Posts Tagged ‘family’
YMCA (Nov 11)
Posted by South Mountain Villager on October 27, 2011
Posted in Community, kids, non-profit organization, positive news, SoMo Village, YMCA | Tagged: family, kids, sports | Leave a Comment »
South Mountain YMCA (Aug 11)
Posted by South Mountain Villager on August 8, 2011
Posted in Community, kids, SoMo Village | Tagged: family, kids, South Mountain, sports, YMCA | Leave a Comment »
THE SOUTH MOUNTAIN/LAVEEN FESTIVAL (July 11)
Posted by South Mountain Villager on July 2, 2011
I NEVER HEARD OF THE SOUTH MOUNTAIN/LAVEEN FESTIVAL
By Judy Bradley
The off campus bullies who caused such havoc at South Mountain High School in 1972 probably didn’t care about the terrible newspaper headlines that stained the area’s reputation. But a small group of locals did care and sought to reverse the negative publicity by focusing on why we are thankful to be living south of the Salt River. Thus, the Festival of Thanksgiving was born.
The first year, community leaders staged a two-day event that began with just a few tables set up at South High, promoting positive events and services available to residents and an inter-faith service of Thanksgiving: these activities continue today. This idea of spotlighting the positive aspects of our area quickly grew into a community wide nine-day event. Over the next 40 years, activities have come and gone as the Festival evolved.
Once, ladies over the age of 65 strutted their stuff over the Neighborhood House Stage. Some sang, some twirled rope and some read poetry. But they all had to wear a swimsuit! Youngsters participated in track and field demonstrations and athletic competitions at local schools. Historically, bathtubs rolled down Central Avenue propelled by teams of business and community leaders. Open Houses were often held at schools, churches and community centers.
There have been pancake breakfasts, Easter egg hunts, visits from Santa Claus and turkey shoots. Along the way, the Festival has collected food and toys for the needy and provided safe and fun activities for kids of all ages. For a number of years the Festival in conjunction with Mervyns Department Stores, hosted a back-to- school shopping spree for youngsters.
In 1974 a Parade was added to the mix. Clowns, who were in real life committee members, cavorted down South Central in outfits sewn by local seamstress, Irene Kinsley. Some of he same clowns and costumes can be seen each year on the first Saturday in November. School bands, ROTC units, an occasional float and costumed characters’ (Smokey the Bear and Easter Bunny were once frequent guests (when we could find someone tall enough to wear the costumes) still march along the Parade route.
Festival activities used to be held only in November. We’ve moved beyond that. For the past 23 years the Festival has provided refreshments and decorations for the Naturalization ceremony. On July 4th, about 250 people will become new U.S. citizens at the ceremony at South Mountain Community College. October 20th. to 23rd, continuing a 25-year tradition, the Festival will host a safe and inexpensive Halloween activity at South Mountain Park. Santa comes to our area frequently in December. Join us on December 10th. at the Southern Baptist Church athletic field to see the jolly fellow and enjoy a picnic lunch.
Over the next couple of South Mountain Villager issues we’ll spotlight upcoming Festival events and offer you an opportunity to help us continue a 40-year tradition.
Posted in Community, Events, Good Folks, kids, positive news, SoMo Village, South Mountain Villager, Volunteers | Tagged: Community, Events, family, food, Volunteers | Leave a Comment »
Foster Child (JUNE 11)
Posted by South Mountain Villager on May 30, 2011
Christina
When someone first meets Christina, they are often astounded by her out going and friendly personality. Christina is an intelligent young woman that does remarkably well in school. She is social, makes friends easily and is well liked by others. Christina has the ability to make others feel comfortable. She is kind, considerate, caring and easy to talk to. When she was in 6th grade, Christina won an award and the prize was a trip to Washington D.C. to meet with different members of Congress. She loves school and learning anything new. Christina especially loves working with all kinds of animals and her goal is to become a veterinarian. She is already very knowledgeable about all kinds of animals and their habitats.
Christina is an avid reader with an excellent vocabulary, and on top of this, she writes beautiful, emotionally moving poetry. She has a sharp, keen insight which has truly allowed her to develop her verse into beautiful and lyrical prose.
Christina is also every bit a young teenager. She loves to talk and text on her cell phone, loves current movies and a lot of the pop music on the radio. Christina has been working hard to overcome her challenges and has made a lot of progress the past several months. Having an adoptive family to continue to support her will strengthen her as she continues on her journey into adulthood. Christina is high energy and she likes to be active. She has a quirky sense of humor, and loves to laugh and tease. In the home where Christina is currently living, they are teaching her to cook, which she was surprised to learn, is fun. They are also teaching her personal responsibility. Christina is a strong advocate for herself.
