Pop tabs help families facing a child’s hospitalization

Dick Paulin dumps one of 32 five-gallon buckets holding more than 717,000 pop tabs for the Ronald McDonald House to recycle.

On Tuesday, 15 residents of Sunland Springs Village in East Mesa delivered 32 five-gallon paint buckets filled with 717,755 pop tabs to the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) in Phoenix. The tabs, weighing a whopping 566.5 pounds, will be recycled and all proceeds will benefit the House.

Since 2008, members of the master-planned active adult community, which is located near the Superstition Mountains, have collected 2,326,843 pop tabs and donated $3,940 to the House.

The project is organized by Dick and Karen Paulin, whose relationship with the charity began when their grandson was undergoing medical treatment at hospitals in Wisconsin and Paulin family members stayed at a Ronald McDonald House.

RMHC provides a temporary “home away from home” for families who must travel to the Phoenix area to receive medical treatment for their children and also supports programs that directly benefit children and their families in our community. Funds raised by the Sunland Springs Village community will help ensure that no family is ever turned away because they can’t afford the $15 nightly fee.

Want to see if your organization can beat the Sunland Springs record? Learn more about the RMHC’s ongoing pop-tab fundraiser. 

Dick Paulin (left), Karen Paulin (center) and Janet West sift through some of the 717,000 pop tabs Sunland Springs Village residents delivered to the Ronald McDonald House for recycling.

April awareness programming

April is sexually transmitted disease (STD), alcohol and distracted driving awareness month and the programming at Know99 Television  reflects these important topics on Thursdays during April, from 8am-4pm.

Know99 is the City of Phoenix’s youth and education cable channel on Cox channel 99.

Kids are in school all day so unless they are watching the programming as part of the school curriculum, set up the DVR or, if you still have one, the VCR, and record a few shows and watch with your child, and then discuss.

Need some hints about talking to your kids about delicate subjects? Some past articles in the magazine may help:

Talking to kids about sex by Lisa Poulin

It’s Simple – Talk to Your Kids About Drugs  by Vicki Balint

An excellent Valley resource for parents is notMYkid.

Halle Heart Children’s Museum offers healthy fun for Girl Scouts

Girl Scouts who visit Halle Heart Children’s Museum in Tempe can meet requirements for a badge while learning about heart health and having fun.

At the museum, kids can touch, play and interact with educational exhibits, learning that “doing what it takes to be healthy can be fun!” says Dana Jirauch, executive director.

During a two-hour tour through the museum, Girl Scouts learn about the functions of the heart, how to take care of it, how to recognize warning signs of a heart attack and how to make healthy eating choices. “Lub Dub’s Journey to the Heart” is an experience with eight major exhibits through which a “heart guide” takes the trootps.

Sisters Meghan and Ashley Hufford pose as they experience Lub Dub's Journey to the Heart. Photo courtesy of Halle Heart Center Children's Museum.

In the Marketplace, kids get to shop for foods in a “grocery store” and ring up items with a scanner, tallying the total grams of fat. This helps kids learn about good and bad fats;  the challenge is to reach 20 grams of fat per meal. This allows kids to see how quickly fats can add up with poor eating decisions, Jirauch says.

“We’re not telling you not to eat foods, just to watch what you eat,” she says.

The kids also get to put a lunch together in the kitchen as they learn about healthy portions and eat a healthy snack. “We want to empower kids,” Jirauch said. “The power is in each one to choose to live healthy.”

“The Beat Goes On” gets kids actively learning about the importance of getting their heart rates up. They calculate their resting heart rate and then exercise to a video featuring the Phoenix Suns gorilla. They then calculate their new heart rate in order to see the change and realize the importance of everyday physical activity.

Other exhibits include a giant heart that teaches the circulatory system, giant animals with life-size hearts and realistic heart rates to compare the human heart with other animals and a mini golf zone in the “Stay on Course” exhibit focusing on the effects of smoking with the challenge of putting a golf ball through a giant artery.

