Neighbors
www.SanTanSun.com
March 1 – 14, 2014
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Neighbors Murphy’s Law celebrates everything Irish BY LYNETTE CARRINGTON
Gather ye lads and lasses, it’s almost time for that magical time of year when we all celebrate everything green on St. Patrick’s Day. Since 2008, Murphy’s Law Irish Pub and Ale House has been the Valley destination to celebrate the luck of the Irish. For St. Patrick’s Day 2014, Murphy’s Law will host the sixth annual Downtown Chandler St. Patrick’s Day Festival from 12 p.m. to 12 a.m. Saturday, March 15. The event is presented by Coors Light. More than just an Irish celebration, the event will raise funds for the Arizona Fire Service Pipe Band that provides memorial and funeral services for fallen officers and firefighters. Tickets are $10
Chandler organization, area families to benefit from run
Desert Palms pairs with Market on the Move
Neighbors PAGE 56
Spirituality PAGE 74
Where to Eat PAGES 82-86
Chandler couple followed their Jaguar Car dreams to Grand Canyon University Show comes to downtown Chandler March 8 BY TRACY HOUSE
A.J. Chandler Park in downtown Chandler will be the site of the 36th annual Jaguar Club of Central Arizona’s Concours d’ Elegance on Saturday, March 8, where more than 50 Jaguar cars from 1940 to present will be on display from Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada and California. Jaguar North Scottsdale will have newer models at the event, however, they are strictly for show. SEE JAGUAR PAGE 52
SEE PUB PAGE 54
WORKING TOGETHER: Paul Koch and his wife, Jacque, serve as Grand Canyon University’s band director and dance coach, which provides many opportunities for the couple to work together during the school’s basketball games. Submitted photo BY MEGHAN MCCOY
PART OF THE CHANDLER COMMUNITY: Murphy’s Law welcomes everyone to come and celebrate their Irish in downtown Chandler. Submitted photo
A true love story blossomed as two passionate former Arizona State University students followed their dreams, eventually landing jobs at the same school, Grand Canyon University, and settling in Chandler. Paul Koch earned his bachelor of music degree from the University of North Texas and his master’s degree in percussion performance from Arizona State University. But his life changed while working with the drumline at McClintock High School.
“Instead of working at a restaurant or flipping burgers, I wanted to spend my time to further my career in teaching music,” Paul says. He was doing just that when he met his bride to be, Jacque. Jacque, who earned a geography degree from Arizona State University before obtaining a master’s degree in education, was also at McClintock High teaching the dance team. One day after rehearsal, Jacque stopped by Paul’s office to ask him SEE COUPLE PAGE 50
TEST YOUR SKILLS: Drivers are invited to test their driving skills at the Slalom Event at Hamilton High School, in conjunction with the Concours d’Elegance, sponsored by the Jaguar Club of Central Arizona, March 9. Submitted photo
Chandler girl needs bone marrow transplant ‘Be The Match’ to host registry at Totspot Preschool BY LYNETTE CARRINGTON
In a lot of ways, Maddie Johnson is a typical 6-year-old girl. “She loves to sing and dance and be a little diva,” says her mother, Aimee-GriffithJohnson of Chandler. “At her birth, they knew something wasn’t quite right. After three weeks, they realized her bone marrow was not producing any red blood cells. After more testing they realized she had the condition called Diamond-Blackfan Anemia which is a bone marrow failure. She also has an immune deficiency as well, which is also another criterion for needing a bone
marrow transplant.” With a marrow transplant, there is the definite possibility that she could be cured, although she would always carry the faulty gene that causes her condition. For patients like Maddie, Be the Match is hosting a bone marrow donor registry drive for potential donors ages 18 to 44 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 29, at Totspot Preschool in Gilbert. Kaitlyn Fishman is the community engagement representative for Be The Match. “Since 1987, we’ve had over 60,000 marrow and cord blood transplants which
amounts to about 500 patients a month or 16 patients a day,” Fishman says. “Lots of people think that it hurts or that it involves a major surgery to donate your marrow, but that’s definitely not true anymore. Over 75 percent of the time is where the patient’s doctor will ask for the donor to do a peripheral blood stem cell donation and that’s very similar to donating platelets or plasma,” Fishman says. Marrow donations required outpatient surgical procedures less than 25 percent of the time. Generally, donors are back on their feet within two to seven days. SEE TRANSPLANT PAGE 55
THE CURE LOOKS LIKE YOU: Maddie Johnson is shown here on a recent Make-AWish trip to Walt Disney World, wearing a gown inspired by Princess Elsa from “Frozen.” She needs a bone marrow donor. Submitted photo