Page 60 October 2 014 Comprehensive Remodeling & Handyman Services 480.699.5835 www.valleyviewsp.com Improve Your Living Space... LICENSED CONTRACTOR • FAMILY OWNED • CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED  QUALITY  INTEGRITY  SERVICE  Thunderbirds donate to SpoFit to bring sports to all kids By Danika Worthington Morgan Codrington was a very engaged child who was known as a chatterbox. But as the years passed, the Vermont native began to grow more withdrawn. “When she grew older, she realized she was in a wheelchair and others weren’t,” Morgan’s father Craig Codrington said. The Vermont winters were beginning to make it harder and harder for Morgan, who has spina bifida, to move around and hang with friends, Craig said. But then one particular issue of Mobility Magazine landed on their doorstep and changed everything. The magazine featured a gym called Virginia G. Piper Sports & Fitness Center for Persons with Disabilities located in a far away desert state. The Arizona adaptive facility had many bragging points including universal exercise equipment, a pool with an elevator and a lift, as well as a rock wall. The family moved to Arizona this past year and became involved with the gym, which is owned and operated by Arizona Bridge to Independent Living, Craig said. When the family heard about a free clinic put on by Max in Motion where kids learn to play basketball and soccer at the gym, they enrolled 7-year-old Morgan. At first she was nervous, but Craig said that was to be expected. “If we tell her she’s going to a new restaurant, she’s nervous,” he said. She attended the clinic with 10-15 other kids and their families. “She felt like she was flying, she was going so fast,” Craig commented. “Once she gets comfortable, she has to reel it back a little bit.” As the kids grew more confident with the sport wheelchairs, Craig said they began to mimic the older kids and adults by crashing into each other. Loren Worthington, communications and marketing manager for SpoFit, recalled Morgan and her family. He remembered that she played both sports while her parents actively participated from the sidelines by returning balls. “The reaction of the kids is great,” Worthington said. “Then there is the reaction of the parents which will choke you up.” For many parents, the clinic was the first time they saw their children participating in competitive sports, Worthington explained. Craig said he was overjoyed when he saw Morgan flying around so quickly. He said his mother-in-law was crying while his wife, an Arizona native, was on the verge of tears. Craig said Morgan loved it. She hasn’t quit talking about it and signed up for the next clinic. He said SpoFit has brought Morgan out of her shell. “She’s right back to where she was,” he said. “You can’t shut her up.” SpoFit, which opened 2 1/2 years ago with help from the city of Phoenix, has only been able to offer the basketball and soccer youth programs recently. The gym worked with Max in Motion, an organization that sponsors youth athletes to play competitive sports, to create a free adaptive sports program. But the gym did not have any chairs. Anyone who wanted to play had to supply his or her own. “What we learned when opening the center was that there were more people who wanted to learn the sport or play that sport than had the powered wheelchairs, especially kids,” Worthington said. “We had kids watching who wanted to play.” So the sports facility applied for grants. Thunderbird Charities donated $25,000 that was used to buy 10 chairs in May and another 10 chairs arrived in August from United Health Care, Worthington said. Some of the chairs are universal sports chairs while others, which are motorized with bumpers, are specific to soccer. The gym’s collection of chairs also allows siblings, both those with disabilities and those who are able-bodied, to play alongside each other, another important aspect for parents, Worthington said. “We still won’t have enough,” Worthington said. “We have to have as many different sizes and dimensions as possible.” It is important for SpoFit that anyone who is interested has the possibility to use the facility, and not just those who have disabilities, Worthington said. The gym wants able-bodied friends and family members to come along, which is why the gym’s equipment is universal, not handicap specific. For example, Worthington pointed out a man who had swung a bench away from a machine so he could wheel close and use the weights from his chair. Another person could come up after, Worthington said, swing the bench in front, and use the same machine. The atmosphere of the gym is friendly. Worthington shared personal greetings with several members while showcasing the fitness center’s track, pool and courts. Katie Milner, an outpatient physical therapist at St Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, said she recommends the gym to many patients. She said St. Joseph staff accompanies patients to the gym to show them how to continue their plan of care after they finish their time at the hospital. “There’s really no other gym like it,” she said. “The atmosphere is always positive. Everyone is encouraging one another.” Milner, who specializes with spinal injuries, said many people feel self- conscious when they first go back to a gym with either braces on or while in a chair. “People don’t feel like they are being judged because everyone there has something going on,” she said. “It’s so important because lots of people are afraid they will be judged so they don’t get out and get active.” Note: Writer Danika Worthington is of no relation to Loren Worthington. Photo courtesy of Loren Worthington.

Page 61 October 2 0 14 MECH JOB INFORMATION PROJ. NO.: 7757822/602824980 JOB NAME: Retail Chin Olsen Campbell Diller SPECIFICATIONS TRIM SIZE: 10.25" × 6" FINISHED SIZE: 10.25” × 6” BLEED: NA POST-PROD.: NOTES © 2013 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC. CRC766749 12/13 NY CS 7757822 Preserving and Enhancing Wealth Those individuals who have the skills and determination to create significant wealth are not necessarily well prepared to manage it. There are highly complex and time-consuming financial planning, asset management and other issues to consider. These are matters that successful people often don’t have the time, inclination or specialized knowledge to address. The Olson Campbell Diller Group at Morgan Stanley serves as financial advisors to many such individuals and their families. With the market hitting new highs, now is a good time to have a financial professional evaluate your portfolio to help you avoid overpriced assets and minimize losses in down markets. For a complimentary review of your portfolio, please call us to arrange a meeting. Olson Campbell Diller Group at Morgan Stanley 14850 N. Scottsdale Road, 6th Floor Scottsdale, AZ 85254 480-922-7800 melissa.campbell@morganstanley.com www.morganstanleyFA.com/olsoncampbelldiller Melissa C. Campbell Kirk W. Diller Shawn D. Olson Managing Director — Senior Vice President Managing Director — Wealth Management Wealth Advisor Wealth Management Wealth Advisor Wealth Advisor Arcadia brothers motivated to create pottery for peace By Kassidy McDonald Arcadia high school graduates Nick (21) and Will Thomas (19) have a passion for pottery and through it have been able to create their own business by selling their creations and joining forces with the Potters for Peace organization. Will and Nick sparked their love of pottery through Arcadia’s 3D Art program with Mr. Heinemann, throwing pieces on the wheel and firing them on campus. After honing in their pottery skills, Nick and Will started selling their pieces to a local Phoenix florist, at local art shows and at the Franciscan Renewal Center (The Casa). They can make anything from bowls, plates, vases, cups and most of their creations are all thrown on the wheel. The two also got involved in a non-profit organization called Potters for Peace. It’s a program that works in third world countries, training the people there how to make money through selling their pieces and using the clay and pottery as a filtering device to make clean water. Potters for Peace offers opportunities to volunteer in these rural countries, donate to the cause and join their brigades to visit the countries they are assisting. While Nick and Will aren’t directly involved in teaching how to make the pottery, they are able to use their skills to donate to the cause. “The first thing we did was donate money to the charity and later we started giving the money from our profits of selling pottery to Potters for Peace,” said Will. Nick said the two felt strongly about the charity because, “It’s a big issue that people face in poorer areas and we thought it really coincided with what we were doing.” While both boys are now in college they are still able to practice their pottery. They have a wheel of their own in their home and use their connections with the 3D art program to fire at Arcadia. Nick, who attends Occidental College belongs to the ceramic studio and Will, who is minoring in art looks forward to being able to make his pottery at Santa Clara University. The brothers now sell their pieces by word of mouth and make individual pieces by request via email at nthomas@oxy.edu.