‘Turn over please’

This afternoon I (Katie) was inputting new subscription orders and renewals as I typically do on a Thursday. I open up the envelopes, separate the checks from the slips and type away in our system.

Every once in a while a renewal subscription slip will come back with the word “CANCEL” scrawled across the name and address. When this occurs, I will follow-up with the subscriber to inquire as to the reason they will not be renewing. Most times I don’t hear back.

This thought was in my mind as I pulled a renewal slip out of the envelope today with the words ‘turn over please’ written on the front.

To Whom It May Concern:

I won’t be renewing my subscription, as my kids are now 21 and 17-years-old. It’s been wonderful having your subscription all these years – enjoyable and informative! I’ve enjoyed seeing you grow from the “little” black and white magazine to the wonderful, colorful, production you have now. Thank you for all the wonderful articles and events you have given me over the years. I wish you nothing but continued success!

Wow.

The staff here at Raising Arizona Kids are not rock stars. We come in day in and day out, put in a hard day’s work in this fledgling industry and hope that we help one parent connect better with their child(ren) and family. This small note that took one subscriber maybe five minutes to scribble down made our entire office’s day.

And when I checked her records? Subscriber since 1992.

Thank you Linda for your loyalty and appreciation. We’re happy to have been a part of your children’s lives as they’ve grown, and thrilled you’ve been with us as we have as well.

The rewards of triathlons

Everyone at some point has tried to lose weight either by starting a trendy diet, ordering special drinks or joining a gym. And at some point, you may become discouraged and give it up.

What if your workout routine not only helped you get in shape, but also changed your life in bigger ways? The Tri-Scottsdale Foundation seeks to do just that.

Formed in 2005, the Foundation’s mission is to promote health and wellness through triathlons – sponsoring races and athletes, supporting youth development and producing a weekly radio show, Tri-Harder Radio.

Preston Miller, courtesty of Tri-Scottsdale Foundation

The Tri-Scottsdale Foundation offers group rider or runs every day of the week, as well as many of the same services as other similar entities, such as clubs, teams or coaching companies. All activities are free of charge.

Marc Rubin, foundation president, attorney and accountant, benefited from the hard work of being a tri-athlete.

“He is the poster boy for illustrating how triathlon can change your life,” said Preston Miller, co-founder and director of Tri-Scottsdale Gage Racing. “He has transformed from 300 plus pounds to sub-ten hour qualifying for the Ironman World Championships in Kona.”

Although a very rewarding experience, Miller says there are also challenges.

“It is always challenging to take someone who walks up and says, ‘Gee I think I want to do a Triathlon,’ and try to figure out if they are sincere and dedicated enough to pull it off,” Miller said. “We offer them the resources and support necessary, but they still have to do the work and it is not easy. The reward, of course is seeing them succeed.”

The Foundation does an annual “Tri for the Cure” event, which will be held in October of this year. The event has raised over $150,000 for Susan G. Komen for the Cure over the last four years. A month-by-month list of other race schedules can be found on their website at http://www.triscottsdale.org/triathlon-calendar.php.

Meeting the moms

As Community Relations Manager, it’s my job to mingle.  I voraciously eat up any and all feedback about the magazine in order to plan events, provide suggestions on content and improve our many resources (directories, e-zine, subscription offers).

However, I had yet to attend a moms group…until last week.

The Laveen MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) group invited me to speak at their end-of-the-year meeting. I was a bit nervous as I parked my little Nissan Cube outside the meeting place. Would they be disappointed I wasn’t a mom?

I was instantly put at ease by the mentor mom leading the meeting. Bubbly and talking a mile a minute (just like me!) she introduced me to the other moms and walked me through the agenda.

I could tell I was in for a real treat.

My piece of the program was short – a simple discussion of the mission of Raising Arizona Kids, how we seek to help parents and the resources we have available. The mom’s asked lots of questions and were very responsive.

The best part though was soon-to-come.

Each mom was invited to provide feedback on what they found most valuable about the group. This was eye-opening for me as a person working in the “mom” business. At the end of the meeting, I felt as though I knew each and every woman.