Christina needs a family that will support her educational goals and dreams. Hopefully the family will love to laugh and have fun. She enjoys a wide variety of activities so she is open to trying everything. She also needs a family that loves Taco Bell, her very favorite fast food!
For more information about Christina or any of Arizona’s children in foster care, please care 1-877-KIDS-NEEDU (1-877-543-7633) or visit www.azkidsneedu.gov.
Posted in Community, kids, positive news, South Mountain Villager | Tagged: Arizona's children in foster care, family, kids | Leave a Comment »
American Legion (May 2011)
Posted by South Mountain Villager on April 28, 2011
Posted in Community, South Mountain Villager, Volunteers | Tagged: activities, alcohol free, family, service, smoke free | Leave a Comment »
YMCA Events (April 2011)
Posted by South Mountain Villager on March 23, 2011
Posted in Community, Events, kids, South Mountain Villager, YMCA | Tagged: Events, family, fun | Leave a Comment »
Foster Child (MAR 2011)
Posted by South Mountain Villager on February 23, 2011
Dalisha
Spending time with Dalisha, it quickly becomes apparent that smiling is one of her favorite things to do. Her naturally sunny personality shines through even on an overcast day! Dalisha also enjoys singing in her church choir and reading books (the Twilight series and Little House on the Prairie).
In the sixth grade, Dalisha is on target academically and earns good grades. She says that her favorite class is band where she plays the flute. “I was the fastest one to learn to play the flute, my teacher says,” Dalisha exclaims.
Dalisha likes to dream about what she would like to be when she grows up: “a Veterinarian or a Horse Trainer” she says with a smile, “because I love animals.” A two-week stint at a horse camp confirmed her love for horses. “There was a black horse who bucked everyone off, but he didn’t buck me off,” says Dalisha with a proud grin.
Dalisha’s other favorite pastimes include drawing/sketching and riding her bike. It doesn’t take long for Dalisha to come up with her favorite food: “Tacos!” She also enjoys good pizza, as any 11-year-old would.
When it comes to music, Dalisha has an eclectic set of favorites. She listens to pop music, Michael Jackson, the Christian group DC talk, and flutist Sir James Galway.
Dalisha is open to all types of families. She would like pets and is open to the possibility of older siblings.
For more information on Dalisha or any of Arizona’s children in foster care, please care 1-877-KIDS-NEEDU (1-877-543-7633) or visit www.azkidsneedu.gov.
Posted in South Mountain Villager | Tagged: adoption, family | Leave a Comment »
Lowmans (JAN 2011)
Posted by South Mountain Villager on December 22, 2010
Lowmans Arizona Funeral Home
“Expanding On and Meeting Your Needs”
Greetings fellow Villagers and a Happy New Year to each and every one of you!! We pray that you all had a beautiful and wonderful Holiday Season and are still filled with joy from the “reason for the season” and seeing your family members and friends. For many, like ourselves, the Holidays are a treasured time that we are privileged to spend time with those that we love, and like many of you, it’s not always possible to get everyone at the same place at the same time. Our thoughts and prayers are with those of you that had to spend the Holidays alone, but please know that you are never truly alone as God is with us every moment of every day.
So it’s “out with the old and in with the new”. We are very excited about the additions we have made to the funeral home this year. As of today, we are up and running on our new website that has been a dream of ours for at least 5 years. Bill Lowman, Jr., the newest member to our team, has been working diligently to create our new website, which, we thought, would only need maybe 20 pages. Two hundred and fifty plus pages later, we are now up and running!! Because our “goal” is; “To inform and educate the community of the many options available in the funeral industry”, and our “mission statement” is “To provide the community with quality services and merchandise; treating families with the highest degree of respect because you deserve it”, the pages mounted. There is so much information to properly guide families through the difficult reality of loss, and we truly wanted you to have as much information available at your fingertips as possible. We made every effort to have our website reflect our “Goal” and our “Mission Statement’s” and all of the services that we strive to provide our families with. Naturally, we have more to do, but we believe in our hearts that this “site” provides you with a good start. Our website address is; www.lowmansarizonafuneralhome.com. You can also get to it with: www.lowmansazfuneralhome.com or, I just got onto the site by simply typing in lowmans.
