front doors april

APRIL 2012Volume 10, Issue 4

frontdoorsnews.com

unleashthe lovePam Gaber

year in reviewheart of a dogpam’s best friend

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SUN_1736_Frontdoors_Ad_17x11_April2012.ai 1 3/20/12 3:30 PM

A Bene�t for

New Way Academy WHO: New Way Academy families, friends, neighbors and colleagues

WHAT: �e DREAM BIG Gala and Auction

WHERE: �e Bentley Projects Art Gallery Downtown Phoenix

WHEN: Saturday, April 21, 2012 6-11 pm

WHY: Bene�ts New Way Academy, a 501(c)(3) school for children with learning di�erences

Join us for an incredible evening of delicious food, a vibrant live and silent auction, and great fun!

For information on the event and to purchase tickets and sponsorships, please contact: Sandy Trudel, Director of Development, New Way Academy,

480-946-9112, ext. 107, or [email protected]

SAVE THE DATE!

PUBLISHERJulia C. Patrick [email protected]

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHERClaudia Wright [email protected]

EDITOR IN CHIEFChristopher Yen [email protected]

DIRECTOR OF REVENUE MANAGEMENTRuth Urban [email protected]

WEB DESIGNCharles Sanderson [email protected]

NETWORK

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3104 E. Camelback, Box 580 | Phoenix, Arizona 85016phone: 602-852-0283 | fax: 602-852-0678

www.frontdoorsnews.com

Frontdoors News Network is informative, influential and inspiring. Our electronic publication and digital communication caters to exclusive advertisers and readers with engaging editorial and sophisticated social coverage. Frontdoors News Network celebrates and perpetuates the legacy of philanthropy as well as community leadership.

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APRIL 2012

Frontdoors is published by Patrick Media Group, LLC. Frontdoors is also a registered Federal trademark. The entire contents of Frontdoors is copyrighted. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without the expressed written permission of the publisher. No responsibility is assumed for unsolicited material. Questions or concerns are welcomed by our office at the mailing address or via electronic methods at the addresses listed.

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HAPPY TRAILSWishing Claudia Wright a fond farewell

PAM’S BEST FRIENDThe story of Gabriel’s Angels’ founding dog

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ANOTHER SEASONDave Dodge reviews the year in philanthropy

HEART OF A DOGMeet the helping hounds of Gabriel’s Angels

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8 | APRIL 2012 frontdoors

I told my mom I was going to Casa Grande and she said, “The outlet mall?” That’s how I’d always thought of it too, and it’s exactly why I wanted to visit the ruins there.

The Casa Grande Ruins were proclaimed the first archaeological reserve in the United States in 1892, and re-designated as a national monument in 1918. Consisting of adobe buildings, a ball court and the four-story “Great House,” the impressive settlement is a flake of the Hohokam culture that ruled the Gila Valley for over a thousand years.

The ruins are actually located in Coolidge, not Casa Grande, which is, frankly, confusing. And you won’t see them from I-10 no matter how hard you look, since it’s about a 25-mile drive from the off-ramp. But if you were a tourist you’d go there, and that’s not a bad thing. It’s a lot better than outlet malls anyway.

Thanks for reading,

Christopher Yen, Editor in Chief

e d i t o r ’s n o t e

Tourist Trap

Christopher Yen is a fourth-generation Arizonan. His fiction has appeared in The Normal School and elsewhere.


Dave O. Dodge is a monthly contributor, Valley resident, world traveler and charitable minded person. He is the principle of Ideation Nation LLC. Follow him on Twitter or check him out on Facebook: Ideation Nation. For more information: www.ideationnation.us

I t’s spring in Arizona and the time when Valley temperatures heat up and charity events cool down. Not all nonprofit fundraisers will have ended, but by the end of April there will only be only a handful left. This season there were

hundreds of charity events, all for worthy causes. Whether it was a luncheon, a walk, a black-tie gala or just a raffle, these activities are the bloodline to our nonprofit community.

Looking back on the season I can’t remember all the events I attended. One that stands out was an indoor mall walk at Scottsdale Fashion Square to benefit DrugFreeAZ, where over 700 loyal supporters came together on a Saturday morning in September to raise awareness and funding for this ever growing issue. That was year two and the event doubled in size and scope. What will they have up their sleeves this year?

October was a booming month for fundraisers; it traditionally sees the Valley’s nicest weather and is the best time to capture returning residents. October can prove to be challenging as well, trying to show your support if you happen to be a fan of the opera or support the zoo or just like the library, all of which hold worthy events on

t h e v i e w f r o m h e r e

Looking Back onAnother Season


fdthe same evening. Dinner in the Stacks, Rendez-Zoo and Dine by Design all competed for market share.

Some returning favorites that loyal Valley residents look forward to attending each are: Key to The Cure at Saks Fifth Avenue and the grand Dame of all, The Heart Ball, benefitting the American Heart Association. Events have come and gone and creative new ones keep popping up. Salud was introduced to the social set as a Chilean wine dinner supporting the much loved Gabriel’s Angels. Urban Green, an alternative to stuffy galas, appeared just last month off the social grid at the Duce in Downtown Phoenix, rallying supporters of Arizona Women’s Education and Employment (AWEE).

