Latino Perspectives Digital September 2013

9 years in publication LATINOPM.COM

SEPTEMBER 2013

ARIZONA EDITION

“C hapito ”

Chavarria Bygone elegance recaptured

My perspective: Valle del Sol’s integrated health care approach

Time out: Costume drama

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For example, this means if necessary, the Department must provide sign language interpreters for people who are deaf, a wheelchair accessible location, or enlarged print materials. It also means that the Department will take any other reasonable action that allows you to take part in and understand a program or activity, including making reasonable changes to an activity. If you believe that you will not be able to understand or take part in a program or activity because of your disability, please let us know of your disability needs in advance if at all possible. To request this document in alternative format or for further information about this policy, contact 602-5424446; TTY/TDD Services: 7-1-1. • Free language assistance for DES services is available upon request.

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Journal of the American Latino Dream

Volume 10

{September 2013}

Issue 1

20

46

Local music legend

Character building

Rafael “Chapito” Chavarria and his orchestra defined an era

7

From the publisher Heritage is timeless

Valley residents outfit themselves as others for fun and profit

19 Rincón del arte Local comic book artist, J. Gonzo, gives

41 Those who serve

Victims and survivors of Yarnell Hill Fire still focus of concern for stricken community

traditional iconography a modern twist

8

¿Será posible?

A magic carpet ride is no longer a fantasy

12 LP journal Passage of HB2305 generates strong reaction from Libertarians and Democrats; new loan program aims to grow business in rural areas

14 D-Backs Vibe announce co-mascots; engaging

volume of prints celebrates sones jarochos; Tetra String Quartet aims to popularize chamber music; PAM photo auction going ... going ...

15 The Anaya says formalities of matrimony still have value 17 Latina still standing

Positive thinking yields another success story

On the cover:

Drawing of Chapito by Gary Drysdale, 1985.

27 Movin’ up 43 Education Seventh Annual 40 Hispanic Leaders Under 40 Kids get to be legislators with free on-line named; recipients of the 23rd Annual Profiles of Success Hispanic Leadership Awards; and members of the 35th class of the Valley Leadership Institute announced

31 Entrepreneur FitFoods founder, Mario Mendias, says nutrition is the key to reaching fitness goals

33 Briefcase Ambivalent usage trends for Spanish-language TV programming; four-week summer program pairs STEM students with mentors; California plan enables low- and moderate-wage workers to save for retirement; what newly-minted MBAs think they’ll earn

game; WordGirl adventure cartoon promotes vocabulary expansion; D-Backs/U of Phoenix offering grants to schools; graphology – what your handwriting says about you; free readinglevel screenings at Burton Barr Public Library

49 P.S. The “inside” story: Where the real danger to yourself resides

50 My perspective ... on Valle del Sol’s Mi Salud clinics: An integrated approach that strives for total wellness – in mind, body and spirit

Coming in October:

Breast

cancer awareness

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¡ September 2013!

Latino Perspectives Magazine

5

th i Ann

ion

ve rsary t Celebra

September 6, 2013 Presented by

A party you don’t want to miss.

Right after Valle del Sol’s Profiles of Success Live music, appetizers and great company Join us and sign up for a chance to win an iPad courtesy of American Family Insurance and other great prizes

ALAC (Arizona Latino Arts & Cultural Center) 147 East Adams St., Phoenix From 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

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¡! Publisher’s letter

September 2013 Publisher/CEO Ricardo Torres Executive Editor/COO Cecilia Rosales, Ph.D. Art Director Jorge Quintero Editor Virginia Betz Contributing Writers Catherine Anaya, Diana Bejarano, Virginia Betz, Erica Cardenas, Ruben Hernandez, Jonathan Higuera, Paige Martínez, Robrt L. Pela, Stella Pope Duarte, Kurt R. Sheppard Director of Sales and Marketing Carlos Jose Cuervo Advertising Account Executives Grace Alvarez Webmaster QBCS Inc.

Contact Us

www.latinopm.com P.O. Box 2213 Litchfield Park, AZ 85340 602-277-0130 Advertising: sales@latinopm.com Editorial: editor@latinopm.com Design: art@latinopm.com

Subscriptions

For home or office delivery, please send your name, address, phone number, and a check for $24 to Latino Perspectives Magazine at the address above. Subscriptions also available for credit-card purchase by calling 602-277-0130. Visit latinopm.com/digital for a free digital subscription.

Latino Perspectives Magazine is published 12 times a year and is selectively distributed throughout Arizona. The entire contents of this publication are copyrighted by Latino Perspectives Media, LLC, all rights reserved, and may not be reproduced in any manner, in whole or in part, without written permission from the publisher.

Don’t look back – the future is now HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH BEGINS SEPTEMBER 15 AND LASTS UNTIL OCTOBER 15.

“Heritage” is an interesting word. It may conjure up thoughts of times past but, according to the dictionary, it refers to “something transmitted.” So, heritage is not so much about what has gone before as it is about what has survived the past to be part of the present. And, when we talk about “conserving” our heritage, the concern should not be for looking to the past for models, but for what it is about the present that we would like to see transmitted to future generations. To celebrate our heritage is to celebrate continuity – what lasts, what works, what still holds us together.

This month’s feature article by Paige Martínez about the glory days of bandleader Rafael “Chapito” Chavarria contains many reminiscences of “the good old days” and references to resisting acculturation. But, Chapito, and others who care about their heritage, are not about doing the same thing over and over again, but about realizing their desire to express, rather than repress, their unique character and spirit. Chapito’s music represents both innovation and adaptability to change. His particular talent was to blend songs and styles of different origins and eras to create something new and exciting, yet authentically Latino, carrying on his heritage in the true sense of the word.

Betty Alatorre de Hong and Jason Gonzalez, profiled in this issue’s Latina Still Standing and Rincon del Arte, respectively, exemplify the same respect for their Latino heritage by ensuring its continuity through innovation. Betty, a savvy, modern businesswoman, draws on experiences of taste and neighborhood feeling to market the humble paleta of her childhood to a new, urban consumer base. Jason re-conceptualizes the mystery and power symbolized by the luchador to conform to a more contemporary aesthetic in his imaginative comic book series, La Mano del Destino.

What carries on generation through generation is the character, or spirit, of a people, built from shared experience. That this spirit that defines Hispanic heritage is as strong as ever in Arizona is amply demonstrated in this month’s Movin’ Up. LPM is proud to report the recipients of the Valley’s most prestigious awards that recognize individuals whose accomplishments and example guarantee the prosperity and cultural integrity of our community: the 40 Hispanic Leaders under 40 and Valle del Sol’s Profiles of Success Hispanic Leadership Awards. ¡Felicidades!

Editorial mission statement

Latino Perspectives creates community, cultivates c u lt ural pr ide and provokes, challenges and connec ts L at inos who are def ining, pursuing, a nd ac h iev i n g t he A me r ic a n L at i no D re a m .

Your thoughts?

Tell us what you think. Send your thoughts to editor@latinopm.com

Latino Perspectives welcomes feedback from readers regarding published stories or topics of interest.

Please include your name and phone number. Mail letters to Editor, Latino Perspectives, P.O. Box 2213 Litchfield Park, Az. 85340. Or, email letters to editor@latinopm.com. latinopm.com

¡ September 2013!

Latino Perspectives Magazine

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¡! ¿Será posible?

Pie in the Sky

By Robrt Pela

THOSE OF US WHO LOVE TO WASTE HUGE

sums of money and are running out of ways to do it are in luck. For a limited time, a Denver hotel is offering a package with a one-night stay in a pop-up, inflatable room that rises 22 feet in the air, thanks to a scissor lift on top of the van on which the “room” sits. And it costs only $50,000 per night.

Architect Alex Schweder designed this tiny, 5-by-7-foot, seethrough room as a submission for the Biennial of the Americas Festival of Arts, Culture and Ideas in Denver.

The wee room offers a chemical toilet, a bitty shower and a Barbie-sized sink, bed, sofa and curtains.

“It’s a very small room,” Schweder admits. “But, you’re always on the top floor.”

Fear sets in.

Cancer diagnosis.

Schweder is a visual artist whose work addresses the performance of architecture, with a keen eye on rooms and buildings and what happens inside them. When he heard that local developers planned to build hotels on

several downtown Denver parking lots, he created something he calls “the hotel rehearsal” as an homage to that change.

An early version of the flying-high room saw it suspended from a construction crane.

Now, Denver’s Curtis Hotel, which sponsored the creation of the mobile sky room, is offering curious, wealthy people a chance to stay in it. For $50,000, a guest gets an entire weekend night way up in the sky, as well as a bag of swag including a pair of iPod Nanos, a custom-

Your treatment team collaborates on your case.

You meet your personal cancer team.

¡! ¿Será posible?

made diamond pendant and earrings, and a dance party for 100 people, hosted by the Curtis in its main ballroom.

Most of the $50,000 will go toward hazard insurance, according to Curtis spokesperson Kate Thompson, and a portion will be given to future Biennial of the Americas exhibitions.

Packing light seems like a good idea, as there’s a weight limit of 450 pounds.

Alcohol is forbidden inside the non-smoking room, presumably to keep people from hosting parties there.

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Conversation starters from the world around us

14 Vibe

D-Backs’ Hispanic Heritage Day; PAM photo fundraiser

15 Anaya says

Matrimony intensifies that family feeling

Still 17 Latina Standing

Nostalgia motivated winning business venture

i say...

I thought I was getting punked at first. I was like, come on, dude!

Phoenix Councilman Michael Nowakowski‘s reaction to David Cavazos’ resignation as Phoenix City Manager

Arizona deeply values its relationship with India, and recognizes the potential for meaningful and mutual business investment.

AZ Governor, Jan Brewer, announcing her trade mission to India

ILLUSTRATION © JASON GONZALEZ

Wil Cardon is our best chance to ensure that a conservative wins in November and that liberal candidates considering this office will not be successful.

page

14

State Representative, Steve Montenegro (R, LD 12), upon announcing that he’s ending his exploratory committee and won’t run for Secretary of State

Valley comic book artist, J. Gonzo, explores the “Luchaverse” in his current series, La Mano del Destino

latinopm.com

¡ September 2013!

Latino Perspectives Magazine

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¡!

LP journal

State Senator Michele Reagan (R-Scottsdale) sponsored the voter reform bill that was signed into law by Governor Brewer, sending its opponents into attack mode

Election reform law foments backlash During the past legislative session, Republicans passed HB2305, a lasthour, omnibus measure that Governor Jan Brewer signed into law. The bill was originally sponsored by state senator Michele Reagan (R-Scottsdale).

Anybody who is not a Republican says the new law makes it harder to launch citizen initiatives and recalls, that it purges voters (targeting recent Latino registration) from the early mail-in ballot list, throws roadblocks in front of community-based non-profits that encourage voter registration, and requires almost impossibly large numbers of signatures for third-party candidates to get on the ballot.

The law riles Democratic legislators for another reason. They claim that Brewer promised to veto any such bill in exchange for Democratic votes to pass her expanded Medicaid law. They voted for her pet bill, and then she signed the law anyway, they say.

Republicans say HB2305 is all about cleaning up early ballot lists by removing people who don’t vote and preventing snafus like the 170,000 provisional ballots handed out last election.

“We completely support the legislation, because it allows the election 14

Latino Perspectives Magazine

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officials to clean up the early voting list when people don’t use early voting. Most important, it prevents committees from picking up massive amounts of ballots by hand. It helps prevent voter fraud,” says Tim Sifert, communication director for the Arizona Republican Party.

Democrats and third parties say it’s about keeping Republicans in power.

But the Republicans may discover that what they thought was clamping down a lock for their party’s incumbents and candidates could backfire in a big, messy way.

A set of individuals and organizations called Protect Your Right to Vote Arizona Coalition is targeting House Bill 2305. Volunteers from the Democratic, Libertarian and Green parties and paid petition circulators are collecting signatures for a ballot referendum in November, 2014, that may allow voters to revoke the new law. Julie Erfle, the widow of slain policeman, Nick Erfle, is the organization’s head. The group must collect 86,405 valid signatures by the deadline of September 12, 2013.

Coalition representatives say they will get twice that number to ensure that the referendum makes the ballot.

That would put HB2305 on hold until November, 2014.

“We’re on track to get the required number of signatures we need. It’s a safe bet it’s going to be on the ballot,” says Martin Quezada, state representative from District 29.