Several badge options are available at Halle. Try-Its badge opportunities for Brownies include Healthy Habits, My Body and Eat Right, and Stay Healthy; some Junior badge opportunities include Food Power, First Aid and Fun, Fun and Fit and High on Life. The museum has been focused mostly on Brownies and Junior Girl Scouts, but is branching out to include Boy Scouts as well.

Tours are available on Saturdays for troops of 15 or more girls, or on weekdays after school for smaller groups. There are free, self-guided tours with maps, but Jirauch suggests that those tours be limited to 15 girls. To have the full experience, Jirauch recommends the guided tour.

The guided tour costs $10 for each girl, but chaperones are free. The tour includes a heart guide, a healthy snack and a Fun Patch featuring the museum’s mascot, Lub Dub. To sign up a troop or get more information visit the Halle Heart Children’s Museum website or call 602-414-2800. — Amy Vogelsang

Walk to fight the spread of AIDS

More than one million people live with it. One in every five don’t know they have it. More than 56,000 become infected per year and 18,000 die because of it. HIV/AIDS remains a very serious problem.

On Sunday, Oct. 2, Aunt Rita’s Foundation will host the AIDS Walk Phoenix and 5K Run to raise money for 19 central Phoenix agencies that work to stop the spread of HIV. The walk begins at Third Street and Washington in Phoenix.

This is the fourth annual walk; last year’s raised $353,272. Before the walk is a 5K run, which begins at 9am. Medals are rewarded to the top three men and the top three women finishers in six age categories. The walk begins at 9:05am.

The fee for walkers is $25 and the early registration fee for runners is $30. Children 12 and under walk free. Register here.

If you would like to bring your trusty dog along, AIDS Walk Phoenix also offers Paws for the Cause. The $10 registration fee for the dogs includes a bandana and a bag of dog treats. Adult registration is $25; children 12 and under walk free. Dogs must be registered and must accompany their owners at all times.

More than 56,300 new people are diagnosed with HIV or AIDS each year. Here’s our chance to support them.

— Jordan Taffet

Back-to-school calendars feature artwork by Phoenix Children’s Hospital patients

Peter Piper Pizza has launched the sale of commemorative back-to-school calendars that feature creative artwork from Phoenix Children’s Hospital patients. The calendars retail for $5 each, with proceeds benefit the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, and they include more than $140 worth of Peter Piper Pizza perks, including free tokens and coupons.

The designs featured in the calendar are collected through The Art Project, which is the largest fundraiser for the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders and raises urgently needed funds by converting original artwork of young patients with cancer into merchandise. All 33 Arizona locations of Peter Piper Pizza will sell the calendars.

Peter Piper Pizza opened its doors in 1973 with its flagship restaurant in Glendale. Over the years, it has evolved to the leading pizza and entertainment restaurant chain in the Southwestern U.S. and Mexico with 35 company-owned restaurants and 101 franchised locations, including 45 in Mexico. Find a location near you.

Bashas’ taking donations for Wallow Fire victims

The Wallow Fire is now officially the largest wildfire in Arizona’s history. While many of us in the Valley may not ever see the devastating effects of these fires up north, we have the potential to step up and help, as many individuals and local corporations already have.

In the early days of the fire’s outbreak, Bashas’ stores in fire-afflicted areas stayed open to local customers and donated food to firefighters on the scene. Now, they are making it easy for others around Arizona to bring relief to Wallow Fire victims.

Bashas’-owned stores around the state — including Bashas’, AJ’s and Food City — are currently accepting donations at the register to aid those displaced or otherwise affected by the Wallow Fire. Customers can add any dollar amount to their grocery total, and 100 percent of the funds will be donated directly to Wallow Fire relief.

Every dollar helps, and they can all add up to make a real difference in the lives of the Wallow Fire victims. So next time you make a trip to the grocery store, please reach out to help your fellow Arizonans. — Sadie Smeck

The Basha family has a long history of giving back to the community. Read our “AZ Generations” article on this longtime Arizona family to learn more.

