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SEE TOURNEY
TOURNEY FROM PAGE 1 Superhero friends
Put on the Cape started in 2015, when he eyed a classic Batman poster and thought he should use posters and comic books to ease the fears of the kids he met as a child crimes detective.
He soon found out it worked. Reavie was speaking to an abused child and, on a whim, he asked him about superheroes. The child’s demeanor changed and the two discussed “Avengers” and his love of Iron Man.
Reavie soon made the connection between superheroes and adversity. Spider-Man lost Uncle Ben and was bullied and an orphan. Batman saw his parents die, and Iron Man had shrapnel in the chest.
“I’m a comic book nerd from a small town with 2,000 people,” said Reavie, a Michigan native. “I kept myself believing in the hope of superhero mythology because it did so much for me when I was bullied constantly.
Reavie uses superhero conversations and analogies to empower victims who end up at the centers. After a handful of successful fundraisers, Reavie was granted nonprofit status for Put on the Cape: A Foundation for Hope in 2019.
Reavie recently opened a chapter in Houghton Lake, Michigan.
Raising funds
The golf tournament is Put on the Cape: A Foundation for Hope’s signature fundraiser. Bang energy drink and the Hooters team will hand out goodies to the 144 golfers.
Awards will be given to champion golfers as well as second- and thirdplace teams. The Superman Long Drive Award is up for grabs on the men’s side, and the ladies vie for the Wonder Woman Long Drive Award.
“People don’t even have to golf that well,” Reavie said.
The event is a scramble, which means four players contribute to the score, rather than one individual.
“Three guys can shank it into the woods,” he said. “The next guy can hit it onto the fairway, and it’s great.
“We just want people to embrace these centers all around the Valley. People don’t know what goes on there. Their locations are secret. You don’t want people to find the children who were taken there because they were abused. “These centers do not have a budget for action figures or T-shirts or even diapers and clothing. That’s why we’ve branched out.” A school resource officer now, Reavie finds his volunteer mission humbling. “I’m just a comic book nerd who had an idea that resonated with so many people,” Reavie said. “Another child crimes detective came up to me and was talking in a high voice. He said, ‘I can’t believe I’m meeting you. You’re doing everything we all wish we could.’
He’s adding child advocacy centers as he goes. The nice thing about that?
Another time, he stopped by FX Tactical in Peoria to pick up uniforms. The woman behind the counter, he said, looked like a young Gal Gadot, the actress who plays Wonder Woman.
“I handed her my card and said she’d be the perfect Wonder Woman for one of my events,” he said. “Six hours later, I received an email from her mother. She said, ‘You met my daughter today. I work for the Glendale chief of police. You guys are legendary. I’m so proud that you would think my daughter would do something with you.’
(Above) Arizona Ranger Rob Shirley donated this handmade, wooden American flag for a previous raffle. (Left) A good time is had by all in attendance. (Photos courtesy of Sean Reavie)
The third Superhero Golf Scramble, Presented by NeXus Rehab + Spine
WHEN: 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 25 WHERE: Legacy Golf Resort, 6808 S. 32nd Street, Phoenix COST: $125 INFO: eventbrite.com, putonthecape.org
OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS:
The third Put on the Cape Superhero Shopping Spree
WHEN: 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 11 WHERE: Five Below Superstore, 10092 W. Happy Valley Road, Peoria COST: Free; join superheroes and shop to fill the food pantry, toy closet and clothing wardrobe of the Southwest Family Advocacy Center INFO: putonthecape.org
The fifth Valley Spinal Care Superhero Shopping Spree
WHEN: 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 18 WHERE: Five Below Superstore, 10092 W. Happy Valley Road, Peoria COST: Free; shop with superheroes and the real-life heroes from the Glendale Police Department’s crimes against children unit as they shop for wish list items. INFO: putonthecape.org
Lease today and get one month FREE!* Girl Scout troop gives back to Smith school
BY ALLISON BROWN Glendale Star Staff Writer
Local Girl Scout Troop 6128 gave Harold W. Smith Elementary School’s staff lounge a fresh, “zen” look for a service project and as a thank-you for teachers’ work during the pandemic.
Tarrah Bernabe, the troop leader and principal for this project, said that while she didn’t infl uence them, she was glad they chose her school. She was impressed with the leadership and problem-solving skills the girls displayed.
