AZ Giving

By Laura Waldron

It’s estimated that between 6-10% of the United States population has intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD), yet many Americans either know very little about people with disabilities, or have a low level of comfort interacting with persons with disabilities. With limited residential options after high school graduation and high unemployment rates (14%), people with disabilities face more challenges than their peers. In fact, approximately 50% of adults with disabilities reported feeling lonely. And only half of adults with IDD have input into where they live; often governmental...

Working out is a great way to stay healthy and is even better when it’s for a great cause. Put on your dancing shoes and get ready to join Fresh Start Women’s Foundation at their 2nd annual Wake, Shake & Mingle fitness fundraiser to celebrate and promote the empowerment of women in the Phoenix area. 

The event  will be held on April 30 at Boondocks Patio & Grill in Scottsdale and will feature 100 minutes of fun and fitness. Sessions will be led by Valley fitness gurus like Jenny Lynne of Dance Fitness, Margie Mejia of U-Jam, Christina Noakes of Mountainside...

            This Saturday marks Grand Canyon University Foundation’s Sixth Annual “Run to Fight Children’s Cancer,” a 10k and 5k race plus a quarter-mile survivors walk, to raise funds for Phoenix Children’s Hospital and Children’s Cancer Network.

            In the five years leading to this point, the race raised nearly $375,000 for its beneficiaries; its goal this year is to reach half a million dollars.

            While race day will exert a special magic in the...

by Candy Thompson

 “Did you know I came from prison?” asked Opal.

She sits on the edge of her bed at A New Leaf’s East Valley Women’s Shelter gazing confidently ahead. There is no more talk about the bleakness of prison. She has been clean for years. Her poor decision making is behind her and she is moving forward with a brand new outlook on life.

Opal has come a long way. After leaving prison, she moved into a half-way house, a consequence of her prison sentence. The mandatory 5-day a week meeting schedule made it almost impossible for her to find...