“It’s a conservative tactic to keep new voters, mostly Latino, from voting.

They don’t like the direction that these new voters are voting in,” he says.

However, Quezada warns of a well-funded opposition campaign by Republicans if the referendum makes the ballot. “There’s going to be a big push back. The Republicans really want this. Two Republican committees are ready to oppose the referendum,” Quezada adds.

One of the Republican groups Quezada is talking about is the Protect Our Secret Ballot political action committee. Its chairwoman is Senator Reagan. She told Capitol Media Service that she wants to focus on just one issue: Community groups picking up ballots from voters. “Voting is a personal thing,” she said, “[Ballots] are not supposed to be rounded up like a bunch of playing cards.”

Frank Camacho, state Democratic Party communications director, says Republicans believe that Libertarians cost them two congressional seats in Arizona, CD1 and CD 9, by siphoning

LP journal votes from GOP candidates. He says that’s why HB2305 increases the number of signatures needed by small-party candidates on nominating petitions.

In addition, he says, the party and community-based non-profits have increased participation, especially of Latino voters, by registering them on the Permanent Early Voting List. A campaign tactic, used since 2010, has been for organizations such as Promise Arizona and Mi Familia Vota to pick up a voter’s ballot and return it to county election headquarters. HB2305 forbids that practice and makes it a felony for any volunteers to pick up and return a ballot, Camacho adds.

“HB2305 is nothing more than a cynical attempt by Republicans to manipulate the outcome of elections by making it more difficult to vote in Arizona. It takes the power of the ballot box away from the voter and delivers it into the hands of petty politicians.

The debate over HB2305 is not about election reform but about protecting an individual’s right to vote,” Camacho says.

Libertarian activist, Barry Hess, has stated publicly that the Republican power play has created a “political war” between his party and the Republicans. Hess says Republicans are miscalculating if they believe that wiping out Libertarian candidates will

Julie Erfle and Governor Jan Brewer

lead to victory. That’s why his party membership is joining with Democrats to send HB2305 down in flames, he says.

The HB2305 referendum would create another battle front for Republicans, political observers say, because they may already have to worry about a potential Medicaid referendum initiated by the party’s own far right wing. The opportunity to vote on HB 2305 will attract more Latinos and Libertarians to hit the polls next year when all statewide offices are up for grabs.

A late-night attempt at a power grab by Republicans would lead to a politically self-inflicted wound that could pain Arizona’s ruling party in succeeding elections.

New loan fund supports small business SCF Arizona, the state’s largest workman’s compensation insurance company, has teamed up with Chicanos por la Causa, the nation’s 4th largest Hispanic community development corporation, to create the “SCF Arizona Community Jobs Investment Program.” The program established a $10 million dollar loan fund intended to grow jobs in underserved rural areas (outside of

¡!

Maricopa County and Metro Tucson) in the state.

The program, administered by Préstamos (a subsidiary of Chicanos por la Causa), offers access to capital to start-ups and small businesses unlikely to qualify for typical business loans because they cannot meet bank requirements due to low credit scores, limited collateral, limited capital or limited capacity. To qualify, applicants must meet the following criteria: Be a U.S. citizen, Trust, Corporation, LLC, LLP, Partnership, or an IRS-designated 501c3 non-profit corporation; Conduct operations in locations zoned for their type of business activity; Have in place all appropriate licensing for the activities undertaken by the organization; Have no outstanding complaints registered with any regulatory body that has oversight of the organization or with the Better Business Bureau; No individual owning more than 20 percent of business has a felony conviction; Worker’s compensation insurance is valid and on-going at the time the loan application is submitted for approval.

Go to prestamosloanfund.org to view the application. latinopm.com

¡ September 2013!

Latino Perspectives Magazine

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¡!

vibe

Masked media

Tete-à-Tetra

J. GONZO IS THE WRITER/ARTIST OF A COMIC BOOK SERIES WHOSE

THE TETRA STRING QUARTET IS FOUR YOUNG VALLEY MUSICIANS

– Chrystal Smothers (violin), Heidi Wright (violin), Louis Privitera (viola), and Jenna Dalbey (cello) – who have followed the path of other classically-trained ensembles in broadening their repertoire to include a surprising variety of musical genres and non-traditional arrangements. In their mission to bring chamber music to the masses, especially youth, the Quartet performs just about anywhere – museums, hospitals, bars, you name it – and conducts educational workshops in the U.S. and abroad.

Tetra also likes to inject a lot of fun into their performances, and are especially well-known for their holiday-themed recitals.

Upcoming recitals stressing an eerie sonic experience are: Friday, October 11, 7 p.m., at the Tempe History Museum, 809 E. Southern Ave., Tempe 85282; 480-350-5100. Free admission.

Saturday, October 19, 7:30 p.m., Halloween Spooktacular, at ASU School of Music’s Katzin Concert Hall, 50 Gammage Pkwy., Tempe 85281. Tickets costs $5-9; info at herbergerinstitute.asu.edu/ events/tickets or 480-965-6447. Learn more about Tetra’s community activities at tetrastringquartet.org.

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Lotería Jarocha VISUAL ARTIST AND MUSICIAN, ALEC DEMPSTER, WAS BORN IN MEXICO CITY BUT

spent most of his youth in Toronto. As a university student, he returned to Mexico and became enamored of the art and culture of southern Veracruz and found a wife, Kali Niño, also a musician, singer and maestra del zapateado. They resided in Xalapa from 1997 through 2009, where Dempster embarked on a multi-disciplinary program that included documenting the musical tradition of son jarocho.

One by-product of this research was the production of 60 linocuts (stylistically reminiscent of the late 19th/early 20th century Mexican tabloid graphics) illustrating the jarocho sones, whose meanings are amplified by accompanying prose pieces. This attractive volume is assembled from archival-quality, acid-free sheets of paper that are folded and sewn into 16-page signatures. Entitled Lotería Jarocha, the book is available at porcupinesquill.ca for $18.95 [ISBN-10: 0889843622; 136 pages].

After relocating to Canada, Dempster and Niño formed a band, Café con Pan, that expands the influence of son jarocho and incorporates it into eclectic musical settings. Learn more about the art and music of Alec Dempster at alecdempster.net and cafeconpan.ca.

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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT, PHOTOS COURTESY OF: JASON GONZALEZ, ©JASON GONZALEZ; TETRA STRING QUARTET; PORCUPINE’S QUILL

super-hero is a one-time champion luchador brought low by his enemies. The ex-fighter makes a Faustian bargain in order to gain powers that will enable him to extract vengeance upon his betrayers in the guise of La Mano del Destino (the series title). But, mere strength is not all it takes to battle the sinister forces that seek to exploit him, and his vulnerabilities threaten to forestall his mission. Gonzo mixes Mesoamerican myth and mysticism with high-flying lucha libre action in the brilliant artwork that pays homage to the classic action-comic style. This is no parody – this is the real deal.

So far, three of a planned total of six issues of La Mano have been released and can be purchased on-line at castleandkeypublications.com/wordpress for $2.50 each. You may have to wait a little for the next installment of the story, but you can learn more about its creator right now in the Rincon del Arte profile in this issue of LPM.

Anaya says

vibe

¡!

Marriage – more than a legal nicety

By Catherine Anaya

Debra Bloomfield’s photograph, Wilderness (detail)

Auction action THE BIDDING HAS ALREADY BEGUN

for a selection of more than 50 museum-quality, signed, limited edition photographic prints and books that are being auctioned as part of the Phoenix Art Museum’s annual INFOCUS PhotoBid Exhibition. INFOCUS is the Museum’s non-profit support organization that fosters the appreciation of photography through educational programs, exhibits and publications and is the beneficiary of the proceeds of the auction.

The photographs for sale, representing a variety of techniques, styles and price ranges, will be on view at the Norton Photography Gallery from October 5 through 18, 2013. The bidding will culminate at the silent auction at the PhotoBid fund-raising event on October 18, 5:30 to 9 p.m. at the Museum, that also features live music, appetizers, cash bar and a raffle with valuable artwork as prizes. The admission price of $25 includes a complimentary cocktail and raffle ticket; tickets can be purchased online as InFocus-PhxArt.org.

The Phoenix Art Museum is located at 1625 N. Central Ave. in downtown Phoenix; if you can’t make the auction in person, you can place a bid 0n-line at InFocus-Phx-Art.org/auction.org.

I wasn’t sure what would follow when one of my co-workers opened a conversation with that question. It was near midnight and we were the only two left in the newsroom, so there was no avoiding it.

“Sure,” I replied skeptically.

“Why do you want to get married again?” she asked.

I broke into a relieved smile. This was an easy answer.

I was recently engaged and anyone who knew me well enough over my post-divorce years knew I wasn’t the biggest advocate of marriage.

But that all changed when I met Mister Right.

And, so, I explained in my answer to her that it wasn’t so much about wanting to get married again but about wanting to get married to him – the man I waited 40-plus years to meet.

Our conversation stretched into the night as I shared the many (good, bad and really bad) experiences that helped shape the tune I was now singing.

In the seven months between that night and my wedding this past July, I never questioned my reasons for wanting to marry again but I did start to wonder what difference it might actually make. We had purchased a new home together, our children were living together harmoniously and we even made room for a puppy.

“It’s not going to change anything,” I’d tell people. “It’s just a piece of paper.”

I’ve never been more elated to say how wrong I’ve been.

From the beautiful sunset beach ceremony to the hours of dancing that stretched well into the night with people who came from near and far to share in our joy, my wedding day was an absolute dream.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR

PHOTO COURTESY OF PHOENIX ART MUSEUM

“CAN I ASK YOU A PERSONAL QUESTION?”

But marriage is about more than just a fairy-tale wedding.

That was clear in several defining moments that day.

The moment my daughter and son stood on either side of me, put one arm into each of mine and walked me down the aisle. They beamed with pride. I cry every time I look at the picture.

Then there’s the moment my husband started reading his vows. I’m supposed to be the writer in the family but there he stood reading words he wrote so emotionally charged that even he couldn’t get through them without choking up. There wasn’t a dry eye among our guests. My daughter leaned into me at one point and whispered, “I think I’m crying more than you.”

The pivotal moment, though, was when our combined four children stood up at the reception, microphone at hand to deliver the toast. Each of them read their pre-written reasons for why they were so happy for us, our union and our future together.

And there lies my answer, more apparent than ever before.

Marrying again isn’t just about a piece of paper. It’s about becoming a family.

Catherine Anaya anchors CBS 5 News weeknights at 5, 5:30, 6 and 10 p.m. She is a mother of two, marathon runner and motivational speaker. Reach her at catherine.anaya@cbs5az.com; connect with her on Facebook, Twitter and at CatherineAnaya.com.

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¡ September 2013!

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We don’t believe in business as usual.

At SRP, we do things a little differently. We were founded by a diverse group of people over 100 years ago, and have kept diversity at our forefront ever since. When it comes to working with our business partners, what’s most important to us is the quality of goods and services they can provide, and who they are as a company. When our business partners reflect our diverse community, everyone benefits. To learn how to become an SRP partner, visit srpnet.com/supplierdiversity.

vibe

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

Latina still standing

Two’s company LAST YEAR, THE ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

demonstrated their commitment to catering to the Latino fan-base by introducing the Luchador character to prance alongside the preppier D. Baxter Bobcat. The Luchador (like the elder Sparky) got a bit of a makeover in 2013, and became the official co-mascot of the DBacks, an event celebrated with the distribution of 20,000 lucha libre masks at a special event on July 27.

This month, the beneficence continues as the D-Backs host a Hispanic Heritage Day extravaganza on Saturday, September 14. This event will feature a Street Festival (hosted by APS) and a giveaway of 20,000 bobblehead figurines of Diamondback’s catcher, Venezuelan native Miguel Montero, courtesy of Subway®. Fans can also get a special Sonoran Dog Package, El Pa’quetellenes, for only $15 that includes an Outfield Reserve ticket, Sonoran-style hot dog, 24-ounce Pepsi and a coupon for a free cookie from Subway, or the $19 option that includes a draft beer instead of pop.

Sunday, September 15, kids can receive free Luchador capes at Chase Field to complement the face masks, provided by Chevrolet®. Contact the Box Office on-line at dbacks.com or by calling 602-514-8400.

