Since February 2005, Jo Van Loo of Phoenix has been a familiar face to those passing through Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Several times a week, she volunteers her time as an Airport Navigator answering questions and providing directions to those visiting the state. She is one of more than 400 Navigators who give their time to welcome over 100,000 travelers to Arizona every day. The Navigators’ smiles and helpful attitudes are often the first encounters visitors have with the state.

Jo enjoys being a volunteer because she loves helping people. She also volunteers with other organizations in the Valley of the Sun including the Musical Instrument Museum and Reap What You Sew, which makes quilts for charity. Several times a year, Jo also volunteers in Nicaragua to teach residents there how to sew.

For more information on the Navigator volunteer program, visit http://skyharbor.com/volunteer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rb9YCVJUEHY&feature=youtu.be

This October, you might notice a bit more color while walking through the streets of Phoenix or Glendale. Both cities are decorating in pink and purple colors to commemorate good causes.

Downtown Phoenix is turning purple to bring awareness to Domestic Violence Month. City landmarks and buildings like Tovrea Castle, Phoenix City Hall and Phoenix Convention Center will be lit up purple for the month of October. Additionally, a section of First Street will be painted purple, while garbage trucks and fleet vehicles will be outfitted with posters and magnets displaying information about domestic violence. A “purple flash mob” was filmed in Phoenix Cityscape and Phoenix City officials have filmed PSAs about the importance of detection and prevention of Domestic Violence.

The City of Phoenix is committed to becoming a national leader in preventing and responding to domestic violence. It is one of the most widespread and dangerous health and safety challenges facing our community today.

“I hope this display of purple during October serves as a reminder that stopping domestic violence is a priority for our community,” said Mayor Greg Stanton.  “We must be vigilant about maintaining the effort year-round by continuing to invest real resources to fight domestic violence, including better training for police officers allowing them to detect signs of abuse when responding to calls.”

Meanwhile, in downtown Glendale, merchants are painting the city pink to show support for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Downtown Glendale businesses are decorating storefronts in the signature pink breast cancer color. In addition, select businesses will be offering special discounts, merchandise and menu items to benefit Susan G. Komen Central and Northern Arizona (Komen CAN AZ) and other local breast cancer programs.

Glendale residents and visitors will have the chance to participate in the showing of support by voting for their favorite pink business. Community members are asked to vote for their favorite shop by leaving a dollar donation collection jars that benefit Komen CAN AZ.

Downtown Glendale merchants will also show their support for the 21^st Annual Susan G. Komen Phoenix Race for the Cure®, taking place in Phoenix on Sunday, Oct. 13, by displaying event posters and brochures and by joining the Glendale Goes Pink team.

Avondale Police Officer Justin Iwen recently became the 2013 Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Officer of the Year.

Officer Iwen received the award at MADD’s annual event, which recognizes the commitment made by individuals to help make Arizona’s streets safer, by stepping up impaired driving enforcement and continuing the public’s education on the hazards of drinking and driving.

He was bestowed this honor because of his commitment to recognizing the importance of driver’s safety by detecting and removing impaired drivers from the streets of Avondale. Officer Iwen has participated in almost all the West Valley DUI Task Forces, and is always willing to offer his assistance with DUI investigations or accidents. Iwen also received a MADD DUI Enforcement Award for his enforcement efforts in Fiscal Year 2012/2013, conducting over 600 traffic stops, issuing over 240 citations and arresting over 50 individuals, all who were under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Lieutenant Albert Bates, who supervises Avondale’s Traffic Division stated, “Officer Iwen has displayed a tremendous commitment to the safety of drivers. There is no doubt his enforcement efforts have made our streets safer.”

Officer Justin Iwen is a member of the Traffic Division for Avondale, and has been “Serving with Honor” for the Avondale Police Department since 2008.

Lieutenant Albert Bates, who supervises Avondale’s Traffic Division stated, “Officer Iwen has displayed a tremendous commitment to the safety of drivers. There is no doubt his enforcement efforts have made our streets safer.”

Officer Justin Iwen is a member of the Traffic Division for Avondale, and has been ‘Serving with Honor” for the Avondale Police Department since 2008.

The mission of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is to “stop drunk driving, support the victims of this violent crime and prevent underage drinking.” MADD is the nation’s largest nonprofit working to protect families from drunk driving and underage drinking.

