Neighbors
www.SanTanSun.com
February 21 - March 6, 2015
41
Neighbors ‘Dog Whisperer’ visits Chandler to train ‘bad people’
Career Connectors helps get people back to work
Neighbors PAGE 47
Spirituality PAGE 60
Where to Eat PAGES 68-70
Intersession camps keep local Intel and smart mom design Smart Clip kids happy and entertained BY TRACY HOUSE
BY ALISON STANTON
It may be hard to believe, but spring intersession for the Chandler Unified School District is right around the corner, scheduled from March 9 to March 20. On Monday, March 23, there is also no school due to a teacher inservice workday. To keep their kids busy and entertained during their two-plus weeks off from school, many local parents are looking for intersession camps and classes. With this in mind, the City of Chandler and businesses are hosting camps and classes for kids of all ages: City of Chandler The city offers a wide selection of educational camps for kids ages 5 to 12, according to Brooke Peterson, marketing and communications coordinator for the community services and recreation department at the City of Chandler. From programs for tweens to camps about nature and more, there are plenty of options from which to choose. “Chandler Parks and Recreation also offers camps focusing on dance, science, cooking, movie making and sports,” Peterson says. The two-week Nature Camp, which is for ages 6 to 12, helps kids explore the natural world through the use of games. This camp is held at the Environmental Education Center. Full-day and half-day sessions are available at the Youth Spring Camp, which will keep kids ages 5 to 12 actively involved in sports, games and arts and crafts, at Snedigar Recreation Center. And for kids who live and breathe anything to do with LEGO and/or Minecraft, Peterson says the Bricks for Kidz Mining and Crafting Camp
At Pump It Up in Tempe, kids can jump and play their way through spring break on the facility’s brightly colored and fun arenas. Submitted photo SEE INTERSESSION PAGE 43
A group at Intel has endeavored to create a device that would save the lives of children, especially during the hot summer months, when the danger of leaving a child in a car is at its greatest. As an Intel engineer and the mother of an 8-month-old daughter, Marcie Miller was personally interested in the creation of the Intel Smart Clip. As part of Intel’s Internet of Things Group, Miller and the team worked to create a prototype car seat toddler tech device that may promise to prevent tragic accidents with children being left unattended The Intel Smart Clip is an innovative baby protection device that alerts in vehicles. parents or caregivers if a child is still buckled in his or her seat when the “One of the things we’re parent leaves the vehicle. Submitted photo really focused on, one of the things really important for this organization, is making unconnected things connected,” Miller says, of the goal of the Internet of Things Group. That is, take things that are in our everyday lives and build more intelligence, or make our lives easier by building some of these connections, Miller says. When the opportunity to work on the Intel Smart Clip arose, Miller spoke with fellow parents and investigated other solutions that were in the market. She used the rival’s devices on her daughter, figured out what she liked and didn’t like, and what could be made better for the modern parent. The concept, design plan and implementation was accomplished in three to four weeks, Miller says. The Intel Smart Clip app can be downloaded to a smartphone. A clip, or device is attached to the car seat harness. When engaged and if the adult is out of range of the car seat, it can alert the parent or caregiver, it reminds that person that the child is still harnessed in the car. Around 40 or 50 feet away the connection will be lost, and so an alert will go off on the phone, as well as an alarm. There will be a visual and an audible alarm that sounds. There is an acknowledgement button on the app which will pause the alarm, but it continues every 20 seconds until the phone is back in range of the clip and the clip is released, Miller says. “There is a continuous reminder until you go get that child,” Miller says. “The continued reminder is a way to get your mind back on track.” SEE HEATSTROKE PAGE 43
Local golden doodle chosen as hero dog recipient BY TRACY HOUSE
A Chandler golden doodle has been chosen as the Arizona Friend of Animals Care and Control’s 2015 Hero Dog Award recipient for community service. Hope and her handler, Pam Reinke, will be honored at 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28, at the Omni Resort and Spa at Montelucia, 4949 E. Lincoln Dr., Paradise Valley. The event is a fundraiser for Arizona Friends of Animals Care and Control. For more information visit www. azfriendsofanimals.org. Active in pet therapy since 2005, Reinke is thrilled about the award. “When I retired I decided to be the best ambassador for pet therapy that I could be,” says Reinke, a retired nurse
who has had Hope for six years. “It brings such a calming and peacefulness for someone who is hurting, or takes the pain away. I saw it firsthand, so I really, truly believe in it. I’m passionate about it. We’ve been a pet therapy team for four years.” The 6-year-old dog and Reinke make the rounds of several places throughout the Valley, including Hospice of the Valley facilities, Mercy Gilbert Medical Center and SHARP School through Gabriel’s Angels. Hope is a certified working dog through HOPE Animal Assisted Crisis Response. Pet therapy is beneficial to people because it lowers their blood
pressure and heart rate, Reinke says. “Just seeing a dog from a distance releases oxytocin, which is the hormone that is released when you’re nursing from your mother, so it gives you a feeling of calmness and well-being, ” Reinke says. “As the dog comes in, especially if you’re in a crisis or stress situation, it actually absorbs all those negative feelings. “Just petting and interacting with it gives you a better sense of balance.” Hope, who is certified through Pet Partners, is specially trained for natural disaster response for post-disaster grief recovery as well. She attended the memorial for the Yarnell firefighters. “You get registered with them and SEE GOLDEN DOODLE PAGE 43
Hope, with owner Pam Reinke, is the recipient of the Arizona Friend of Animals Care and Control’s 2015 Hero Dog Award for community service. Submitted photo