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Power LiftersElevating the state to new heights

AZ philanthropy

surges in surprising ways

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RE CO G N IZE D as one of the country’s prem ier charity events, Celebrity Fight Night (CFN) is a star-studded event presented in honor of M uham m ad A li. International celebrities that include the likes of G eorge Clooney, Robert D eNiro, Billy Crystal, Reba

M cIntire, Kelly Clarkson, Blake Shelton and Josh G roban, as well as local sports legends Larry Fitzgerald and Kurt W arner, have com e together for an experience f lled with incredible live auction item s and live m usical perform ances by m any of today’s brightest stars.

This power-packed night of entertainm ent and fun provides the audience with unforgettable m em ories each year. But m ore im portantly, it provides signif cant dollars for charities.

Throughout Celebrity Fight Night’s 20-year history, $100 m illion has been raised with the M uham m ad A li Parkinson Center at Barrow Neurological Institute as a signif cant benef ciary. Num erous other charities have benef ted and countless lives have been changed thanks to the trem endous generosity of its supporters.

“A s A rizona’s largest com m unity bank and the bank of m any of the leading non-prof t organizations throughout the state, NB|A Z is particularly adept at providing specialized f nancial services support to those organizations, like Celebrity Fight Night” says NB|A Z Vice President of Non-Prof t Banking, Pam ela Keefe.

“Working with NB|A Z and Pam has been such a great partnership,” says CFN E xecutive D irector Sean Currie. “They are always willing to think outside the box to help us achieve our goals.”

To learn m ore about NB|A Z and our unique approach to serving the non-prof t com m unity, visit www.nbaz.com or call Pam at 602-235-6000.

A Knock-Out Partnership

Banking that Packs a Punch!NB|A Z Vice President of Non-Prof t Banking Pam Keefe (C) brings Celebrity Fight Night heavyweights Sean Currie (L) and Jim m y W alker (R) to the center of the ring at The D uce in downtown Phoenix.

Special thanks to The Duce in Phoenix for hosting our Celebrity Fight Night photo shoot + to R & R Surplus for providing wardrobe.

NATIONAL BANK OF ARIZONACorporate Center6001 N. 24th St.Phoenix, AZ 85016602-235-6000

PB+J CREATIVEcontent + photography + design2040 S. Alma School Road, Suite 1-312Chandler, AZ 85286602-821-9164

Elevate AZ magazine may contain trademarks or trade names owned by parties who are not affiliated with National Bank of Arizona, Zions Bancorporation, or its affiliates. Use of such marks does not imply any sponsorship by or affiliation with third parties, and National Bank of Arizona does not claim any ownership of or make representations about products and services offered under or associated with such marks. Articles are offered for informational purposes only and should not be construed as tax, legal, financial or business advice. Please contact a professional about your specific needs and advice. © 2015 National Bank of Arizona.® All rights reserved. Member FDIC.

PUBLISHER National Bank of Arizona

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Mark Vance, mark.vance@nbarizona.com

MANAGING EDITOR Amy Was, amy.was@nbarizona.com

CREATIVE DIRECTOR, NB | AZ Nick Bradshaw, nick.bradshaw@nbarizona.com

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Michelle Jacoby, michelle@pb-jcreative.com

CREATIVE DIRECTOR, PB+J CREATIVE Pamela Norman, pnormandesigns@me.com

PRODUCTION MANAGER Chris Adams, cwadams@me.com

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Sally J. Clasen, Bruce Farr, Rebecca Rhoades, Susie Steckner

PHOTOGRAPHER Mark Lipczynski, mark@marklipczynski.com

ON THE COVERAs the sun sets on the Colorado River in Parker, a lone swimmer enjoys one last splash. Because of its proximity to the river, Parker is a popular destination for Arizona’s water adventurers.

Photo by Mark Lipczynski.

in this issue

Elevate AZ magazine is printed on 100% postconsumer waste fiber and is manufactured with windpower.

FEATURES

8 Power Lifters

Meet three Arizonans elevating the state to impressive heights

12 The State of Giving

Arizona’s philanthropic bent is surging in surprising new ways

DEPARTMENTS

2 @NB|AZ What's happening here and now at National Bank of Arizona.

4 AZ Works Shred of Hope Tempe nonprofit fosters empowerment through employment

5 trailblazers Rise to the Top K2 Adventures tests the limits while exploring the world

6 Grade AZ Shine On Phoenix charter school aims to transform K-12 education

7 Arts & Culture Raising the Barre Staying in step through community outreach programs

16 Experience AZ A moment at the Yavapai County Courthouse in Prescott

FOR MORE THAN 30 years, National Bank of Arizona has been a part of communities across the state. We work to provide Arizonans and Arizona businesses with banking and financial services that help ignite the entrepreneurial spirit and fuel the backbone of a strong economy—small to mid-size business lending. It’s what we do.

