Welcome to our Impact Journal!
We’ll be utilizing this journal to share all of the juicy, inspiring details of our quarterly gatherings and Big Give meetings. We’ll keep our emails to you short and sweet as we know you are busy kicking butt in your amazing lives. However, if you missed a meeting or want to know more about the charities presented to your group, you’ll find that information here.
Q1 meetings were held on February 2nd and 3rd. We are thrilled to continue our Ahwatukee meetings at the Foothills Golf Club. A huge THANK YOU to Anne and Terry Duggan for their continued support of our chapter. In Scottsdale, we moved venues and love our new sponsor, Scottsdale Hilton Resort & Villas. Blue Fire Grill is on-site which allows our members to grab a bite to eat before our meeting begins. Doug Heaton, General Manager, spoke to our group about the resorts recent renovations to their guest rooms and restaurant.
We also welcomed our new photography sponsor in Scottsdale, Colleen Katz of Pictures in Pixels. Colleen’s specialty is portraits, events, people and parties. Check her work out!
CHARITY IMPACT STATEMENTS
Our Ahwatukee members heard from Judy Lewisohn, Program Manager for the Ahwatukee Foothills Family YMCA OPAS program. Judy shared with us the significant impact our donation of $10,175 made on the organization. Y OPAS serves 440 seniors in the Ahwatukee area and has 175 volunteers who help these seniors with transportation needs, social outings and quite simply, an engaging conversation. Our donation will help them expand the organization’s out-and-about program so seniors don’t have to sit at home so much by themselves. The funds will also allow them to purchase life alert systems for some of their seniors who cannot afford them.
Robyn Julien, CEO of the Arizona Burn Foundation, spoke to our Scottsdale group and described how our $6,900 donation was used to buy 400 fire alarms for families in need. Burn and fire prevention is a large part of the organization’s mission. This spring, the foundation will host 9 separate events where fire fighters go into the community, inspect and install smoke alarms in neighborhoods. Over 5,000 homes will be visited and 1,500 alarms will be installed. Smoke alarms save lives!
RANDOM DRAW
Ahwatukee
Maggie’s Place – Jill Norgaard shared how this organization provides houses of hospitality and ongoing support to help pregnant and parenting women in need reach their goals and welcome them into a community filled with love and dignity. Maggie’s Place has provided food, shelter, supplies, support, and hope for hundreds of women and their babies over the past 15 years.
Kyrene Schools Community Foundation – Cindy Sleasman described how the Foundation’s mission is to provide key resources to their students, families and staff which positively impact their learning experience within the Kyrene educational community. The Foundation focuses on removing barriers to learning by providing basic necessities and critical resources to enable their students and families to succeed in an educational environment.
Tumbleweed Center for Youth Development – Diane Hughes educated us on how Tumbleweed supports homeless and forgotten youth to grow and thrive. The nonprofit supports youth who are homeless, abused, abandoned, neglected, conduct disordered or at-risk from situations such as pregnancy. Tumbleweed engaged with 3,000 unduplicated youth through Emergency Services last year.
Scottsdale
A Stepping Stone Foundation – Mary Henry nominated this charity that “provides stepping stones to create success through education for children and families who have limited opportunities.” The Foundation provides a tuition free, high quality, comprehensive preschool program and ensures the success of the parents with their children by requiring them to attend tuition free adult education classes, parental classroom participation and provides tuition free child care and enrichment for the siblings of the preschoolers. Educating Two Generations Together!
Anthony Bates Foundation – Sallyann Martinez spoke about the Foundation’s belief that no parent should suffer the heartbreak of losing a child to an undiagnosed cardiac malady. The charity’s mission is to eliminate preventable Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) especially in students, athletes, and young adults between the ages of 12 thru adults. In the past 15 years, ABF has served over 11,000 young lives and found over 1400 (12%) to have undetected heart issues.
The Centers for Habilitation – Tena Morgan has seen firsthand how TCH implements its mission in finding creative and innovative ways to provide hope and purpose for individuals with disabilities. Through TCH’s programs, individuals with significant disabilities are able to participate in community activities, have safe places to live and go to during the day to socialize, earn a paycheck, gain new experiences and increase independence. Services improve the quality of life, alleviate barriers to independence, and help disabled Arizonans reach their full potential. 700 Arizona citizens with disabilities are served on a continuous and/or annual basis.
AND THE SELECTED CHARITIES ARE…..
Ahwatukee – Tumbleweed Center for Youth Development
Scottsdale – Anthony Bates Foundation
RAFFLE
God’s Garden Treasures provided beautiful Valentine Day inspired bouquets for our raffle. Karen Snyder, Ahwatukee, and Elizabeth Harris, Scottsdale, took the beauties home.
Y OPAS provided a gift bag for us to raffle. Mary Anne Mejdrich was the lucky winner!
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Q2 meetings are April 26th in Ahwatukee and April 27th in Scottsdale. Register here. The charity nomination deadline is April 12th.
Follow us on our new LinkedIn public page! You may also add 100+ Women Who Care Valley of the Sun to your Organizations or Volunteer Activities section of your profile.
If you are a current member, join our Members Only Facebook Group. A place for members to share volunteer opportunities, needs and events for their nominated and approved charities.
So there it is…1 hour and lives changed! Thank you, ladies, for your big, caring hearts!