Page 16 August 2 0 16 salon SANDOVAL 3703 east indian school phoenix, az 85018 602.957.9910 www.salonsandoval.com LOVE YOUR HAIR COLOR Aveda full spectrumTM hair color instantly leaves every strand feeling healthier, and every shade is custom created by an Aveda Artist. We’ll show you how to keep your hair color vibrant and shiny, too. Find your inspiration at Salon Sandoval. ©Aveda Corp. By Rachael Bouley Many dogs welcomed into families as young puppies easily transition into a comfortable, content life. However, there are many more four-legged friends that aren’t so lucky and instead find themselves in crowded shelters, wishing and waiting for a forever home. In Arizona, a state with a significant dog overpopulation problem, thousands of dogs are destined for this fate. That’s where the four friends behind a new neighborhood project come in. Arcadia area residents Kim Bistany and Tristan Gertsch, along with sisters Nikki and Nina Maggio joined together earlier this year to start Project PAL Arizona, a group that promotes shelter dogs and shares their stories via social media in hopes that the animals will be adopted. Earlier this year, Project PAL transformed from an idea to a reality thanks to the women’s shared compassion for shelter dogs. Kim says one of her goals for 2016 is to advocate for shelter dogs, and she recruited her coworker Nina to make a difference with her. Together the young women came up with the concept of Project PAL, an acronym for Promote, Adopt, Love. They quickly decided to invite friends and fellow animal enthusiasts Nikki and Tristan to the team. Each week the team takes turns choosing a dog to focus their attention on. They make a $25 donation to the shelter currently caring for the dog to cover adoption fees, toys and food. Then they spend the next seven days promoting the unique story of that animal. The women post a fun and endearing blog description of the featured dog on the Project PAL Facebook page, and share it across their other platforms, including Wordpress, Instagram and Twitter, along with hashtags such as “#AdoptDontShop.” The four women, all young professionals with full-time jobs, share a desire to do everything they can to make a difference for these animals. Dedicated to spreading the word about adoptable dogs throughout the Arcadia neighborhood and local Phoenix area, the ladies want to clear up misconceptions that often arise when people are unfamiliar with shelter dogs. Many people mistakenly think that all shelter dogs are in there for a reason – such as having an ill temper or for misbehaving. “We want to show our networks and communities that there are great, adorable, loving dogs in the shelters and that it’s actually pretty cool to love a shelter pup and save a life,” said Kim, who adopted her dog Reggie seven years ago. “These dogs at the shelter listed as ‘adoptable’ are evaluated closely, most of them more than once. There are so many wonderful, loving, mild-mannered, tolerant, sweet dogs that end up in the shelter.” Even though Project PAL is newly formed, the organization has seen great success, both in growing their social media following and getting their featured dogs adopted. With Project PAL’s outreach, along with a combination of ideal timing, shelter volunteers and other advocates, 19 of their featured dogs now reside in loving homes. The group recently teamed up with local nonprofit One Love AZ to help fund their Shelter Dog Program and enrichment, education, sterilization and rescue efforts. The women created cute and comfy graphic tees, affectionately called Pup Tees, to sell. Thanks to the help of generous donors covering costs, 100 percent of every T-shirt purchased goes to the Shelter Dog Program. Through their outreach efforts, the four women also connected with a volunteer at Maricopa County Animal Care and Control. As a result, the four women and their families walk dogs at the East Shelter once a month, an activity that allows members of Project PAL to interact with the dogs they plan to save and meet potential pups to feature on their social media accounts. Arcadia residents and neighboring Phoenicians support and encourage the group. Community members can easily join in the effort by sharing posts or purchasing and wearing the Pup Tees. The women, all of whom grew up in the area, are thankful for the chance to promote these animals. “We have quite the community that has rallied behind our efforts and we could not be happier with how things are going,” Tristan said. “One dog adopted is one less dog in the shelter.” “The four of us are blessed to have grown up in wonderful neighborhoods with supportive communities where people treat their dogs like family members,” Kim said. “Promoting these homeless shelter dogs to our network is invaluable. We don’t just want the dogs we promote to get adopted, we want them to get adopted into homes where they are loved and treated well.” Many shelter dogs are overlooked in favor of purebred puppies, but Project PAL is encouraging locals to think again about adopting shelter dogs. After dedicating a substantial amount of time and energy towards their cause, the group feels deeply satisfied when they see photos of featured animals with their new families. “There is nothing that can describe that feeling when we receive a notification that someone adopted a dog we promoted,” Nikki said. “It pretty much brings me to tears every time – it is the most rewarding and fantastic feeling!” The group’s carefully planned outreach efforts allow them to target a specific audience: fellow dog-lovers in Arizona. Project PAL encourages their followers to share and repost, increasing traffic and improving the chances of adoption. As they look to the future, the ladies hope to reach a 100 percent adoption success rate and expand their Pup Tees collection. Nina says the community response has been amazing, and the group could not achieve success without such support. “It has been wonderful to have people reach out to us asking how they can help with our mission. Many help by sharing our posts, while others have offered to help us with our graphic design or marketing,” Nina said. “People in our community really care about these animals just like we do and we are so thankful that they have been so receptive to Project PAL.” Friends come together to find forever homes for dogs The devoted dog lovers behind Project PAL AZ. From left to right: Oscar the dachshund, Nikki Maggio, Nina Maggio, Tristan Gertsch, Kim Bistany and Reggie.

