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COMMUNITY
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This month evokes memories of a survivor
BY RACHEL ALLEN GSN Guest Writer
To a lot of people, this month means the rusty, earthy hues of autumn but there’s another October color – a bold purple meant to bring awareness to domestic violence and the many resources available. To me, October always brings me back to the time I met a now beloved survivor. Through her story, I came to realize that domestic violence can be any mix of abuse: physical, sexual, psychological, emotional, social, spiritual and financial.
A phone call came in about the needs of a woman over 1,200 miles away. The woman’s safety plan included moving to Arizona and she needed Winged Hope’s help. This woman and her teen fled their home with only two backpacks crammed with a couple changes of clothes.
They stayed in emergency lodging while we gathered donations and prepared an apartment. Because their move-in was late at night, we took over beds in my truck and left the other things for the next trip. While my husband and I stood outside of her door, a woman with a contagious smile and a small load of groceries stepped out of an Uber. Looking back over her scattered grocery bags, I asked what she had put back or reluctantly walked past in the store. Her list included simple things such as hand soap, plates, silverware and towels. I took to social media, desperately enlisting help from my friends and family. Using every penny received, we extended her wish list so much that the shopping cart became hard to see over and difficult to maneuver. I saw a lift in the mom as some burdens fell off her shoulders when she saw the bags. I eagerly presented this mother with a new, soft comforter in her favorite color… purple and saw that spark of hope she carried with her fully ignite. She hugged me and then the blanket before hurrying down the hall to make her bed. I didn’t know it then but this
see WINGED page 25
Gathering beneath the Gilbert Water Tower as its lights change to mark October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month are, from left, Winged Hope board President Joyce McLaren, Emily Caron, Gilbert Family Violence Unit victim advocate; and Winged Hope
founder Jessica Nicely. (Courtesy of Winged Hope Family Advocacy Foundation)
Gilbert deli joins Bell Bank Park in autism project
GILBERT NEWS STAFF
AGilbert restaurant has teamed up with Legacy Cares Inc., the nonprofit that owns Bell Bank Park in Mesa, and two other entities to create a program called Not Your Typical Workforce, a workplace development program aimed to address the employment gap for young adults with autism and other developmental disabilities.
“The program, which will launch this winter, provides a safe, friendly, exciting, and challenging environment for these individuals to succeed in a typical workforce environment,” Legacy said of its partnership with Not Your Typical Deli in downtown Gilbert, the Autism Academy and Lexington Services. Young adults involved in the program will be scheduled over the course of 10 weeks to serve in various capacities at Bell Bank Park.
They will learn basic communication and life skills with staff, procedures and responsibilities for positions in the ticketing, operations, guest services, and food and beverage departments, as well as participate in team building activities hosted by the Legacy Cares team.
When Not Your Typical Deli owners Chef W and Chuck Depalma learned how much people with developmental disabilities struggled in the workforce, they felt something should be done. So, they focused much of their hiring on developmentally disabled teens graduating from high school and struggling to enter the workforce. In 2016, they opened Not Your Typical Deli in Gilbert Town Square and now that they’ve moved to downtown Gilbert, they still serve up the same family-friendly fare and have kept their mission alive in a scaled-down version of their old digs.
“Douglas Moss, president of Legacy Cares said, “We plan to shatter the stigma of Americans with autism through leading by example and showing companies what Americans with autism and developmental disabilities are capable of achieving in the workforce and beyond.” “I’ve worked with Not Your Typical Deli for over 3 years. As a young adult with autism, I was hesitant about working with the public. I am very grateful to Chuck, Pam, Chef W, Vanessa and the entire team at NYTD for giving me the opportunity
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Ob uaries
480-898-6465 • obits@TimesLocalMedia.com Deadline: Wednesday by 5pm for Sunday
Patricia Ruth Farrar
In the early morning hours of August 16, 2022, we said goodbye to our loving mother, Patricia Ruth Farrar (Armstrong). Patty passed bravely and peacefully after a long illness, with her son Brett by her side. Our hearts were shattered, but our sadness lifted at the sight of a glorious sunrise later that morning. The magnificently painted skies assured us that mom had been joyfully reunited with our father, Roger, who preceded her in death in 1988. We find peace in knowing her suffering has been replaced with a long-awaited heavenly reunion with Dad.
Mom was born in Nebraska on May 12, 1938, the only daughter in a family of five children. She attended Kearney State Teacher's College where she met and fell in love with Roger Farrar. They married on December 21, 1958, and eventually settled in Tempe near ASU in 1972.