We do, however, believe that our busi-ness is much less about building a portfolio and more about building a community.

Since our founding in 1984, much has changed. The nation has experienced thrilling victories and devastating losses. Our state has weathered severe storms, both natural and manmade. But through it all, through great economic times and the Great Recession, one thing has remained the same—our commitment to Arizona.

Now, as we enter our next 30 years, NB|AZ is just as committed to the well be-

ing of Arizona and its people. Whether it is education, affordable housing, community services, arts and culture, health and human services, neighborhood revitalization and stabilization, or economic development, the issues facing our state are real.

To support those addressing those issues, NB|AZ is proud to announce the formation of NB|AZ Charities. This is the next logical step in the evolution of NB|AZ as a commu-nity builder. But we’re not alone.

This issue of ElevateAZ is dedicated to all the “Power Lifters” in our state who, through their passion and dedication are creating a better future for our children. These heroes are doing some of the heaviest lifting possible in both the nonprofit and for-profit segments of our economy. We celebrate their spirit of community build-ing and encourage every Arizonan to follow their model.

WELCOME

NB|AZ has donated the Grand Canyon Experience to the City of Phoenix for use in the development of Margaret T. Hance Park.

Rock Solid

Nick Bradshaw

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Community Builders

Elevate AZ, an NB|AZ Publication

FOCUSED ON THE four pillars of giving, fundraising, corporate

citizenship and employee engagement, NB|AZ Charities is

concentrating on the critical issues facing Arizona and will bestow

grants on a semi-annual basis beginning in 2016.

“What we are most excited about is the level to which our

employees across the state will be involved in the grant process,”

says Deborah Bateman, NB|AZ Vice Chairman. “A dedicated employee

advisory group will provide recommendations and input to the grant

committee. This aligns so closely with our core values and supports our

already active community reinvestment initiatives.”

“Beyond the grant advisory role, our employees will be active

year round and across the state,” adds Joy Antolini, NB|AZ Executive

Vice President of Human Resources. “We take very seriously our

commitment to corporate citizenship, and our employees will be

participating in numerous charitable activities all under the umbrella

of NB|AZ Charities. This includes an inaugural Statewide Volunteer

Day on April 18, as well as volunteer efforts planned in virtually every

community we serve.”

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THE FACES SMILING back at you from the corner of Jefferson and First streets in downtown Phoenix are those of the 2015 Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee staff. These are some of the people who, over the past two and a half years, have done all the heavy lifting to successfully bring Super Bowl XLIX and its thousands of fans and millions of dollars of business stimulation to Arizona.

NB|AZ was proud to serve as a partner with the Super Bowl Host Committee and worked very closely with the staff to bring the Grand Canyon Experience (pictured left) to Super Bowl Central to the delight of thousands of visitors to Phoenix

during Super Bowl week. In fact, the staff from the

host committee is pictured standing on the very spot that our rock climbing wall attraction transformed an empty parking lot into an iconic representation of Arizona’s Super Bowl success.

That success has a legacy, too! NB|AZ and NB|AZ Charities has announced the donation of the custom built rock wall panels that comprised the Grand Canyon Experience to the City of Phoenix for use in the development of Margaret T. Hance Park. Serving as a gift to the citizens of Arizona to commemorate Super Bowl XLIX, the NB|AZ rock wall, will be operated by the Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department.

TEAMWORK

“ The mission of NB|AZ Charities is to provide support and resources to nonprofit agencies that are dedicated to improving lives in Arizona. NB|AZ Charities is a result

of the history, evolution and heart of NB|AZ. ”

Keith Maio NB|AZ President Pictured:(back row, left to right) Jamie Santiago

John Hogg, Joe Hickey, Tina DeNicole, Brian Roberts, Kyle Hedstrom, John Bridger. (Front row, left to right) Dana Repp, Nan Ater, Devney Preuss, Jay Parry, Mackenzie Fitzgerald, Mandi Wimmer, Cheryl Kelly.

4

EACH WORK DAY, the staff at ASDD Document Destruc-

tion in Tempe process upwards of 10 tons of paper. The

documents, which come from individuals and busi-

nesses small and large throughout the state, are hand

separated (white, mixed and garbage), shredded and

then sent for recycling where they are turned back into

consumer products such as paper towels, toilet paper

and even drywall.

The giant bales of paper that line the floor of ASDD’s shredding

room are imposing, while the constant roar of machinery and blur

of activity from people and forklifts create a sense of industrial

urgency. But while this busy operation—the fourth-largest shred-

ding business in the state, and the official document shredder for

the State of Arizona and the state division of the IRS—may at first

appear to be a typical money-making venture, a closer look at its

employees reveals a much more altruistic purpose.

ASDD is just one of the many programs of The Centers of Ha-

bilitation (TCH), a nonprofit organization whose goal is to provide

services that support, care for and empower adults with develop-

mental and physical disabilities.

