Give a mile, Make a Wish

Eighteen-year-old Sydney had a wish fulfilled to snorkel off the beaches of Puerto Rico.

The Make a Wish Foundation has been granting the wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses for 21 years. The work of the foundation is possible only through the generous donations of money and other resources from individuals, organizations, faith communities, corporations and others.

About 75 percent of Arizona’s Make a Wish Foundation requests from disease-afflicted children include travel, and summer is the busiest time of the year for these requests.

It is easy to help make these wishes come true by donating airline miles you have earned from your own travels.  Once donated to the foundation, the miles never expire. — Sadie Smeck

Donate your extra miles and help make an Arizona child’s dream a reality.

Read stories about fulfilled wishes.

Shopping at Macy’s can provide books to Arizona kids

Julie Brown of Phoenix brought her son Nathan, 2, who was born prematurely, to the Children's Developmental Center at Southwest Human Development. Photo by Daniel Friedman.

Today through July 31, shopping at Macy’s can help put books in the hands of the children served by Southwest Human Development.

Through a partnership with Reading is Fundamental (RIF), Southwest’s early literacy programs will receive approximately one-third of the funds raised by local Macy’s stores.

Donate $3 at any Macy’s register and receive a coupon for $10 off a purchase of $50 or more. Southwest will receive $1 each time that happens in an Arizona store.

Several decades of research demonstrate that each child’s earliest experiences and relationships establish the foundation for all future development – intellectual, social, emotional, physical and behavioral. A child who starts life and school with a healthy foundation is at a distinct advantage.

Southwest’s mission is to give children an optimal start in life with opportunities for a bright and positive future.

Specific services include:

• Comprehensive Developmental Assessments
• Feeding Program for Infants & Young Children
• Autism Services, including a Side By Side Playgroup
• Occupational, Physical & Speech Therapy
• Psychology and Counseling Services
• Assistive Technology Services 

Assistive technologies (A.D.A.P.T. store)
Team approach to developmental issues (Chldren’s Development Center)
Developmental tracking (My Child’s Ready)
Facing fussy with calm (Birth to Five Helpline’s Fussy Baby Program)

Nonprofits seek water donations for Valley’s homeless

Image via Wikipedia

With another scorching hot summer nearly here, the danger of dehydration is very present and real, and this health risk is even greater for the Valley’s homeless, who often do not have access to life-sustaining water.

Nonprofit groups across the Valley are committed to providing these at-risk individuals and families with the water they desperately need to survive another triple-digit summer.

The Department of Economic Security reported in 2009 that nearly 7,000 children and youth in Arizona experienced homelessness and received services from state nonprofit organizations.

MARICOPA COUNTY

There are more than 8,000 homeless individuals in Maricopa County alone. The Human Service Campus, a group of 15 homeless service providers, has created the “Thirst Aid” program in an effort to reduce incidences of heat-related death among the county’s homeless population. They hope that the community will support them in their goal of collecting and distributing 500,000 bottles of water between May 1 and September 30.

Tax-deductible donations can be made online at ThirstAidAZ.org, or by mailing checks payable to the Humane Services Campus to 204 S. 12th Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85007.

Cases of bottled water can be donated directly to one of the following three locations:

Human Service Campus Office at the Success Center

• 204 South 12th Ave., Pheonix 85007
• 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday -Friday

Central Arizona Shelter Services

• 203 South 12th Avenue, Phoenix 85007
• 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday -Friday, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. Saturday

Lodestar Day Resource Center

• 1125 West Jackson Street, Phoenix 85007
• 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday -Sunday

Pickup services are also available in some areas. For more information or to schedule a pickup, contact Holly at 602-229-1242.

MESA

For the fifth year in a row, the City of Mesa will partner with local nonprofit groups to provide bottled water to the city’s homeless in the sweltering summer months through the Hydration Donation Program. Residents donated and distributed over 100,000 bottles last year.

The program’s five drop-off locations will receive donations of bottled water beginning June 1 through September 16. These locations include:

Mesa Fire Department Volunteer Center

• 2830 E. Adobe (located behind Fire Station 206 at Lindsay and Adobe)
• 24 hour drop-off in parking lot

Red Mountain Multigenerational Center

• 7550 E. Adobe
• 5:30 a.m. – 9 p.m. Monday – Friday; 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. Saturday

United Food Bank

• 245 S. Nina Drive (north of Broadway between Extension and Alma School)
• 7 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday-Friday (collection bins available on weekends)

Paz de Cristo

• 424 W. Broadway
• 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday – Friday; 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. Saturday – Sunday

A New Leaf – MesaCAN

• 635 E. Broadway
• 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday – Friday in the lobby

Give the life-giving gift of water to homeless children, adults and families in the Valley! — Sadie Smeck

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.”

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.