Inside Glendale - Mid-October 2025

HERE IS A MESSAGE FROM OUR CITY MANAGER KEVIN PHELPS

ON YOUR CITY CALENDAR LEARN TO REFRAME THINKING Do you ever get caught in emotional patterns, including constant worry, overwhelm or snapping under pressure?

You might be stuck in an unconscious loop, but help is available! Enroll in the WellStyles Wellness Window: The Truth Cycle: Why You Feel Stuck – and How to Break Free webinar from 4 to 5 p.m. on Oct. 22. In this Zoom session, Dr. Karthik Ramanan will teach his “truth cycle” framework and how it impacts conscious and unconscious actions. Participants will learn how internalized “truths” shape emotional responses to stress and gain practical strategies for recognizing, challenging and shifting beliefs.

Visit this link to register for this webinar.

CRAFT COSTUMES FOR FUN PARTY Have you found a Halloween costume? This spirited occasion is just days away and our Glendale Employee Engagement Committee (GEEC) will host its annual Halloween party from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Oct. 30 in the Main Library Auditorium.

Use your imagination to craft creepy, kooky and cute costumes! Prizes will be given for the best individual costume, best group/team costumes, fan-favorite costume and best pumpkin. Employees who want to show off their cool pumpkin creations may decorate them with markers, paint and other supplies, but should not carve them.

Employees who want to enter the competitions need to arrive by 11:45 a.m.

A treat will be given to all guys and ghouls who come to the party.

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MORE EMPLOYEE EVENTS REGISTER FOR HEALTH SCREENINGS The “Know Your Numbers” Health Screenings & Flu Shots Onsite are continuing through Nov. 6.

You will find out your blood pressure, along with HDL and LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, blood sugar, height, weight and waist circumference during the FREE health screenings. As an added bonus, you will earn 10,000 points for the WellStyles program, towards your annual incentive. Appointments are required for the health screenings and can be scheduled here.

You do not need to make appointments for the flu shots.

Employees who have the city’s Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona insurance plan should bring their insurance card with them. To learn more about the screenings and flu shots, visit this Annual Incentive webpage.

JOIN TEAM TO BOOST HEART HEALTH The weather is cooling off, making it ideal for taking a walk outside. Join Team City of Glendale for the West Valley Heart Walk at 10 a.m. on Nov. 15 at the Goodyear Civic Square at 1900 N. Civic Square. The event opens at 9 a.m.

This American Heart Association signature event has added a West Valley walk. It’s a FREE, family-friendly event with threemile and one-mile options encouraging people to take steps towards a heart-healthy lifestyle.

Fundraising is optional and there is no registration fee. Money raised for the walk will pay for research to help doctors better prevent and treat heart disease among patients. It also will allow for groundbreaking pediatric heart and stroke research that is key to saving babies’ lives.

To learn more or register for the walk, visit the West Valley Heart Walk website. Or email wellness@glendaleaz.com

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MORE WAYS FOR ENGAGE MORE WAYS TOEMPLOYEES ENGAGE IN TO GLENDALE CELEBRATE GIS DAY Gear up for an exciting day of information sharing!

Our city will celebrate International GIS Day from noon to 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 19 in the Main Library Auditorium.

GIS Center of Excellence is marking the occasion with presentations that will reveal how to use GIS to make better decisions and improve efficiency.

Employees in the Transportation, Fire, Police, Innovation and Technology, Code Enforcement, Parks and Recreation and other departments will provide valuable information.

Lunch will be served. Anyone interested in attending should register through NEOGOV.

EXPRESS YOURSELF WITH ART More fun opportunities will become available for you to express yourself creatively and unwind with your colleagues after work.

Our Arts and Culture Department and West Valley Arts Council will provide more watercolor and sculpture classes from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 19 at the Civic Center. This comes after successful classes in these art forms at the Foothills Recreation and Aquatics Center last month. For the Nov. 19 classes, city employees can bring their family members to participate.

The watercolor class is limited to 50 attendees.

There is a limit of 40 people for the sculpture class.

To register, visit https://glendaleazarts.submittable.com/submit.

Reach out to Christpher Taylor, our Arts and Culture Administrator in the Office of Arts and Culture, at ctaylor1@GLENDALEAZ.com.

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GREAT NEWS IN GLENDALE LEADER HONORED FOR DATA USE Jenny Durda, our Director of Organizational Performance, and her team are receiving recognition for using data to enhance our city services.

Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities program has named Jenny as a Data Champion. She is one of 11 city leaders around the world given this distinction for being curious, collaborative, humble and committed to the power of data to transform the communities they service. These city employees are often the unsung heroes who are weaving data into the fabric of their city halls. They have diverse backgrounds with experts in technology, energy, geography and other fields.