The site spells out almost every service we provide. It’s difficult to put in everything, as every family is different and has needs unique to their circumstances. We are, however, confident that you will get better than a “basic” idea of the services we endeavor to provide for you. There is also a “blog” that will continue to be updated with new information and articles. We are truly aware that nobody wants the need to create a meaningful funeral, but we are conscious of the reality of death and are determined and confident to make every effort towards helping our families through this difficult process, providing you with as much information to make an educated and well thought out decision of your wants and needs at a most difficult time.
Because of so much feedback from our families we serve, we have also expanded our services to provide headstones, or funeral markers, with samples available in our building. We have been able to help many families cut the cost of headstones and markers for their loved ones. We so much appreciate all of you sharing your concerns and needs so that we can continue to learn how to better serve you and meets your need for “fairly priced” headstones, funeral markers and/or memorials, (all terms are used). We feel privileged that so many of you are willing to make your concerns, wishes and needs known to us. “Mental telepathy” has never been one of our strong points, so your consistent communication is not only greatly appreciated but also vital in meeting your concerns.
We believe that God has called us to this industry, (ministry) so it is most imperative to us that we provide these services and take it quite seriously. We realize the integrity that must be kept in place to ensure your wants, needs and desires are never compromised at such a challenging, strenuous and vital time in your lives.
Again, thank you for taking the time to read this article. As always, Bill and Ingried Lowman are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at (602) 276-3601, toll free (877) 276-3601, fax (602) 276-1889, and now at www.lowmansarizonafuneralhome.com.
May God richly bless all of you today, tomorrow and always.
Posted in Community, Lowmans | Tagged: AZ funeral home, family, friends | Leave a Comment »
Winterfest (Dec 10)
Posted by South Mountain Villager on November 21, 2010
WINTERFEST 2010
Praise City Church celebrated 5 years of ministry last month and their vision remains the same as the day of
their very first service back on October 5, 2005: To raise up a congregation that is passionate in worship, growing in faith through discipleship and making a difference in our community with the love of Jesus Christ. It is their mission statement, “Love God, Love People, Love Life” that has powered the continuing outreach efforts of PCC over the last 5 years!
One of their goals was to host a free and safe community event for families each year on October 31st. It was not a fundraiser, and in fact the church built the costs into their budget so admission could be free and anyone could attend. The overwhelming response by the community was amazing and
each year they had to adjust their plans to accommodate the thousands of people in attendance. After hosting their 3rd Harvest Fest and with so many other great ministries and organizations in the area also hosting wonderful events at this time, PCC decided to try something different. 
Pastors Doug & Laurie encouraged the congregation to attend and support the many other Fall Events offered in the community and they moved HarvestFest in Oct to WinterFest in Dec!
2009 was the very first WinterFest and with 6000+ in attendance, it was deemed a huge success by the PCC volunteers and all of the area businesses and organizations that were able to partner with PCC!
“People have often asked why a young church would do something like this on such a large scale for people that aren’t even members. Why? Because…it’s another great opportunity for PCC to serve and love on our community
…and that’s why we’re here!” –Pastor Doug
So – Make plans now to attend WinterFest on Sat. Dec 4 from 5-8pm at The Home Depot Plaza at 51st Ave & Baseline.! It’s a great place to connect with the community and for parents to hang out with the kids!
Posted in Community, Events, kids, non-profit organization, positive news, SoMo Village, Volunteers | Tagged: Community, Events, family, Praise City Church, Winterfest | Leave a Comment »
Foster Child (Oct 10)
Posted by South Mountain Villager on September 28, 2010
Madelyn is an energetic 10-year old happy and active child with a smile that can light up the room. She is extremely smart, does well in 
school and made the honor roll the entire year. She is very creative and she likes to draw, paint and make arts and rafts for others.
A born entertainer, Madelyn loves to sing and dance along with High School Musical and Camp Rock. She enjoys playing with dolls and Disney Princess card games.
Madelyn has a lot of love to give, but her family may need to be patient. It may take some time before she is able to return their love.
She will do best in a family with no other children or pets in the home and parents who are committed to supporting and encouraging Madelyn to continue reaching her full potential.
She has no contact with relatives and is open to moving to a different state; however, an extended transition will be necessary for her therapeutic services.
For those folks that have been asking if our Foster Child articles have made a difference here is the breakdown of the ones we have featured in the Villager since we began. As you review the information below, please keep in mind that sometimes children are placed in a home that anticipates adopting them, but circumstances may change — especially with teens. When those changes occur, they may need to renew their recruitment efforts.