Fans can follow the Luchador on Twitter @DbacksLuchador and can find more information about the character at dbacks.com/luchador or en español at losdbacks.com/luchador.

¡!

Licking the odds

By Diana Bejarano

MANY LATINAS HAVE AN ENTREPRENEURIAL

spirit. Some have ideas that are very different from anything that has been done before. Believing in our ideas and garnering support from others is just half the battle, but it can be done. Just ask Betty Alatorre de Hong, also known as “Paletas Betty.”

As a teenager, Alatorre de Hong travelled more than 1,000 miles with her family from Michoacan, Mexico, to settle in Phoenix. The things she missed most about leaving her home were the flavors of her favorite foods – homemade tortillas, tacos from street vendors, fruit juices (known as aguas frescas), fruits and vegetables from local farms and her beloved fresh fruit paletas (Mexican-style popsicles).

That is why she decided to open Paletas Betty Ice Cream Shops in Arizona.

Her dream was years in the making and it wasn’t an easy task, but she worked hard, believed in it, and convinced others to believe in it and support her. Betty had no culinary background but she had passion, and she believed in herself and her dream.

It’s hard enough learning how to start and run a business but for this Latina coming from another country it was even more difficult. She remembers how challenging it was to learn to speak English and assimilate into American culture, especially while living in a predominantly Spanish-speaking home. She took English as a Second Language (ESL) and bilingual classes and immersed herself in Englishspeaking settings.

“When we moved here, I remember watching TV or listening to people and it just seemed like they were speaking so fast,” says Alatorre de Hong. “The language is reversed and my brain had to be trained. I needed to find my way through school and find out how to go to college.” As hard as it was, she had to take the initiative and do it.

She eventually graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Arizona State University and began working for the Vanguard Group, managing retirement plans and investment funds for almost five years.

She wanted to do something different.

“I still missed things from back home and to me it seemed like I was never able to find really good paletas with all-natural ingredients like the ones back home.”

She explored options and opened her first store in July, 2010, in Chandler. She opened another store in Tempe in 2011 and is planning for future growth in this market.

Hordes of students visit the Tempe location, while the Chandler location attracts more families. Both locations get a fair share of out-of-state customers as well.

She picked those locations because they were located near other local businesses.

“The hardest thing with starting this business was getting people to believe in my idea and my product,” she says. “In order to overcome obstacles, I had to really do a lot of research and have people try the product and convince them to take a chance because at that time a lot of people had never heard of the paleta Mexican fruit popsicle.”

Betty Alatorre de Hong says it has been a great experience thus far and she’s learning something new every single day.

Her advice to other Latinas: “If you have an idea or a dream, no matter how big or small it is, follow your gut instinct and do it!”

An Arizona native, Diana Bejarano, is a blogger, columnist, motivational speaker, marketing professional and a graduate of Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Reach her on her website at latinastillstanding1.com or e-mail her at latinastillstanding@yahoo.com. latinopm.com

¡ September 2013!

Latino Perspectives Magazine

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rincón del arte

¡!

Artist charts own destiny Jason Gonzalez (J. Gonzo), illustrator, graphic designer and comic book artist Background: ¡Hola! My name is J. Gonzo. I am a Chicano artist who resides in Mesa, Arizona, though I was born and raised in Cypress, California. Art-wise, my formative years were shaped by the rigid tradition and Byzantine iconography of the Catholic school I attended juxtaposed with the D.I.Y. aesthetic of the late 1970s, Orange County punk counterculture peppered with the bright, bold, Hispanic hues of my grandparents’ generation.

began in 1988 when I entered the Orange County High School of the Arts’ Visual Art Program, but the seeds of what would become my art style had already been sown.

After high school, I moved to Arizona and attended a trade school receiving a degree in Visual Communications (a fancy, non-university term for graphic design). Commercial art seemed like a good way for me to earn a living being creative without having to be a clichéd starving artist and/or get a straight day job to support my art on the hobby level. So, in the tradition of flaky artists the world over, upon receiving my degree, I promptly did nothing with it. Instead, I began a tattoo apprenticeship, supplementing my income with a host of menial, second jobs. After the birth of my daughter (the first of my two kids – I also have a son), I decided to dust off my graphic design skills and portfolio and quickly found a job in advertising. I vacillated between full-time and freelance work with some of the top agencies in Phoenix and worked in-house as the senior art director for McFarlane Toys/Todd McFarlane Productions. After a brief stint as the creative director for an ad agency, I quit to pursue freelance assignments and focus on art, illustration and the completion of my comic book project – La Mano del Destino.

Meandering through such disparate spheres of the art world has led me to an overall art philosophy of believing in the impact of idea over elaborate rendering – I hope viewers enjoy the result!

Influences on your work: I worship at the altar of Jack Kirby (Hulk, Thor, Captain America, X-Men), but also love guys like Alex Raymond (Flash Gordon), Alex Toth (Super Friends, Space Ghost), Milton Caniff (Terry

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ARTIST

Education/training: My formal art training

and the Pirates), and Lou Fine (The Flame, Black Condor).

Other influences are fine artists such as Toulouse Lautrec, Van Eyck and Paul Gauguin; animators Ward Kimball and Eyvind Earle; designers Raymond Loewy and Saul Bass; plus traditional Mexican folk art and Byzantine iconography.

When/how did you become interested in visual arts? My father recalls the exact moment when I stated my intent to be an artist – I was four years old. I got serious about comics when I was about 9 years old and my best friend showed me a copy of G.I. Joe no. 13.

Future goals: First I will finish La Mano del Destino, then I have a bunch more comic book tales I want to tell – some in the same “Luchaverse” in which La Mano del Destino lives and others that live in their own worlds.

Website: castleandkeypublications.com

Help us highlight the local arts Send information to editor@latinopm.com.

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¡ September 2013!

Latino Perspectives Magazine

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B ygone

Elegance recaptured

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door of the makeshift dance hall to a beautiful, familiar sound. It was the cumbia “Botones,” made famous by Sonora Santanera.

This was followed by a polka and then a bolero by Agustín Lara.

A hundred or so couples, mostly viejitos, worked their way around the perimeter of the dance floor.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF RAFAEL CHAVARRIA FAMILY

joke that I first heard the music of Chapito Chavarria in my mother’s womb. My great-uncle Paul (who was married to my Nana’s sister) and his younger brother Rafael (nicknamed “Chapito”) played guitar and bass at our family Easter picnics at Papago Park every year while we kids chased roadrunners and the adults had a party. Chapito’s cumbias and romantic bolero arrangements were intrinsic to the world in which I was raised.

I didn’t understand the significance of his music to the larger community until 1990.

After finishing film school at New York University, I was working on a documentary for The American Experience called Los Mineros, about Mexican American copper miners and their fight for equal wages (until 1946 they received only half the wages of nonMexicans). My job was to find the story, the visuals and the witnesses. On this quest, I visited mining town after mining town.

In Jerome, I learned I might find a bunch of “old-timers” at a dance being held in the local high school gymnasium. I opened the

By Paige Martínez

Left: A young Chapito Chavarria in the 1930’s in a contemplative mood at Papago Park. Above: Pages of a score marked by Chavarria for a “green dance,” a specialty of his, performed at wedding celebrations

IA CHA VAR R FAE L F RA YO OUR TES TS C HE E MU S

IC S

The music of bandleader Chapito Chavarria created magic and memories worth hearing and preserving

Their distinctly different dancing styles produced a dazzling, kaleidoscopic effect, transforming the humble gymnasium into a glamorous salon de baile with an atmosphere that was puro romántico.

Feet and elbows moved to the rhythm, men’s chins pressed against ladies’ cheeks as couples of varying shapes and sizes gripped each other tightly. Other couples danced at arms length, yet their easy, synchronized movements hinted at a delicate

intimacy. The music filled me with the treasured feeling of being at home, in my community, certain of my identity. That feeling of being at my Nana’s house: her comida; the sound of the rolling pin hitting the counter as she made tortillas; teaching me it was time to flip them when they made air bubbles on the hot comal; the comfort of knowing how to behave and of knowing where everything belongs.

Content and self-assured, I made my way to the bandstand where I saw a familiar face. It was Chapito Chavarria playing an electric bass behind a handlettered sign that read: “The Chapito Chavarria Orchestra.” That was twentythree years ago when Chapito was a sturdy 76-year-old man. In April, 2014, he will celebrate turning 100.

In Jerome that day, I realized that many Chicanos in central Arizona feel as I do about Chapito – that his unique style of music belongs to us; it’s an essential part of our cultura and comunidad.

Late in 2012, I began working on a documentary about Chapito. With the help of his daughter, Barbara, I was able to visit him and his wife, Consuelo, at their home at the Phoenix Manor. They had lived for nearly half a century in a large house in Chula Vista but, after Chapito turned 88 (over a decade ago), they downsized.

This spring, just before his 99th birthday, I spent days with Chapito listening to stories about his early life in English and Spanish. Born in Solomonville, Arizona, in 1914, Chapito lost his mother to breast cancer when he was seven years old. His father, Pablo, a musician whose group played the mining towns of Clifton-Morenci and other localities nearby, sold off his farm, piece by piece, in an effort to raise money for doctors to save her life. It didn’t work.

After her death in 1923, Pablo brought his children to Tempe where they had extended family for support, and took a job with the Southern Pacific Railroad.

By the age of nine, Chapito was playing latinopm.com

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF RAFAEL CHAVARRIA FAMILY

From left to right: Chapito and Consuelo strolling in LA (1941); Chapito strutting his stuff in the Superstitions (1937); and soldiering at Camp Sibert, Alabama, during WWII (1944)

in his father’s group at weddings, La Casa Vieja restaurant and at Sunday tardeadas near Sotelo Ranch in Tempe.

Chapito told me fascinating stories about his childhood in the 1920s.

As a boy, during a music break, he accidentally witnessed a murder outside a dance; at fourteen (a time, he says, weddings lasted twelve hours or more), he and his father’s group were forced to play extended sets at gunpoint; and the funniest story (considering that Chapito’s original arrangements include paso doble, waltz, polka, ranchera, cumbia, bolero, cha-cha, merengue, rumba, mambo, danzón, guaracha, swing and marches) was that, at the very first wedding he played as a small boy, he and his brother (my uncle Paul) only knew four songs between them, which they played over and over again several hours straight. “The people didn’t mind.

They just kept on dancing.”

Sitting at Chapito’s kitchen table, I heard hilarious stories about his service in World War II. He did not receive his military classification of private first class until the was on the ship heading for Tinian Island because his commander didn’t like the way he was always being called away for Big Band 24

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duty. “We were on a 10-mile march in the rain and I was soaking wet with a rifle over my head when a jeep pulled up, skidded to a stop, and a captain jumped out and ordered my drill sergeant to release me: ‘Chavarria needed at the officer’s club for band duty.’ The drill sergeant was furious because I was always being called away for band duty.”

I also heard wrenching details of Chapito facing blatant discrimination while he was in the service and the cathartic relief of his response to it. Story after story, I was on the edge of my seat, having a great time.

It wasn’t until early this summer (2013) when the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) agreed to present a concert of Chapito’s music that I truly began to get into the details of his life as a musician. I spent entire weekends sorting through metal cases full of folders containing charts for 1st trumpet, 2nd trumpet and so on, compiling the charts into complete sets to determine which arrangements could be played in concert.

In 1946, when he returned from World War II, Chapito joined the Professional Musician’s Union, Local 586, and American Legion Post 41.

While attending ASU technical school on the GI Bill, Chapito made side money “gigging all over town,” performing with local Latin groups every weekend. “We started out playing in little dance halls around Phoenix: the Plantation at 24th Street and Washington, the Frolic at 2nd Street and Van Buren, the Cinderella Ballroom at 2nd Street and Adams and, eventually, the Riverside and the Calderon,” he says. For the next 15 years he performed every Friday and Saturday at the Calderon and every Sunday at the Riverside. In 1963, Chapito took the helm of the Calderon house band, when his close friend, saxophonist Chalio Dominguez, stepped down. “That is when Chapito Chavarria was born,” Chapito told me, proudly placing his fingers on his chest.

