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Church adds a float to 43-year parade record BY COTY DOLORES MIRANDA AFN Contributor
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@AhwatukeeFN |
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hen the late Mountain View Lutheran Pastor Don Schneider sketched out his ideas for a float to represent Ahwatukee’s first church – his own – he couldn’t foresee the congregation and community rallying to put it into reality. But when the 43rd annual Kiwanis Club of Ahwatukee Easter Parade steps off at Warner Road and 48th Street, Mountain View Lutheran Church (MVLC) will be rolling out a new permanent float as it continues its unbroken record of appearances since the local tradition began in 1976. It will join 79 other entries – including the first appearance of the Arizona Emerald Society Pipes & Drums – that will wind their way
north on 48th to Cheyenne Drive to the delight of a projected 10,000 spectators. Upon rediscovery of Pastor Schneider’s float idea sketched on an 8 ½ x 11-inch piece of paper, friends of his from both Mountain View Lutheran and the Kiwanis Club – which he helped found – rolled up their sleeves to make it a reality. Schneider, who passed away in 2018 at age 87, served as a community leader as well as pastor for decades. “The Kiwanis Club came to me and asked if I’d help build the float,” said Ken Schacherbauer of Ahwatukee who retired after 40 years from Tutor Perini Building Company. The business built several iconic Phoenix structures, including Chase Field and Gila River Arena. Together with current Kiwanis Club Pres-
ident Dale Mathison, and a member of the Woodworking Club at the Ahwatukee Rec Center, Pastor Schneider’s float concept was transformed into a 12-foot-long rendition of Mountain View Lutheran Church, located on the parade route at 11002 S. 48th St. The float was carved into three large parts that, due to its size, will be assembled Friday night on a flat-bed trailer. Mathison said it is so heavy that several people are needed to lift each section. “We wanted to do it for the church and in his (Pastor Schneider’s) memory,” said Mathison. “Everybody liked Don; he had a large following in the community. He did a lot of things for Ahwatukee.” Deeming the float “substantial,’ Mathison
see EASTER page 12
Ahwatukee teen’s death brought life to 4 BY KAYLA RUTLEDGE AFN Staff Writer
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ugs were shared and tears were shed last week as an Ahwatukee couple met the recipient of their late granddaughter’s kidney – one of four people whose lives were saved by the 16-year-old’s organs. The reunion, hosted by Phoenix Children’s Hospital, was part of Heroes for Hope – an effort by the Donor Network of Arizona to educate the public on the importance of organ donations and encourage them to register as donors. Zoe Mar, an Ahwatukee native, was 16 when she died of a brain aneurysm, but the memory of her giving nature lives on through Jovani Perez. The 7-year-old Chandler boy’s health was declining because of a defective kidney he was born with when fate stepped in. Today, Jovani dances and runs to prove his newfound resilience as a result of Zoe’s gift of life. “I get to play now and be with my friends,”
KEYSTONE
MONTESSORI A Foundation for a Lifetime of Learning
When 16-year-old Zoe Mar of Ahwatukee died suddenly in May 2017, some of her organs were transplanted to four people on the verge of death, including 7-year-old Jovani Perez of Chandler, who, with his parents, met her grandparents in an emotional meeting last week. (Left: Special to AFN/Right: Kimberly Carrillo/AFN Staff Photographer)(Special to AFN)
said Jovani. “I tell them [a kidney is] a thing that needs a lot of water and it helps your body be healthy.” Jovani’s life is filled with laughter and love;
a year and a half ago, he was just a shell of the boy he is today.
see ORGANS page 18
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