Founded in 1967 by a group of parents with disabled children,

TCH has over the years evolved into an organization with 13 group

homes in the greater Phoenix area, three in Tucson, and onsite

and community-based employment programs that provide pay-

ing jobs for more than 200 disabled individuals who live in those

group homes with their families or on their own.

“Our mission is to find creative and innovative ways to provide

hope and purpose to individuals with disabilities,” says Shana

Ellis, president and CEO of TCH. “For a lot of people with develop-

mental disabilities, if they weren’t in a day program or they weren’t

employed, they’d be sitting home alone. And we know that with

any population, being isolated has all sorts of dramatic effects on

the psyche, on the body, on everything. We really contribute in a

huge way to the quality of life of our employees and of those in a

day programs.”

That quality of life is evident on the floors of the shredding

room. Each training associate is provided a job that suits his or

her physical abilities. Whether they’re simply separating white

paper from colored paper (all employees work at their own pace;

no demands or quotas are placed on them) or—for one associate

who is blind—removing paper from books, or emptying recycling

bins or stacking boxes of paper yet to be processed, each as-

sociate feels a sense of pride in his or her work—and in his or her

own self. Smiles and self-confidence abound.

Elsewhere in the Tempe offices, other associates assemble

Arizona Parent Kits that are provided to parents of newborns

through First Things First, or packing and shipping custom

shirts for Paper Clouds Apparel, among other jobs, all of which

are paid positions.

High-functioning individuals can even gain employment in

the community. Businesses such as Bashas’, Dave & Buster’s,

Medtronic, Sunrise Preschools and St. Luke’s Medical Center

contract with TCH and provide jobs for those able and willing to

work outside of the TCH offices. TCH has also developed projects

as part of the federal government’s AbilityOne Program, providing

maintenance, food service operations, custodial management,

and more at military bases throughout the state.

“The unemployment rate for people with disabilities is double

what it is for a typical person, so the population is very hard to

employ to begin with,” says Ellis. “Some of our associates have

never had a job in their entire lives. These programs really provide

a sense of purpose.”

ASDD provides shredding services to both businesses and

individuals, and all of the income generated by the shredding

business is used to fund TCH’s other programs and group homes.

Volunteers are also welcome, whether its an individual who wants

to spend time reading to the associates or teaching them how

to paint or a company that would like to adopt a group home and

host dinners and holiday events.   Rebecca Rhoades

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TRAILBL ERS

rise to the top

An ascent to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro with a group of blind climbers inspired Kevin Cherilla and Kristen Sandquist to start K2 Adventures.

and adaptive equipment that oftentimes insurance companies cannot or will not furnish.

“Disability is a very broad state-ment,” says Sandquist. “It makes it easy for us to help everybody.”

From medical necessities such as wheelchairs and catheters, to custom-made equipment that al-lows disabled children and adults to explore the world beyond the confines of their wheelchairs, if it can be imagined, K2 will try to make it a reality.

For 7-year-old Hunter Pochop of California, spina bifida kept him pursuing his one dream: surfing. While specialized weighted boards that won’t flip over are available, the cost of one was prohibitive to Hunter’s fam-ily. Thanks to K2, he now has his own surfboard—and specialized surf lessons with famed therapy dog Surf dog Ricochet.

Then there’s Kyle Maynard. The 28-year-old was born without arms and legs, but that didn’t stop him from becoming an accom-plished athlete. When Maynard announced that he planned to ascend Mount Kilimanjaro, he reached out to K2 for assistance in developing equipment that would allow him to tackle the mountain without the aid of prosthetics.

“Kyle was the biggest chal-lenge for us because we had nev-er worked with anyone without arms and legs,” says Sandquist. “When you’re dealing with some-one who has no arms and no legs, and their goal is to get adaptive equipment, nobody wants to do it. There are custom fittings, but no insurance is going to cover it. It’s considered a luxury item.”

K2 teamed with Phoenix-based Orthotics Specialists to create carbon graphite caps, or “shoes,” compete with Vibram soles that fit on the ends of May-nard’s arms and legs. Flagstaff manufacturer Kahtoola then designed crampons to fit the shoes. Both companies donated their time and equipment.

In January 2012, Maynard bear-crawled his way almost 20,000 feet to reach the summit,

the first quadruple amputee to complete the climb. Later that year, he was awarded an ESPY for his feat. Today, Maynard is not only one of the faces of K2 Adventures Foundation, he’s a member of its board.

One of the ways the founda-tion raises money is by offer-ing guided expeditions to such extreme destinations as Tanza-nia, Peru and Nepal through its partner company K2 Adventure Travel. In addition to custom-ized treks, each trip includes a few days of community service at one of three orphanages to which K2 provides services, equipment, medical and dental care, and monetary aid.

