard she does. On October 29, Stirling went to urgent care for an injury that threatened her stint on the show. To her fans’ delight, she pulled through and knocked out her Paso Doble to her song “Roundtable Rival,” for which the pair scored a 27 out of 30 points from the judges. “Mark and I have a really good time,” Stirling said. “We laugh a ton. Our rehearsals, they’re exhausting, and we work so, so hard, but at the same time it’s still a lot of fun.” Although she’s no stranger to dance, grooving her way to the top of the Dancing with the Stars scoreboard is not quite as easy as the self-taught dancer and violinist thought. “I thought, to be honest, going into the show I would have this edge, but it’s not as much the case,” Stirling said. “In a way, I am self-taught and I’ve just kind of figured out how to do things and how to do them while playing violin, and it turns out I do a lot of things incorrectly... And so Mark kind of had to untrain a lot of really terrible habits. It’s amazing. I’m learning so much that I feel is actually going to start to affect my

performances.” parents and my family. And teaching She will showcase her newfound us to appreciate it and to sing, and the technique during a show at the fact that music brings people together, Comerica Theatre on December 23, the was very much a part of my family last stop on her Warmer in the Winter culture,” Stirling said. “That was a fun tour to promote her holiday album of thing we did every year, and it was great the same name. because it wasn’t cold outside, so we “It’s such a different show for me,” could.” Stirling said. “It’s such When she went caroling a different album for with her family, me. You know, a Stirling fondly lot of times I like remembers to consider my previous shows as theatricality Lindsey Stirling will meets an perform 8 p.m. EDM show. It Saturday, Dec. 23 at has really heavy Comerica Theatre, 400 W. lighting and big Washington Street, Phoenix. screens that are LED and Tickets start at $35.50. flashy, but this one is Details: 1-800-745-3000 or comericatheatre.com. going to be... a lot softer, a little more pixie dust on it, a little classic-feeling.” Dancing with the Stars led to Stirling’s decision on an opening act for her tour. Ballas is one half of the band Alexander Jean, which pairs him with his wife, BC Jean. Stirling went to the couple’s performance and was blown away. “It just happened really organically,” Stirling recalled. “I know my fans are going to love it. He will be actually opening the show, and then I might pull him on the stage for a couple moments during my set as well. Maybe we’ll make a little break in the music where the band plays and we’ll pull him out and we’ll dance or something. I really think the audience will get a kick out of that.” She hopes fans appreciate her hard work and passion for the project and holiday season. Stirling wants her music to connect families and make memories for them to relive when they listen to her music. “I feel like Christmas songs, more than any other kind of music, is attached to memories, and I like to think of them almost as little time capsules for memories,” Stirling said. “I hear certain Christmas songs, and they immediately transport me back to memories with my family and, you know, traditions.” Growing up in Gilbert, Stirling’s family was passionate about the holiday season. The Mesquite High School alum recalls caroling with her family every year and baking treats for her neighbors. Her incredible bond with her family was strengthened through caroling in the mild Arizona winters and the music they shared. “Music was really important to my

singing her favorite songs, “Carol of the Bells” and “Angels We Have Heard on High.” She never considered that other families didn’t carol. It was always such a big part of her childhood holidays. “Maybe my Christmas music will be able to preserve memories for other people and help other people create traditions,” Stirling said. “That is such a cool thought, and I’m really excited hoping that my music ends up in homes with families.”

Arts

December 2017

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Gilbert photographer to show his photos of biker gang BY SRIANTHI PERERA

As an Arizona State University student in the 1970s pursuing a master’s degree in fine arts, Neil Miller turned a chance encounter with Arizona’s first outlawed motorcycle gang into an unusual relationship. This month, the Gilbert photographer will display the product of that relationship: The Dirty Dozen, a show of the photos he took of the gang’s everyday life. A 1975 article in Phoenix New Times described the Dirty Dozen as a group that ruled state highways for 30 years until some members eventually switched over to the Hells Angels. “Unkempt and wild, with a fearsome reputation backed by criminality, the Dirty Dozen was Arizona’s preeminent motorcycle club and would not allow other clubs to operate in the Grand Canyon State without its permission,” the article said. Miller’s work will be on display in “The Dirty Dozen” from Dec. 16 to Feb. 10 at Gallery 4 located in HD South, home of the Gilbert Historical Museum. Gallery 4 is curated by Alan Fitzgerald, owner of Art Intersection in the Heritage District. Miller’s experiences with The Dirty Dozen ranged from charging down switchbacked roads to exploring the subtle relationships between members and the women who travel with them. “Live hard and die young is what it was about. The reality of this lifestyle turned out to be true,” he wrote. Miller was 30 when he met the gang. “It was a party, and I had been photographing parties for several years. At the time I was just working to add to an ongoing photography project. But