After putting together a ten-piece orchestra for the Calderon, Chapito made a series of recordings. Songs like “No Lo Digas” and “Un Compromiso” are of Cuban origin from the 1930s, but Chapito arranged them with a relaxed, tropical, big-band sound made popular in the 1950s by the Mexico City group, Sonora Santanera. When his daughter loaned me a box of photos and other treasures, I found four, red-vinyl 45s

Family outing in 1940s San Diego: baby Ernesto, Chapito and Consuelo

with these recordings. They have since been transcribed and are ready to be performed again.

In the course of visiting with Chapito and others I learned more about the famous Calderon Ballroom during the 1950s and early 1960s. Lola Dominguez, the wife of Chalio Dominguez who played saxophone, clarinet and flute with Chapito, told me that during that era it was place of great elegance.

Former state senator Alfredo Gutierrez said, “There was an unspoken consensus among those who visited the Calderon in those days. It was a place you brought your wife, your sweetheart. It was a place where you could come enjoy the music with your whole family if you wanted. You could bring your children.

People had respect for themselves and each other.”

Chapito remarked that “In those days the women dressed like movie stars and the men wore a jacket and tie when they came to dance.

Oh, it was beautiful to see.”

I learned from Barbara Chavarria that, in the Fifties, her family took vacations to East L.A. every year. Chapito had lived in East L.A. with his mother’s brothers from 1930 to 1938.

By age of 16 he was performing with seasoned musicians on Olvera Street and absorbing Latin music and Mexican culture from radio, movies and live performances by Pedro Infante,

On September 15, 2013, the MIM (Musical Instrument Museum) Music Theater will present the dynamic Latin sounds of 99-year-old bandleader Rafael “Chapito” Chavarria, whose signature musical style combined tropical rhythms popular in Mexico City during the 1940s and 1950s with American swing and jitterbug. His music was cherished by generations of Arizona Latinos who danced to his romantic music at their weddings and at the elegant Calderon and Riverside Ballrooms of central Phoenix during their heyday. Chapito Chavarria’s beautiful arrangements will be performed by an all-star group of Phoenix’s finest musicians.

Band members will include Auggie Mendoza (piano); Brad Bauder (tenor saxophone, clarinet and flute); John Eth (1st trumpet);Devon Leal Bridgewater (2nd trumpet and violin); Robert Scott (drums); Tony Valenzuela (congas and Latin percussion); Esteban Estrada (bass) and vocalists Ray “Gumbi” Salazar and Ruby Pino. Several of these artists previously performed with Chapito. Devon Leal Bridgewater is the concert’s musical director.

Tickets for the two-hour (2-4 p.m.) concert may be purchased at mimmusictheater.themim.org/concerts or by calling 480-478-6000. Tickets are $32.50 and $42.50.

The MIM Music Theater is located at 4725 E. Mayo Blvd., Phoenix 85050.

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF RAFAEL CHAVARRIA FAMILY

Left: Connie and Chapito pose in Papago Park (1947). Right: Posted on the Pacific Island of Tinian in WWII, active duty included band practice (Chapito with guitar)

Augustín Lara and the Mexico Tipico Revue. He was also a fan of the American Hit Parade and jazz. His lifelong ties with family and music in Los Angeles always kept him a step ahead in musical and personal style. “My dad loved this record store on Whittier Boulevard,” Barbara recalled, “He would go there every year on our family vacations and buy records by his favorite group, Sonora Santanera, and he brought that sound back to Phoenix.

Jazz musician and doctoral student of Latin American history, Devon Leal Bridgewater, notes, “By 1963, the Sonora Santanera style of music was wildly popular in Mexico City among the working class. They enjoyed the elegant salon atmosphere because they aspired to experience the upper middle-class lifestyle that they saw in the movies.

Women dressed to the hilt in the very best fashions they could afford. It was a high-society atmosphere of drinks, dinner jackets and polished manners – quite glamorous compared to the economic reality of daily life. The same was true for the Mexican Americans of Chapito’s generation in the Phoenix area and throughout the Southwest. The music elevated the status of the Calderon Ballroom.”

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A few years after Chapito became the house bandleader, a new style of customer arrived at the Calderon.

In 1964, with the end of the Bracero Program, farm laborers were now entering Arizona independently from Mexico and Texas. No longer part of a government program, they came intending to stay. Unlike their Arizonaborn counterparts, they did not dress in jackets and ties. They wore Levi’s, with large shiny belt buckles, boots and hats. Mostly young, single men, they had money to spend and different musical traditions.

Family friend and retired Mesa Community College professor, Elias Esquer, told me, “They were very different. And they brought their own style of music, which we called ‘catachun’ (for the sound their accordions made – catachun ... catachun ... catachun) and, boy, at first we hated it!”

Chapito remembered that “Leonard Calderon, owner of the Ballroom, first tried to bring the two groups together by hiring a tejano band to play part of the night and my group the rest of the night.

But it didn’t work. Our folks just stopped coming and the ‘catachuns’ took over. It

wasn’t long after that I left the Calderon.

Long time residents wouldn’t come any more, so they started booking my group for weddings and other private social events that they would have otherwise celebrated at the Calderon.”

“That is when I cut my orchestra from ten to seven instruments. A tenpiece orchestra was too expensive.

They would tell me, ‘Oh, no, Chapito, that’s too high!’ So, when I went down to seven, suddenly we were booked for several months.”

Chapito’s new orchestra played for thousands of weddings and private celebrations over the years. Musician Jay Maynes, who played with Chapito’s group during the 1970s, says, “Chapito’s orchestra was so popular that people used to plan their weddings around his availability. A lot of people in this town wouldn’t think of getting married without Chapito.” Chapito’s group was famous for the “green dance.” The band stretched out quick tempo songs while wedding guests lined up to dance with the bride. Each guest would pin a five, ten or twenty dollar bill to the bride’s white dress until it was entirely green.

Alfredo Gutierrez reminisces, “It is hard to believe now, but there was

Left: Chapito’s 7-piece orchestra played countless weddings at the Calderon Ballroom in the 1960s. Right: Family gathering in the Superstition Mountains (1930s)

a time when we thought our culture was in danger. Our neighborhoods and cultural centers were being destroyed in the 1970s. And it seemed that many of our own leaders were complicit, because groups like LULAC and the Vesta Club bought into the notion that we needed to become more Americanized, that we needed to stop speaking Spanish and get rid of our accents. We in the Chicano Movement resented that generation for having what seemed like an obsessive desire to rid us of what we called our Mexicanidad – our Mexican-ness – in order to assimilate.”

“In that era, the music Chapito and Riverside bandleader, Pete Bugarín, continued to play represented an effort to hold on to our Mexicanidad.

Chapito, as well as those he performed

with, maintained our culture and the arts. They were great unifiers of the community, more than anything else we’ve had since. Chapito’s music represented resistance to the loss of our culture.”

This summer, the Chapito Documentary Project, a work-inprogress, grew into an opportunity to present his arrangements with an all-star group of musicians at the MIM Music Theater. I realized that the music had a life of its own. It is still very much alive and eager to be expressed. I am thrilled to have the experience of getting to know Chapito and to share it with the community. There is also the possibility of a Chapito Chavarria exhibit, which I hope can be achieved by April, 2014, in time to celebrate his 100th birthday.

Filmmaker, Paige Martínez, has produced several award winning documentaries for public television. Among them are Los Mineros for The American Experience; Youth at Risk, a story about California’s juvenile justice system; and the Emmynominated Rebels with a Cause for KAET’s Life and Times series. With executive producer Henry Hampton, Martínez directed and produced In Service to America, a segment for the PBS series, America’s War on Poverty, for which she received a Cine Golden Eagle and the Columbia School of Journalism DuPont Award. El Senador, a film about U.S. Senator Dennis Chavez, aired on PBS in 2001. Martínez is a graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and is currently pursuing a M.A. in Media Arts at New Mexico Highlands University.

The fiscal sponsor for the Chapito! Documentary Project is Chicanos por la Causa, 1112 E. Buckeye Rd., Phoenix 85034, 602-2570700, and initial support for the Project was made by the Raza Development Fund, Inc. To make a tax-deductible contribution to complete the documentary, or to share 8mm home movies or family photographs of people dancing, family celebrations or other events that took place at the Riverside or Calderon Ballrooms from 1946 through 1990 that might include Chapito Chavarria, please contact Paige Martínez at paigemtz@gmail.com, 602-705-5221 or visit chapitodocumentary. com. A fund-raising campaign for The Chapito Documentary will be conducted through Kickstarter.com from September 15 through November 15.

latinopm.com

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Adam Lopez Falk

Adriana Delgado

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Lisa Pacheco

Alma Montes de Oca

31 Entrepreneur Mario Mendias finds his niche in fitness industry

Bianca Lucero

Carlos Velasco

Christopher Erran

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33 Briefcase

Spanish-language TV alive and well; retirement plans that move with workers

Movin’ Up 40-under-40

Jesus Canez

Erika Castro

Jhoana Molina

Joya Kizer Clarke

Juan Mendez

Leticia de la Vara

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They all have something to smile about – they’re all winners of 40 Hispanic Leaders under 40 Awards for 2013

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In July, Univision RadioPhoenix and Valle del Sol announced the winners of the 7th Annual 40 Hispanic Leaders under 40 Awards.

The recipients are a diverse group of young leaders from throughout Arizona who have made extraordinary contributions to their communities.

The 2013 awardees are: Cynthia Aguilar (City of Phoenix Manager’s Office); Jesus Cañez (Cancer Treatment Centers of America); Erika Castro (SRP); Timothy Castro (TECA Roofing); Carlos Chavez

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¡!

movin’ up

(Riviera Broadcasting, KVIB 95.1); Jesus Cisneros (ASU Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College); Leticia de la Vara (Expect More Arizona); Adriana Delgado (Wells Fargo); Christopher Erran (South Mountain Community College); Gabriel Escontrias (ASU Learning Sciences Institute); Linda Facio (Cox Communications); Stacey Flores (ASU and Glendale Community College); Victor Gamiz (Cesar Chavez Foundation); Gerhard Gomez, M.D. (UA Medical Center); Joya Kizer Clark (CASA Unlimited Enterprises, Inc.); Elisea Limones (Arizona DES, Division of Developmental Disabilities); Denise Lopez (Magellan Health Services); Adam Lopez Falk (Alhambra Elementary School District Governing Board); Bianca Lucero (ASU Barrett Honors College); Sibia Manzanarez (APS); Rebecca Martinez (East Valley Boys and Girls Club); David Martinez, III (St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance); Juan Mendez (AZ House of RepresentativesDistrict 26); Cielo Mohapatra (Arizona Department of Health Services); Jhoana Molina (Maricopa County Department of Public Health); Alma Montes de Oca (Law Offices of Alma Montes de Oca); Samuel Murillo (La Voz Arizona); Lisa Pacheco-Geyser (Families Giving Back); Stephanie Parra (Teach for America); G. Adriana Perez (ASU College of Nursing and

Health Innovation); Vanessa Ramirez (Ballet Folklórico Quetzalli-AZ); Maria Ramirez Naff (SRP); Maria Reyes (Magellan Health Services); Marisol Santillan (APS); Nicole Teyechea McNeil (Early Language Learning and Arts Studio); Tania Torres Marquez (Torres Marquez Communications); Claudia Vargas (CenturyLink); Carlos Velasco (Velasco Consulting, LLC); Mary Verdugo (Urias Communications); Alexander Villalobos (Ballet Folklórico Alegría).

A luncheon for the honorees will be held on September 26, 2013, at the Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa in Phoenix.

Steve Macías

Valle del Sol’s Hispanic Leadership Awards On September 6, Valle del Sol celebrates “New Frontiers of Leadership,” the 23rd annual presentation of its Profiles of Success Hispanic Leadership Awards. Recipients are: Hall of Fame Award, posthumously presented to Hon. Roy Villanueva (Mayor, Vice Mayor and Councilman,

City of Surprise); Special Recognition Award to Hon. Ralph Varela (CEO, Pinal Hispanic Council, Eloy, and Councilman, City of Casa Grande); Raúl Yzaguirre Community Leadership Award to Belén González (Program Officer, Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust and Founder, Latina Giving Circle); Latino Advocacy Champion Award to Anna Solley, Ed.D. (President, Phoenix College); Rosa Carrillo Torres Humanitarian Award to Andy Izquierdo (Public Affairs Director, Petsmart); Latino Excellence in Health & Sciences Award to Cecilia Rosales, M.D. (Director, Phoenix Program, UA’s Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health); Adam Díaz Latino Legacy Award posthumously presented to Virginia Eugenia Cárdenas (promoter of art, education and health programs for children); APS Peacemaker Award to Derrick M. Hall (President/CEO, Arizona Diamondbacks); Exemplary Leadership Awards to Marlene Galán Woods, Steve Macías (President/CEO, Pivot Manufacturing) and Christina Martínez (Owner/CEO, AdelantePAC).