Father of the Year – Chris Rich, president of Rich Financial Group

Chris Rich was one of five outstanding Valley dads to be honored by the Phoenix chapters of the American Diabetes Association and the Father’s Day Council as 2011 Fathers of the Year at an awards dinner and celebration Thursday night. On Wednesday, we interviewed honoree Bradley Parker. On Thursday, we interviewed honoree Mike Tully.

These prominent Phoenix businessmen were chosen on the basis of their demonstration of responsible parenting, exemplary ability to balance family and work life and strong commitment to serving the community.

Chris Rich, president of Rich Financial Group

Chris Rich, president of Rich Financial Group, and his family.

Rich, a father of two and president of Rich Financial Group, is also the president of a local Little League, from which he says his connection to diabetes stems. A long-time, beloved umpire and friend had to give up umpiring, hiking and other activities he enjoys after his toe was amputated because of diabetes-related complications.

“That was something real close to my heart,” Rich says.

He was also especially touched to learn about the millions of diabetic children in America that often can’t go to regular summer camps like other kids, because the staff at most camps aren’t usually trained in the medical knowledge they need to care for kids with diabetes. Special camps for kids with diabetes can be costly.

Rich’s favorite thing to do with his family is boating on Lake Pleasant, where they take a trip every year.

While the Rich family does not have any particular plans for Father’s Day, he says they will “spend the day together and find a family activity that we will all enjoy.”

Tomorrow: Steve Lawrence, Partner, Gallagher & Kennedy.

Father of the Year – Mike Tully, CEO of AAA Arizona

Mike Tully was one of five outstanding Valley dads to be honored by the Phoenix chapters of the American Diabetes Association and the Father’s Day Council as 2011 Fathers of the Year at an awards dinner and celebration Thursday night.

These prominent Phoenix businessmen were chosen on the basis of their demonstration of responsible parenting, exemplary ability to balance family and work life and strong commitment to serving the community. Yesterday we interviewed honoree Bradley Parker.

Mike Tully, CEO of AAA Arizona

Mike Tully, CEO of AAA Arizona, and his family.

Tully, the father of two teenage girls, was surprised to be nominated for the award. He says he is fortunate not to have any close, personal ties to diabetes.

Since his nomination, he has learned a great deal about the disease and its impact, especially on children.

Tully remembers an impactful experience at one of the Father of the Year meetings, at which each father was given a teddy bear wearing a jacket hung with 120 safety pins, representing the number of shots of insulin children with type 1 diabetes must be given each week.

In an effort to raise funds for the cause, Tully sent letters to his “400 closest friends,” family and colleagues around the country. He has been amazed by the generous response he received.

With long work weeks, Tully says he looks forward to vacation times with his kids.

“Between community service-type stuff and work, trying to balance family-type stuff is critically important. So, vacation is one of the big, very very special moments in my life. We typically go on adventurous vacations. We’re typically very active on vacations and have a lot of great memories,” he says.

Tully’s two daughters, ages 15 and 12, are best friends, despite having very different personalities.

“I’ve never seen two kids get along as well,” he says. “The two never fight. We’ve been phenomenally blessed. I’m incredibly lucky, actually, to have the family I’ve got.”

Over the years, Tully says he has tried to teach his girls by example how important it is to be active in the community.

“I’m a strong, strong believer in ‘What you do is what people see, which is what they will do.’ So basically demonstrating the balance in your own life. Frankly, sometimes, when I get done with work, I’d rather drive home. Making those tradeoffs and making sure your kids understand those tradeoffs, getting involved in charities [is important].”

Tully said he wants to be sure his kids understand how fortunate they are, and the struggles others go through.

“One thing could change in your life and it could be completely different,” Tully says, “and you’d want to have people looking out for you if that ever happened to you.”

