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Kasai to tee off inaugural charity golf tourney
BY ALEX GALLAGHER Progress Staff Writer
Kasai Japanese Steakhouse owner Mike Russello has always loved golf and giving back to charities and wanted to create an event where he could do both.
“I like golf and I like having a lot of golfers coming in,” Russello said. “I think it’s a good way to do charity events.”
Russello spent countless hours sifting through charities that worked with children and had the pool shrunk down to five charities when one jumped out at him. Arizonans For Children — a 501 (c) (3) that facilitates opportunities that provide effective solutions to alleviate hardships and improve the fragile lives of the abused, abandoned and neglected children in foster care. “We definitely rely very heavily on community support, whether that’s individual volunteers or organizational partners,” said Arizonans for Children mentor supervisor Monique Quinones. “This is a great opportunity for us to help support another organization and help get our name out there.”
Although the mission was an important factor to Russello, he also considered how the funds would be used by the organization.
“Our funding goes straight to the programs with the main one being our visitation centers,” Quinones said.
The funds will also go towards keeping its buildings funded, hosting classes for children that benefit from Arizonans for Children and funding its mentor program
Kasai Japanese Steakhouse is hosting its first-ever charity golf tournament on June 6 at Silverado Golf Club to benefit Arizonans for Children. The deadline to register for the tournament is Monday May 23. (Special to the Progress)
Al Dunning of Scottsdale is a long-time trainer of horses and the people who ride seeKASAI page 19
Long-time horse trainer enjoys cowboy life
BY MELODY BIRKETT Progress Contributor
Al Dunning moved to Arizona in 1958 from Chicago when he was a little boy and Scottsdale was a very different world.
“When I moved here, Scottsdale was known as the ‘westmost western town,’” said the owner of Al Dunning Training Stable Inc. and Almosta Ranch. “I used to keep my horses at Miller and Indian School roads.”
He recalls riding on down Indian School Road – “which was all dirt, – and tie up his horse at Ranch House Hamburgers on the corner of Scottsdale and Indian School roads, where, “you could buy five hamburgers for $1.”
His sisters’ involvement with horses led him to follow suit.
“In 1970, I decided to become a professional horse trainer after many years of working as an assistant trainer after school for several different trainers,” said Dunning.
“I moved into the Almosta Ranch. It was on the canal bank at Before becoming a professional trainer, Dunning showed horses in every event.
“In Western classes and English classes, I roped and reined and did working cow horse, trail at every event,” he said. “When I became a professional, I continued doing those events for other people where someone would come and ride with me and I’d buy them or sell them a horse. Then we’d go to shows together.
“I’ve had some remarkably wonderful success. I have about 50 world reserved champions and that includes open youth and amateur and all kinds of events.” Dunning said there are many major associations for elite million-dollar winners. “I’ve won over a million dollars in many events, in many associations like cutting, reining, working cow horse and from the American Quarter Horse Association,” Dunning said.
“I’ve done about everything. I’ve raised horses. I’ve trained horses. I’ve sold horses. I’ve bought horses for people. I’ve sold horses for people.”
