Glendale’s Community Newspaper
www.glendalestar.com
Vol. 77 No. 39
INSIDE
This Week
Networking group honors Judge Elizabeth Finn BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI
Glendale Star Executive Editor
SPORTS ........ 19 Giselle Juarez awaits Japan softball career
September 23, 2021
A community leader, advocate, champion for women and Arizona’s longest-serving judge, Elizabeth R. Finn, Glendale’s former presiding judge, will be honored for serving others on Tuesday, Oct. 5. “It is really exciting to be acknowledged,” Finn said. “I’ve won a lot of awards in my 43 years of being a judge. This one is for the West Valley, so that’s kind of exciting.” The West Valley Women Networking Association’s 2021 Woman of the Year luncheon is noon Tuesday, Oct. 5, at Arizona Broadway Theatre, Peoria. For tickets, call 602-573-7496 or visit westvalleywomennetworking.com.
Lisa E. Platt, chief connections officer of the West Valley Women Networking Association, said the organization honored Finn for myriad reasons, including her advocacy for domestic violence survivors. “She helped rewrite some of the domestic violence laws that ultimately helped victims become survivors,” Platt said. “Judge Finn also established specialty courts for cases involving domestic violence, homelessness and mental health.” Finn has been the interim court administrator in Carefree and Cave Creek for about two months. Prior to that, she was in El Mirage for the same length of time. “I’m making the rounds around the
SEE FINN PAGE 3
Judge Elizabeth Finn will be honored at the West Valley Women Networking Association’s Woman of the Year luncheon. (Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Finn)
Pediatric hospitalist teaches children to ‘smile’ BY MADISON PERALES Glendale Star Staff Writer
FEATURES .... 21 Teacher shares her story in children’s book
OPINION....................... 9 BUSINESS.................. 15 SPORTS ...................... 19 FEATURES.................. 20 RELIGION ................... 24 YOUTH........................ 26 CLASSIFIEDS ............. 27
An avid traveler, Glendale pediatric hospitalist Dr. Shelly Batra longed to try international medicine. When her friend, a child life specialist, introduced her to Operation Smile, Batra said it gave her the chance of a lifetime. “At the time I was introduced to Operation Smile, I was going through a rough patch in my personal life,” she said about 2014. “Being able to provide care for people who either don’t have access or don’t have the resources has always been something
that I’ve been interested in. I was never really sure how to do it. Operation Smile gave me that platform to be able to not only do what I love but also be able to do it in an environment that’s built on providing quality care.” Operation Smile is a nonprofit organization that assists patients who have a cleft condition. A cleft lip or cleft palate is a gap in the mouth that didn’t close during the early stages of pregnancy. Cleft conditions are primarily caused by genetics, medical conditions or exposure to harmful substances. According to Operation Smile, every 3
minutes a child is born with a cleft condition worldwide. While this statistic is daunting, as many as 9 in 10 people have difficulties accessing basic medical care, such as surgeries. This means several kids with a cleft condition will have to experience bullying if their condition isn’t surgically fixed. This is where Operation Smile comes in. The nonprofit’s volunteer medical workers provide care to patients who wouldn’t have access to these kinds of procedures at any other hospital. Batra, who sees patients at Banner SEE SMILE PAGE 4
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