I came in a stranger and left a friend. When’s the next one? =)

Kid-safe social media

On Thursday, April 22, Raising Arizona Kids magazine and Social Media Club Phoenix joined together to bring valuable information to parents regarding the true benefits and dangers of social media.

The goal of the evening was to show that social media, and the Internet in general, are not all bad. In fact, there are many benefits to allowing your children online as long as there is appropriate supervision and prior discussion.

Our panelists came from a wide variety of backgrounds and therefore provided a spectrum of parenting techniques that may or may not fit best into your family. Devon Adams, father to a five-year-old daughter, and Sheila Unwin, mother to an 18-year-old son, took a more open approach. Both Devon and Sheila allowed their children onto social media/online at an early age because they feel it promotes growth as good communicators.

However, each of them mentioned how the foundation of trust had been laid long before their children went online and that the discussion about safety online was really just an extension of previous safety conversations they had with their children.

Panelist Calie Waterhouse, mother of three, assured the audience there is no such thing as being overly protective when it comes to your child’s online activity. While trust is important, your child still may not know how to react when presented with a new threat. If that should happen, it is important to take all precautions and not worry that you are being “too protective” or “overreacting”.

Please view the slideshow presentation for other valuable tips that came out of the evening. Additionally, the slideshow will walk you through the privacy settings on Facebook, MySpace and Twitter.

Granting wishes for 30 years

Make-A-Wish is a household name around the United States, but did you know it started right here in sunny Arizona? In 1980, a seven-year-old boy named Chris Grecius was diagnosed with leukemia. All he wanted in the world was to be a motorcycle officer when he grew up, which now seemed like an impossible wish.

Fortunately, the Department of Public Safety granted that wish before Grecius’ passing. The staff made him the first and only honorary Highway Patrolman in Arizona’s history.

It was in that emotional and beautiful moment that the Make-A-Wish was born.

Since 1980, the Make-A-Wish Foundation has granted more than 190,000 wishes across the country.

“The mission is simple,” said Liz Kaplan, director of corporate fundraising and media relations. “We grant wishes to children with life-threatening illness to help improve their physical, mental and emotional well being.”

However, it isn’t just the children with granted wishes that feel the benefits of the foundation’s work. The entire family is given an opportunity to put aside the challenges for a day and enjoy being together to experience their child’s dream come true.

“I recently participated on a wish for a young girl to go to Disneyland,” said Kaplan. “The father was extremely emotional and his profound love for his family was evident. It was a moment I will never forget.”

Make-A-Wish depends on the dedication of a large body of volunteers, as well as vital funding from donors, to make each wish come true. If you are interested in how you can participate, visit WishAZ for more information.

“I know that we bring hope, strength and joy to each family we touch”, said Kaplan. “The Foundation has been successful because the community sees the value of providing children with life threatening illnesses their wish and have come together to make those wishes a reality.”

Building a new woman

Mary*, knew her long-term marriage was hurting her both physically and emotionally, yet she felt trapped. One day her husband tried to back the car over her while her children stood helplessly watching and screaming for her.

These stories are far too common. Every 36-minutes an Arizona police officer responds to a domestic violence incident where a child is present (Arizona Governor’s Office). Unfortunately, the lessons of violence and coercion children learn while living in a domestic violence environment can stay with them for a lifetime.

Fortunately, resources exist for women in children in these terrible situations. Chrysalis is one such safe haven.

Founded in the early 1980’s, the name Chrysalis is defined as the “growth that creates an independent being”. Chrysalis moves beyond shelter and seeks to rebuild victims into confident, self-assured women and mothers.

“We [Chrysalis] are unique in that we serve both victims and offenders of domestic violence,” said Director of Community Affairs, Lorie Simms. “We offer such an array of services because we recognize that not everyone experiencing abuse is in need of shelter.  Our services give them a wide variety of options to explore what they need to remain safe and rebuild their lives.”

Those services include: crisis shelter, transitional housing, outpatient counseling, children’s therapy, victim advocacy in the courts, lay legal advocacy and an offender treatment program.