Valley Leadership’s Class 35 Participants in Valley Leadership’s 35th Leadership Institute were announced last July. The individuals selected for the Valley’s oldest

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Debra Esparza

leadership development program represent a wide range of backgrounds, professions and interests. The Institute’s leadership skills curriculum was developed in partnership with the Thunderbird School of Global Management.

Among the 56 chosen to begin the nine-month program in September are: Ruben Alonzo (City of Phoenix Mayor’s Office); Mario Aniles (Chicanos por la Causa, Inc.); Troidl Arenas (DES, Division of Developmental Disabilities); Norberto Castro (Arizona Zoological Society); Debra Esparza (Girl Scouts AZ Cactus Pine Council); Adriana Figueroa (Stand for Children); Angela Florez (Valle del Sol); Janet Garcia (Valley of the Sun United Way); Martin Hernandez, Jr. (American Express); Edward Maldonado (Maldonado Law Offices); Tanya Martinez (Power Engineers); David Montoya and Lt. Adrian Ruiz (City of Phoenix Police Department); and Councilman Daniel Valenzuela (City of Phoenix).

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Meet Linda Gutierrez

President and CEO, Women’s Hispanic Corporation and a graduate of a Maricopa Community College Which of the Maricopa Community Colleges did you attend?

I received my Associate of Arts degree from Phoenix College.

After I graduated, I was able to transfer every single credit to ASU. Why Phoenix College? I originally had a scholarship to Loyola Marymount in L.A. but something said, “stay home.” PC was almost in the neighborhood. At one time I did not have a car and I took the bus. It stopped right near campus.

Any memorable instructors? I remember taking one of the best Spanish courses from Professor Vega. When I write something in Spanish, I think: “How would Professor Vega want it stated?”

Most rewarding experience? Having the opportunity to bring together the biggest Latina conference in the nation and providing scholarships to students who need them.

Strongest personal characteristic? Tenacity.

Characteristic you admire in others? Kindness and integrity.

You make a difference in your Community. We make a difference in you.

Chandler-Gilbert | Estrella Mountain | GateWay | Glendale | Mesa | Paradise Valley Phoenix | Rio Salado | Scottsdale | South Mountain | Skill Centers The Maricopa Community Colleges are EEO/AA Institutions

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latinopm.com

celebrate.maricopa.edu maricopa.edu @mcccd The Maricopa Community Colleges are EEO/AA Institutions

entrepreneur

¡!

Fitness goals get real with customized meals Mario Mendias, Owner, founder and CEO, My Fit Foods Founded: 2006 Number of employees: 1,119

Professional background: I have been in the health and fitness industry for over 15 years. From my days in the U.S. Marine Corps, where I served as a Sergeant and led fitness/agility training for multiple platoons, to my success as a manager at various fitness centers, I have been continually cultivating and growing my desire to get people the results that they deserve. When I moved over completely to the health side in 2005/2006, I immediately immersed myself in the current literature and, despite the many “fad diets” out there today, I was able to compile and build a philosophy of food that is simple, effective and, best of all, delicious.

What prompted you to start your business? In 2001, I was working as a highperformance auto mechanic – a job I really enjoyed – but I wondered whether I should be doing something more with my life. One evening at a party at a friend’s house, I tried to play mediator when some uninvited guests showed up, and ended up being shot three times. In the hospital, I lay next to a gentlemen lamenting the choices he’d made in life. I decided that I didn’t want to have any such regrets and, from that moment forward, I would follow my passion, which was health and fitness. When I left the hospital a few weeks later, I started working at the local 24 Hour Fitness®, where I was brought on board as a Floor Attendant, similar to a janitor.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BRIAN FITZSIMMONS, AUSTIN FIT MAGAZINE

Elevator pitch: My Fit Foods is a healthy, prepackaged, pre-portioned meal company that offers fresh, tasty breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks in a variety of sizes. We are focused on providing the best products, at the best price point, through the best customer service to help you achieve your health and fitness goals. Our dishes are 95 percent wheat-, gluten-, soy- and dairy-free, and clients are encouraged to grab the meals they need or sit down with an on-site nutritional consultant, who can create a custom plan for you and your goals. Real food. Real people. Real results.

I worked my way up to Floor Manager and General Manager at multiple 24 Hour Fitness® clubs and, finally, at the prestigious Fit Athletic Club in Houston. I found it hard to contain my frustration with clients who negated all of their hard work in the gym by eating poorly. Nutrition is 80 percent of the struggle for fitness. After hearing time and again that it was a convenience issue, a taste issue, or a time issue, I decided that this was a niche I could fill. I began cooking meals in my apartment for my clients in order to prove that eating well didn’t mean sacrificing taste. In 2006, I opened my first location, and the rest is history.

Important business milestones: Opening my first location; creation of the 21-Day Challenge; bringing in equity partners; stepping into the role of CEO.

Website: myfitfoods.com Valley Locations: 4802 E. Ray Road, Phoenix 85044 (480-598-6386) and 4902 E. Shea Blvd., Suite 105, Scottsdale 85028 (480-933-2730)

Suggest an entrepreneur

Send your information to editor@latinopm.com. latinopm.com

¡ September 2013!

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¡!

:

Español, sí . English, yes Media outlets examine language preferences among Latinos

By Jonathan Higuera

A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE

media analysis ball in July. While English-language publications were jumping on a new Pew Hispanic Center report showing that Latinos were increasingly turning to English-language programming to get their news, Univision captured the July ratings sweep for the coveted 18- to 49-year-old and 18- to 34-year old demographic groups. For the first time, they bested the four other English-language networks for those two prized demographics.

It was an impressive response to those who were signing on to the meme that Spanish-language programming is on an inevitable downward spiral.

The impressive ratings performance reminded many that Spanish-language programming is alive and well. In fact, one of the study’s authors offered an explanation on the Pew Hispanic Research Center blog that cited the youthfulness of the Hispanic demographic being such as force that the number watching Univision (and Telemundo for that matter) is growing even while fewer are getting their news in Spanish.

“On the surface, Univision’s growth may seem to not square with a new Pew Hispanic Center report that shows a growing share of Hispanics getting their news in English,” wrote study co-author, Mark Hugo Lopez.

“But, because Hispanics are such a fast-growing part of the U.S. population, the number who speak Spanish and who watch television in Spanish has risen even as the share who get their news in Spanish has declined.

Univision’s success (and Telemundo’s, too) speaks to the growth in the nation’s Spanish-speaking market.

Today, a record 35 million Hispanics speak Spanish at home, up from 10 million in 1980.”

To be sure, Pew’s findings were still significant. The 2012 National Survey of Latinos found that 82 percent of Latino adults said that they obtained at least some of their news in English — up from 78 percent in a 2006 survey.

The increase was propelled by the number of Latinos who said they seek their news exclusively from English-language sources. Nearly a third of Latino adults surveyed said that they get all of their news

in English, up from 22 percent in 2006. The survey, conducted in September and early October through telephone interviews with 1,765 Latinos living in the U.S., also found that the percentage who get at least some of their news in Spanish has declined.

Among those surveyed, age and education were telling characteristics. Younger Latinos gravitated to English-language formats, with 41 percent between the ages 18 to 29 consuming news only in English. In contrast, among those 65 and older, 43 percent said that they received their news exclusively in Spanish.

Even Univision is acknowledging the trend among younger Latinos to prefer English-language programming. It has entered into a high-profile joint venture with ABC News to launch a 24-hour cable news channel called Fusion. The English-language programming targeting young Latinos is expected to premiere before year’s end. latinopm.com

¡ September 2013!

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¡!

briefcase

EVHCC promotes STEM careers TEN STUDENTS FROM MESA PUBLIC SCHOOLS RECEIVED A TASTE OF HEALTH AND

Start your path to college today.

Arizona State University invites families to participate in the new Future Sun Devil Families initiative.

Monthly workshops help prepare high school students and families on how to navigate the path to college success.

California retirement plan

Program Highlights • No cost to participants • For students in grade 9 • 7 monthly workshops • Scholarship and Financial aid planning and guidance

CALIFORNIA SEEMS TO RELISH ITS

Future Sun Devil Families is free to 9th grade students and their families and will be offered at five ASU partnership high school districts.

Workshops begin October 2013. apply now! eoss.asu.edu/fsdf Access ASU supports students, families and schools through outreach efforts including the American Dream Academy, Hispanic MotherDaughter program and Barrett Summer Scholars programs.

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engineering careers during a four-week program designed to help them gain skills and prepare for jobs in those fields.

The students participated in the STEM Scholars Project, presented by the East Valley Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (EVHCC). The pilot program, funded in part through grants from Mesa Counts on College and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, introduced students to a whirlwind of enrichment activities and paired them with mentors from those fields.

Students took field trips to the Arizona Science Center, Arizona State University’s Polytechnic and Tempe campuses, Mesa Community College, Mercy Gilbert Medical Center and Intel. The program started July 8 and concluded August 1.

“It was a great opportunity to get a head start in our science and engineering careers,” said Jackie Salcido, one of the student scholars who will attend Dobson High School this fall. “We did labs that made us understand how things work. We learned about UVA light, the human body and construction engineering. Overall, it was an excellent experience.”

An important aspect of the project was pairing students with mentors. The mentors, who were drawn from professional ranks and graduate students in the medical and engineering fields, are expected to have on-going contact with the students.

“The EVHCC believes these students will not only graduate from high school and attend college, but also advance in the fields of science, engineering and medicine,” said Phil Austin, EVHCC chairman.

latinopm.com

reputation as a trendsetter, even if its employers must always cast a wary eye on any regulations coming down the pike. One innovative strategy to encourage low- and moderate-wage workers to participate in a retirement savings program has ignited a firestorm of criticism from some quarters, with critics calling it the epitome of a “nanny state.”

But those critics often fail to mention that workers can opt out of the program if they choose, making it completely voluntary for workers.

The plan uses automatic enrollment to boost enrollment in private 401(k) plans. It will likely benefit most workers who make less than about $46,200 a year and whose employers do not offer a retirement plan. Proponents estimate that it could bring more than 6 million workers into retirement savings plans.

Signed into law last year by Governor Jerry Brown, the law requires privatesector employers with five or more workers to either offer retirement plans for their workers or join the California Secure Choice Retirement Savings Program. The program requires those employers to allow payroll deductions for its workers – no less than 3 percent of gross income.

Those funds are then put into retirement accounts run by state-selected professional financial services firms. It would operate much like CALPERS, the state’s retirement pension plan.

The account would be portable for workers who switch employers. The pooled investment strategy would lead to lower administrative costs and, presumably, a lower risk investment approach.

The jury is still out on how effective the plan will be in covering the growing gap between workers’ financial needs in retirement and expected savings.

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briefcase

¡!¡!

MBA salary expectations MBAS HAVE A REPUTATION FOR BEING AGGRESSIVE AND OPTIMISTIC ABOUT

their salary expectations. But could they be overly optimistic when it comes to their salary goals during these cautious economic times?

According to a survey from a firm that holds admissions fairs for MBA candidates, U.S. business school applicants expect their future MBA degrees to lift their current salaries by a whopping 140 percent, to an average of $140,000/year from their pre-MBA salaries of $58,000.

If that increase sounds too rosy, candidates in many other countries have even greater visions of salary grandeur, according to QS TopMBA. com. Prospective students in Switzerland said that they anticipate postMBA salaries of $200,000, which would reflect a 145 percent increase over pre-MBA pay of $82,000, the highest salaries of any MBA applicants in the world.

MBA applicants from India expect the largest percentage increase. They believe the MBA degree will boost their pre-MBA pay by 369 percent, to $112,000 from just $24,000 a year. The current pay of Indian candidates is among the lowest reported for MBA applicants anywhere in the world; only applicants in Nigeria reported lower salaries, a $21,000 average.

China, like India, is a country in which considerable growth in business education is occurring. Chinese MBA applicants expect the degree to provide a 245 percent increase in salary from only $35,000/year to $121,000/year.

Where people like you find people like you.