“It was really their project. They’re the ones who developed the idea,” Bernabe said. “They basically only needed myself and our co-leader to drive them to places, because they’re in sixth and seventh grade. They did the painting, the arranging, made all the decisions, kept track of the money, spoke to the managers at the stores and wrote the emails. I just copied and pasted the emails. They did all that with our help, of course, just with things that adults are needed to do, but as an educator, seeing children take the lead, solve a problem and do such a beautiful job was inspiring.”
Ella Manchie, a troop member and seventh grader at Garden Lakes Elementary School, said they needed 60 hours of community service to earn their Silver Award. The girls were asked to think about problems in the community that they could contribute a sustainable solution to and landed on the topic of the stress of COVID-19 not just on students but on teachers.
The troops designed their own Google survey, with each member picking a question to ask, and sent it out to teachers. The overwhelming response was that teachers wanted more stocking and a “zen” or “spa” space, and that’s what the girl scouts gave them.
One of the fi rst things they did was a massive reorganization of the supply closet, printer room and teacher work room.
“We felt that before, all the papers and everything in the workroom was crammed in random places. There was a whole drawer fi lled with one pen. So, we decided to do that because we fi gured it might be nice,” Manchie said. “The supply closet was somewhat organized, but we wanted to make
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Girl Scout Troop 6128 remodeled the staff lounge at Harold W. Smith Elementary School. (Photo courtesy of Girl Scout Troop 6128)
GIRL SCOUTS FROM PAGE 6 it more than it was at the time. Then we sorted out all the supplies that the teachers asked for and delivered them to each classroom.”
To give teachers that relaxing “zen” space, the girls pooled their resources and reached out to the community. They called businesses and received donations of around $400 worth of supplies from Lowe’s and spray cans from ACE Hardware. The troops were charged with speaking to the business owners as well as collecting and handling the money. They thrifted furniture items, upcycled the existing furniture, repainted and added greenery to make the space more inviting and relaxing.
“They put everything together. They did some painting. They rearranged the furniture and the items that were in there,” Bernabe said. “Then they also created some things from scratch. One of the most memorable things that the teachers have commented on is the customized artwork that’s in the lounge. Each of the girls had their own canvas and they created a piece of artwork, and those are hung throughout the room.”
While the Girl Scouts couldn’t be present for the big reveal, Manchie said they received letters from the teachers thanking them for their work and saying that “they loved it.” She said it also felt rewarding for them to see their changes, and they were all happy with the outcome. The troops put in over 60 hours of work, and all received their Silver Cadet badge.
As for Bernabe, she is a happy principal and proud troop leader.
“This lounge has been a beautiful escape for (teachers) to come together and build community with one another. Being a teacher is hard. Working in education is hard work. It’s nice to be able to have a place where we can go to giggle or we can just sit down and breathe and have a few minutes in a room that was designed just for us to recharge. When I asked the girls why this was important, they said, ‘Because when teachers feel good, they’re nice to kids,’ and that’s well said. When teachers feel good, they’re a better version of themselves for the kids.”
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Police investigating fatal car crash on Camelback
BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI Glendale Star Executive Editor
A 44-year-old Phoenix man has been charged with DUI in connection with a 10:30 p.m. Aug. 12 car crash that killed two on the 5800 block of West Camelback Road in Glendale.
Bushiri Kibukila was arrested, and the investigation continues, according to Glendale police.
Killed in the crash was 54-year-old Sharri Wood of Phoenix. Sandra Kay Williams, 72, of Glendale died at a local hospital.
Glendale police said Williams was driving a sedan in which Wood was riding. Investigators determined Williams, while attempting to turn left into a private drive, collided with Kibukila’s SUV as it was traveling west on Camelback Road, approaching 59th Avenue. Kibukila remained on the scene.
Fire department personnel responded to the crash, but the Glendale Police Department vehicular crimes detectives assumed the investigation.
Bushiri Kibukila was arrested Aug. 12 on DUI charges. (Photo courtesy of the Glendale Police Department)
Sandra Kay Williams, top, was driving a sedan that was involved in a crash on West Camelback Road. She later died at a local hospital. Sharri Wood, above, of Phoenix was killed in an Aug. 12 car crash. (Photos courtesy of the Glendale Police Department)
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