In this difficult economical climate, women are experiencing even more barriers as they pursue a violence free life. Not only is finding sustainable employment difficult in this challenging economic climate, but the services they rely on to stay safe are bleeding funds. Over the last 18 months, Chrysalis has received close to $100,000 in funding reductions from the Department of Economic Security alone.

“We have a phenomenal staff and volunteer base,” said Simms. “We know everyone is stretched thin with their ability to help Chrysalis and that our efforts are depended on by so many people who need our services.”

And those efforts come with tremendous rewards.

A year later, Mary*  is living a very different life thanks to her personal courage and the support of Chrysalis’ Transitional Housing program.  Mary works and pursues a professional degree, while raising three children on her own.  Her most notable reminder of her new life is when her oldest son tells her at night how happy he is to feel normal again.

Looking for ways to help? Individuals and groups can also visit Chrysalis’ Action Center on their website to learn about easy ways to raise funds on their behalf (www.noabuse.org).

If you know someone who is experiencing abuse in their relationship, let them know that they are not alone and that there are places like Chrysalis that can help.  Chrysalis has a 24 hour hotline available 602-944-4999.

*Name has been changed due to confidentiality

Making social media safe for kids

Twittering? Friends, followers, fans? HELP! I don’t understand what my child is doing on the Internet!

Raising Arizona Kids magazine is partnering with Social Media Club Phoenix to provide parents with information to ensure their children are safe online. Panelists will break down the popular social networking tools (Facebook, Twitter, etc) so parents can understand each application’s features, and how they can be used safely.

“Parents shouldn’t simply ban what they don’t know,” said panelist Sheila Unwin. “I hope parents will get involved in social media and realize it can bring them closer to their children.”

In addition to discussing the tools, panelists will share their experiences raising tech-savvy children and the boundaries they have set within their own families.

WHEN & WHERE:  Thursday, April 22, 2010
6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
MADCAP Theaters
730 South Mill Ave Tempe

Parking information and a map are available.

PANELISTS:

Calie Waterhouse (39) is the Internet Community Manager for Skateland in Glendale. She is the mother of three children, ages 10, 13, and 15 respectively. Calie has recently gone through the process of talking to her teens about Internet safety and feels the panel provides an opportunity for an honest and open discussion about social media concerns.

Devon Adams (35) is a high school teacher, as well as a professor for an online community college. His five-year-old daughter has her own twitter and Facebook accounts, as well as has been using her father’s iTouch for education the past year-and-a-half. Additionally, Devon utilizes social media with his students and will offer the perspective on social media safety not only as a parent, but also as an educator.

Sheila Unwin (41) is an education professional at Grand Canyon University. She is the mother of an 18-year-old son and wife of Evo Terra, co-author of Podcasting for Dummies. She and her husband are actively involved in the social media community, planning the weekly ‘tweet-up’ East Valley Friday Nights (#evfn).

NJ Unwin (18) is a student at Grand Canyon University and the son of Sheila and Evo. He has been an active social media user since he was in 7^th grade, back in 2003. He believes social media opens up many opportunities for young adults and is an excellent way to promote one’s self to colleges.

Media is about YOU!

News used to be what was told to you. The media were the gatekeepers and the level of entry was high.

That standard has changed.

This shouldn’t be news to you (pun intended). We’ve been living in a world where anyone can be a journalist, a writer, or break a news story, for quite some time.

What you may not know is that media WANTS you to participate. We want to help you break the news story, or be the story yourself. We want your comments, your ideas, your input.

Raising Arizona Kids is about community. And that means we NEED YOU.

How I can participate?

RAKMompreneur

Each Monday, blogger/writer Brittney Walker shares the story of a local woman who runs her own business while raising a family. Her stories are inspirational, uplifting and encourage us to support each other. We are always looking for RAKMompreneur suggestions. Have a favorite local business with a strong mom behind it? Email your suggestion to Brittney.

RAKRecipes

The U.S. is an all out health war. More than ever it is important to teach healthy eating habits to our kids. All it takes is an email with your favorite recipe for an after-school snack, bag lunch or family meal. Our photographer may even make time to come out and shoot a beautiful photo of your creation. Help us make all parents food decisions a little easier – and healthier!