Dunning now focuses on cutting in
the National Cutting Horse Association. Cutting is a western-style equestrian competition where the rider and horse work together to demonstrate the horse’s athleticism and ability to handle cattle. Dunning also does roping and gives lessons in branding and working cow horses. While the profession isn’t for everyone, Dunning said you can’t beat the lifestyle. “We work outdoors,” he said. “We get to be around wonderful people. We get to be around horses and animals all the time. You live a Western lifestyle, ranching. If the average Joe wanted to try and do this, the best thing to do is to get with another professional, somebody you want to emulate, someOb uaries 480-898-6465 • obits@TimesLocalMedia.com Ob uaries
Deadline: Wednesday by 5pm for Sunday
Donald A. Nordal
Donald A. Nordal, 89, long-time resident of Scottsdale, AZ passed away on Friday, May 13, 2022. He spent the majority of his life in Arizona but moved to Virginia in 2017 where he fought a courageous battle with Alzheimer’s disease. He is now fi nally free of the disease and resting in peace with Margaret, his wife of 53 years. Don will be greatly missed and is survived by his daughters Julie Hopkins (husband Michael) and Karen Willmore (husband Mark), his four grandchildren Christopher, Brian, Matthew (wife Nicole), Jeffrey (wife Mina) three great-grandchildren Bella, Jewelien, and Noa, and his brother Terry (wife Ruth). His wife, Margaret, preceded him in death in 2008. Don was born on September 16, 1932 and raised in Freeport, IL. He met his wife Margaret in 1952 while they were both working at the Fairbanks Company and they wed in 1955. In the early years of their
marriage, they lived in Atlanta, GA where Donald A. Nordal Donald A. Nordal, 89, long-time resident of Scottsdale, AZ passed away on Friday, May 13, 2022. He spent the majority of his life in Arizona but moved to Virginia in 2017 where he fought a courageous battle with Alzheimer’s disease. He is now fi nally free of the disease and resting in peace with Margaret, his wife of 53 years. Don will be greatly missed and is survived by his daughters Julie Hopkins (husband Michael) and Karen Willmore (husband Mark), his four grandchildren Christopher, Brian, Matthew (wife Nicole), Jeffrey (wife Mina) three great-grandchildren Bella, Jewelien, and Noa, and his brother Terry (wife Ruth). His wife, Margaret, preceded him in death in 2008. Don was born on September 16, 1932 and raised in Freeport, IL. He met his wife Margaret in 1952 while they were both working at the Fairbanks Company and Don attended Georgia Tech. graduating with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. They moved to South Bend, IN where he worked for the Bendix Corporation. In 1961 the family moved to Scottsdale, AZ where Don accepted a position at AiResearch. He was then able to earn an MBA from ASU while going to night school, working full time and raising a family. Quite an achievement! Don retired at the age of 62 and was able to enjoy many years of traveling and life experiences with his friends and family. Golf was his passion and he was lucky enough to be able to attend several Master’s Tournaments. His daughters were able to accompany him to the Masters in 2015 and it was an experience that will be cherished forever. Don was absolutely a social butterfl y and loved his conversations with all he met. His cheerful manner and constant smile will be missed by all who knew him. There are no services planned. Celebrate Don’s life by donating to the Alzheimer’s Association in his name (Alzheimer’s Association | Donate to Fight Alzheimer’s Disease).06-11 at Larkin Sunset Gardens Funeral Home, 1950 E 10600 S, Sandy, UT 84092, USA. marriage, they lived in Atlanta, GA where Don attended Georgia Tech. graduating with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. They moved to South Bend, IN where he worked for the Bendix Corporation. In 1961 the family moved to Scottsdale, AZ where Don accepted a position at AiResearch. He was then able to earn an MBA from ASU while going to night school, working full time and raising a family. Quite an achievement! Don retired at the age of 62 and was able to enjoy many years of traveling and life experiences with his friends and family. Golf was his passion and he was lucky enough to be able to attend several Master’s Tournaments. His daughters were able to accompany him to the Masters in 2015 and it was an experience that will be cherished forever. Don was absolutely a social butterfl y and loved his conversations with all he met. His cheerful manner and constant smile will be missed by all who knew him. There are no services planned. Celebrate Don’s life by donating to the Alzheimer’s Association in his name (Alzheimer’s Association | Donate to Fight Alzheimer’s Disease).06-11 at Larkin Sunset Gardens Funeral Home, 1950 E 10600 S, they wed in 1955. In the early years of their Sandy, UT 84092, USA.
Al Dunning still enjoys working cow horses even though he is busy with multiple horse-related enterprises. (Special to the Progress)
body who’s going to mentor you along the way and teach you.”
“I have a multi-faceted business,” he said. “That’s the interesting part. Besides training, I buy and sell horses for people. I have an AD Tack business. I have an online business called Team AD where you can send in videos from anywhere in the world and I do a voice-over critique of them.