Page 17 August 2 0 16 GENERAL ELECTION NOVEMBER 8 TH Representation with Results It has been an honor to serve as your State Representative for six years. As of today, Arizona’s economy is stronger and we are focusing on our most important resource – our children. My legislative accomplishments include providing life-saving care to over 300 uninsured women diagnosed with breast or cervical cancer. I sponsored legislation creating the Department of Child Safety with the sole mission of protecting Arizona’s children. Last session, I brought KidsCare to the House members for a vote, we passed it and the Governor signed it! By Michelle Donati-Grayman While the end of summer break is near, there are still a few remaining weeks in which you need to entertain your brood. From toddlers to tweens, consider these five indoor – and most importantly, air- conditioned – family friendly play spaces across the Valley. i.d.e.a. Museum 150 W. Pepper Place, Mesa Allow your child to explore their imagination through art, science and technology at the i.d.e.a. Museum in Mesa. The museum is comprised of three exhibits. Artville and HUB are both permanent exhibitions, which allow children to play and create with soft blocks, a performing arts center and more. The museum’s third exhibit is Sci-Fi: Fantasy to Reality , which makes it possible for children to learn about the inventions of others while also being inspired to develop their own work of art. The exhibit includes an inventor’s lab, green screen room, time tunnel and costume creator and runs through September 11. Admission for members is free; admission for nonmembers is $8 for ages 1 and older. For more information, visit ideamuseum.org. We Rock the Spectrum 4848 E. Cactus Road, Scottsdale We Rock the Spectrum is Arizona’s only open play sensory gym. It features an indoor play structure for climbing, a trampoline, crash mats and pillows, tunnels, an arts and crafts area and even a zip line. It also features a variety of sensory-based toys and equipment that are designed to aid children with sensory processing disorders. All children will benefit from this unique equipment while they learn to play with kids of all ability levels. Open play passes are available for $12 per child; siblings are $10. For mor e i n for m at ion , v isit werockthespectrumscottsdale.com. Halle Heart Museum 2929 S. 48th St., Tempe Take your child on a cardiovascular journey at Halle Heart Museum in Tempe. The museum brings science to life as it teaches children how the heart works and how to take care of it. It also hosts a variety of activities, such as Video Game Olympics every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday afternoon and Lub Dub’s Science Hour on Wednesday afternoons. Admission is $5 for ages 4 and older. For more information, visit halleheartchildrensmuseum.org. The Children’s Museum of Phoenix 215 N. Seventh St., Phoenix Named one of the top three children’s museums in the nation, The Children’s Museum of Phoenix boasts more than 300 play experiences in over 48,000 square feet. In addition to exhibits, the museum features programming that focuses on early learning through play, early childhood education and school readiness. Admission for members is free; admission for nonmembers is $11 for ages 1 and older. For more information, visit childrensmuseumofphoenix.org. Arizona Science Center 600 E. Washington St., Phoenix The Arizona Science Center provides a hands-on approach to science exploration. Through September 5, the museum’s featured exhibition is The World of Giant Insects , which enables visitors to get up close and personal with six common insects of colossal proportions, including a desert locust, Chinese praying mantis, and lime swallowtail caterpillar. The exhibit promises to amaze both children and adults. General admission is free for members; admission for nonmembers is $18 for adults and $13 for children ages 13 to 17. The Giant World of Insects is $6 for ages 3 and over. For more information, visit azscience.org. Beat the heat: Indoor play places that won’t disappoint Teach your kids what makes their heart tick at the Halle Heart Museum in Tempe. The Sci-Fi: Fantasy to Reality exhibition at the i.d.e.a. Museum offers a variety of hands-on activities – from creating robots to designing costumes. A day at The Phoenix Children’s Museum will tire the most energetic of tots.