Gilbert Museum ramps 1 up for gala A
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Campo Verde grappling PAGE 27 for more
Sunday, February 17, 2019
GPS sees retention Grief for a lost son program successes BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor
NEWS .................................11 Town employees get discount for Freestone membership.
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or student Alejandro Martinez, school was a pain with no gain. “I pretty much gave up and stopped doing my work completely,” the junior high school student said. Then, a pilot program launched in the fall at Highland Junior High School changed his life. “I’m able to talk to people and teachers,” he said. “I am getting out a lot more. For me, basically it’s another chance.” Alejandro and three of his peers gave feedback on the impact of RISE, an alternative junior high school, in a video viewed by Gilbert Public Schools Governing Board. The program’s name is an acronym for espect Innovate elf-confidence and ngage.
see GPS page 1
BUSINESS ......................22 Gilbert firm takes a bite out of dental costs.
GETOUT ........................ 33 This dish will make you scrape for more.
COMMUNITY................. 15 BUSINESS ......................19 OPINION ....................... 22 SPORTS ..........................25 GETOUT ........................30 CLASSIFIED .................. 36
Sheila Hedstrom-Pegler of Gilbert holds up a photo of her 16-year-old son Tyler, who took his life in July 2017 while he was a junior at Combs High School in San Tan Valley. He passed away in July 2017 and was the third of 33 East Valley teens who have been lost to suicide since that month. She was testifying last week before the State Senate Education Committee before it recommended passage of a bill mandating suicide prevention training for all school staffers. For a report on what she said, see page. 6. (Special to GSN)
Machine made for big Gilbert giving BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor
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he Giving Machine proved Gilbert is a generous place. il ert was one of five locations around the world where the Church of Jesus Christ of atter-day aints put a uni ue machine aimed at making it easier to support charities. Church lder ale illis recently announced that Gilbert attracted the second highest total of donations 6 ,1 with , transactions during the days of the campaign. alt ake City, tah, came in first with 1. million in donations and , transactions, followed y ew ork City with 1 1, ,
ondon at , 1 and anila in the hilippines at 1 , 1. The total raised for the church’s campaign was . million. our alley nonprofits received more than a com ined total of , in donations thanks to Gilbert’s total. The donation amounts were announced at the Feb. 7 Town Council meeting that recognized the church’s ight the orld campaign. “It really was a tremendous honor to have the Giving Machines in Gilbert,” Mayor Jenn aniels said. Thank you for giving our residents the opportunity to give and to share.” The church placed two vending machines at the ater Town laza during the holiday season. The machines were stocked with cards
showing pictures of items that can be donated such as food, clothing, medicine, hygiene supplies, wheelchairs, sporting e uipment and livestock to enefit local or glo al charities. e look forward to the continued expansion of the ight the orld iving achine campaign in the years to come, said illis, a member of the church’s Quorums of the Seventy. The church chose four Valley charities to receive the donations A ew eaf, elen’s Hope Chest, St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance and nited ood ank. The rest of the Gilbert donations go to the church’s glo al charity partners CA , IC , aterAid and ater for eople.
see GIVING page