Neil A. Miller

after one night out in the forest north of the Grand Canyon I knew this would be a long-term encounter,” he wrote in his artist statement. Any trepidation? “There was some on the first run I went on, but it became apparent once the members got to know me, everything went very well,” said Miller. “It was a closed group, but once accepted, easy to get along with. I had been riding (Photos courtesy of Neil Miller)

Whether close up or from afar, Miller’s photographs depict the hidden lifestyle of the motorcycle gang amid the rugged landscape in Arizona.

motorcycles for over 10 years when this opportunity came up, so it fit my interest.” “I found that once you get past the social independence and the take-it-orleave-it attitude, you find the club to be a family just out to enjoy life on their own terms,” said Miller, adding: “Most members were hard-working, tax-paying people who spent their off time socializing and riding tricked out two-wheeled vehicles. Along the way,

this lifestyle led to bumping into rules, regulations and the many dangers of living large.” Miller’s photographs, some in black and white and some in color, depict the rugged club members on their machines etched against the equally rough scrub land and mountainous backdrop that is Arizona’s outdoors. Close-ups reveal the longhaired, tattooed and leather-clad men in search of a different adventure than what regular life in the city brings. Miller used various methods to record the group riding: He set up his equipment from a high vantage point, took some photos out of the back of a pickup truck and shot others from a rented airplane. “But I found riding on the back of a bike was the best approach,” he said. “I had been used to taking photographs while riding my own bike, and having

two hands available allowed me to shoot quicker without worrying where I was going. “One of the best shots was taken pointing the camera backwards over my head: I probably would not do this now.” The photographer showed this particular body of work about four times in Phoenix. In those days, he said, people wondered how it was possible to do the work. “Back when the photographs were taken, photography was a specialty. Beyond just the access, there was a level of technical knowledge needed to produce the work,” he said. Miller worked 39 years as a news photographer at Phoenix TV Channel 10 and retired in 2009. His other work has included horse racing, newspaper journalism and the US Navy. He has also recorded many fleeting aspects of life with projects such as Atlantic City 1974, the Guadalajara Series, the Notting Hill Carnival and his family. Retired or not, photographers aren’t far removed from their equipment. Miller’s lens now focuses on street photography. Earlier this year, he was in Eastern Europe, and currently, he is in India doing what he loves most. The Dirty Dozen, at Gallery 4 within HD South is at 10 S. Gilbert Road. Details: hdsouth.org or 480-926-1577.

www.GilbertSunNews.com

Arts

Elves to take over Gilbert stage

December 2017

BY COLLEEN SPARKS

Several Chandler and Gilbert children are having a jolly time playing elves and other characters in Limelight Performing Arts’ production of Elf The Musical Jr. The local musical – loosely based on the 2003 movie Elf with Will Ferrell – hits the stage this month at the theater on West Guadalupe Road in Gilbert. Close to 40 young actors sing, dance and act in the show. The story centers on Buddy, an orphan who accidentally crawls into Santa’s gift bag and is whisked to the North Pole, where he is raised as an elf. When he discovers his real father is on Santa’s naughty list, he must help his family – and all of New York – remember the meaning of Christmas. Catherine Lazarou, 9, of Chandler, enjoys playing a “happy, energetic elf” and believes the audience will enjoy the show. “I like being an elf because you get to make people happy and make toys,” said Lazarou, a third-grader at Great Hearts Academies - Archway Lincoln. “I think it’s kind of funny. The best part of being on stage is when people… say, ‘The costume looks good’ or they’re like, ‘I like your acting.’” “It’s just very upbeat and it’s fun,” said Emma England, artistic director and