“To be told over and over again that you can’t do something be-cause you’re in a wheelchair, that you can’t do that because you’re paralyzed, that you can’t do that because there’s no equipment for you, eventually you’re going to be-lieve that you can’t do anything,” she adds. “We’re here to show you that you can. We can fix it. We can make it work.”   Rebecca

Rhoades

The foundation has partnered with the High Altitude Mountain Workers Welfare Association, which helps workers minimize risks and provides assistance to those who have been injured or disabled because of their work.

Kathmandu, Nepal

Disabled students at the CEBE Nuestra “Senora del Carmen” school have received wheelchairs and medical devices, as well as walkers, canes, clothing, computers and school supplies.

Cusco, Peru

For the Mwereni Interated School for the Blind, the foundation has provided Braille writers, magnifiers, canes and a computer lab with 30 new com-puters. They have also organized a free medical and dental clinic.

Moshi, Tanzania

Going the DistanceThe K2 Adventures Foundation goes beyond borders to help people in different parts of the world.

SUMMITING MOUNT Kili-manjaro is an amazing accomplishment for even the most skilled athlete. For international climb-ing expert Kevin Cherilla and nonprofit organizer

Kristen Sandquist, a trip to the top with eight blind climbers in 2009 proved to be more than a just another notch in their pro-verbial climbing harness. It be-came an experience that altered their lives—and work—ever since.

Following that climb, and a visit to a local school for blind and albino children, Cherilla and Sandquist combined their skills and built what is now known as K2 Adventures Foundation, the goal of which is to care for individuals with disabilities and to provide them with resources

K2 Adventures tests the limits while exploring the world

Phoenix charter school aims to transform K-12 education

EMPOWER. THINK. CREATE. DO. Sound like a start-up venture? Guess again. Those are the concepts driving StarShine Academy, a public charter school in Phoenix started by corporate-world veteran Trish McCarty, who set out to transform K-12 education.

More than a decade later, StarShine boasts awards, participation in international peace programs and a great challenge ahead: a worldwide competition focused on the ambitious goal of creating a mobile application that helps people teach themselves basic math, reading and writing skills.

“Our mission is to eradicate illiteracy in Phoenix and then spread that to the rest of the world by using technology and brain science,” says the former banking executive. With an entrepreneurial spirit, she started StarShine Academy in 2002 following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Her goal was to change the way children are taught—mind, body and soul.

“I think that children are either taught how to hate or how to love, and 9/11 was an outcome of people who have been taught how to hate,” she says. “I just thought, ‘We’ve got to teach children how to be powerful, how to love and how to be loved.’ ”

The newly-designed StarShine Academy, at 35th Avenue and McDowell Road, aims to fill critical needs in the community. The school serves students who are economically disadvantaged and struggle academically. Fewer than 400 kids attend the school and come from varied ethnic backgrounds.

McCarty says the StarShine model promotes empowerment and entrepreneurship, peace building and resilience, critical thinking and compassion. Technology, as well as arts and culture, are woven throughout the school. The experience is rounded out with activities such as gardening or athletics. Music plays an important role, led by McCarty’s song-writing, guitar-playing, rock-and-rolling husband Steve McCarty.

McCarty has grown her StarShine concept to include campuses in both Phoenix and Santa Fe, N.M. StarShine also provides educational and training materials to schools in other countries, and McCarty says she travels to schools around the world offering educational leadership training.

In the coming years, StarShine will be focusing on a global learning competition from nonprofit XPRIZE, which fosters high-profile competitions that encourage innovation and help solve “grand challenges” facing the world. The competition challenges teams around the world to develop open source and scalable software that enables children in developing countries to teach themselves basic reading, writing and math.

McCarty is thrilled to have StarShine students join the competition.

“What fun [it is] for kids to connect with other kids around the world,” she says.   Susie Steckner

StarShine Academy founder Trish McCartney (center) looks to change the

way children are taught——mind, body and soul.

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Ballet Arizona stays in step through

community outreach programs

ARTS &CULTURE

raising the barre

INTIMATE OUTDOOR PERFORMANCES. Imaginative matinees.

World premieres before an enthusiastic crowd. Ballet Arizona

has been bringing all this and more to audiences since it began

in 1985.

But the organization is also dedicated to reaching a much

wider audience as part of its community outreach program.

“Ballet Arizona has a mission to teach, create and perform

outstanding classical and contemporary ballet, and to serve

our communities through superior educational and outreach

programs,” says executive director David Thompkins. “At the core

of [our outreach is] the idea that the quality of life in Arizona is

enhanced by building community through dance.

“Because access to dance and ballet performance and

training of the highest caliber can be limited by many factors,

Ballet Arizona strives to make the joy of dance attainable for all,

with our comprehensive community programs,” he continues.

Ballet Arizona’s outreach program has evolved over nearly

three decades, beginning with matinee performances for school-

age children in 1988. Today, the wide-ranging program reaches

more than 30,000 people each year with a variety of unique and

engaging programs.