“If you want to be accredited by me, you go through 54 of these skills and pass or fail. If you pass the whole thing and pass the coming in here and riding with me for a period of time, you become an Al Dunning-accredited trainer.”
He also owns Dunning Consulting LLC. “Some people want to develop a piece of property into an equine facility and I can consult on that,” explained Dunning. “So many people want to get into the horse business so I can consult on that.”
Dunning admits it’s a very expensive sport with performance horses being at an all-time high.
“It used to be you could get a decent horseback in the day for $500,” he said. “Now our bottom-end horses go for between $15,000-$25,000. I sold a stud (top-end breeding horse) years back for $5 million. Most people want hobby horses. That means they don’t want to make money. They want to have fun. They want to enjoy the sport. Those horses you can’t expect to make money on.”
For those who want to have a horse for fun, Dunning refers them to someone else since he focuses on competitive training.
Dunning’s son pursued a real estate career in California but his daughter and her husband live on the ranch along with their two daughters.
His son-in-law is also a professional horse trainer, working with cow horses. Dunning’s daughter is a National Hall of Famer in the National Cutting Horse Association. She’s a world champion in cutting just like her father. Dunning’s wife used to show and now she announces horse shows.
He feels fortunate to have remarkable men and women work for him over the years who’ve learned from him and have gone on to successful careers.
“A couple of them have become Hall of Famers in their divisions,” Dunning said. “I mentored them along. They started pretty green in what they were doing but they rode well, they had a lot of talent, they wanted to work hard and they learned what I do. Most of the successful ones stayed with me for around 10 years before they moved on and became professionals themselves.”
Information: aldunning.com.
that pairs a volunteer with a child in foster care so they can create a fruitful kinship with the children.
With a charity locked in, Russello’s next step was finding a course to host the tournament that was affordable and not too challenging for less experienced golfers.
That was when he looked to a regular customer at Kasai Japanese Steakhouse that works at Silverado Golf Club to connect him with the individuals that manage the course.
Fortunately, the team at Silverado Golf Clubliked the idea and Russello locked in an affordable rate for the tournament that is set to tee off at 7:30 a.m. on Monday June 6. Russello didn’t just want to stop at a golf tournament, however.
He decided to expand the event to his restaurant by offering a sushi and wok dish luncheon where a raffle of between 50 and 75 items will be sold to raise additional funds for the cause.
So far 60 golfers have committed to swinging their way through the course but Russello hopes to have a total of 144 golfers sign up for the tournament so that each hole will have two foursomes at it.
He also hopes to be able to cut a check ranging from $15,000 to 20,000 to Arizonans for Children.
Quinones is eager for the opportunity to spread the message about what her organization does.
“I do think it’s important to remind people that these are children that are right here in our community and that by donating, they’re really making an immediate difference in their community, right here throughout Phoenix to people that are a part of their lives as well,” Quinones said.
She also hopes that this event spurs people to want to aid the organization in its future efforts.
“We are always looking for different kinds of partnerships. If someone thinks that they can make a difference for child and foster care, there is a way to do it, no
Kassai Japanese Steakhouse in Scottsdale has become a popular restaurant.
(Special to the Progress)
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matter how big or small and we’re always here for someone who wants to help,” Quinones said.
Although the golf tournament is set to benefit a good cause, there are other incentives for golfers.
Participating golfers will receive a complimentary embroidered men’s golf shirt or women’s V-neck shirt, drink tickets, raffle tickets and of course tickets to the luncheon. Golfers have until Monday May 23 to register for the Fire and Fairways Charity Golf Tournament and Russello is anxiously counting down the days until the tournament tees off. “It’s going to just be a fun day and, hopefully, we can raise a good amount of money for the charity,” Russello said.
If You Go
What: Fire and Fairways Charity Golf Tournament When: check-in is at 7 a.m. Monday June 6 Where: Silverado Golf Club 7605 E. Indian Bend Road Cost: $150 per golfer Info: fi reandfairways.com
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