board president of Limelight Performing Arts and owner of Studio 3 Performing Arts Academy. “Everybody loves good holiday songs, just that whole Christmas spirit that everybody can relate to. It’s tap-your-toes-along-type music. The choreography is really fun. There’s never a dull moment.” England is one of the co-choreographers of the musical, along with Nikki Gray, who is also music director. Studio 3 Performing Arts Academy, in the same building where many of Limelight’s shows are performed, provides lessons in acting, singing, dance, musical theater and musical instruments. Limelight, a nonprofit youth theater, holds its rehearsals at Studio 3, but all youths are encouraged to audition for Limelight productions. The elf-themed musical lasts just an hour and 15 minutes, so it’s “perfect for little kids,” England said. “It’s great because it has a lot of younger kids in it,” she said. “It’s an ensemble show. The kids in the ensemble are doing different roles throughout the show.” The younger children in the cast learn from the older students. Trey McDonald, 16, of Queen Creek, plays Buddy, while Amelia Knight, 13, of Chandler, plays Buddy’s stepmother.

(Photo by Kimberly Carrillo)

Actors rehearse a dance number from Elf The Musical Jr. at Limelight Performing Arts in Gilbert.

“Buddy as a character, even though he is human, he is elf right down to his core,” said McDonald, a junior at Arizona Connections Academy. “He likes making toys. He’s great friends with Santa Claus. The show is very fun and sweet, and there are some surprises.” McDonald said he is having fun dancing and thinks “people will like the musical numbers, just the energy of it.” Hailey Gates, 14, of Gilbert, plays Buddy’s love interest, Jovie. The eighthgrader at Cooley Middle School said Jovie is “kind of like grumpy” and “acts

really tough” but has a softer side. Gates is in her seventh year performing with Limelight. “I really like the professionalism,” she said. “The shows just always turn out really good. The talent here is awesome.”

Elf The Musical Jr. runs Dec. 8, 9, 10, 15 and 16 at Studio 3 Performing Arts Academy at 511 W. Guadalupe Road, Suite 12, in Gilbert. Details: limelight. ticketleap.com.

Arts

December 2017

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‘A Christmas Carol’ at Hale may brighten the holidays BY DON ANDREWS

Hale Centre Theatre, Gilbert presents its holiday classic A Christmas Carol for the 15th consecutive year. This year’s 51 performances feature two stellar casts of veteran actors and singers. It is a spectacular, heartwarming version of Charles Dickens’ classic tale of redemption brought to life. The production is rich with traditional carols, stunning costumes, memorable characters and special effects. Owner and director David Dietlein promises theatre-goers a delightful holiday treat. The show is a musical version of the book’s tale of three Christmas ghosts who visit the miserly taskmaster Ebenezer Scrooge. The spirits show In the Green cast, Mark Kleinman is Scrooge and Bryce LeCheminant is Tiny Tim.

Scrooge the error of his tyrannical ways, transforming him from a “Bah humbug” sourpuss into a philanthropic gentleman. The message is one of hope and renewal. The show operates with two casts designated “Red” and “Green.” The Red cast stars Valley meteorologist Cory McCloskey as Scrooge. For many years, before entering the weather business, McCloskey made his living in theater, film and television, performing on stages in New York, Philadelphia, Washington and Baltimore, in roles as diverse as Josephine in Sugar and the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz. He is also a standup comedian. The Green cast features Mark Kleinman, who is reprising his role as Scrooge for a sixth time. An ariZoni award winner, Kleinman has performed extensively in operatic, musical theater and dramatic repertory around the world. He has performed previously in Hale productions of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Kiss and Tell and Dreamcoat, You Can’t Take It With You,, among others. You AriZoni Award winner Cambrian James choreographs the show, and Lincoln Wright, also an ariZoni

Award winner and an in-demand concert pianist across the Valley, returns as music director of the holiday classic for a sixth time. The Hale family tradition of presenting A Christmas Carol began with Ruth and Nathan Hale, who opened their first Hale theater in Glendale, California. In 1965, the Hales and the Dietleins staged their first production of the holiday musical, establishing a legacy that flourishes to this day. Dietlein has received numerous awards for his artistic achievements and has directed every production of the classic since the Gilbert theatre opened in 2003.

A Christmas Carol runs through December 23 at Hale Centre Theatre at 50 W. Page Ave., Gilbert. Performances are at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. with matinee performances on select days at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Tickets range from $24 to $40 for adults. Details: call 480-497-1181 or visit haletheatrearizona.com.

In the Red cast, Cory McCloskey is Scrooge and Max Romney is Tiny Tim.