Children who have found homes include:
Arrow
Lawrence
Elijah (from March 09)
Darryl
Vincent
Children who are still actively seeking homes include:
Ethan
Kerstyn
Angel
Zachary
Elijah (from Feb. 2010)
Raymond
Sage, Jasper, Jasmine and Anthony
Sometimes situations occur that cause the agency to temporarily stop recruiting a home for a child while they re-evaluate the needs of the child. Such is the case with Thomas and Teresa.
With regard to several children that have been featured in the South Mountain Villager, that we were unable to verify the placement status with the case manager for are:
Mabel, Andrew, Pamela and Kenneth.
For more information on any of Arizona’s waiting children, please call 1-877-KidsNeedU (1-877-543-7633) or visit www.azkidsneedu.gov.
Posted in Community, kids, positive news | Tagged: family, happy home, kids, parents | Leave a Comment »
Foster Child (Aug 2010)
Posted by South Mountain Villager on July 24, 2010
Foster Child for August
If Vincent could have any superpower he would like to fly — “because I think it would be fun,” he says. Ten-year old Vincent still enjoys thinking of make-believe powers he could have, but balances it well with a keen intellect. Vincent is academically above average and has a great memory for facts and figures. “Neither Math nor English are difficult” as far as school subjects go, he says, adding that math is his favorite subject. When he grows up, Vincent would like to be dentist, because, I think it would be good to teach kids,” he says. Vincent is proud of his height. “I’m 4 foot-11-inches. I’m the tallest 4th grader in my class,” he says, even if he hasn’t quite mastered the ability to fly. At the moment, Vincent is looking for a loving family to give him the love and attention he needs to help him soar with his superpower and give him a home that can be his castle. He would like a Mom and Dad who like to go camping and hiking. He doesn’t mind having older brothers and sisters and a dog, but only if it is “a cute one,” he says. For more information on Vincent or any of Arizona’s waiting children, please call 1-877-KidsNeedU (1-877-543-7633) or visit www.azkidsneedu.gov.
Posted in kids, positive news, South Mountain Villager | Tagged: family, Foster Child | Leave a Comment »
Foster Children (July 2010)
Posted by South Mountain Villager on June 30, 2010
Foster Children
Eve is a very shy and reserved 9- year old. She enjoys playing beauty parlor and has a very active imagination. She also enjoys drawing and making and wearing jewelry.
Eve loves to ride her bike and likes to wear make up — when she is allowed. She likes going to school but only recently gained motivation to complete her school and home work. Eve’s favorite restaurant is Panda Express. She also enjoys tacos and spaghetti.
Job just turned 7 and is a very active and talkative boy. He enjoys climbing, riding bikes, and can be a dare devil! Job is a great helper who likes raking the lawn or picking up the yard. He is rather competitive and could do well in sports as he gets older. He loves all kinds of food, but says his favorite is enchiladas. He does well at school, but can have a difficult time focusing.
Both Eve and Job are Catholic and enjoy learning more about their faith by going to catechism on the weekends. Job and Eve want to stay together. They need a two parent home with structure and consistency.
For more information on Raymond or any or any of Arizona’s children in need of adoptive families, please call: 877-KIDS-NEED-U (877-543-7633) or visit our website www.azkidsneedu.gov.
Posted in kids, positive news | Tagged: family, foster children | Leave a Comment »
Operation Big Serve
Posted by South Mountain Villager on June 21, 2010
“Operation Big Serve”
by Jennifer Douse
Christlike Life Church is honoring our military service men and women with a free fun-filled community event on July 3rd, 2010 from 10am to 2pm. The event will be held at 5625 S. 51st Avenue in Laveen, AZ, a great opportunity for the entire family to get involved and show appreciation for those who protect and serve our country.
This event will be full of fun for the entire family. With water games, icy treats, dance performances and live entertainment there’s something for everyone. Special guests and sponsors will help make this an amazing event. The American Legion Post 5 and VFW Post 8015 have teamed up with Christlike Life Church to provide entertainment from their motorcycle veterans along with the ROTC and Color Guard. Bob’s Lock and Cycle will provide free food for all attendees. Christlike Life Church will provide supplies and postage for families to make and send cards along with a “wall of honor” photo display of our service men and women. They will also host a special time of prayer for those away from home. Christlike Life Church has adopted Sgt. Jason Chaplin’s unit in Afghanistan, which they are taking donations of snack items, IV solution, baby wipes and coffee to send to these service men.
“We as a church in Laveen, AZ are proud of our efforts. Being a new church meeting less than six months we are making every effort to get to know the community around us. In events such as Operation Big Serve we would like to be a blessing to the city and the community around us here in Laveen”, says Pastor Sam King. “As senior pastor of this great church I am especially happy to reach out to the families and people of God and those who don’t know Christ. It is with great honor that we offer Operation Big Serve.”