One of the most popular ways the ballet reaches out to the

community is through performances, such as Ballet Under the

Stars, which has been bringing free, family-friendly performances

to outdoor public spaces around the Valley for 18 years.

Through Angel Nights, the company provides free tickets to

children and families served by nonprofit organizations and from

underserved schools. The company also offers pre-performance

chats—giving ticket holders the opportunity to learn more about

the ballet being performed—and student matinees that provide

the opportunity for school children to attend a live performance

as part of a field trip.

The ballet also engages the community through dance

instruction programs. The Class Act program, for instance, pairs

professional dancers with students as they create an all-new

ballet from start to finish.

Ballet Arizona’s programs don’t stop there. This year, the

company introduced two unique opportunities to reach even more

children and adults. The Adaptive Dance program is designed for

children ages 8 to 15 with Down syndrome who are interested

in music, dance and self-expression. And through Dance for

Parkinson’s Disease, participants enjoy a stimulating mental

activity that connects mind to body, boosts flexibility, instills

confidence and breaks isolation.

Ballet Arizona funds all of its outreach programs through

the support of individual donors, foundations, corporations and

government funding. This year’s outreach budget totals more than

$500,000.

The benefit of this community investment is easily seen in the

faces of enthusiastic audience members, particularly aspiring

dancers. Ballet students in an after-school enrichment program

serving the Osborn School District in Phoenix are proof of that. In

many cases, those children have never attended live ballet, nor

have parents who chaperone field trips to performances, says

Camden Lloyd, a ballet instructor who oversees the enrichment

program.

“For ballet program participants, such enrichments are

invaluable in encouraging their own efforts and perseverance,”

he says.   Susie Steckner

ballet by the numbers

35,000Number of Valley residents Ballet Arizona’s community outreach pro-grams touch

15,000Number of adults and children that attend a Ballet Under the Stars performance

7,000Number of children that enjoy a free student matinee

$0Ticket price for a Community Angel Night performance

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Some people casually invest in the human condition by donating their time, money or influence to elevate their fellow citizens. Others shoulder a bigger responsibility, committing themselves in profound ways to affect change. These are the power lifters, an elite class of civic “athletes” who help raise our community to new heights. Here, we profile a few:

STORY Sally J. Clasen PORTRAITS Mark Lipczynski

Meet three Arizonans elevating the state to impressive heights

POWERLIFTERS

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As chancellor of Maricopa Community Colleges, Dr. Rufus Glasper is the strength behind one of the largest community college systems in the country.

DR. RUFUS GLASPER Chancellor, Maricopa Community Colleges

The potential to lose more state funding doesn’t rattle a trained numbers guy like Rufus Glasper, Ph.D., CPA, CGFM, chancellor of Maricopa Community Colleges (MCC). As the chief executive officer of one of the largest community college systems in the U.S. for the last 13 years, he’s fixed on the educational big picture.

“I manage and maintain a view of the whole, and make sure we maintain partnerships and a seamless transition across the P20 continuum,” says Dr. Glasper, who prior to being chancellor was executive vice chancellor for human resources and administration, and vice chancellor for business services/CFO at MCC.

That’s a monumental task given that MCC serves 262,000 credit and non-credit students in 700 degree programs across 11 colleges. Helping MCC students effectively transfer to state universities and private colleges is a passion of Dr. Glasper’s, who served from 2005 to 2009 as co-chair of the P-20 Council, a collaborative K12-gradauate school initiative to develop a sustainable statewide system of quality education and support that enhances delivery and value in the education pipeline.

And based on MCC numbers, the student-success approach is working. Approximately 13,000 MCC students have participated in partnerships that allow for a smooth transition into bachelor programs.

“It saves parents and students money, and stu-dents stay on track,” he says.

Glasper, who serves on many national boards to advance higher education goals, also is determined to extinguish the negative “junior college” perception by branding MCC in a different light.

“I want people to think of MCC as a compre-

hensive community college system with an impor-tant role in building economic strength,” he says. “We’re the largest provider of workforce training in the state and have been the answer to the reces-sion. We’re helping to rebuild economy by putting people to work.”

MCC also remains invested in economic development and entrepreneurial endeavors through the Maricopa Small Business Development Center Network, Arizona’s largest and most accessible statewide resource for small businesses. In 2014, it bolstered that commitment with the launch of the Maricopa Corporate College at GateWay Community College, which provides customized technical training to local employers. A division of the corporate college is the Center for Entrepreneurial Innovation, an 18,000-square-foot, mixed-used incubator for startups including those in biotech and manufacturing.

“We need to find sustainable funding sources,” says Dr. Glasper. “This helps us look and act more like a business.”

HOPE OZER Chair Emeritus, Valley Youth Theatre The last time Hope Ozer performed on stage was as the lead in her high school production of “The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.” Her acting career was short-lived, but it didn’t stop Ozer’s passion for the-atre—or for becoming one of the biggest supporters of the arts in Arizona.