Focus Groups

Once every few months, Raising Arizona Kids looks to you for ways we could improve. We invite parents to come share their insights on resources, directories, online content and what we should be writing about. Without your feedback, these changes may never get made. We make it worth your time with giveaways, snacks and old fashion appreciation. Help make it worth ours. Sign-up for our e-newsletter, Twitter and Facebook pages for focus group notifications.

Rant/Rave/Reflect

At the end of every print issue, we invite our readers to submit their stories. Parents share experiences about cell phones, babysitting, tough times and special moments. Submit yours by emailing mailbox@raisingarizonakids.com.

Social Networks

Our Facebook, Twitter and YouTube accounts are there for you. We have 20 years of archives ready to answer your parenting questions. Not only that, but we have over 3,500 fans/followers ready to help you out as well. I know I’ve asked for help and had great response. Try it.

And most importantly, COMMENT! Tell our bloggers what you think by posting a comment to their posts. Call in if you enjoyed or hated a story. Write on our Facebook wall, or reply to us on Twitter.

We can’t read minds. We need you.

Job hunting – A family effort

As I’ve mentioned before, I am not yet a parent.

However, I am the eldest daughter in my family, with my youngest sister and I being divided by nearly 5 years.

And since she was born, I have taken on the attitude of a parent, if not the responsibilities. I’ve lectured and held my few short years of wisdom over her – always telling her what to do in as condescending a tone as possible.

As we entered our twenties, I had hoped that attitude of mine had changed. But then came the job hunt.

My youngest sister recently graduated from college. She came to visit this week as part of her job hunt, hoping that being out here would give her a better shot at finding work in Arizona.

And it has been exasperating. I’ve given her web sites, asked favors from friends, taken her to every networking event I can find. Her frustration only grows and it gets taken out on me.

My sister is one of thousands. She is entering the job market at one of its most challenging points, college degree in hand and finding it doesn’t open the doors it had promised.

Job hunting has become a family effort – with parents and siblings researching, calling and emailing tirelessly.

How are you, the parents,  confronting this issue with your college age children? Are you searching with them, or giving them the tools? How much are you involved and how much is too much?

The Arizona Ivy League Project

It’s a perception nearly as old as America itself. Ivy leagues are home to the best and the brightest students. The schools provide an unparalleled education and tremendous opportunities to their respective graduates. These are the colleges high school students dream of, but few attain admission.

Unfortunately, not all high school seniors feel that Ivy League schools are an option. Many students from low-income areas struggle with the idea of going to college at all, let alone pursuing an elite education.

Martín Mares seeks to change all that.

In 1992, Mares began the Ivy League Project (IVP). He packed a small group of California students into a minivan and drove cross-country to take the group on a tour of Harvard. The idea was that if students viewed the schools as attainable, they would be more likely to apply.

It worked.

Over 550 students have participated in the program over the past 18 years. 112 of those students have gone on to graduate from an Ivy League or prestigious school.

And the program is expanding.

The Arizona Ivy League Project is currently accepting applications for their next trip. Sophomores and juniors with a GPA of 3.5 and a record of academic success are encouraged to apply. At this time, selected participants must raise the $1,600 to $1,800 to pay for the trip. However, the organization is currently researching ways to fund the students so they will not longer have to raise money.

“All we are saying is, yes your dad may be a farmer, but you can still go to the best schools,” said Director of Program Development, Victor Contreras. “ We are pushing the Ivy League mentality that you can dream bigger.”

The trip is only part of the equation. IVP requires participants to attend monthly leadership workshops to help prepare them for the rigorous environment of an Ivy League school. Topics range from financial planning, the application process, as well as how to network.

“All our kids are required to make business cards,” said Contreras. “We’re really about bringing our students to the next level.”

For more information on the application process, as well as general questions, visit azivyleagueproject.com or email Victor Contreras at victorjett@gmail.com.

You can follow the daily updates of the current trip from March 27^th-April 3^rd at ivyleagueproject.blogspot.com