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Water tower changes colors in boy’s honor

BY ASHLYN ROBINETTE

GSN Contributor

It was a bittersweet moment for Allison D’Ambrosia Bones last Wednesday as the Gilbert Water Tower was lit orange for three days.

Bones lost her 4-year-old son Travis to the reason behind the color change.

At the same time, it also marked another milestone in Bones’ effort to raise awareness of the birth defect that took Travis from her.

Travis died from Isolated Congenital Asplenia, a genetic birth defect that leaves a child with a partial spleen, none at all or a non-functioning organ.

In Travis’ honor, Bones started T.E.A.M. 4 Travis, the only organization in the world dedicated to raising awareness of ICA.

“Travis brought laughter, smiles and fun to every moment,” Bones said. “He collected friends everywhere he went. T.E.A.M. 4 Travis helps me share his light and love of life and does something good to help other kids.”

Gov. Doug Ducey declared Aug. 25, the third anniversary of Travis’ death, T.E.A.M. 4 Travis Asplenia Awareness Day in Arizona.

Bones shared her son’s story and her nonprofit’s mission with the Gilbert Town Council and invited them to see the Gilbert Water Tower lit in Travis’ favorite color from Aug. 25-27.

“I hope that people will see the water tower and take a chance to learn more about Asplenia,” Bones said. “I hope that they’ll consider Travis’ story and reach out to us to look for other ways to get involved.”

The spleen is a vital part of the immune defense system. It fights against infections by producing antibodies and filters our blood, removing old red blood cells and bacteria from circulation.

Without a functioning spleen, a bacterial infection could kill a child.

“Travis was perfectly healthy,” Bones said. “We never had any indication that he was born without a spleen and that the spleen was such a critical part of a young child’s immune system.”

In ICA, there are no other developmental abnormalities, which makes detection of the life-threatening condition difficult.

In addition, the spleen is not palpable and prenatal screenings for the defect do not exist. For this reason, ICA is severely underdiagnosed and oftentimes not detected until after a child dies. It wasn’t until Travis suddenly passed from sepsis that his autopsy revealed his ICA. “I figured that if I didn’t know, as involved and overprotective as I was, how

As she waited for the Water Tower to light up, Allison D’Ambrosia Bones last Wednesday held a picture of her late son, Travis. (Pablo Robles/GSN Staff Photographer)

see TOWER page 17

EV Children’s Theatre marks 25 years

BY SRIANTHI PERERA

GSN Contributor

A25-year-long love letter to creating, performing, growing and making friends that have become family.

That’s how C. Lynn Johnson describes East Valley Children’s Theatre.

The Gilbert woman’s talents run the gamut from theater hair stylist to playwright, all of which have won her awards.

As a teen, she starred in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” the theater’s first production.

“EVCT has been family to me for 25 years,” she said. “It’s a safe space where I can play and create freely.It’s the place that I can say that outside of my family’s influence, shaped me into the person I am today.

“From being one of the performers to myself then being one of those adults shaping the performers who came after me, it’s been an honor to be part of EVCT’s impact on our community,” she added.

For nearly 25 years, the Mesa-based children’s theater has shepherded nearly 14,000 youth ages 5 to 18 who have donned costumes, assumed roles, walked, danced, sung and spoken their practiced words on stage. The nonprofit has produced 86 shows and has grown from a single production and workshop in the first year to a full-service theater offering numerous additional programs, classes, camps and performance troupes among them. It’s also known for its playwriting contest, presenting original works for children annually.

EVCT was an all-volunteer organization until two years ago, when it hired an office manager and a bookkeeper. Its current annual budget is about $250,000 and its main donors have included The Boeing Co. of Mesa and Arizona Commission on the Arts.

“I just enjoy working with the theater; I enjoy the kids,” said Karen Rolston, the producing artistic director who played a vital role in the theater’s development.

Rolston, a teacher from Mesa Public Schools, Chandler-Gilbert Community College and Arizona State University, took on the theater in her retirement. Now that the 25th season is about to begin, she plans to retire in earnest.

Also departing is Kathie McMahon, who served in many roles within the organization, the last as past president, head of the

advisory board and marketing director.

McMahon, who leads the 25th year anniversary celebration committee, observed, “From performing in a junior high auditorium to becoming a Founding Resident Company of the Mesa Arts Center; from rehearsal in a pre-school building to offering classes, troupes, camps, and performances in a four-suite studio; from an unknown theatre to a highly regarded, award-winning nonprofit organization; it’s been a miraculous 20-plus years.”

A professional musician, McMahon composed original music for seven of EVCT’s productions. She received six ariZoni nominations and four garnered awards.

Parents enroll children in the theater for many reasons, but interest is perhaps key.

Five years ago, Tre Moore of Mesa was enrolled in a musical theater summer camp. That was the beginning of a new passion for the now 17-year-old.

“Theatre appeals to me because the possibilities are endless. Nothing is impossible in theatre. With the right amount of imagination, you can go just about anywhere,” said the self-confessed “completely unapologetic Broadway and musical theatre nerd.”