This Father’s Day, the family will embark on yet another adventurous vacation. They will be heading up to Whistler, Canada to go sightseeing for bears, canoeing down a river, and speeding down a “monster zip-line run.” — Sadie Smeck

Tomorrow: Chris Rich, president of Rich Financial Group.

Know someone who deserves a Hon Kachina Award?

Nate Anderson of Ear Candy at last year's awards dinner.

Nominations are being accepted through April 1 for the 35th Annual Presentation of the Hon Kachina Volunteer Awards. The annual awards honor seven of the Valley’s finest volunteers who have dedicated their time to different causes.

Last year’s winners included Nate Anderson of Ear Candy, Donna Bartos of the Purple Ribbon Council, Fred Christensen of the Navajo Volunteer Literary Program at Navajo Elementary in Scottsdale, Charles Finch of Stepping Stones of Hope, Kim Mills of the AZ Compassion in Action (Phoenix Fire Department), Bill Smith of A Stepping Stone Foundation, and Michael Young of Swing Fore Kids Golf Classic, which supports Phoenix Children’s Hospital’s Animal Assisted Therapy Program.

“People may be involved with social and human services, organizations, arts organizations, pets, or homelessness,” says Pam Betz, executive director of the event. “Truly, it runs the whole gamut of the nonprofit sector, excluding advocacy or political-based organizations.”

The celebration of volunteerism will take place on Saturday, Oct. 1 at Camelback Inn, a JW Marriott Resort & Spa, in Scottsdale. Winners will receive a hand-carved Hon Kachina doll and a cash award for their nonprofit organization.

“The Hon Kachina doll is representative of the award and is the most powerful of the healing kachinas, according to the Hopi Indian culture,” says Betz.

To nominate someone you know, visit honkachina.org.

Shop Local

I didn’t understand the importance of shopping locally  until I moved to the Valley. Having grown up in Chicago, I was used to major chains (Macy’s, Chili’s, Jewel-Osco). When I lived in rural Texas, local shops were the ONLY option. Our nearest chain involved a 45-minute drive to Walmart.

I’ve never had the opportunity to choose where I shop.

Now, living in Phoenix, I’m nearly overwhelmed by choices.

A few weeks ago I wrote about experiencing a farmers market in the Raising Arizona Kids community blog. This week the Phoenix Public Market Urban Grocery & Cafe celebrated its grand opening – the only centrally located grocery store in downtown Phoenix. In addition to its prime location, the grocery will feature only local food/drink distributors.

But the market’s opening is more than a convenience for those wanting to be able to walk to get groceries and shopping there is more important than a desire for fresh vegetables.

When you shop locally, you are putting more money back into the Arizona economy than if you shopped at a major retailer like Walmart. This point was argued eloquently by Phoenix Magazine editor Ashlea Deahl in the November 2009 issue. The issue features 130 of the Valley’s best local shops, beautifully highlighting each shops unique characteristics and quirks.

In the editor’s note and corresponding feature article, Ashlea explains that the rate of return to Arizona’s economy nearly triples when you shop locally. Simply put, for every $100 you spend at a local shop, $45 remains in Arizona, as opposed to $13 when shopping at major chains.

But put aside money for a minute. What about customer service? Quality? That feeling of trust that comes with handing your money over for a product?

When I walk into Changing Hands Bookstore, I know the people behind the counter. Their staff has worked with me to provide a discount on titles for the book club I attend, in turn encouraging me to bring more members into their store. When I see a book suggestion, I know a staff member has actually read the title and that the recommendation is not a paid placement.

Think about it. When you go on vacation, you want to eat at those cute little restaurants you wouldn’t see back home. You shop in the tiny boutique stores so you can bring home unique, special gifts.

You don’t have to go on vacation. It’s right here, every day. And hey, you’ll impress out-of-state friends with your knowledge of all the hole-in-the-wall places. Always a bonus.

For a list of local shops in Arizona, visit the nonprofit organization Local First AZ.

Thank you to Phoenix Magazine and editors Ashlea Deahl & Keridwen Cornelius for providing the statistics.