Real Possibilities is a trademark of AARP.

T:9.8125”

Experiences are so much more rewarding when you have someone to share them with. That’s why AARP is committed to helping you connect with others who share your interests.

Whether you want to volunteer, mentor or just learn something new, AARP has the resources to help you tap into a community of people like you.

Discover all the ways AARP creates real possibilities by connecting you with others. Find your connection today at aarp.org/possibilities

Send us your briefcase items

Have a business story idea? Email us at editor@latinopm.com.

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¡ September 2013!

Latino Perspectives Magazine

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FA L L / 2 0 1 3

Valle del Sol’s

PE DIAT R IC AN D FAM ILY CL INICS PR O V IDE T O TAL HE ALT H Clinics integrate primary health and behavioral health care

“By providing primary care services, Valle del Sol can help the whole person and bring them to a point where they feel healthier and happier about themselves.”

– ANNE YOUNG, D.O. VALLE DEL SOL’S PEDIATRIC AND FAMILY CLINIC

As part of the Total Health: Mind, Body and Spirit initiative, Valle del Sol’s Mi Salud clinics integrate primary health care with behavioral health services for local children, youth, families and adults. Moreover, Erin Reed, a women’s health nurse practitioner at Valle del Sol, provides specialized care to meet the needs of women at every stage of life.

“I have worked for three years as a mental health case manager and am a certified counselor, Erin Reed said. “I place great importance on developing trusting relationships with my patients and making sure each patient receives the individualized treatment and education they need.”

The inspiration for the Total Health initiative began when Valle del Sol

Va l l e d e l S o l | S p e c i a l S e c t i o n

602.258.6797

staff discovered their behavioral health care patients were facing barriers to primary care due to transportation issues or a lack of physicians to meet their client’s primary health care needs. In addition, research shows that individuals with behavioral health issues often die younger due to untreated chronic medical illnesses such as diabetes, high cholesterol, or high blood pressure.

The doctors provide people of all ages with preventative care, disease management, immunizations, and acute illness treatment. The Mi Salud clinics are accepting new patients and same day appointments. Call to make an appointment today at (602) 523-9312.

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www.valledelsol.com

VALLE DEL SOL HELPS FIND HER WAY TO INDEPENDENCE

Immunizations Well Checks Physicals (Sports, School, Annual)

In the few months she has been involved with the Pathways to Independence program at Valle del Sol, 18-year-old Laura has gone from being homeless and without focus to having stable housing, a steady job, and definite goals for the future.

Laura heard about Valle del Sol through her former foster parents in Indiana. When she moved to the Phoenix area, she needed help transitioning out of the foster care system. Although she had found temporary housing with a friend, Laura knew she could only stay there for a short while.

Laura enrolled in the Pathways to Independence program, which offers support services for young adults and helps promote healthy independence and a successful transition into adulthood. She began meeting regularly with her transition facilitator, who she credits with turning her life around.

“She has helped me big time. She helped me find housing at Home Base in Phoenix, and took me there and was with me when I signed the contract to live there,” Laura said. “She also helped me pack up and move my things.”

When Laura was ready to look for work, she said her transition facilitator drove her to job interviews. She also encouraged her to attend and do well in school.

“When I came to Valle del Sol I was feeling depressed and I didn’t have anybody to talk to,” she said. “I didn’t know anybody and had nowhere to go. But Valle del Sol helped me out so much by guiding me.”

After she graduates from high school in spring, Laura plans to start college.

Eventually, she hopes to enroll in the military—her first choice right now is the Air Force, she said.

“My transition facilitator has even taken me to talk to recruiters so I can learn more about getting into the military,” Laura said. ”I am just so grateful to her.”

Hearing & Vision Screenings TB, Lead, Anemia Screenings

With school starting, it is important for parents to make sure that their children are up-to-date with their immunizations. Keeping on top of this is not only important for younger children entering kindergarten and pre-school, but also for older children.

Immunizing your children not only protects them and your family, but also the population. Valle del Sol’s Pediatric and Family Clinic is accepting new patients and same day appointments.

Pathways to Independence Program

Call today to make an appointment with Dr. Anne Young at (602) 523-9312.

Pathways to Independence is a program at Valle del Sol for young adults ages 18-21. The program strives to be different than traditional office-based services.

The transition facilitators, who work intensively with a small number of young adults, meet the consumers where they are – in the community.

Over the past year, this program has grown from being able to provide services to 15 young adults to being able to accommodate as many as 45 young adults. This program is characterized by being out in the community and learning by experience and works to address at least 1 of 5 domains that are essential in helping a young person transition from being a child to being an adult: housing, education, employment, community life and well being.

The goals of the recipients are as diverse as the recipients themselves. Some examples of goals include getting a driver’s license, finishing a GED, enrolling in community college, living with a roommate, learning how to write a resume or creating a household budget. Recipients are provided with the support and skills they need to carry them in to adulthood. Without Pathways to Independence, many of the recipients would not have the same opportunities to learn about themselves and to grow into a healthy, happy adult.

Va l l e d e l S o l | S p e c i a l S e c t i o n

602.258.6797

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Valle del Sol’s

PROFILES OF SUCCESS: New Frontiers of Leadership For the past 23 years, Valle del Sol has hosted the Profiles of Success Hispanic Leadership Awards Celebration, which launches National Hispanic Heritage Month in Arizona. The event recognizes and celebrates the leadership achievements of deserving individuals, with more than 160 who have received awards since Profiles of Success began. Held on September 6, 2013 at the Phoenix Convention Center, “New Frontiers of Leadership” is the theme for this year’s event, as the honorees truly are exemplary of the past, present and future frontiers of our state.

The determination and passion demonstrated by the honorees have benefited both the Hispanic and greater community.

Profiles of Success is Valle del Sol’s largest fundraiser supporting health care, behavioral health, human service, and leadership development programs. Support for Profiles of Success helps Valle del Sol reach

thousands of men, women, children, and their families who are in critical need of services.

“Valle del Sol hosts this recognition event to highlight the values of service to community, leadership and advocacy,” said Kurt R. Sheppard, Valle del Sol’s CEO. “We’re honoring eleven individuals and an organization that take Arizona to new heights with their deeds of service for others.”

The Hall of Fame Award will be awarded posthumously to Hon. Roy Villanueva, who served as Councilman of Surprise. Pinal Hispanic Council CEO, Ralph Varela will be awarded with the Special Recognition Award. For the Raúl Yzaguirre Community Leadership Award, Nina Mason Charitable Trust Program Officer, Belén González, is the honoree. In the category of Exemplary Leadership, three individuals have been named: Marlene Galán Woods, a community leader and volunteer; Steve Macías, President & CEO of Pivot Manufacturing; and Christina Martínez, Founder of Adelante Public Affairs. Andy Izquierdo, Public Affairs Director for PetSmart, will receive the Rosa CarrilloTorres Humanitarian Award. Being recognized posthumously with the Adam Díaz Latino Legacy Award is Virginia Eugenia Cárdenas. Anna Solley, Ed.D.,President of Phoenix College, will be honored with the Latino Advocacy

Va l l e d e l S o l | S p e c i a l S e c t i o n

602.258.6797

Champion Award. For the APS Peacemaker Award, Derrick M. Hall, President & CEO of the Arizona Diamondbacks, will be the recipient. The honoree for the Latino Excellence in Health & Sciences Award is Cecilia Rosales, M.D., Director of Phoenix Programs and an Associate Professor in the Community, Environment and Policy Division of the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. Receiving The Corazón Award is the Arizona Community Foundation.

2013 Profiles of Success is sponsored in part by: APS and SRP as Premier Co-Sponsors, The Arizona Republic, 12 News, La Voz and azcentral.com as Presenting Media Sponsors, Southwest Airlines as Official Airline Sponsor, Telemundo Phoenix as Spanish TV Sponsor, 100.3/100.5 FM, La Nueva 105.9 and Recuerdo 106.3 FM as Hispanic Radio Sponsors, Verizon as Social Media Sponsor, Latino Perspectives Magazine as Latino Publication Sponsor and Arvizu Advertising & Promotions, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, Cox Communications, and Wells Fargo as Sol Sponsors.

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www.valledelsol.com

Valle del Sol’s UVALDO

SEVEN LEADERSHIP PROGRAMS TO CHOOSE FROM

HERRERA HISPANIC LEADERSHIP SCHOLARSHIP FUND Hispanic Leadership Scholarship Fund

Valle del Sol now offers seven leadership development programs throughout Arizona. Following are the leadership development programs where participants are given the opportunity to engage Arizona’s foremost business and policy authorities in a continuing dialogue about leadership. The curriculum builds from participants’ experiences, emphasizing personal and professional development with a practical orientation.

In honor of a 2007 graduate of the Hispanic Leadership Institute (HLI), a scholarship fund was named in honor of Uvaldo Herrera, who passed away in August 2011. The fund aids individuals with tuition assistance for any of Valle del Sol’s leadership programs.

From Phoenix to Yuma, Pinal County to Avondale, the Uvaldo Herrera Hispanic Leadership Scholarship Fund serves to promote Latino leadership development.

Sessions focus on ethics, cultural and personal identity, community issues, public and media relations skills, board/commission service, and meetings and protocol among other topics.

AFRICAN-AMERICAN LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE A partnership between Valle del Sol, Arizona OIC, and South Mountain Community College.

Session starts: September 2013

HISPANIC LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE A partnership between Valle del Sol and ASU’s College of Public Programs.

Session starts: February 2014

HLI-PINAL A partnership between Valle del Sol, Latino Familia Initiative, and Central Arizona College.

Session starts: September 2013

HLI-WEST A partnership between Valle del Sol, the Hispanic Leadership Forum, and Estrella Mountain Community College.

Session starts: September 2013

HLI-YUMA COUNTY A partnership between Valle del Sol, Yuma Private Industry Council, and ASU’s Bob Ramsey Executive Education Program.

Session starts: October 2013

HLI-TUCSON A partnership between Valle del Sol, the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and Pima Community College.

Session starts: February 2014

HLI-EAST VALLEY A partnership between Valle del Sol, Mesa Association of Hispanic Citizens, and Mesa Public Schools, and Mesa Community College.

Session starts: February 2014

Uvaldo Herrera In Memoriam 1955 – 1911 For over 30 years, Art Ruiz, Director of State Farm Insurance, worked with Uvaldo Herrera who is a graduate of the Hispanic Leadership Institute, Class of 2007. When Uvaldo passed away, Art was greatly saddened by the loss of his close friend.

“Uvaldo was always a strong champion for leadership development for Latinos,” Art said. “He had a big heart and made a really good advocate for people.”

Art remembers how Uvaldo spoke highly about the Hispanic Leadership Institute and is glad Uvaldo’s legacy will live on through the scholarship fund.

“He liked getting a broader view and appreciated the way the Hispanic Leadership Institute gave him a greater understanding of the community he was living in,” Art said. “Uvaldo made a remarkable impact in a short amount of time. He is definitely missed.”

For more information, call Angela Florez at 602-258-6797 ext. 527 or go to www.valledelsol.com and click on Leadership Development.

Va l l e d e l S o l | S p e c i a l S e c t i o n

602.258.6797

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“Through my experience at Cancer Treatment Centers of America, my family and I learned that super heroes don’t always wear capes.”

~Sara

Cancer Patient

Advanced Treatment for Advanced Cancer It’s difficult to imagine hearing the three words, “you have cancer” just before celebrating your son’s second birthday. Sara and her family turned to Cancer Treatment Centers of America® (CTCA) for her care where clinical experts have been fighting advanced cancer for decades.

Because Sara wanted to fight her cancer while still being an active mom to her young son, CTCA® assembled a team of cancer experts, her super heroes, who worked with her to create a comprehensive and tailored treatment plan focused both on results and quality of life.

The combined leading-edge oncologic medical treatments with naturopathic medicine, nutrition, rehabilitation, psychological counseling, spiritual support and pain management met her goals. Cancer Treatment Centers of America’s advanced care, whole-person approach helped her in the most important battle of her life, without causing her to sacrifice her most important job: Mom. We are different. At CTCA, we put the patient at the center of our care and we never give up.

Today we are proud to be part of Sara’s extended family. Call now to speak with one of our Oncology Information Specialists and learn how we fight cancer like no one else.

Call 888-214-9488 or go to cancercenter.com.