Earlier this year, Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities marked a milestone of having more than 100 Certified cities. What started as a group of city employees around the country has turned into an international movement of leaders that are inspired by data. Jenny is pictured to the left on a tour with What Works Cities officials and participating cities’ leaders earlier this year. Learn more about the honors on the Bloomberg Philanthropies website.

Congratulations to Jenny and her team!

SUCCESS FACTORS WINNERS REVEALED Congratulations to the 2025 Success Factors Excellence Award Winners! They will be honored at the Success Factors Awards Ceremony, an invitation-only event, on Oct. 22.

The Success Factors our city focuses on are: Commitment to Service Excellence, Continuous Learning & Development, Effective Communication, Innovation, Personal Accountability & Integrity, Teambuilding & Collaborative Relationships, Leadership and Organizational Awareness. Check out the video our videographers in the Communications Department made recognizing the winners and employees who received Honorable Mentions.

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MORE EXCELLING EMPLOYEES IN GLENDALE PARKS AND REC PLAYS TO WIN AT CONFERENCE Several of our Parks and Recreation Department employees had an impactful experience at the National Recreation and Parks Association 2025 Conference in Orlando, Florida.

Arizona saw 175 Parks and Recreation professionals from all corners of the state attend this event. The vendor hall, educational sessions and the connections our employees made with other parks professionals were invaluable.

EXPLORE CITY’S SUCCESS IN PODCAST Check out Game On! Glendale AZ, the city’s official podcast where our city dives into the culture of our community.

Hosted by our Emmy Award-winning Communications Department, you’ll hear interviews with Glendale’s MVPs. They break down the city’s winning strategies, highlight the events that keep us in the big leagues and showcase Glendale’s allstar amenities. Whether you’re a longtime employee, rookie to the city or somewhere in between, get ready to join the huddle and discover what makes Glendale a champion city.

Enjoy the podcast to the left.

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CONNECTING WITH THE COMMUNITY REC ON WHEELS RETURNS FOR FALL Did you know a fun, FREE program is available for children to play sports and other games while they socialize with their peers after classes? Our Parks and Recreation Department recently rolled out the REC on Wheels program for the season.

This program kicked off for this fall at Sunset Park on Oct. 14. It will entertain kids from 3 to 5 p.m. today (Oct. 16) at Chapparal Park from 3 to 5 p.m. and on Oct. 20 at Cholla Park from 3 to 5 p.m. During this outdoor program, our Parks and Recreation Department employees bring LEGO tables, flag football gear, baseball bases, basketballs, soccer nets, as well as chess and cornhole sets, along with other playful equipment, to parks. Our city’s main goal for the program is to inspire children to play to boost their health and wellness through physical activities that also engage their minds.

Children may walk to the parks after school, or their parents may drop them off and/or pick them up at the REC on Wheels site. Kids may play and leave whenever they like, but parents need to stay at the site with their kids if their little ones are ages 5 and younger. Learn more about REC on Wheels dates, times and locations on this Parks and Recreation Department webpage.

GAIN RESOURCES ON DEMENTIA Our Community Services Department will hold the 4th Annual Dementia Friendly Glendale Awareness Day from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Oct. 18 at the Glendale Elementary School District System of Care Center at 7677 W. Bethany Home Road.

The city has been designated as a Dementia Friendly City for the last four years. To celebrate the fourth year, there will be a FREE community resource fair with speakers to raise awareness about dementia and share ways to keep brains healthy.

Learn more about the Dementia Friendly Glendale work here.

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MORE WAYS TO GET OUT AND ABOUT DISPOSE OF UNWANTED MEDICATIONS Remember that our Police Department, in collaboration with Fry’s Pharmacy and the Drug Enforcement Administration, will hold the DEA Drug Take Back event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Oct. 25 in the front parking lot of the Glendale Adult Center.

Anyone may bring controlled, non-controlled and over-the-counter pills, tablets and capsules only. Sharps will not be accepted. Glass containers, inhalers, creams, intravenous solutions and injectables will not be taken, either, due to potential hazards.

Learn more on this Police Department webpage.

ENJOY ‘BOO-TI-FUL’ CRAFTS AT LIBRARY Enjoy crafty, spooky fun during the Boo Bash! This scary cool event will bring games and craft projects to the Foothills Library from 4 to 5 p.m. on Oct. 27.

Come dressed in a Halloween costume and bring your whole family for the festivities. Learn more about this spirited gathering and other Halloween events in our libraries on this webpage.

HONOR VETERANS DURING HIKE Grab your hiking boots and get ready for our city’s Veterans Day Hike/Walk from 9 to 11 a.m. on Nov. 8 at Thunderbird Conservation Park. This is a great way to honor the brave women and men who have served our country in the armed forces.

Wear comfortable shoes and bring water. Register for this hike on the Parks and Recreation Department webpage.

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