Patty lived each day of her 84 years with the purest of love in her heart for her family, so many friends and of course the Arizona Diamondbacks. She loved her home in Tempe and interior decorating, and caramel macchiatos at Starbucks. Her laughter was contagious and will always be remembered. She sang, danced, travelled, enjoyed life and remained young at heart even through her illness.
Mom's greatest wish in life was to be the devoted mother she was to Brett, Shelley and Jaala. She adored her 3 children, 14 grandchildren and 1 greatgrandson who will all miss her dearly.
Her family invites you to join us in a service to honor our sweet mom's life on Thursday, November 17, 2022, 1 pm at Community Christian Church, 1701 South College Avenue, Tempe. Celebration of Life reception immediately following at Spinato's Restaurant, Tempe.
James McCann
James (Jim) McCann 83, of Chandler, Az. entered into eternal peace on Friday October 7, 2022 with his children by his side. He was the son of the late Robert & Leah McCann. His final days were spent surrounded by the family and friends he loved so much.
Jim graduated high school in 1956. His education also included a BS degree in Economics. He entered the US Army and proudly served his country from 1957-1959. Over the years he had been employed as a Draftsman, Sales Engineer and was also part owner of Sinclair Electric in Seattle, WA.
Jim married Jean in 1983. With this union he was blessed with four step-children that he loved as his own. He was very proud of his big family. His hobbies included cooking, boating, woodworking and traveling.
Jim is survived by his four step-children and their spouses, 11 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren, a sister, brother, two nieces, a nephew and a very special friend, Christine (Chris).
In addition to his wife and parents, Jim was preceded in death by his sister-inlaw Cheryl (Sherry) and niece Julie.
The family would like to thank Arizona Life Hospice in Gilbert, AZ, for their kind and compassionate care of our Pop while he was in his final weeks. Thank you for your dedication to your work and your patients.
We love you so much "Pop" , "Bompa Jim" , "Papa" ,
We will forever carry your memory in our hearts.
Services will be private.
Sign the Guestbook at: obituaries.EastValleyTribune.com
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We have articles that will help guide you through the process.
Deadline for obituaries is Wednesday at 5pm for Sunday. All obituaries will be approved by our staff prior to being activated. Be aware there may be early deadlines around holidays. Call 480-898-6465 Mon-Fri, 8:30 - 5pm if you have questions visit: obituaries.EastValleyTribune.com
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bed would change her life and mine, too.
We continued emptying my garage and hauling in loads over the next few days – newly painted bedroom furniture for the boy and a black headboard for the mom. I bought her a tool set as a gift, unaware of the inspirational moment that purchase would bring.
The mom became eager to build her bed, with an interesting mix of restlessness and giddy behavior. She asked how we were going to put it all together and I ceremoniously presented her with her own toolbox.
Her response has stayed with me for years now and I never want to forget her enthusiasm. Just after the tools were put into her hands, she raised them overhead saying, “I have the POWER!” I was taken back. With the authority in her voice, I knew she believed what she said.
After many days and loads of physical goods, I finally asked this woman her full name. We talked and among other details I learned her favorite author was Maya Angelou and her favorite holiday was Halloween. She then told me about the day she fully committed to safety. She had her son, her backpack, and an ability to purchase two one-way tickets. She looked at her flight options and chose Arizona for its sun. She’d lived in the Pacific Northwest where the rain felt inescapable and the dark clouds always hung over her.
A few minutes later she shared why she was so driven to set up her bed. She’d lived with her abuser for over 10 years and endured all sorts of physical and emotional pain in that relationship but in all that time he never allowed her to sleep on a real bed. He said she needed to “live humbly” in order to arrive at a good life and then forced her to sleep on a thin mattress on the floor. The situation didn’t change even when she’d saved money from her own job for a bed. He didn’t work, yet he had control of all the finances. He took her earnings and dignity. This donated bed made her feel loved and respected.
After years of suffering, she had her needs met by strangers and that love was symbolized by a black headboard and purple comforter.
Her abuser attempted to control her by withholding a bed, which the Winged Hope Family Advocacy Foundation delivered upon meeting her.
He threatened her enough that sleep felt impossible but our team provided her with a comfortable night’s rest before even knowing her last name. Our advocates created safety in her environment and poured love back into her for no reason other than that is what she deserved!
Through her I was able to see how empowering compassionate care is and witness the transforming power of community. She had a new life trajectory and the hope came through in her words, “I’m so happy I am safe now. I am free! I can be any emotion I want to and it’s OK. I won’t get in trouble for it. I can be myself and I haven’t been that in a very long time.” If you are struggling, know that you don’t have to do it alone. Please reach out to us at www.wingedhope.org or speak to someone at the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-7997233. If you want to join us in our efforts, please consider a financial donation through our website. Winged Hope relies on donor support to continue providing services to families statewide.