Chandler’s year-long Centennial Celebration received one of the highest honors achievable for government communicators, the Savvy award, from the City-County Communications and Marketing Association (3CMA). The Centennial Celebration was selected as the outstanding one-time special event among communities with a population of more than 200,000.

The Savvy awards salute skilled and effective municipal and county communication professionals who have successfully demonstrated creativity, innovation and fiscal stewardship. The entries are judged by local government professionals and persons from the professional, consulting and academic communities who are highly knowledgeable in marketing and communications.

Chandler began planning for its 100th birthday more than seven years in advance, and formed a Centennial Steering Committee in 2009 to create a special community celebration. The committee included representatives from a broad cross section of the community, including Chandler schools, non-profit agencies, faith-based organizations, service clubs, businesses, Chandler Historical Society and the Chandler Museum. Much of the centennial effort was spearheaded by the City’s Communications & Public Affairs Department (CAPA), Museum Division, and Special Events staff.

The City of Glendale also received recognition for various city events held throughout the year. Their team received five awards from the festival industry’s top professional organization, the International Festival and Events Association, for excellence in event production.

Glendale took home several awards for the annual Glitter and Glow Block Party, including the best full-length TV program and best commemorative pin and best event photo. They also received awards for the annual Glendale Chocolate Affair.

Congratulations to the City of Mesa Parks and Recreation!

Mesa received a $20,000 grant through the Let’s Play, City Construction sponsored by Dr. Pepper Snapple Group (DPS) and KaBOOM!  The grant money will go towards improvements for a new playground at Porter Park, 420 E. 8th St. between Mesa Dr. and Brown Road.
Mesa applied for 2013 Playful City USA recognition and also submitted a Let’s Play grant application to the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group and KaBOOM!. Mesa was selected to receive a Let’s Play City Construction Grant among the 217 communities that earned Playful City USA status in 2013.

“We are delighted to have been chosen as one of the 217 cities in the nation to receive this grant,” Mesa Parks, Recreation and Commercial Facilities Director, Marc Heirshberg said.  “As our parks age, there is a need to improve the amenities and update the existing play structures.  Through this grant we’re able to speed up this process and take care of the parks that are more mature.”

This will be the third park build for Mesa with KaBOOM!  In 2009, Mesa was awarded $230,680 to build two playgrounds, one at Park of the Canals and one at Beverly Park.

“KaBOOM! and Mesa have an important partnership to improve parks with generous grants and motivated volunteers,” District 1 Councilmember David Richins said.  “I am excited to see improvements at Porter Park to serve another of Mesa’s great neighborhoods. I know neighbors and local businesses will roll up their sleeves and work side by side, like we did on build day for the Park of the Canals, to remake Porter Park as a great place to play! Thank you KaBOOM!”

Playful City USA is a national program advocating for local policies that increase play opportunities for children. KaBOOM! created Playful City USA in 2007 to help local governments address the play deficit among children and it is through mayors, city council members, parks and recreation departments, school districts and community leaders that the program succeeds in benefiting children.

For more information about the public meeting, dates and times, visit: http://www.mesaaz.gov/roads/PublicMeetings.aspx or to learn more about Mesa’s parks visit: www.mesaaz.gov/parksrec.

The City of Avondale was recognized by the Center for Digital Government with a Digital Government Achievement Award Honorable Mention at an event on Friday, Sept. 13, in San Francisco, CA.

Avondale’s Angel Voice solution is being honored for improving government-to-citizen engagement.  The city service assists area residents calling in to register for financial assistance under grant programs, sends utilities disconnection calls so customers can prevent utilities turn-offs, and auto-notifies sanitation customers when holidays change their trash pickup days.  The city detailed significant time and customer service improvements produced.

In its 18th year, the Digital Government Achievement Awards recognize city, county and state governments for outstanding innovation, functionality, productivity and performance for websites and applications.  “As technology continues to evolve, governments are finding innovative ways of utilizing new technologies to transform operations and engage with citizens,” said Todd Sander, executive director of the Center for Digital Government. “This year’s winners have demonstrated the ability to adapt to the changing technology landscape, while creating first-class public and business services.”  The Center presented 57 awards in 10 categories this year.

Avondale has been on the ranking as a Digital City Survey Winner since 2011, reflecting the city’s commitment to be a contender among the nation’s most tech-savvy cities.