No case is typical. You should not expect to experience these results.

© 2013 Rising Tide

Unforgettable courage Yarnell fire brought about highest death toll of firefighters since 9/11 THE YARNELL HILL FIRE STARTED FRIDAY, JUNE 28, 2013,

with a lightning strike. By Sunday, June 30, 2,000 acres had burned. Parched vegetation, high, fast-moving flames and shifting winds created circumstances that trapped a group of firefighters in a bowl-shaped valley with no escape route.

All were were members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, an elite wildland firefighting crew organized through the Prescott Fire Department. Nineteen were reported as KIA later that evening.

The nineteen fallen firefighters were: Eric Marsh, the unit’s 43-year-old superintendent; Andrew Ashcraft, 29; Robert Caldwell, 23; Travis Carter, 31; Dustin Deford, 24; Christopher MacKenzie, 30; Grant McKee, 21; Sean Misner, 26; Scott Norris, 28; Wade Parker, 22; John Percin, 24; Anthony Rose, 23; Jesse Steed, 36; Joe Thurston, 32; Travis Turbyfill, 27; William Warneke, 25; Clayton Whitted, 28; Kevin Woyjeck, 21; and Garret Zuppiger, 27.

The number of fatalities made the Yarnell Hill Fire the deadliest wildfire ever in Arizona. Along with the lives of the “Prescott 19,” the blaze consumed 8,400 forested acres in Yavapai County and destroyed 129 structures before it was declared fully contained on July 10.

The loss of so many men in a single incident produced a sense of collective shock and grief that reverberated throughout the state and, indeed, throughout the nation and abroad. It is a horrific reminder of how risky the firefighting profession can be and how indebted we are to those with the courage to undertake such risks.

The newly named Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial Overlook has been created adjacent to Highway 89 in Yarnell. From the Overlook one can view the deployment site where the 19 firefighters died, which is marked by a flagpole. The site is not directly accessible to the public.

A second memorial has been placed at the intersection of State Route 89 and Hays Ranch Road in Peeples Valley.

How you can show your appreciation: The United Phoenix Fire Fighters Association in collaboration with the Prescott Fire Fighters Charities, have established a 501(c)3 relief fund at the

Chase bank. Those wishing to make a donation can just ask, at any branch, for the United Phoenix Fire Fighters Association Account that has been set up to benefit families of the firefighters killed in the Yarnell Fire. It is also possible to donate to this account using PayPal. If preferred, donations can be mailed directly to: UPFFA, 61 E. Columbus Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85012. Contributions are tax deductible and every penny will go directly to the families. Donations can also be made to the 100 Club of Arizona (100club.org/web/100Club) and the Wildland Firefighter Foundation (wffoundation.org). Details available at yarnellfallenfirefighters.com/to-donate/

Nominate a candidate

Help us acknowledge those who serve.

Men and women currently in the military or first responders. Send your info to editor@latinopm.com. latinopm.com

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Are you raising a child not born to you?

We can help!

In Arizona, more than 198,000 children under 18 live in homes headed by grandparents or other relatives.

Children in kinship care experience greater stability than those in traditional foster care.

However, many kinship families do not receive the support or resources that they need to survive.

Resources & support are available.

1.888.737.7494 ArizonaKinship.org Arizona Kinship Support Services Creating Connections for Kinship Caregivers Funded through the Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Children’s Bureau, Grant #HHS-2012-ACF-ACYF-CF-0510. The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the funders.

of Central Arizona

UCP of Central Arizona assists individuals with disabilities and their families. Those served have disabilities including cerebral palsy, autism, Down syndrome, developmental delays and learning disabilities.

Our Services: • • • • • •

Early Intervention Early Learning Center Day Treatment & Training Home & Community Based Services Therapy Services Information and Referral

1802 West Parkside Lane - Phoenix, AZ - 85027 1-888-943-5472 www.UCPofCentralAZ.org 44

Latino Perspectives Magazine

¡ September 2013!

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WordGirl proves the power of a big vocabulary Eight, Arizona PBS kicks off sixth season of award-winning show

By Erica Cardenas

IT’S A BIRD! IT’S A PLANE! NO … IT’S WORDGIRL!

Last month Eight, Arizona PBS kicked off its sixth season of the Emmy Award-winning, animated series WordGirl® with the “What’s Up with WordGirl Week” that featured five new episodes of the crimefighting supergirl battling and prevailing over evil villains with the use of her superhero and vocabulary strength.

Each episode of WordGirl introduces four new vocabulary words and reinforces their meaning in a variety of contexts throughout the episode. The show aims to enrich its young audience’s vocabulary, instill a love of language and foster better reading comprehension. The sixth season consists of a total of 13 episodes in which fifth-grader Becky Botsford (whose alter-ego is WordGirl) faces some of her toughest challenges yet against the series’ most notorious villains.

“WordGirl continues to resonate with audiences because of its engaging characters, robust curriculum and unique sense of humor,” said Deborah Forte, president of Scholastic Media and executive producer of WordGirl.

WordGirl has received ten Emmy nominations, including two that were awarded last month, and wins for Outstanding Writing in Animation in 2008 and 2012. The show has won three Gracie awards, three Telly Awards, a

Television Critics Award for Outstanding Achievement in Children’s Animation, a KidScreen Award for Best Voice Talent, and an iParenting Media Award.

Parents and kids can go on-line to pbskids.org/ wordgirl to access WordGirl games, videos and related resources.

On-line game teaches principles of democracy AMERICAN DEMOCRACY, AN ON-LINE role-playing game available through the National Conference of State Legislators, aims at helping students in grades 6-8 understand the workings of democracy in a fun, engaging way.

The game is free for users and can be accessed at democracygame.org.

There are three levels of adventure

in which users take on the role of an elected official, receiving their own office and staff. They must listen closely to their constituents, learn the particulars of each issue, and interact and compromise with their fellow legislators.

Each level covers a different issue and concentrates on different elements

of the democratic process. Feedback is given at the end of every level showing users how effective they were serving as a representative.

The site also includes a teacher’s page for help with implementation, as well as providing collateral materials to help teachers review their students’ progress. latinopm.com

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D-Backs accepting School Challenge applications THE ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS ARE

Saturday November 16, 2013

9:00 am State Capitol District Phoenix, AZ

COLON CANCER ALLIANCE Professionally Timed 5K 1 Mile Fun Run/Walk Undy Costume Contest PRESENTED BY THE MAKER OF

Run in your chones to fight colon cancer!

Throw on your most outrageous underwear and grab your friends for this 5K event to expose the truth about colon cancer.

REGISTER NOW

www.undy5000.org BENEFITING

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8/20/13 11:37 AM

accepting applications through the end of this month for the $150,000 School Challenge, presented by the University of Phoenix, to benefit schools statewide.

The program is open to all Arizona public, private and non-profit charter schools for grades K-12. Teachers and administrators can access and submit an application on-line at dbacks.com/ schoolchallenge.

The D-Backs kicked off the program last spring with the $100,000 School Challenge and received an overwhelming response that inspired the team to also host a $150,000 Back-to-School Challenge this fall.

“Last season, we were astounded by the volume and quality of applications

received and we know that schools across the state truly need help,” said D-Backs president and CEO, Derrick Hall. “That’s where the D-Backs and University of Phoenix step in and we are excited to be able to bring back this valuable program.”

With more than 1,300 applications submitted last year, the D-Backs were able to grant $5,000 to 50 schools for a grand total of $250,000 in 2012. The $5,000 grants helped schools from across the state with needs such as educational supplies, books, updated computer programs, mobile computer labs and school facility improvements.

The Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation provided $150,000 for the program and the University of Phoenix provided $100,000.

Free reading-level screenings IS YOUR CHILD READING ON GRADE LEVEL? THE BURTON BARR CENTRAL LIBRARY,

1221 N. Central Avenue in Phoenix, is offering free reading-level screenings the first Saturday of each month, provided by the Arizona Literacy and Learning Center. Screenings are conducted 9:30 a.m. through 1:30 p.m. with the last appointment beginning at 12:30 p.m.; appointments are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.

Registration is not required and specially-trained staff will screen children in kindergarten through third grade to determine their reading level. Staff will suggest activities and materials for parents to help children not reading at grade level. Referral information will be provided to families whose child may need professional assistance. Call 602-262-4636 for more info.

Handwriting Analysis HOW DO YOU CROSS YOUR “T”S AND

dot your “i”s? Do you use wide spacing or narrow spacing when you write? Do you slant or loop your letters? In other words, what does your handwriting say about you?

Graphology refers to the study of handwriting, particularly when used as a means of analyzing the writer’s character, personality, abilities, etc. According to graphology, also known as handwriting analysis, how you craft letters and words can reveal more than 5,000 different personality traits.

There are limitless on-line resources and websites one can navigate on the topic of graphology. For example, handwritinginsights.com offers a free on-line handwriting analysis course and a list of books and other reading materials that you can use to teach yourself to interpret others’ handwriting.

Handwriting.org includes a list of on-line and correspondence courses that will teach you graphology.

Write this sentence in cursive: She sells seashells by the seashore. Why in cursive?

Graphologists say it gives them a better read on a person. Here is a brief example of how graphologists might characterize you based on how you write the sentence.

If your writing slants …

To the right: You are open to the world around you and like to socialize with other people.

To the left: You generally like to work alone or behind the scenes. If you are right-handed and your handwriting slants to the left, you may be expressing rebellion.

Not at all: You tend to be logical and practical. You are guarded with your emotions.

If the size of your letters is …

Large: You have a big personality.

Many celebrities have large handwriting. It

G O FA R , CL OSE T O H O M E .

may suggest that you are outgoing and like the limelight.

Small: You are focused and can concentrate easily. You tend to be introspective and shy.

Average: You are well-adjusted and adaptable.

If your “s”s are …

Round: You are a people-pleaser and seek compromise. You avoid confrontation.

Pointy: You are intellectually probing and like to study new things. The higher and pointier the peaks, the more ambitious you are.

Open at the bottom: You might not be following your heart. For example, you always wanted to be an artist, but you have a career in finance.

Printed: You are versatile.

If the pressure on your letters is …

Heavy: You are good with commitment and taking things seriously. If the pressure is excessive, you tend to be uptight and can react quickly to criticism.

Light: You are sensitive and show empathy for people, but you also lack vitality.

To try your hand at additional handwriting samples and for a fun infographic on what your handwriting might say about you, visit pens.com/ handwriting-infographic.

Register Today!

Call 602.285.7800

Late start classes are available.

Ask about our Free Math MOOCs! phoenixcollege.edu/mooc

Have an education story idea?

Phoenix College and the Maricopa County Community College District are EEO/AA Institutions.

Send your information to editor@latinopm.com.

latinopm.com

¡ September 2013!

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Saturday November 16, 2013

9:00 am State Capitol District Phoenix, AZ

Professionally Timed 5K • 1 Mile Fun Run/Walk • Undy Costume Contest PRESENTED BY THE MAKER OF

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Throw on your most outrageous underwear and grab your friends for this 5K event to expose the truth about colon cancer.

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Costume Drama

Just being yourself all the time can be a bore, so – get another life!

PHOTO BY JORGE QUINTERO

By Virginia Betz

USED TO BE THAT AVERAGE CITIZENS WOULD WAIT FOR THAT ONE

day per year when they would don outrageous costumes in order to shed their everyday identities and cavort with wild abandon. In much of Latin America, this was martes de carnaval and, in the U.S., it was Halloween. Nowadays, Americans seem to be looking for more and more occasions to dress up as someone – or something – else.

Whatever the psychological impetus, the trend for finding ever more excuses to take on an alternate persona seems quite genuine.

When the dress-up is habitual, the activity may be referred to as role-playing and can be considered a more or less serious hobby.

When episodic, dressing-up is more likely to be a form of embodied escapism that cannot be satisfied by passively watching a film or reading a book. In our media-saturated world, there is something charming, and even admirable, in the do-it-yourself approach to escapism.

Those attracted to role-playing are more likely to join a formal organization where they have a specific character with specific duties and a specific costume that defines their role. Such organizations are commonly dedicated to a particular historical period: Roman, Colonial, Medieval, Victorian, and so on. Some of the most serious groups dedicate themselves to historical re-enactment; this is particularly true for those whose major activity is the commemoration of a specific event, most commonly a battle associated with a specific 50

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locale. A majority of these groups are voluntary associations of history buffs, but, some go pro or semi-pro, charging for their appearances at civic and educational events, parties and sometimes as movie or TV extras.

