FUN WITH PHOTOGRAPHY NOV. 7 TEMPE FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS DEC. 5 How do cameras see the world differently? Make your own pinhole camera and find out, plus join us for an artist-led workshop and learn how 19th-century photographers used chemistry to create photographic prints. For inspiration, check out our Contemporary Mexican Photography exhibition (on view through Jan. 9, 2016). For December’s First Saturday, we’re at the ASU Art Museum Brickyard (699 S. Mill Ave.) for the Tempe Festival of the Arts. Explore the collection on view at the Ceramics Research Center, watch ceramic artists demonstrate techniques, and see the finished community pieces you helped create at the last two festivals! No registration is required. Families and children ages 4–12 are invited. For more information, please call 480.965.2787, or visit us online at ASUArtMuseum.asu.edu/familyfun Support for First Saturdays for Families at the ASU Art Museum has been generously provided by The Steele Foundation. The ASU Art Museum is part of the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at Arizona State University. Image by Tim Trumble programs for families on the first Saturday of every month 11 a.m.– 3 p.m. at the ASU Art Museum FREE Page 30 November 2015 of land where the home will sit and members of the club continue to donate money to the cause. To date, members have donated more than $5,000, which will be given to the Guta/ Aligel family to purchase appliances and furniture for their home. The family of five currently lives in a small two-bedroom apartment and the new home will offer them three bedrooms, along with a larger kitchen and living space. “This has been the most incredible experience,” said Jaqlyn Collier, The Madison Improvement Club’s general manager. According to Dusty Parsons, spokesman for Habitat for Humanity, the Guta/Aligel family had to apply to be selected as home recipients and must volunteer 400 hours on the project themselves as their “down payment” on the house. “The family has been out there during every build day and they are just amazing human beings,” Collier said. The Madison Improvement Club has always worked with local charities, said Collier, but this year the club wanted to do a long-term project. Robert Jaques of the Swanson Family Foundation has volunteered around the globe with Habitat for Humanity so the cause was a natural fit “Our belief is that paying it forward in our community is our duty and honor and our legacy,” said The Madison Improvement Club co-founder Mary Swanson. Parsons said working with The Madison Improvement Club volunteers has been fun. “One of the things they bring to the job site every time they show up is a lot of energy,” Parsons said. “Building a new house can be a lot of work, so it’s awesome to see them bring a lot of energy and make the whole experience better for everyone involved.” The Madison Improvement Club plans to dedicate the home to the Guta/Aligel family on December 12. The home is one of 50-60 houses built through Habitat for Humanity in Maricopa and Pinal counties every year. “Our club members are amazing,” Collier said. “They walk in the door and it’s like ‘Hey guys, this is what we’re doing,’ and they are 100 percent willing to do everything they can to help.” She added, “People want to volunteer, but they don’t know how, so if you give them all of the information, they just show up.” Home Continued from page 29

TASTEFUL, in every sense. 602.808.0766 TCooksPhoenix.com Page 31 November 2015 By Amanda Goossen The Child Life Zone at the Phoenix Children’s Hospital opened in November 2012 thanks to the generosity of Garth Brooks and Troy Aikman’s Teammates for Kids Foundation. Teammates is a network of over 3,000 professional athletes that donate based on their performance. (A certain amount of dollars is donated for homeruns, touchdowns, etc.) With the foundation board members paying for all overhead costs, 100 percent of the money raised goes to children’s charities. In October, when Brooks returned to Phoenix for his first concert tour in 19 years, he kicked off six nights of performances with a press conference inside the Child Life Zone, where four young fans and their families waited anxiously to say hello. The press conference, however, would have to wait until Brooks spent time in the hospital, visiting children who could not leave their rooms. “It’s so nice that he does this,” Brianna, a Phoenix Children’s Hospital nurse explained of Brooks visiting patients in their rooms. “There are so many kids who can’t come down to see him.” When Brooks’ wife and fellow country star Trisha Yearwood entered the room, she was visibly shaken. “I’m sorry,” she explained. “Being with these children and their families…I usually need a big cry off by myself afterward. They are so strong. They are so incredible.” The Child Life Zone is an important part of Phoenix Children’s Hospital, created to help the injured and sick to relax, escape procedures and enjoy a moment in an otherwise difficult time. On the website for Teammates, Troy Aikman discussed why creating these playrooms and zones is so important to him. “We have discovered that the kids visiting the playrooms were requiring less pain medicine than those who weren’t…and they were recovering much faster,” said Aikman. There are 11 Child Life Zones throughout the country. Each is a state-of-the-art, therapeutic play area inside a hospital where pediatric patients and their families can play, learn, laugh and relax. Each zone is staffed by child life specialists, certified professionals who help children and their families cope with difficult medical challenges through play, education and self-expression. Child life specialists teach patients about their illness and what to expect during treatment. They provide support to patients and their families before, during and after procedures. The Phoenix zone includes a multi-use theater for films, a performance space for patients and visiting celebrities, arcade games, computers, a family resource area, a large library, and a quiet area for healing services such as yoga and meditation. To Brooks, the work he does with Teammates is important to his life, his faith and his family. “Being a parent is my greatest gift,” Brooks explained through tear-filled eyes. “I don’t know how parents with struggling children do it.” Launching the Phoenix zone is a memory he won’t soon forget. “I remember being here three years ago,” said Brooks. “Kurt Warner came out….What a guy! And players like Paul Goldschmidt, Larry Fitzgerald – these guys are gold. What they do for the kids….They are just gold.” The four children who were able to visit the press conference proudly held handmade gifts for the musician. A cowboy hat that was covered in casting material, decoupaged with photographs of children inside the playroom and autographed by at least 50 children was given to Brooks. A handmade beaded bracelet was given to Trisha Yearwood, as well. “I feel so blessed to be back on tour, performing,” said Brooks. “I never thought this would happen again.” Brooks kicks off local shows with trip to the children’s hospital Phoenix Children’s Hospital patients celebrated the arrival of Garth Brooks, whose charity built a playroom for children fighting illness. PHOTOS BY AMANDA GOOSSEN