In 1989, when her young daughter was perform-ing in a local fledgling production group called Valley Youth Theatre (VYT), it didn’t have a permanent home, a board or a budget. Ozer made some sugges-tions and was eventually running the show.

As a volunteer, she built stages, sent letters to everyone she knew and “accosted strangers in the supermarket checkout line” to drum up money and interest in the youth theatre. Eventually, Ozer helped secure a facility, a board and staff for VYT, all while recovering from breast cancer.

“I tend to be a rescuer. I find a need and I fill it,” says Ozer, whose eclectic background includes finance, marketing and public relations.

Today, VYT is recognized as one of the premiere youth arts programs in the country, launching many famous hometown careers, among them Emma Stone and Jordin Sparks. With VYT in sound shape, Ozer embraced a new challenge in 2002 and became the founder and publisher of the free, local community newspaper TheTatumSunTimes, now the CITYSunTimes. She knew nothing about publishing, yet had a successful 12-year run.

Though she sold the newspaper in 2013, she continues to be involved as publisher emeritus and writes a regular column called “Musings of a Dis-tractible Mind.”

While the newspaper was a 24/7 venture, the irrepressible philanthropist had time to pursue competitive power lifting, winning medals at age 64. Ozer still lifts for strength, sits on several boards, runs a consulting business for small businesses and non-profits, and makes frequent trips to NYC to visit her granddaughter, who just happens to love the theatre.

And, as chair emeritus of VYT, she is still asking people for money as the organization’s No. 1 fan and fundraiser.

“I have a strong belief in the value of theatre and am dedicated to the development of youth—whether it’s on stage, in the audience or behind the curtain,” says Ozer. “Children come out of VYT with a sense of self and are better prepared, no matter what they choose to be in life.”

A true power lifter (she's won medals for competitive power lifting), Hope Ozer built Valley Youth Theatre from a fledgling production group to one of the country's premiere youth arts programs.

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EDMUNDO HIDALGO CEO & President, Chicanos Por La Causa Inc.When you get a 30-minute notice that the President of the United States wants to visit one of your community projects, the commander-in-chief’s only local stop, you clear your calendar.

“It was a highlight,” says Edmundo Hidalgo, CEO of Chicanos Por La Causa Inc. (CPLC), of Barack Obama’s request to visit Nuevo Villas, CPLC’s affordable housing development in south Phoenix in January. The presidential attention is no coincidence: CPLC is the lead applicant in a national consortium of high-capacity, nonprofit affordable housing developers awarded a federal grant to revitalize 15 urban and rural markets in eight states.

CPLC, which started 42 years ago to address Latino needs, now serves disadvantaged citizens regardless of ethnic origin through education, economic development, housing, and integrated

Once an intern with Chicanos Por La Causa, CEO Edmundo Hidalgo oversees the organization's work, which has been serving disadvantaged Arizonans for 42 years.

NB|AZ CHARITIES WILL ACCEPT PROPOSALS THAT BENEFIT AND SUPPORT:

1 Affordable Housing2 Economic Development 3 Arts and Culture4 Education5 Community Services6 Health/Human Services7 Neighborhood StabilizationNBAZCHARITIES.ORG

health and human services programs. Under Hidalgo’s leadership the regional community development corporation has experienced double-digit growth in the last eight years.

A native of San Luis, Ariz., Hidalgo started as an intern at CPLC then left to pursue a career in banking. He returned to the nonprofit agency as the chief financial officer before becoming the CEO in 2008.

“We look at ourselves as a small business,” he says of the 700 employees that address social and economic issues in urban and rural areas. “We try to match problems with community opportunities. Our key to success is establishing networks and referring to others who can help. The ultimate goal is to work ourselves out of a job. ”

Solving complex community issues, however, goes beyond a calendar date, according to Hidalgo.

“We’re invested in a long-term relationship with the community. It’s a triple bottom-line: Chicanos

Por La Causa, our partners and those we serve,” he says. An ability to connect need with resources in that equation has earned Hidalgo, who sits on several boards and commissions, tremendous recognition including being named as one of 25 Most Influential Minority Business Leaders in 2014 by AZ Business magazine.

With a finance background, it took time for Hidalgo to feel comfortable with his role and title, especially the need to balance the emotions associated with providing assistance to low-income and under-served citizens.

“I had to learn an extra strategy working at CPLC,” he says. “We tend to fall in love with the enterprises and programs that we create. We’re fixers but we also need discipline to know that some things don’t work out.”

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the state of givingdespite the economic peaks and valleys we’ve experienced over the past several years, it’s reassuring to know that charitable giving in the U.S. remains a part of the bedrock of our country’s character. In fact, in 2013, individuals, corporations, foundations and bequests totaled $335.17 billion, up 4.4 percent from 2012, according to The Wall Street Journal.

