Inspiration

Writer Amanda Christmann Larson   Watching Zac Moller, one can’t help but smile. The precocious toddler with a bright grin and infectious laugh is as busy as he is cute. Clutching a car in his little fist, he makes “Vroom!” noises in the universal language of all 2-year-old boys. “Crash!” he proclaims loudly as the car drops to the ground, sending him into a fit of giggles.   As he keeps himself occupied with cars, trucks and crackers, Zac’s wispy blond hair frames the sparkle in his big blue eyes. He runs across his living room, picking up things that interest him and demonstrating what they do, all the while in cheerful contentment.   Upon a little closer inspection, it becomes clear that Zac might look a little different than other kids. What appears at first to be little splashes of chocolate milk on his arms and legs begin to multiply once they’re in focus. Much like moles, they’ve been mistaken for chicken pox, even though they clearly don’t irritate him or... More

Writer Amanda Christmann Larson   Writer’s Note: As I drove to the North Scottsdale home of two and a half-year-old Wylder Laffoon and his parents, Steven and Shannon, I had in my mind that I would be writing the kind of story that gives people wider perspective on their own problems – a “you think you’ve got it bad, check out these other people …” kind of thing.   What I didn’t expect was to be so inspired by the wisdom of this remarkable family, and touched by their ability to balance fighting for their future and accepting that which cannot be changed. They have taken on these challenges with such dignity and grace that I couldn’t help but leave their home a little bit changed.   There is no pity needed for this family, only a mind open to learning more about what it means for each of us to embrace our own journey through life, whatever it may hold.       Parenting is, on the surface, a pretty simple thing. Feed your children the right foods, enroll them in... More

Writer Jeffrey Cody   “The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise.” Attributed by Plato to Socrates of ancient Greece.   Sound familiar? Do you know someone who shares Socrates’ opinion of “kids today”? Well, last night I met Jake Larson. Jake is 12 and attends sixth grade at Anthem School. Jake plays football and seems an ordinary young man, until you hear what he is passionate about, and it isn’t just football. Socrates, like many people I know today, could profit from meeting this young man.   About a year ago, Jake took a trip to Ghana, West Africa. His mother, Amanda, is the founder and director of Compassionate Journeys, a volunteer organization that, among other things, is building a home for rescued child slaves.   Jake had the opportunity on this trip to visit an orphanage and several rural schools. What he experienced there changed his life and inspired his... More

  Start your 2012 season by playing in a tournament that will save thousands of lives! This tournament is much more than winning a trophy - it is the opportunity to show our boys that kids can be difference makers! Organizations drill a well in Uganda, Africa. This well will provide safe drinking water to over 10,000 people living in the village where it will be drilled.   January 28th - 29th, 2012 Anthem Sports Complex Rio Vista - Peoria Victory Lane - Glendale Ages 9u - 14u Major/AAA/AA Divisions 9u - 12u $450 13u - 14u $475 3 game guarantee   All proceeds benefit Water 4 Kids International with the goal of supporting an entire village with over 10,000 people with fresh, clean drinking water.... More

Writer Amanda Christmann Larson   Everybody needs someone to look up to, yet all too often those in the spotlight are embroiled in controversy. While so many of society’s heroes are making headlines for all the wrong reasons, Arizona Cardinals’ rookie outside linebacker Sam Acho is a breath of fresh air. At just 23 years old, he’s a rising star both on and off the field, and he’s the type of guy we all want our sons to become.   Acho is a big guy. Weighing in at 257 pounds and 6’3” tall, Number 94 is built more like a defensive end, which is what he played in college at the University of Texas. His speed and agility earned him a spot on the Cardinals roster as an outside linebacker; he’s fast, and there is no doubt that he is an outstanding athlete.   Acho is one of only seven two-time ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American in University of Texas Longhorn history, was named the National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete of 2010, and is a seven-time member of UT’s... More

Perhaps the best testament to the amazing work that We Care Anthem has done on behalf of seriously ill children for the past nine years is a beaming Josh Coppoth who was happily volunteering at this year’s annual We Care Golf Tournament in a red tee-shirt proclaiming “Cancer Sucks.” For the past three years, the event has benefited him, and he is currently cancer free and enjoying life, as well as the opportunity to give back to the organization that helped him during his time of need. According to his mom, attending the event is the highlight of his year.   This year, there is one young person who desperately needs the proceeds of the tournament. Katie Wagner, a sixteen-year-old sophomore at Boulder Creek High School is battling stage four Rhabdomyosarcoma which has metastasized to her bones and lungs. On Friday, Nov. 18, the community came together to support her and her family and the result was an amazing $14,000 collected on her behalf, to be placed in her We Care account... More

A little boy was having difficulty lifting a heavy stone. His father came along just then. Noting the boy’s failure, he asked, “Are you using all your strength?” “Yes I am,” the little boy said impatiently. “No, you are not,” the father answered. “I am right here just waiting, and you haven’t asked me to help you.”     Katie Wagner’s family hardly had time to ask for help before all of the help started to roll in from family, friends, neighbors and even strangers from different parts of the country. They have had a few “heavy stones” to lift in recent years, and the heaviest was unveiled just a few days before this issue of ImagesAZ went to press.   Katie Wagner, a 15 year old (she will turn 16 in November) sophomore at Boulder Creek High School, was recently diagnosed with stage four lung/bone cancer called Rhabdomyosarcoma. This is a rare and aggressive cancer for which she has already started chemotherapy treatments.   Katie is the daughter of Steve and... More