View the full story from the City of Avondale

On Saturday, August 28, 2013, five members of the Cottonwood Fire Department, Lieutenant Jeff Boyd, Engineer Jeremy Doerksen, Firefighters Kerrie Hawthorne, Joe Odell and Nick Garcia, built a wheelchair ramp for a local Korean War Veteran. These Cottonwood Fire Department personnel had responded to an emergency medical call at the veteran’s residence a few days before and had discovered that U.S Army veteran and retired law enforcement officer Wilber Quick was confined to a wheelchair but did not have a ramp to make the residence wheelchair accessible. Boyd, Doerksen, Hawthorne, Odell and Garcia decided they would like show Mr. Quick their appreciation for his years of military and law enforcement service and decided to build him a wheelchair ramp. They contacted the Cottonwood Home Depot store and explained the situation to a manager there. Home Depot agreed to donate the materials needed to construct a wheelchair ramp. Doerksen, Hawthorne and Garcia returned to Mr. Quick’s residence on a day they were off-duty and constructed the ramp.
Boyd, Doerksen, Hawthorne, Odell and Garcia’s shift supervisor, Captain Troy Hoke stated “this action displays a caring heart for the community and represents what paying it forward is truly about.”

Fire Chief Mike Kuykendall added “I am proud that our personnel had the initiative and compassion to take on this project and to represent the Cottonwood Fire Department in such a positive way.”

If someone moustache you this question: Who holds the Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of people wearing false moustaches? The answer now can be proclaimed: The City of Goodyear.

Yes, it’s official. Goodyear Ballpark staff received the news from London-based Guinness World Records on August 22 that the city set the record during its Star Spangled 4th event at Goodyear Ballpark on July 4.

And Goodyear now holds the record by more than a few hairs: There were 1,957 participants who helped set the Guinness World Record for “Largest Gathering of People Wearing False Moustaches.” The previous record was 1,532 people wearing false moustaches at Gilda’s LaughFest in Grand Rapids, Michigan in March, 2013. The record attempt of the largest gathering wearing false moustaches has remained popular throughout the year, but Goodyear covets the official record for now.

“We wanted to do something that involved a large group of people to get the crowd involved,” said Debbie Diveney, Supervisor of Business Operations for Goodyear Ballpark, “Moustaches are becoming very trendy right now, and we thought having people wear them would be a fun thing to do. We felt pretty confident that we could set the record, and we did it. We were hoping to double the number of people who set the previous record, but we did pretty well.”

Participants in Goodyear were given moustaches made of synthetic hair as they entered the Moustache Zone, located in the seating area behind home plate during the 4th of July festivities. In order to officially set the record, participants had to remain in this area during the entire attempt, and keep their moustaches on for a period of five minutes. The crowd was engaged in the zone, participating in the wave and dancing to songs including Macho Man and Y.M.C.A. while members of the crowd could be seen on the scoreboard’s video screen wearing their moustaches.
Video and photographic documentation, along with steward and witness statements were submitted to Guinness World Records Headquarters in London, England to verify the record attempt was done within Guinness’ guidelines. It took approximately three and a half weeks for Guinness to make an official determination of whether or not the attempt was successful.

Participants may purchase a Certificate of Participation from the Guinness World Records store online to commemorate the event and have a piece of proof that they were part of a record-setting event.

Planning for the 2014 Star Spangled 4th has already begun.

By Eric Faulhaber, Visual Arts Coordinator, City of Chandler

Eye-catching artwork has decorated Downtown Chandler for the last few months, turning empty buildings into public art for all to enjoy.  The city of Chandler and the Chandler Arts Commission joined seven other valley cities and participating in IN FLUX Cycle 3, a public art initiative.  IN FLUX is an innovative multi-city initiative demonstrating a holistic approach to temporary public art projects through a showcase of installations by local artists.

The three Arizona artists chosen by the Chandler Arts Commission for the temporary installations were; Ann Morton, textile artist, Craig Randich, sculptor and Denise Yaghmourian, mixed media artist.

This project was designed to invigorate vacant spaces, and they’ve certainly created interest and activity in three vacant spaces downtown.  With the economic recovery, Chandler doesn’t have as many vacant spaces, but with the success of the current project, the city is still planning to participate in the IN FLUX Cycle 4, to be installed in December.   Artists will call on their natural creativity to display their work in open spaces or even public property.

These dynamic projects offer new perspective on the connections between community organizations, local businesses, artists, and audiences, and the next round of artistic installations, will do just that.

The call to artists will be released on August 23. For more details or information about the series of installations, visit www.influxaz.com, or call the Chandler Arts Commission Visual Arts staff at 480-782-2696.