Tasting events are becoming big business for the nonprofit market. Uncorked & Unplugged at Desert Ridge helped the Boys & Girls Club and Devoured Phoenix at the Phoenix Art Museum unified Local First Arizona and the business community. What an easy way for local chefs and supportive big chain restaurants to rally together

on a level playing field shoulder-to-shoulder for a good cause. Taste of the Biltmore was way back in October at the National Bank of Arizona corporate offices and proved it could be done with Joe Aiello of Aiello’s Family Italian Restaurant right next door to Todd Sicolo of the Arizona Biltmore.

I am all in favor of a healthy event season, one that offers everything from ten dollar tickets to the brass ring of then all: Celebrity Fight Night. Events and fundraisers are a way of life in our community and they need to always be fresh and exciting, creating new ways to capture market share and attract new corporate sponsors, but most importantly retain their guests.

As the season winds down, it’s time to re-charge your interests and take an opportunity to access your personal philanthropic loyalties. It’s time to get out your calendar and hold on tight, the economy is starting to turn and the event season will be as competitive as ever this year. I anticipate new and exciting things happening with a fresher and bolder outlook on fundraising. ■

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P hoenix nonprofit Gabriel’s Angels is what you would call a well-oiled machine. The animal-assisted behavioral

therapy agency has grown through much hard work, publicity and community outreach to serve over 13,000 at-risk children annually, with an operating budget just shy of one million dollars. Under the leadership of founder and CEO Pam Gaber, the beloved organization now counts 23 board members and 162 registered volunteer Therapy

Teams among its ranks, providing innovative pet therapy to over 120 crisis nurseries, homeless and domestic violence shelters, group homes, residential treatment centers and targeted school programs across the state.

“I think animals are the windows to our soul,” says Gaber, dressed impeccably in pink. “Animals love us unconditionally, and by caring for them we learn important behaviors that we need, whether we’re five-years

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Heart of a Dogstory by Christopher Yen


old, ten-years old or forty-years old, that make us more compassionate.”

Guided by the belief that the unconditional love of a dog can heal a child, Gabriel’s Angels’ registered Therapy Teams, consisting of owner and pet, provide animal-assisted activities designed to teach empathy, trust, respect and other behaviorally-focused life skills. The service is free of charge, with the goal of increasing each child’s overall sense of well-being and happiness in a safe environment.

The helping hounds of Gabriel’s Angels come in many breeds and sizes. “Golden retrievers, labs or mixes thereof are just traditionally great therapy dogs,” says Gaber. “However, I can tell you we have a forty-pound pit bull named Harper who has one eye and is one of the best therapy dogs I’ve ever seen in my life. We have rottweilers, dobermans, pit bulls, a lot of mix breeds, a lot of goldens, a lot of labs, but the temperment is what is so important in a therapy dog. Harper is a great example of a dog raised with love

Unleash the Love Fundraising Breakfast

Wednesday, May 2, 2012Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa

7 - 9 a.m.

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For more information, click here



and caring in a family who can then give love back to chidren.”

Combining passionate hard work with business acumen, Gabriel’s Angels has achieved tremendous publicity and growth since its 2000 inception, serving as a model of success for many Arizona nonprofits.

“You have to run it like a business,” says Gaber, who served formerly as vice president of the veterinary division of a major pharmaceutical company. “Passion can only get you so far. You have to build community, you have to be out in the public eye, and you can’t be afraid to ask for help because the only reason that people don’t give to charity is because nobody asked.”

Gabriel’s Angels conducts two major fundraising events each year, including the upcoming Unleash the Love Fundraising Breakfast, Wednesday, May 2, at Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa. The event is free to attend and open to anyone who wants to learn more about Gabriel’s Angels, friends of the organization or those who want to support the agency financially or

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Unleash the Love Fundraising Breakfast

Wednesday, May 2, 2012Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa

7 - 9 a.m.

Call 602-266-0875to reserve a seat

For more information, click here


through volunteering. Proceeds will support the organization’s ongoing activities and help bring the agency closer to its goal of serving an additional 7,000 to 10,000 children each year.

“The nonprofit sector has the same failure rate as the for-profit sector,” says Gaber. “Ninety-percent of them are gone in five years. So take your passion and funnel it into a sound business plan. So many times the passion is what gets the charity started and people want to help, but there’s no business plan, and it’s doomed to failure without that.”

With a rapidly growing legion of advocates and volunteers, combined with doggedly-organized fundraising efforts (even a line of Gabriel headcovers!), Gabriel’s Angels is poised for a long life in service of compassion and love.