“We really want to make this a special time of honor and remembrance for all the men and women who serve and protect our country as well as support the families they’ve left behind.” says Catherine Karmolinski who is organizing this event. “Come join us and be a part of something good.”
Please bring your donations to the event. To learn more about Christlike Life Church and see other upcoming events please visit www.christlikelifechurch.com. Sponsor information VFW Post 8015 5019 S. 2nd St, Phoenix, AZ 85040, American Legion Post 5 3927 W. Southern Ave. Phoenix, AZ, 85041, Bob’s Lock and Cycle 5621 S. Central Ave. Phoenix, AZ 85040.
Posted in Community, Events, kids, Laveen, non-profit organization, positive news, Take pride in the South Side, Volunteers | Tagged: community event, family, Operation Big Serve | Leave a Comment »
South Mountain Splash Fund Raiser (July 2010)
Posted by South Mountain Villager on June 19, 2010
South Mountain Splash Fund Raiser
Southern Baptist Temple Church
6520 South Central Avenue
Saturday July 10th 2010 8 AM to 3 PM
Beat the heat and cool off with many water themed games and much more.
Water Ball launching, trebuchet, make giant bubbles, ring toss, water games, cake walk with more than cake. Gator Gulp game, 18 foot slip and slide, food and drinks
To benefit the Hacienda de Los Angeles Care Center for Handicapped Children and Adults
Also Southern Baptist Temple Children’s Programs.
Swim suits optional, sandals recommended
Fun and games for the whole family
For details visit www.3john4kids.org or phone Larry 602-575-1521
Posted in Events, kids, positive news, SoMo Village | Tagged: cake walk, drinks, family, food, games, water | Leave a Comment »
Ask Grandpa (April 2010)
Posted by South Mountain Villager on March 17, 2010
Ask Grandpa
What kind of jobs did kids do when you were young? Manny N.
Most of my friends did chores around their own homes such as lawn work, irrigating and caring for animals and things like that. You’re 
probably asking me what kind of jobs we got paid for though. Well, we got paid pretty fairly for those chores when you consider the food, clothing, housing, schooling and appreciation we received, but, I know, that’s not the question.
My first paying jobs were as a paper boy and door to door doughnut salesman. I built the paper route up so big that the newspaper wanted me to split it up into three routes. I thought it was a dirty trick so I quit. I carried those baskets of doughnuts around for a couple of hours and then would find a shady spot near a irrigation ditch where I could hang my feet in the water and eat whatever I had earned in doughnuts. I realized that my road to success was not paved with doughnuts. One summer we worked on a construction crew building a road and bridges at Clear Creek, Arizona. My buddy’s dad was a “powder monkey” (dynamite expert) and he taught us how to drill holes and pack blasting powder in them. It was hard work but a lot of fun and some of the experience came in handy later in life. In seventh grade I got a job at Tovereas Stockyards and at dinner I proudly told my folks. Dad ask me which Toverea had hired me, I told him and he reached over and looked in my mouth. Mom said “What are you doing Joe?” Dad said “I just wanted to see if the boy still had any gold left in his teeth.”
My favorite job as a youngster was on the Babacomari Ranch in Elgin, Arizona. The ranch was a 37,000 acre Spanish Land Grant owned by my Dads’ friend Mr. Frank Brophy (Brophy Prep). I think they sent me down there so I’d stay out of trouble in Phoenix. Mr. Brophy was one of the most sophisticated men I’ve ever met but he enjoyed spending time with the kids and cowboys too. If I have the story right, he and Mr. Lewis Douglas (Douglas Arizona) had something to do with the Copper Queen Mine and started the Bank of Douglas-(Arizona Bank)-now Bank of America. Mr. Douglas liked to take rides in the hills and my job was to go along and keep him company in case he needed something. He was pretty old and wore a patch on his eye. He had a million stories about the old days and lots of advice for youngsters. I loved every minute of our rides except for one thing: He could clomp along for hours and I would get worn out trying to keep my horse from running. She was half race horse and didn’t like to stay put. Adults always told us not to do this or that because we could “poke our eye out”. I sort of wished I did poke an eye out so I could wear a patch like Mr. Douglas. Out of space again, I’ll finish next month. For now, I’m going to buy a doughnut and find a shady ditch.
GP.
Posted in Ask Grandpa | Tagged: family, kids | Leave a Comment »