Parent volunteer Marco Velasquez Sr. of Gilbert said that he enrolled his son, Marco Velasquez Jr. four years ago because he expressed a sincere interest in it. His daughter followed suit.

Now 13, Marco is a seasoned thespian. He began at 9 with a performance with EVCT’s Performance Troupes and moved to stage productions for eight shows and participated in three virtual productions. His 6-year-old sister Victoria, also a participant, performed in a cabaret show and a production of Tales with Baba Yaga & A Bowl of Soup.

Their father says it has been one of the best decisions he’s made for his children and his family.

“EVCT provides a place where our children can perform, grow in confidence and respect of theatre and their fellow performers, and experience true joy. It’s just such an incredible experience we’ve been fortunate to have,” he said.

“EVCT is so unique in that they’ve created a community and home whereby our children are challenged, can grow in confidence, and can experience such fun and beautiful experiences that we, as a family can also enjoy,” said Velasquez, who considers himself an unofficial ambassador for the organization.

The theater has drawn some kids out of their shell.

“EVCT has shown me how to show up confidently in a space, be myself, and not worry about looking funny,” Tre said. “I have always been extroverted and outgoing, but EVCT has definitely kept that spark alive.

Some non-theatre related skills last much longer than the applause. Tre lists learning the importance of teamwork, time management, adaptability and sociability as part of his theater education.

East Valley Children’s Theater was created when there was nothing similar in the area.

Its precursor is the Chandler Children’s Theatre, begun by Robert and Patricia Goyer in 1994. They have since both passed.

The organization dissolved after a few years, but the community-minded group, which also included Angie Majed, Christi Moffat, Hazel Morgan and Steve Furedy, decided to build it.

In 1997, they reorganized it with a grant from The Boeing Co. “There wasn’t anything like this at that time. Now there are lots of children’s theaters. In the late 1990s and the early 2000s, there wasn’t anything. It was important for them for something to be here,” Rolston recalled.

In 2005, shows were moved to the prestigious stage at Mesa Arts Center.

Rolston organized a playwriting contest around the same time due to a dearth of plays written for children with a focus on stories and fairy tales.

“It has been so successful,” she said. The last competition received about 60 entries from around the world.

Johnson is perhaps a poster child of how children’s theater can shape someone’s life.

She has written about 10 of the plays that EVCT has performed over the years and has won original script AriZoni’s four times. “One of my favorite parts of writing for children is the out-of-the-box way they interpret my work,” Johnson said.“Kids are so creative and unencumbered by expectations and preconceived notions. They’re spongey-clay, soaking everything up and ready to be molded.”

Everybody is equal on stage.

“Everybody welcomes them and they can be themselves and not worry about being judged about who they were or where they come from,” Rolston said. “Theater is like that.”

Even during the pandemic’s peak, EVCT managed to produce plays virtually, making good use of technology. “In a field where theatres open and close all the time, and especially during the last year-and-half when theaters went dark across the world, this feels like an almost miraculous milestone,” Johnson said.

TOWER from page 16 many other parents are out there with children that Asplenia is just waiting to strike?” Bones said.

Bones wants to prevent other families from experiencing such a tragedy, so T.E.A.M. 4 Travis focuses on raising awareness, providing information about ICA to medical and patient communities, promoting newborn screenings and supporting medical research to further understand ICA’s cause, diagnosis and treatment.

T.E.A.M. 4 Travis is hosting a golf tournament Oct. 17 at Top Golf in Glendale to celebrate Travis’ life and support their mission to end ICA child mortality. A goal is to raise as much money as possible to fund ICA research. Uplifting Athletes, a nonprofit organization serving the rare-disease community, opens an application period at the end of each year for organizations seeking research grants.

If T.E.A.M. 4 Travis is selected and if it can provide at least a $10,000 match, Bones’ nonprofit could further Asplenia research.

T.E.A.M. 4 Travis also has a rock project to raise Asplenia awareness all over the world. “What started as a quirky idea has turned into a global movement,” Bones said.

In June 2019, Travis’ “Aunt Rena” created the Orange Rock Project to spread ICA awareness and happiness. Individuals can paint a rock orange and write “#SpreadTravisLove” on top then leave it anywhere in the world. Travis rocks have been found in all 50 states and several foreign countries.

“When you see orange, think of a happy little boy who was gone too soon,” Bones said. “Help spread his legacy.”

To donate: team4travis.org.

Karen Rolston

ANNIVERSARY YEAR

East Valley Children’s Theatre is celebrating its 25th anniversary season from Sept. 23 to June 26 at Mesa Arts Center, 1 E. Main St.

Sept. 23-Oct. 3: The Clumsy Princess Dec. 2-12: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, the musical Feb. 10-20: The Prince and the Pauper, the musical June 16-26: Marion and the Merry Men, A New Legend of Robin Hood.

Season tickets cost: $50 per person. Details: 480-756-3828 or evct.org