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SANTAN SUN NEWS | MAY 5–18, 2018

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Air-conditioning company gives mom cool surprise ago was old and failing, making life uncomfortable for Morton and her two daughters who live with her. She could not afford to buy a new one. Emily, 17, a senior at Corona del Sol High School, and Sarah, 16, a sophomore at Corona, live with her, and her oldest daughter, Mary, 21, attends Arizona State University. Morton was teary-eyed when Kirk and Susie Croffoot, who own Croffoot Heating and Air Conditioning, and Living Chandler Facebook husband-and-wife team Matthew and Tia Coates surprised her, saying she was the winner of the AC contest. The Coates are Realtors. “I think it’s amazing that they’re doing this,” Morton said. “I think that’s just huge. What can you say, other than just ‘Thank you.’” She said she and her daughters had to get creative last summer to avoid the scorching temperatures in her home from about 3 to 6 p.m. They went to a discount movie theater so often to cool off that some of the employees there learned their names. Susie Croffoot said anyone who is working as hard as Morton “certainly deserves a little break.”

BY COLLEEN SPARKS Managing Editor

A single mother of three juggling a full-time job as a teacher and a few other positions is sweating a little less now that a Chandler company gave her a cool surprise. Croffoot Heating and Air Conditioning Inc., based on South Hamilton Street, provided an air-conditioning unit at no charge to Cindi Morton, who teaches science and writing at Herrera Elementary School in Phoenix. Morton, 41, who has three daughters, won the Living Chandler Keep It Cool contest through the Living Chandler Facebook group. Nearly 50 entries were submitted, including 11 from people nominating Morton for the free unit and installation. Morton, who is in her 10th year as a teacher, juggles other jobs outside the elementary school to make ends meet. She drives her vehicle through ridesharing company Lyft on average 20 hours a week and tutors youths, mostly high school students, about 20 hours a week. This summer, Morton plans to start doing respite care, helping families whose children have emotional disabilities. The air-conditioning unit at the townhouse she bought almost two years

Matthew Coates

Cindi Morton of Chandler, a teacher and single mother of three, got emotional when she found out she won a new air conditioner.

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AIR CONDITIONING on page 45

Local Girl Scouts’ service projects earn top award BY COLLEEN SPARKS Managing Editor

Three local high school Girl Scouts proved their weight in gold when it comes to serving the community. Elena Boyd, 18; Aleayah Hughes, 18; and Danielle Manella, 17, recently received the prestigious Girl Scout Gold Award. The teens were among the 22 Girl Scouts that the Girl Scouts-Arizona Cactus-Pine Council awarded with this honor. It is the greatest distinction a Girl Scout can receive, equivalent to a Boy Scout earning his Eagle rank. In order to earn the Girl Scout Gold Award, a Girl Scout must create a project that will keep helping the community long after she has left. Often, Girl Scouts spend 18 to 24 months finishing their project. Boyd, Hughes and Manella undertook diverse and unusual projects. A senior at Chandler Preparatory Academy, Boyd, of Tempe, said she was “motivated by some things I observed about the blood drives at my school” when she made a video advising people on their blood iron levels. “Lots of people got turned down for low iron, and they didn’t know how to raise their iron by any means other than taking iron supplements,” she said. Boyd, a member of 1226, brought together a hematologist and a United Blood Services representative to make an informational video about how the foods people eat can boost their blood iron

Girl Scouts – Arizona Cactus-Pine Council

Special to SanTan Sun News

Aleayah Hughes, 18, of Chandler is a senior at Primavera Online High School.

Elena Boyd, 18, of Tempe is a senior at Chandler Preparatory Academy.

Danielle Manella, 17, of Chandler is a senior at Seton Catholic Preparatory.

levels. In her video, Boyd talked about low blood iron is often an issue for teenagers. She said people can eat such iron-rich foods as beef, turkey, lamb, shellfish, beans, tofu, lentils and peanuts to increase their iron levels. Hughes, of Chandler, a Scout since age 7, said her project focused on helping families who have autistic children. Growing up, she learned about the problems parents face when taking care

of children on the autism spectrum. A senior at Primavera Online High School and Troop 841 member, she said, “A common theme I noticed is that parents of children with disabilities don’t always have access to all of the resources or accommodations for their child.” “I wanted to give them an area where they can get informed about all of the different opportunities for their child,” Hughes said, adding: “I also chose this idea because I felt

that I’m not only supporting the parents but I’m supporting different companies that cater and assist people with disabilities.” She created a resource room for Head to Toe Therapy, a therapy clinic in Phoenix. “It included a list of places that had accommodations for people with disabilities,” Hughes said. “I also had brochures of companies that offered many resources like health care, ramps, See

GIRL SCOUTS on page 46