Name: Dan Shufelt
Age: 60
Title: President & CEO of Arizona Helping Hands
Married/Single: Married to Cheryl Fehlner
Kids: 2 – Emily & Rachel
City you live in: Phoenix
A typical day in my life includes…
balancing work at Arizona Helping Hands with my small CPA practice and my duties as Trustee of a real estate trust.
I was born…
in Rochester, NY, child #5 out of 8.
My favorite thing about Arizona…
weather! I love the sunshine and the opportunity to be in a different climate in just an hour or two.
I’m listening to…
country music – favorite group Sugarland (sorry they’re no longer together).
My family…
plays a major role in life, I adore being a grandparent to Dante & Ayla!
If I could have dinner with anyone, it would be…
Michelle Obama.
One thing I cannot live without…
exercise – I feel like a slug when responsibilities distract from hiking, jogging, walking and hot yoga!
When I was younger, I wanted to be…
a Math teacher.
I’m inspired by…
foster parents – these brave souls who open their hearts and homes to kids in need of a safe place are amazing!
The one person who motivates me is…
Nick, a young foster dad who took in a young boy crying out for help – the connection changed both of their lives in an instant.
If I could change anything in the world, it would be…
letting every child know that they are loved and appreciated.
The perfect day would be…
morning workout, a day at Arizona Helping Hands, giving tours of the warehouse to business executives and participating in a teambuilding Birthday Dreams program, followed by dinner at home with my wife, kids and grandkids, ending with a bike ride with my grandson or a trip to the playground with my granddaughter.
My first job…
was filling liquid chlorine bottles at a swimming pool store in upstate New York.
My favorite escape…
BEACH! Newport Beach, Sanibel Island, anywhere we can jump in the water, regardless of the water or air temperature.
My life…
provides daily satisfying challenges.
I’m currently working on…
a potential capital campaign to develop a Foster Care Resource Center in Arizona which can fulfill all the needs of foster families to ease their burdens and make lives better for kids in foster care.
Always…
give your all.
Never…
degrade others.
Favorite Quote…
“All kids need is a little help, a little hope and someone who believes in them” – Magic Johnson
Biggest Dream…
making Arizona’s Foster Care Resource Center a reality.
My Pet Peeve(s)…
repetitive use of 4-letter words, ingratitude, lack of interest in helping others.