What has changed significantly is the nature of our philanthropy, namely how we choose to give. Historically, charitable support in Arizona (as in most other states) involved a straightforward transaction: a company or individual found a charity or cause that they liked, opened their checkbook and filled in a dollar amount. But that’s no longer the case.

Today, Arizonans are discovering creative new approaches to reach their philanthropic goals. New ideas and tactics for supporting charities, nonprofits, foundations and other similar entities are changing the “giving” landscape and the results are promising.

The Ethical CorporationTo raise anew a highly publicized maxim of the last presidential campaign, corporations may indeed not be people, but, fortunately for us, they can mirror some of the best qualities of humans: integrity, humanity, generosity. By all observations, CopperPoint Mutual Insurance Company in Phoenix is doing just that.

Founded in 1925, CopperPoint calls itself “Arizona’s premier provider of workers compensa-tion insurance.” But almost more important than the good work the company does to advance the cause and culture of workplace safety, CopperPoint is serving as a model of active corporate respon-sibility. Over the past decade and a half, it’s been praised as much for the support work that it and its employees are doing in Arizona communities as it has for its leadership in the insurance business. CopperPoint’s rationale is forthright.

“We believe that corporate responsibility requires active engagement in the communities the company

serves,” says Rick DeGraw, the company’s executive vice president and chief administrative officer.

Fifteen years ago, DeGraw explains, when the CopperPoint leadership decided to operate as a private entity and no longer remain under the umbrella of state governance, they reckoned that highly visible community involvement could help them along that path. Since then, working through sponsorships, economic development and employee volunteerism, CopperPoint has become a model of active corporate responsibility and the good that it can engender.

The company’s employees’ generosity stretches well beyond its doors and into the heart of the Phoenix metro area and further. Of its 327 current employees, 288 of them are involved in the community, and more than 70 percent are active participants in the United Way. The company funds the largest Big Brothers & Big Sisters school-based program in Arizona, and 29 of its employees see their young “brother” or “sister” at least once a week at an inner-city elementary school.

In 2013, 64 percent of the CopperPoint work-force recorded more than 5,100 hours of service to nonprofits, schools and community agencies across the state. Meanwhile, 21 CopperPoint executives sit on the boards of 54 Arizona nonprofits.

“What we found,” says DeGraw, “is that not only did we as a company enjoy being engaged in the community, but our employees loved the company better because of the opportunities they were given to participate in the community. That, to us, was good business.”

CopperPoint employees’ volunteer work is as diverse as it is meaningful. They roll up their sleeves to cook dinner for families, they mentor students and sort food for the hungry. They walk to raise money and awareness, shop for school supplies for underprivileged kids, and bag goodies for charity events. They even serve as foster families for homeless dogs and cats.

Story BruceFarr illustration Pamela Norman

Arizona’s philanthropic bent is surging in surprising new ways.

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As DeGraw points out about his company’s policy, “We don’t make grants. We develop partnerships.”

Community partnerships like CopperPoint’s often reflect very quiet incidents of support that, taken in sum, have a meaningful and lasting impact on the city and its residents. DeGraw relates a story about how, not long ago, CopperPoint supported the first mariachi opera ever performed in the United States.

“One of the students, a 15-year-old boy who had never seen an opera before, later asked his teacher, ‘Why did that make me cry?’” DeGraw says. “That kind of breakthrough—that art is a part of the larger community and can have an impact on you personally—that’s a big deal, and so we strive to use our company dollars to expand the reach of non-profits, art and culture into parts of our commu-nity that wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity.”

Donor-Guided GivingCompanies like CopperPoint that, in addition to offering financial support, are encouraging and empowering their employees to play a more direct role in supporting nonprofits and other causes are becoming more prevalent. It’s one facet of a growing trend called “donor-guided or “donor-advised” contributions, in which companies and individuals are helping to steer where and how their financial endowments are actually being directed.

The practice is being widely embraced. But, according to Carolyn Sechler, a Phoenix-based independent CPA who works exclusively with nonprofits, it has to be administered carefully and under the right conditions. As she points out, financial donors who try and dictate precisely where and in what manner their money is being used can sometimes create problems both for themselves and for the receiving organizations.

“People who feel as though their dollars should directly go to support a certain child, for example, haven’t run a business before,” she says. “They don’t understand how much administration and development it takes to support an organization that can deliver on their promise to a community.”

And those on the receiving end of donor-guided funds can run into other difficulties, Sechler says.

“Larger organizations have the ability and wherewithal to handle [donor-guided programs], but smaller ones often find themselves in a position where they have a lot of donor-advised money [that is targeted for specific uses] and then find themselves lacking the funds to run the back office.”

Sechler does point out, however, that the growing practice is proving to be successful under the right conditions.

“It’s definitely an opportunity for organizations—especially larger ones—to identify alternative ways to attract dollars to their programs. But you just have to be really careful,” she cautions.