‘Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus’ on stage BY GSN CONTRIBUTOR

East Valley Children’s Theatre is staging Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus through Dec. 10 at Mesa Arts Center. It stars 32 cast members ages 8 to 18 from across the Valley. Two compelling stories come together in this heartwarming play inspired by the famous editorial by Francis P. Church in the New York Sun Times on Christmas Eve in 1897. Eight-year-old Virginia is left pondering whether or not Santa really exists after a series of unhappy events. Meanwhile, a newspaper editor also struggles against tough holiday times as he is faced with losing his job if he can’t find his writer’s voice by morning. Even though they don’t know each other, the spirit of Christmas is about to bring these two together, creating in the process an unforgettable and cherished part of classic Christmas folklore. Winner of two ariZoni Awards in 2016, Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus is the collaboration of EVCT’s Producing Artistic Director Karen Rolston and local writer and composer Kathie McMahon. Mesa Arts Center is at 1 E. Main St., Mesa. Tickets are $15 for adults and $11 for children at the Mesa Arts Center box office, 480-644-6500, mesaartscenter.com or evct.org.

(Photo courtesy of Penrod Photography) Christian Armanti of Mesa stars as Nicholas, Savannah Swiatkowski of Mesa as Mary Lou, Brenna Glenn of Mesa as Charlotte and Isabella Garrett of San Tan Valley as Becky in East Valley Children’s Theatre’s production of Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus.

December 2017

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Play in the snow and Don’t miss the opportunity to visit make snow angels Santa or sip on some hot cocoa. For an Climb the Rock Wall additional fee you can fly down the zip Fly down the Zip Line line, ride the Ferris wheel and bounce around on the different inflatables. With Bungee Trampoline holiday music and local performances, Ferris Wheel there is something for everyone to enjoy. Inflatables Nov 24th - Dec 24th Sleigh Ride Gates are open every Fri, Sat & Sun: And Much More! 2pm - 10pm

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460 E. Ray Rd. Gilbert, AZ 85296

8/4/15 4:05 PM

Opinion

December 2017

www.GilbertSunNews.com

2017 moved us toward leaner, more nimble government BY DENNY BARNEY

It’s hard to believe it has been almost a year since I was sworn in as chairman of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. At the beginning of the year, I made my priorities clear: a balanced budget; regulatory and personnel reforms that help business thrive and families flourish; more evidence-based justice initiatives that reduce repeat offenders and lower the cost of criminal justice; and personnel reform that improves customer service. Now that we are in the final month of 2017, I’m happy to report success on all fronts. Budget: We balanced Denny Barney our budget and kept the tax rate flat, even as we made significant investments in future growth. I challenged elected leaders and department heads to be efficient with resources, to rethink processes, and to be innovative in their approach to customer service. They responded,

d a n I’m a

and their efforts are making us a leaner, more efficient government. That unwavering commitment to fiscal responsibility is the reason Maricopa County maintains AAA bond ratings to this day. Regulation: We want to make it easier than ever to do business in Maricopa County. This year, we rolled out a new way for builders and developers to file documents online, which can save time and money. We are also processing more plan reviews than ever – nearly 9,700 projected for fiscal year 2018 compared to 5,775 in FY 2014. This year, (Special to GSN) fewer than 5 percent of plans required more than one re-submittal, and 85 percent have been processed within 20 business days. While we must be diligent in our safety reviews and procedures, I have pushed us to take an even harder look at needless bureaucracy that slows economic growth.

November 2017

Relentlessly local coverage of Gilbert and our neighboring communities

Big League Dreams vows fight over town contract termination

BY SRIANTHI PERERA

The Gilbert Historical Museum is a link to the town’s past. But in the future, the museum will be known as HD South. The center, which is run by the Gilbert Historical Society, has been transforming itself during the past few years from a mere repository of the town’s historic treasures to a vibrant arts, culture and history hub under a “communities for all ages” model. To better reflect its new mission, it came up with the name. HD South also

hints to its location, at the southern gateway to the Heritage District. “We are very excited about the rebranding of our organization. Not only does it give us a new direction and focus, but the development of our programming and the overall elevation of arts and culture in the community will benefit residents and tourists alike,” said Kayla Kolar, the center’s executive director. “As the southern gateway to the Heritage

Mailed toYour Home Monthly PRSRT STD ECRWSS U.S. POSTAGE PAID PHOENIX PERMIT # 1333

The readers are here! Where’s your ad? 480-898-6309

Gilbert Historical Museum has larger mission as HD South

Local Postal Customer

How many prospective customers do you talk to a month?