“I’ll close the doors when child abuse goes away,” says Gaber. “Not very realistic though. We plan to be here to the millenium.” ■


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I felt very disconnected from my community and I decided to volunteer at several places and my first choice was Crisis Nursery here in Phoenix. I would go every Friday to visit with the kids and take them on field trips. During that time, I adopted the most

adorable Weimeraner puppy ever born on the planet, and I would go on Fridays and tell the children stories about

my puppy Gabriel. I would say, “Gabriel had his first bath!” and the kids’ eyes would get really wide. Or I’d tell

them, “Gabriel ate his bed!” And what happened was every Friday when I went to the nursery they were going, “Ms. Pam, Ms. Pam, what did

Gabriel do?” So they were bonding with an animal they’d never even met.

They had a Christmas party that year, 1999, and Gabriel had just turned a year old. I asked Marsha Porter, who’s executive director of Crisis Nursery, if I

could bring Gabriel dressed as Rudolph to the Christmas party. I just wanted to do it for fun. I thought, they’ve never met him, they ask about him, and now I’m going to give them

a chance to meet him.

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Pam’s Best Friend The Story of Gabriel’s Angels’ Founding Dog

Excerpted from an interview with Pam Gaber, Founder & CEO of Gabriel’s Angels


I showed up at the party with Gabriel in reindeer antlers, a “Just Call Me Rudolph” t-shirt and a big jingle bell collar. My only intention that day was for those children to finally meet him and smile and laugh at this silly dog dressed like a reindeer. And we got there and things began to unfold that surprised all of us. Children that were normally angry and violent were not that day. They were compassionate and kind. They would take Gabriel’s ear, which was like velvet, and they’d put it on their cheek.

We watched Gabriel bring calmness and serenity to the nursery. Soon the line for pictures with Rudolph was longer than the line for pictures with Santa! We stood there and couldn’t grasp what was happening. As the party began to wind down, that’s when Marsha said to me, “I don’t know what happened here today, but will you bring him back?”

After she said that and I left the party, I can remember something happened, like I witnessed something magical and I felt like I was in the right place at the right time and I thought, well, I’ll join a group of people, people have to be bringing their dogs in to visit kids. But it didn’t exist in Arizona,

and the model we use doesn’t really exist nationally.

So that’s the story of why I started Gabriel’s Angels. I had a few people in my neighborhood join and we would all go to Crisis Nursery. I thought there’d be maybe ten teams and we would just be like a club to get all this done. I had no idea that this would grow into a 12-year old plus organization. What we’ve responded to is the intense need in this state to help children in crisis. We’ve grown to a staff of ten that is neurotically productive and work intensely hard to reach as many children as we can.

The next step is that sustainability factor. This organization must go well beyond me. We lost Gabriel two years ago. It has gone well beyond him. We all here always talk about Gabe’s legacy. We’re doing this for Gabe. We’re here for his legacy. ■

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Gabriel’s legacy also lives on through Pam Gaber’s inspirational book

Gabriel ’s Angels: The Story Of The Dog Who Inspired A Revolution

Click to buy


Claudia Wright came to me almost 20 years ago, bright, blue-eyed and quick as lightning. She leaves the same way.

My husband had worked with Claudia and kept telling me, “Jewels, this gal is smart. You need to talk to her!” I was the mother of a five-year old. Running a newspaper out of my garage, I was less than a titan of the print world. Adding another person to my shaky team was something I did not have the energy for.

After quite a bit of cajoling, we met for lunch at Ajo Al’s over Mexican pizza. She was so much smarter than me, funnier than me and had much bigger, we’ll say “force of character,” than me. It was love at first sight.

Claudia joined our team and immediately showed me new ways to think, cope, grow and have fun. We laughed until we cried and over the years we have cried until we laughed. She has been the keeper of my truth at times when I didn’t even know what it actually was.

This April, as spring moves us into another season, Claudia is blooming as well. She will be going back to school full-time to pursue a degree in

f r o m t h e h e a r t

Happy Trails

Julia C. Patrick is the publisher of Frontdoors. In its ninth year, the award-winning publication has become the leading news source for the cultural, social and philanthropic actions in the Valley with 100,000+ online subscribers.

Julia is married to Jeffrey H. Jennings, a commercial real estate buyer/broker. They have a daughter, Camaley, who is a college freshman.

Connect with Jul ia at [email protected]


nursing. Always my personal healer, this is the best thing that could happen to us all. Claudia is a stalwart woman of tremendous compassion and strength. It is about time we share her with the world that so dearly needs menders of spirit and body.

As word of Claudia’s new challenge has reached our community, wonderful messages of encouragement have come our way. However, the best of all must be from our dear friend Minister Phillip Waring. He told me that his only regret in wishing Claudia well is the thought that she could someday see him naked. I think this is marvelous!

But, when I think about it, Claudia Wright has seen me naked all along. Understanding my faults, limitations, fears and failures, she never looked away or lost her compassion. She has indeed extended her gift of healing to me and my family.

Now, dear Claudia, go forth and heal those who have need. They will be redeemed with your unboundless humor, bright eyes and jaunty step. And, if you find yourself looking up into those soulful eyes from your hospital bed, know that you are in the best hands.

From the Heart ...

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The Valley has plenty of blue sky potential.

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