‘The Power of Many’One large organization that is having great success with donor-directed giving is Phoenix Children’s Hospital (PCH).

Dana Jirauch, director of annual leadership giving for the hospital’s foundation, oversees all of PCH’s annual giving programs. Eleven years ago, the foundation launched its Phoenix Children’s Hospital Leadership Circle to offer hospital donors a more direct means of getting involved with the hospital and its mission to treat and heal young patients. Each year, through a highly competitive grant process, Phoenix Children’s Hospital physi-cians, researchers and administrators meet with Leadership Circle members to make a case for sup-port of their particular programs or equipment. At an annual spring luncheon, Circle members vote to determine how their funds will be prioritized and allocated throughout the hospital.

“In this process, we’re actually pooling all these member/donor funds…and then all the members have the opportunity to rank them and vote where they want their money to go,” Jirauch explains. “We call it ‘the power of many,’ because all of these individuals come together and they have a voice as to where their funds get allocated.”

The funds typically go to innovative research, programs or projects that otherwise wouldn’t fall under the normal scope of funding through the hos-pital’s more conventional channels, Jirauch explains. Last year, the Leadership Circle voted on and funded a three-dimensional heart printer, a device that enables physicians to “print” an exact 3-D replica of a child’s heart or other organs. Surgeons then use the replica to help them describe and discuss their young patients’ conditions with parents.

In years past, other funded projects included bedside sleepers, which have enabled parents to remain in their childrens’ hospital rooms overnight, and a “cooling cap” therapeutic device that aids oxygen-deprived premature babies.

The Leadership Circle has grown significantly since its inception. On average, the Circle can claim 235 members who have raised more than $2.8 mil-lion in funds over the past decade.

“The critical thing—what makes this program unique—is that 100 percent of these donations are going directly to support the grants that we’re fund-ing,” Jirauch points out.

Putting Arizona FirstSome Arizona-based giving organizations, like the Arizona Community Foundation, exist almost exclusively to help grow, guide and direct their clients’ philanthropic donations.

Megan Brownell, the ACF’s chief business development and brand officer, says that her company facilitates charitable giving for individuals, families and businesses.

“We steward their assets, professionally managing them for growth and growth strategies that the donors can choose from depending on their goals,” she says.

Using a portion of the donors’ investment returns, ACF makes grants on their behalf. Like other organizations of its kinds, ACF offers its donors different levels of involvement in helping to guide their philanthropic contributions.

“It’s all the way from no involvement, which is when they just turn over the fund to us and let us run it, to remaining directly involved, as with a donor-advised fund, where they’re personally recommending the ongoing grants from the fund and we’re performing the due diligence to ensure that the grant recipients are viable and in good standing,” Brownell explains.

The investment earnings on the ACF’s endowments are significant, amounting to millions of dollars that each year get awarded in grants and scholarships to nonprofit organizations, government agencies and educational institutions. At present, the ACF is controlling more than half a billion dollars and over 1,400 individual funds. Since 1978, it has doled out more than $500 million in grants.

The grants that ACF administers offer a pure example of how directly the ACF philanthropic funds are serving to advance and enrich Arizona and the lives of its residents. Grants are made in five critical areas of the state’s ongoing strategic growth and development. They include: quality education, arts and culture, community improvement and development, environment and sustainability, and health innovations. In the arts category, for instance, the ACF is funding the Arizona Cultural Data Project, a Web-based collection tool designed to collect and disseminate a variety of data to help organizations work more effectively. And in Community Improvement and Development, the ACF is helping to create more affordable housing and support veterans and their welfare.

Like the Phoenix Children’s Hospital has discovered, donor-directed funds have found a receptive home at the ACF.

“Donor-advised funds are really popular vehicles,” Brownell says. “Our donors want to make more than a donation—they want to make a difference. So they remain engaged in how their charitable dollars are used in the community, and the donor-advised funds provide a really nice option for that.

“We really enjoy having active donors who are engaged with the fund. The ACF is 37 years old, so a lot of our donors are still living, and there are many creative and exciting things that are donors are interested in doing. Our job is really to be their partner, and help them do precisely that.”

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— Rick DeGraw, executive vice president & chief administrative officer, CopperPoint

“We don’t make grants. We develop partnerships.”

w ho benefits . Thanks to donor-guided giving, nonprofit organizations all over Arizona can meet the needs of the communities they serve. From medical advances, to children's programs, to arts initiatives, these organizations work to improve the lives of people every day.

To see how your donations are being used, visit CharityNavigator.org. This free site rates charities based on accountability, transparency and financial performance.

Elevate AZ, an NB|AZ Publication

PrescottYAVAPI COUNTY COURTHOUSE

Like courthouses across America, the Yavapai County Courthouse epitomizes a true sense of place. It is where the community can gather to learn news of the day, connect with their neighbors, and celebrate their right of freedom of expression. Photo by Mark Lipczynski

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