Rachel Allen is a volunteer at the nonprofit Winged Hope Foundation in Gilbert. Information about the foundation: wingedhope.org or 480-757-7030.
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Mesa, AZ – When it comes to chronic pain and/ or neuropathy, the most common doctor-prescribed treatment is drugs like Gabapentin, Lyrica, Cymbalta, and Neurontin. The problem with antidepressants or anti-seizure medications like these is that they offer purely symptomatic relief, as opposed to targeting and treating the root of the problem. Worse, these drugs often trigger an onset of uncomfortable, painful, and sometimes harmful side effects.
The only way to effectively treat chronic pain and/or peripheral neuropathy is by targeting the source, which is the result of nerve damage owing to inadequate blood flow to the nerves in the hands and feet. This often causes weakness, numbness, tingling, pain, and balance problems. A lack of nutrients causes the nerves to degenerate – an insidious and often painful process.
As displayed in figure 1 above, the nerves are surrounded by diseased, withered blood vessels. A lack of sufficient nutrients means the nerves cannot survive, and thus, slowly die. This leads to those painful and frustrating consequences we were talking about earlier, like weakness, numbness, tingling, balance issues, and perhaps even a burning sensation.
The drugs your doctor might prescribe will temporarily conceal the problems, putting a “Band-Aid” over a situation that will only continue to deteriorate without further action.
Thankfully, Mesa is the birthplace of a brandnew facility that sheds new light on this pressing problem of peripheral neuropathy and chronic pain. The company is trailblazing the medical industry by replacing outdated drugs and symptomatic reprieves with an advanced machine that targets the root of the problem at hand.
Effective neuropathy treatment relies on the following three factors: 1. Finding the underlying cause 2. Determining the extent of the nerve damage (above 95% nerve loss is rarely treatable) 3. The amount of treatment required for the patient’s unique condition
Aspen Medical in Mesa, AZ uses a state-of-the-art electric cell signaling systems worth $100,000.00. This ground-breaking treatment is engineered to achieve the following, accompanied by advanced diagnostics and a basic skin biopsy to accurately analyze results: 1. Increases blood flow 2. Stimulates and strengthens small fiber nerves 3. Improves brain-based pain
The treatment works by delivering energy to the affected area(s) at varying wavelengths, from low- to middle-frequency signals, while also using Amplitude Modulated (AM) and Frequency Modulated (FM) signaling. Aspen Medical will be offering this free chronic pain and neuropathy severity evaluation will be available until October 31st, 2022. Call (480) 274-3157 to make an appointment.
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Depending on your coverage, your peripheral neuropathy treatment could cost almost nothing – or be absolutely free. The number of treatments required varies from patient to patient, and can only be determined following an in-depth neurological and vascular examination. As long as you have less than 95% nerve damage, there is hope!
Aspen Medical begins by analyzing the extent of the nerve damage – a complimentary service for your friends and family. Each exam comprises a detailed sensory evaluation, extensive peripheral vascular testing, and comprehensive analysis of neuropathy findings.
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Chef W makes a muffuleta sandwich at Not Your Typical Food and Beverage. (David Minton/
GSN Staff Photographer)
to work with them,” said Scott Bertoldo, trainer for Not Your Typical Workforce. “Over the course of working there, they have taught me many job skills which help me in the workforce and carry over to my everyday life. Having recently been promoted to trainer at NYTD, I am looking forward to helping others with developmental disabilities learn valuable work and life skills.” Autism Academy for Education and Development is a K-12+ program for students on the autism spectrum. It provides individualized education for students and have been increasing its work-based learning program over the past several years.
Autism Academy Founder Laura Newcomb said, “Roughly 60-80 percent of adults with Autism in Arizona are unemployed, and it has long been Autism Academy’s mission to change that number. Our partnership with Legacy Cares is a very exciting step towards decreasing the unemployment rate in adults with Autism and building a more inclusive work environment for everyone.
“In the past, our school has attempted to partner with different companies to offer our students internships at different stores and restaurants and this is an incredible opportunity to expand on a mission that we share with Legacy Cares,” she added. “We are thrilled to be partners on this project that gives our students exposure to different jobs and give them an opportunity to leave high school with confidence, feeling ready to enter the workforce.” Lexington provides academic programs and therapies for all students with autism spectrum disorders, offering in-center and in-home services for children and adults. “By offering employment opportunities at Bell Bank Park, the NYTW program will become the national example for how strategic community collaboration, innovative thinking, and understanding of individuals with ASD can lead to successful employees in any industry,” Lexington said in a release.