Denny Barney is a Gilbert resident and the Chairman of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.

SEE

HD SOUTH

Gilbert’s stormy relationship with Big League Dreams has been headed for a nasty divorce since July, when the town unilaterally closed the sports park amid safety concerns about the integrity of outfield fences and faux grandstands. Gilbert considers the divorce final now that the Town Council has terminated a memorandum of understanding with Big League Dreams, citing a lack of confidence in the company’s ability to operate the facility without damaging it after PAGE 6 $14 million in repairs are completed.

5 Community 20 Neighbors 32 Business 44 Youth

But the operators of Big League Dreams say they are not ready to pack up their bats and balls and leave forever. They are appealing the case in court, attempting to get a permanent injunction that would force Gilbert to reopen the popular, yet much-maligned, sports facility. “We have terminated the marriage and we don’t want to make up,” said Robert Grasso, an attorney representing Gilbert in the lawsuits related to the sports SEE

BIG LEAGUE PAGE 7

51 Spirituality 52 Arts 60 Opinion

Family O w over 50 ned & Operate d Yea Mobility rs Combined Experie nce

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Allie Pedersen strikes an arabesque pose at auditions for the annual Ballet Etudes production of the holiday classic, “The Nutcracker.”

I talk to about, oh, 25,000 prospective customers every month.

candidates. We’re fixing our approach, and cutting down the recruitment time so the best and brightest don’t have reason to look elsewhere. Sometimes, recruitment needs an extra nudge. I said as much to our Office of the Medical Examiner and encouraged them to find a creative solution to their staffing challenges. In September, they launched a firstof-its-kind loan repayment assistance program for medical examiners, giving us a unique incentive in a highly competitive, hugely important field. This is just one example of how we are looking for opportunities to tilt the odds in our favor, as we strive to become an employer of choice in the fastest-growing county in the nation. The goal is a leaner, more nimble, more service-oriented government. 2017 has moved us closer to our goals. I look forward to making more progress in the coming year. Thank you for the opportunity to serve.

& Scooters Too

Raising the Barre

I’m also a salesperson in print.

Criminal justice: It is unacceptable to me that more than 50 percent of Maricopa County inmates return to jail within 12 months of release. So I have been a tireless advocate for smart justice initiatives like the recentlyexpanded MOSAIC substance abuse program, which help us rethink our approach to incarceration. Once they are released, giving justice-involved individuals some skills they can turn to instead of a substance, then linking them up with community groups – and even housing – makes our communities stronger and, ultimately, saves taxpayers money. Employees: To provide exceptional customer service, we need to have an accountable, outcome-driven workforce. I’ve supported the work done by county leadership this year to design specific performance metrics that apply across all departments so the best employees are rewarded and those who are underachieving are not allowed to continue doing so. This year, we also examined the way we recruit for jobs and found that unnecessary and redundant processes were leading to delays in hiring the best

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December 2017

www.GilbertSunNews.com

Every time we love, every time we give, it s Christmas. -Dale Evans

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Classifieds

December 2017

Biz Box

www.GilbertSunNews.com

To place a business card ad in the Biz Box, contact Tracey Wilson: 480-898-5611 • tracey@timespublications.com • www.gilbertsunnews.com PRICE: $50 + tax or 6 months for $275 + tax. Vertical business cards will be reformatted to fit this space.

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Classifieds

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EVENTS Beta Sigma Phi, a woman s cultural and social organi ation, is looking to reconnect with non-active members in the East Valley. New members are also welcome. Beta Sigma Phi is a non-college sorority, which offers sisterhood and friendship to women of all ages. You can never underestimate the importance of other women in your life. Contact: Gail Sacco at gailsacco@ .com

CLEANING SERVICES

THE ASTER S TO CH CLEANING SERVICE www.tmtclean.com One time or recurring service -F since 200 . Licensed, insured and e-verified cleaners in teams of two. Call 480- 24- 640 answered 24/ See our Ad in the Bi Box Section

ELECTRICAL ANY TH ING EL ECTRICAL , AIR CO NDITIO NING , P L UM BING Free Service Call with Repair Same Day Service Guaranteed 24/7 - 2 Hours or Less Troubleshooting Experts M i n u t e m a n H o m e Se r v i c e SRP AP S Ce r t i f i e d L i c e n s e d / Bo n d e d / In s u r e d RO C 2 4 2 8 0 4 BBB A+ V a l l e y w i d e Co d e T1 1 6 0 2 -2 7 9 - 0 9 4 2