Members are usually responsible for assembling their own outfits and often meticulously research the details of dress and deportment so that their impersonations are very authentic. For example, the non-profit Arizona Civil War Council, Inc., the oldest, continuously operating re-enactment group in the state, gives the following list of basic costume necessities for an infantryman: kepi or hardee hat, pair of brogans, cotton pull-over shirt, wool pants with five-button front, button-on suspenders, wool jacket or frock coat, great coat, haversack, belt, cup, canteen, rifle, bayonet and scabard, paper cartridges, cartridge box, caps, cap powder and mandatory earplugs.

Other groups pay tribute to fictional characters and the imagined worlds of wizards, gods and extraterrestrials. While the realm of fantasy would seem to allow more scope for self-expression and invention, hard-core fans often set their own standards of appropriateness and authenticity for established characters.

Popular costumes are always available for purchase, but it’s a lot more fun to create your own. Arizona’s chapter of the International Costume Guild, the Southwest Costumers Guild (P.O. Box 39504, Phoenix 85069; southwestcostumersguild.org) provides fabulous

resources for costume research, including patterns, on-line tutorials, discussion groups and links to related sites for a wide range of attire – theatrical, historical, science fiction and comic. A mere $10/year gets you membership in the Guild and their monthly newsletter, Cactus Needles. The on-line site, alleycatscratch.com, is also for serious students of costumery but specializes in movie-related wardrobes, with particularly extensive coverage of Lord of the Rings garments.

If the appeal of all this dress-up is eluding you, perhaps you just need to spend some quality time around dedicated enthusiasts to catch the bug, too. No need to wait till next year’s Renaissance Festival, many events this fall involve costumed capers, and here are just a couple of possibilities:

Admission: $5 in addition to Fair admission; children 5 and under, free.

Info at azstatefair.com/startrek

Saturday, October 26: Zombie Festival and Zombie Walk 5

Friday through Sunday, October 18, 19 and 20: Helldorado Days in Tombstone, AZ, 2013 Tombstone’s oldest festival (since 1929) celebrates the Wild West of the 1880s. Each day citizens in period dress provide non-stop entertainment along Allen Street including live music, line dancing, a street carnival, a fashion show, gunfight re-enactments, a beard and mustache contest, a cowboy social and more. Sunday, the grand Helldorado Parade begins at 11 a.m. All visitors are encouraged to dress thematically, but check out the rules for firearms and replicas thereof at tombstonechamber.com/helldorado-days-84th-annual Free admission.

October 11 through November 3: Star Trek: The Exhibition Arizona State Fairgrounds, 1826 W. McDowell Rd., Phoenix 85007; 602-252-6771 Wednesday-Friday: noon to 10:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday: 10 a.m.-10:30 p.m.

Star Trek: The Exhibition is making the rounds of state fairs across the country and will be a new attraction at Arizona’s 2013 Fair. Original costumes, sets and props from the five TV series and 11 feature films will be on view along with a number of interactive kiosks. No doubt, local Trekkies will be out in force and suitably bedecked, given the numerous photo ops the exhibit will provide, like sitting in Captain Kirk’s chair.

Heritage and Science Park, 115 N. 6th St., Phoenix 85004 Festival starts at 2 p.m., Zombie Walk at approximately 6 p.m.

With an expected attendance of 10,000, this year’s event is the culmination of Zombie month, as October has been officially dubbed.

If you’re not sure what an acceptable zombie “look” is, there will be expert help available pre-walk at the Festival, or check out the photos and videos at downtownphoenix.com/zombie/ Admission: Free, but donations of non-perishable food items or cash to St. Mary’s Food Bank requested.

Saturday and Sunday, November 23 and 24: 11th Annual American Heritage Festival 2013 Schnepf Farms, 24810 S. Rittenhouse Rd., Queen Creek, AZ 85242; 480-987-3100 Saturday and Sunday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Calling itself “the largest and most diverse educational living history event in the Western United States,” the American Heritage Festival’s huge cast of interpreters present re-enactments of civilian and military events, portrayals of famous personalities, and music and crafts from multiple historical epochs ranging from the 16th through 20th centuries. Organized by We Make History, an Arizona-based non-profit, the Festival is designed to be educational, interactive and family friendly. To learn about the many other events they stage in Arizona, such as their period-themed balls, visit wemakehistory.com.

Admission: $15 per person, cash only; children 3 and under, free. For information about advance discounts, go to americanheritagefestival.com/2013AHF/publicinfo And, remember, September 19 is International Talk-Like-aPirate Day! latinopm.com

¡ September 2013!

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THIS MONTH AT MIM Chapito Chavarria Orchestra Sunday, September 15 | 2:00 p.m.

Tickets: $32.50–$42.50

Hear Phoenix musicians perform the dynamic Latin sound of the beloved 99-year-old bandleader's arrangements.

Curator’s Choice Lecture Series: Musical Innovation and Social Change in Latin America Saturday, September 21 | 2:30 p.m.

Included with paid museum admission, or $7 for lecture only.

Free for Circle of Friends donors.

Hear the moving story of the Recycled Orchestra.

André Mehmari Tuesday, September 24 | 7:00 p.m.

Tickets: $19.50–$22.50

Brazilian piano virtuoso who creates vivid and astonishing original music.

Experience Mexico

Sponsored by

Sat., Sept. 27 | 9 a.m.–5 p.m.

Sun., Sep. 28 | 10 a.m.–5 p.m.

Included with paid museum admission.

Free for Circle of Friends donors.

Experience the diversity of Mexico through music!

For complete details and tickets, visit MIM.org.

MUSICAL INS TRUMENT MUSEUM

MIM.org | 480.478.6000 | Open Daily 4725 E. Mayo Blvd., Phoenix, AZ 85050 (Corner of Tatum & Mayo Blvds., just south of Loop 101)

P.S.

Stella Pope Duarte

Discovering the “tigers within”

By Stella Pope Duarte

WILLIAM BLAKE’S POEM, THE TYGER,

speaks to us of a beautiful, elegant creature – the tiger – an animal that commands respect from lesser creatures and humans beings as well. Tyger, Tyger, burning bright, in the forests of the night; what immortal hand or eye, could frame thy fearful symmetry? The words of Blake’s poem are compelling, and open the door for us not only to envision the tiger’s beauty, but to be aware of its deadly instincts. Tigers, along with human beings, are among the Earth’s most effective predators.

Beauty and danger exist side by side in the tiger and in us.

My presentation for survivors of domestic violence in August, 2013, offered me the chance to look closely at the violence in our homes – a violence that tears at the very fiber of American life. In exploring this volatile topic, I looked closely not only at the “tigers” (dangerous people) we often bring into our homes, but also at how “raging tigers” often live within us, and will strike when we least expect it.

In my long years of counseling families and youth, I have seen what the “raging tiger” can do when not recognized. Dealing with violence

begins with the self. I often tell audiences, “If you come to terms with the dark parts of who you are, you won’t have to marry them.” I know about dark parts. I tried for years to control a man, my ex-husband, and make him into the man I thought he should be – a good dad, a faithful husband, a provider – all the characteristics I thought a man should possess. How wrong I was! If anyone had to change, it was me. The changes he had to make were his own, and he had the right to make them or not make them. I was a proud, young woman who was trying to make someone become what I wanted. Accepting reality came like an avalanche and, in the end, I rose from all the wreckage to begin the journey of first loving and respecting myself. Love starts within or it doesn’t start at all has been one of the biggest lessons of my life.

A recurring dream I had over a twelve-year period finally helped me cross the line I had drawn for myself and for my ex-husband. The dream showed up in my first book, Fragile Night, in the main story in which I depicted myself as “Alma” dreaming of a prostitute running off with her husband. Over and over again, the theme would come at different times during the twelve-year span

until one day, as I washed dishes while my two young children played happily in the next room, the interpretation of the dream came to my conscious mind, clearly, as if the words had been spoken into my mind: You’re the woman in your dream. I was horrified. I quickly defended myself by saying that I was “teaching catechism on Sundays and singing at church – no way!” The message was relentless. I had “sold out” into a marriage with no love.

The dream accused me of not loving the man I had married. No one had betrayed me before I had betrayed myself. Once I calmed down to truly accept the words, I knew the dream was telling me the truth. I had been my own “raging tiger,” angry at myself, finding fault with everything I did, and belittling myself for an unhappy marriage. As I faced the truth, I was able to end a destructive marriage that had caused havoc in my life.

Tyger, Tyger burning bright, in the forests of the night; what immortal hand or eye, could frame thy fearful symmetry?

Stella Pope Duarte was born and raised in South Phoenix. She began her award-winning career in 1995 after she had a dream in which her deceased father told her that her destiny was to become a writer. Contact her at stellapopeduarte.com. latinopm.com

¡ September 2013!

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¡!

my perspective on: Integrated care at Valle del Sol’s Mi Salud clinics

Integrated health care puts clinic on leading edge

By Kurt R. Sheppard

More perspectives

Send us your perspective on whatever moves you.

Email editor@latinopm.com.

TOO OFTEN IN HEALTH CARE, THE BODY IS TREATED

54

while the mind is left to anguish, preventing the patient from total wellness and possibly limiting potential treatment options. While body and mind are two separate entities, they both must work in tandem to ensure an overall healthy lifestyle and must be treated with equal importance.

At Valle del Sol, we understand the importance of recognizing physical and mental health and have managed to meet both patient needs at our integrated medical and behavioral health clinics in Phoenix.

The Mi Salud clinics act as a one-stop shop for adults, children and families who are traditionally underserved by health care. Because of its integrated structure, our clinics are able to serve patients better with access to information through an electronic system or with face-to-face meetings with other doctors who have treated them for either their behavioral or physical health needs.

If a doctor suspects that there is a possible behavioral cause for a physical ailment, a behavioral health specialist, who may have seen the patient before and knows him/her, is just a quick walk up the stairs. This accessibility allows patients to receive more comprehensive and focused care in real time.

A real care example: When a patient was followingup at the clinic after going to the emergency room for dizziness, loss of energy, decreased appetite and weight loss, his mother requested that the behavioral health side of Valle del Sol be notified. After the physician spoke with the behavioral health specialist, the specialist immediately requested to see the patient and spoke with him for 20 minutes and determined that his weight loss was due to a medical, not behavioral, reason and medication was started to improve his appetite and dizziness.

The facility meets all of the needs of everyone in the family, from the youngest child to their parents, and allows doctors to perform everything from sports physicals and annual check-ups to more complicated procedures.

For emergencies or more complex procedures, the clinic also has a large referral network with local hospitals and specialists. Doctors at Valle del Sol’s Mi Salud clinics are able to provide better care for their patients, thanks to this established network.

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In addition to wonderful new facilities that include on-site labs and accommodating exam rooms, the Mi Salud clinics have devoted and caring staff that believe in treating the whole person: mind, body and spirit. One such staff member is pediatrician Dr. Anne Young, D.O. This Arizona native had known for most of her life that she wanted to work in medicine, specifically with children. Dr. Young has been with Valle del Sol since July, 2012, and has brought an energy and dedication to patient care on a daily basis that is difficult to match.

Since the opening of the Mi Salud clinics, word has spread throughout the community about the level and accessibility of care available, leading to growth in the number of those who seek treatment.

Valle del Sol’s clinics are among the first in the country to integrate medical and behavioral health care into one building, putting it on the leading edge of the industry and making it a model for future clinic development.

Kurt Sheppard is chief executive officer of Valle del Sol, a non-profit, health care agency that combines primary care and mental health services for an integrated approach to treat the whole person – mind, body and spirit.

Congratulations Priscilla Giguere - Mrs. Sonoran Desert

We are proud to have you as a friend to the Estetica family. We wish you the best of luck in the Mrs. Arizona America Pageant.

Mrs. America State Pageant will take place April 5 & 6, 2013 at the Tempe Center for the Arts, Tempe, AZ. Tickets available for this event at the box office and online.

To learn more about the Mrs. Arizona America Pageant, find us on Facebook or at: www.MrsArizonaAmerica.com Mrs. Arizona America Pageant

Priscilla Giguere Mrs. Sonoran Desert

Mrs. Arizona America Contestant 2013

Dr. Corwin D. Martin

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