For local resident and Diamond Canyon School teacher and mom, Cindy Costello, life has been pretty sweet up until now. With a fulfilling career that she loves, a family she is proud of, and a six-year-old daughter, Christal, who she describes as “the miracle in my life,” one might say that life could not possibly get any sweeter ...until now.   Cindy and her daughter Christal have found a way to share their love for baking and spending time with one another with the community. As Cindy describes it, “We are spreading joy one cupcake at a time!”   Cindy and Christal recently started a business venture, “Christal’s Cupcakes,” and they have already attracted the attention of The Food Network’s “Cupcake Wars,” to boot! Cindy was getting ready for curriculum night at Diamond Canyon, when she received a call from a Cupcake Wars producer, asking if they would be interested in submitting an audition video for Season Four of the popular program in which cupcake bakers from... More

Writer Amanda Christmann Larson     Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. -Robert Frost   I don’t know what a Shamanic healer is supposed to look like, but Kelley Alexander’s bouncy blond curls, bright eyes and warm, genuine smile are far from what I would have imagined. Her easy manner and gentle laugh showed the inner comfort of someone who has not only done some searching in her life, but has also made peace within her own Self. Her life has always been more about the journey than about the destination, and that journey has led her to some fascinating and enlightening places and personalities. Her transformation from an attorney to an energy practitioner has been both fascinating and inspirational to thousands of people.   It’s hard to pinpoint when Kelley’s searching began. She has never known a time when she hasn’t asked the questions, “Who am I?” and “Why am I here?” For many years, that... More

The mission price includes all transportation within the foreign country, hotels and breakfast, two additional meals per day, and project costs. Hope 4 Kids International can purchase airline tickets at a mission discount rate; therefore we arrange airfare roundtrip from your originating city. Because this trip is tax-deductible, we cannot include the extra cultural events in the price of the mission. These are optional and need to be paid out of pocket. All you have to do is:   • Discover your desire to help • Decide your destination • Fill out the simple paperwork • Make your payments • We take care of everything else for you!... More

Writer Amanda Christmann Larson  When I was young, I thought being strong and being female meant that I had something to prove. It was as if I had been born with a disadvantage, but if I tried hard enough, I could keep up with the boys. I played baseball with the boys on the block, wore blue jeans and boys’ t-shirts well into adolescence, and got knocked down more than once on the playground soccer fields while blocking balls with my head and other “tough” moves. On the softball field, my dad taught me not to throw “like a girl,” and each season started with the inaugural slide. I’d stand on base grinning widely as blood trickled down my shins - my coach grinning back and flashing a thumbs-up sign. I never cried even when I was really hurting, because only girls cried; and I wasn’t going to act like one of those.   I was fortunate to have been born at a time when there were messages of equality everywhere. Girls could do the same things as boys, and the other way... More

Linda Kacmarsky was Frank Kacmarsky’s best friend from the time they married in 1970, to the day she passed away last year from uterine cancer. Actually, they became good friends even before their wedding day when they met at a small advertising agency they worked for in New Brunswick, NJ. Frank won a special place in Linda’s heart when Frank convinced his boss to keep Linda on when an economic downturn and resulting layoffs at the firm put her job in jeopardy!   In 2000, Linda was diagnosed with breast cancer, but was able to beat it. Linda was so grateful for her recovery that she participated in the Avon Three-Day walk in New York City for three consecutive years. When they moved to Anthem in 2003, Linda was determined to travel back to New York to walk again in the breast cancer fundraiser, but Frank noticed that Phoenix was going to have its first breast cancer walk and she wouldn’t have to travel so far.   Although they were new to Anthem – and so was everyone else... More

Writer Amanda Christmann Larson Photographer Janelle Zeller   The thing about time is that everything can change in an instant. One minute, life is going along just fine, but the next moment can carry a blow that catches you by complete surprise and rocks you from your foundation. Most people have moments like this at some point in their lives, but when that blow strikes your child, the grief and pain cut like a scalpel, sharpened by the helplessness of knowing that, for all the child-proof locks installed, small hands held while crossing the street, and careful guidance given along the way, there is no magic story or song to make it better. All people can do is be strong and pray.   But this story is not about grief. It’s about triumph. And it’s about how one little boy’s will to live made a family and a community stronger.   One year ago, Bennet Nordstrom had just turned twelve years old. He’d spent his summer in the usual “boy” ways. He loved tennis, baseball, soccer,... More

The mission price includes all transportation within the foreign country, hotels and breakfast, two additional meals per day, and project costs. Hope 4 Kids International can purchase airline tickets at a mission discount rate; therefore we arrange airfare roundtrip from your originating city. Because this trip is tax-deductible, we cannot include the extra cultural events in the price of the mission. These are optional and need to be paid out of pocket. All you have to do is:   • Discover your desire to help • Decide your destination • Fill out the simple paperwork • Make your payments • We take care of everything else for you!... More

Last month, we featured fourteen-year-old Joe Hudy who, along with his marshmallow cannon invention, intrigued minds and stole hearts at Maker Faire, a techie-type convention held in California last May. Joe is a remarkably talented kid who has Asperger’s Syndrome, a mild form of autism. Throughout his life, he has struggled to make friends and find his place in the world, but thanks to his newfound community of fellow inventors and scientifically-minded peers, he has found a group where, not only does he fit in, he shines.   Since last month, Joe has become a bit of a celebrity. He was featured on CBS 5 KPHO in a “Paying it Forward” segment in which he was able to ‘pay it forward’ to Home Depot employee Jerry Becker, who has shown patience and kindness with Joe and taken the time to help him with his inventions.  http://www.kpho.com/video?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=5966686   Joe’s circle of fans now includes people from as far away as Japan,... More