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HANDYMAN HO E REPAIR SERVICE Faucets-Sinks-Toilets Disposals-H/W Heaters Fans-Drywall-Doors Special Pro ects 480- 0 - 68 IS YO R HONEY DO LIST GETTING TOO BIG FOR YO ? Did you buy something that needs to be put together? Give ohn the Handyman a call He can help you get things done. Anything that takes your time I can do & have the tools to do it ohn the Handyman: 60-668-068

HOME REMODELING HO E RE ODELING REPAIRS & C STO INTERIOR PAINTING ove a wall turn a door into a window. From small obs and repairs to room additions, I do it all. Precision interior painting, carpentry, drywall, tile, windows, doors, skylights, electrical, fans, plumbing and more. All trades done by hands-on General Contractor. Friendly, artistic, intelligent, honest and affordable. 40 years experience. Call Ron Wolfgang Office 480-820-8 Cell 602-628-96 Wolfgang Construction Inc. Licensed & Bonded ROC 249 4

HOME IMPROVEMENT HOLTZ AN HO E I PROVE ENT People do business with people they trust Home Remodeling & Additions itchens or Baths Painting/Drywall/Stucco Plumbing/Electrical Tile/Flooring Decks/Garages We Do It All 24 Hour Emergency Services Licensed/Bonded/Insured ROC 242008 WINTER SPECIAL off labor on any ob over ,000 ust mention this ad for discount Can t combine with any other offer Call for a Free Estimate 602-628-8 602- 2 -6 4 Holt manhomeimprovement.com

Deadline: 16th of the month for the next publication

Contact: Tracey Wilson 480-898-5611 tracey@timespublications.com www.gilbertsunnews.com

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December 2017

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ALL PRO TREE SERVICE, LLC Tree Trimming, Tree Removals, Stump Grinding, onthly Landscape aintenance, Full Yard Clean ps, Palm Trees, Deep Root Fertili ation, Irrigation, Etc. Free Estimate, Very Professional, Insured, and Bonded Visa & asterCard Accepted ention this Ad and Receive off Discount 480- 4- 802 or dennis@allprotrees.com See Our Ad in the Bi Box Section

Tim LINE Roofing, LLC The ost Detailed Roofer in the State. Roofs Done Right..The FIRST Time. -Year Workmanship Warranty on All Complete Roof Systems. FREE Estimate and Written Proposal. 480- -246 www.timklineroofing.com R.O.C 69 9 -42 Licensed, Bonded and Insured

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WINDOWS/ CLEANING DIRTY WINDOWS? Call Fish Window Cleaning @ 480-962-4688 and you will have the cleanest windows and screens on the block. Below is the list of services we offer: Windows-Interior & Exterior Screens-Sunscreens/Regular Tracks, Ceiling Fans, Light Fixtures Power Washing Your driveways, sidewalks & patios Follow us on InstaGram @FISH_WCEASTVALLEYAZ HAVE A SERVICE BUSINESS?

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December 2017

www.GilbertSunNews.com

Arizona’s Resort-Style Home Builder MASTER PLANNED CELEBRATED COMMUNITIES BY BLANDFORD HOMES

Award-winning Arizona builder for 39 years. Blandford Homes specializes in building master planned environments with a variety of amenities and charm. Many offer resort-style amenities such as pools, spa, fitness, tennis, event lawns, and lifestyle activities, you’ll find the perfect community to fit your lifestyle. A Mountain Bridge in Northeast Mesa – Resort-Style Master Planned Community 6 BRAND NEW REVOLUTIONARY MODELS FOR 2017 Vintage Collection • From the high $300’s • 480-988-2400 Craftsman Collection • From the low $400’s • 480-641-1800 Artisan Collection • From the low $500’s • 480-641-1800 Master Collection • From the low $700’s • 480-641-1800

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C The Estates at Thirty-Second Street NOW SELLING Estate single-level homes with 4 to 6 car garages and optional RV garages and carriage houses • From the low $700’s • 480-750-3000

D The Estates at Las Sendas NOW SELLING Northeast Mesa Resort-Style Master Planned Community

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E Sienna Hills – 124th St & Shea in Scottsdale COMING SOON! Luxury single level estate homes from the low $900’s

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