50 MARCH 2022 By Melissa Hirschl A sincere belief in the healing nature of art, as well as an incredible passion for baking, led to the creation of Lula’s Arts, Sweets and More, a small shop near the corner of 23rd St. and Indian School Road. The store showcases talented local artists, decadent desserts and whimsical gifts. Honduran native Lula (Lourdes) Figueroa opened the doors in June 2020. Lula bakes everything herself, spending two days creating cookies, brownies, bars and candy. The result of her energy is a loyal following of patrons who enjoy the latest confections, browsing the various handmade items and artwork. Others sip coffee or tea and relax. One of the most commanding works of art in the store is an 84” by 66” piece titled “The Many Faces of God” by Utah-based Jon Wassom. It depicts famous spiritual people throughout time, such as Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jesus and Crazy Horse. “There are many artists I can promote, but I am mainly interested in exposing artists who are passionate about their work above everything else,” Lula said. “The business shares the gift of creativity by remarkable artists, a tasty selection of baked goods and a welcoming energy,” said Lula’s regular, Rev. Julianne Lewis. When you walk in, you see and feel the vibration of the diverse art, the healing energy from the beautiful crystals, and so much more.” Lula’s baking career catalyst was a cake she made at 12 years old. “I loved the feeling that if I followed directions, there was a transformation that could yield such an elevated item,” she said. “My love of baking, art and community was the real reason I opened this place. I am a girl from a third-world country whose mother would never let her give up on the dream of owning her own business.” When Lula took that leap of faith, artists and creative friends were more than willing to fill the growing business with their art pieces. Part of the store’s chemistry is Lula’s efforts to accommodate her customers. For instance, when a friend had no time to make breakfast because of a demanding job, Lula worked her magic and concocted a cookie version of her favorite breakfast. “I created a healthy mix of blueberries, chia seeds, coconut flakes and oatmeal,” she explained. In February, Lula’s carried “Cupid’s favorite,” a mix of potato chips, pretzels, chocolate chips, M&M’s, and sprinkles. “At Christmas time, they were Santa’s cookies, but Santa told Cupid, and now they are Cupid’s,” she said with a laugh. The recipe for success in opening a business, according to Lula, is the following: “You need a vision mixed with reliance. Visualize how things will look and surround yourself with people who believe in you. My vision is to continue to fill the store with wonderful people who share my vision in building community.” The store is open from Wednesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. artunitesus.org Childhood dream becomes a reality for Arizona transplant Lula Figueroa with some of her latest art pieces. 4 3 5 0 E CA MEL BACK RD # F-10 0 • 6 0 2 .9 5 5. 8 7 0 0 To advertise your business on this page, contact Roni Mier at 602-840-6379 or roni@arcadianews.com for more information. DESERT VALLEY PEDIATRICS - ARCADIA Flu season is around the corner. Skip the urgent care, we offer same day appointments for fl u vaccines and sick visits. Is your fl u vaccines and sick visits. Is your fl child an established patient? We have nurses on staff to answer your questions and provide homecare advice when needed. Also, use our Patient Portal to schedule your appointment needs. 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51 MARCH 2022 By Jennifer Marshall One fateful glance at an employment ad propelled Steve Zabilski into the career he’s called his for over 20 years. Steve was born in Los Angeles, grew up in southern California, and called it home for 33 years. But as his career and family grew, so did the need for more space. The family relocated to Allentown, Pennsylvania, Chicago, Dallas and finally Phoenix in 1995. Arriving in the Valley of the Sun, Steve, his wife, Denise, and their three children settled into the Arcadia neighborhood. Then, it was time to look for work. After reading the employment ad in The Catholic Sun newspaper, Steve applied and was hired for the management position at St. Vincent de Paul. Having formerly served as a senior vice president with Transamerica Insurance Group and an audit manager with the accounting firm of KPMG Peat Marwick, he brought an impressive resume with him. That experience has served him well, as Steve recently celebrated 25 years at St. Vincent. He started in 1997 and hasn’t looked back. “I thought, ‘this could bring a different sense of meaning to my life.’ I knew the position would be special, and it was,” Steve said. “I was grateful to God for the opportunity.” Steve continued: “Being able to lead SVdP simply meant that it was an opportunity for me to use my skills while living out my Catholic faith.” He also applies his faith and generous spirit to many other causes and endeavors, such as being active with the Order of Malta (a Christian organization focused on community service) and serving on the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust and Great Hearts Arizona boards. He belongs to the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and plays an active role with the Phoenix Community Alliance. According to Steve, his time with SVdP has been nothing but rewarding and fulfilling as he cites the many outstanding programs and wonderful, hardworking people associated with the organization. Out of a career filled with special moments and victories, he cites the time when Andrea Bocelli sang “Ave Maria” to homeless diners in their downtown dining room as being “magnificent.” “To me, that is what St. Vincent de Paul is about,” Steve said. “We can have Larry Fitzgerald, Dwayne Wade, Joe Torre, Muhammad Ali, Meadowlark Lemon, politicians and business leaders who visit, serve and raise awareness. So many exciting, powerful, newsworthy moments. But every single day, there are these smaller moments of grace – just as important – happening all around us, making our community a better place.” Steve shows no signs of retiring and plans to continue working and growing St. Vincent de Paul. St. Vincent de Paul CEO celebrates 25 years Steve Zabilski By Rachael Bouley The wrestling team at Arcadia High School faced many challenges this year, especially with a season that almost didn’t happen. With the help of a new head coach, the Titans kept pushing forward, eventually qualifying four wrestlers for the state championships. After Aaron Simpson’s departure, Coach Shawn Carbajal stepped up to fill the head coaching role. As a firefighter with 15 years of experience coaching wrestling (most of them at Red Mountain High in Mesa), Carbajal saw the potential and wanted to make sure Arcadia’s wrestlers still got the chance to hit the mat. Carbajal came to Arcadia after a brief stint as the head wrestling coach at Prescott High School, where he was a state champion wrestler in 1999. The pandemic brought him and his family back to the Valley. With his daughter at Tavan Elementary School and Arcadia High without a coach just a day before the season started, he got involved – alongside 12 eager athletes. Although the team didn’t have a big preseason, they got right to work. Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before they lost a few athletes, and even those relatively new to wrestling were facing some tough varsity matchups. Injuries and departures left the team with six wrestlers entering the sectional tournament. Low numbers are nothing new to the team, which has seen several seniors come and go since it started back up in 2017 after nearly four decades without a wrestling squad. While there was an opportunity for the Lady Titans team to return this year, there wasn’t enough interest, something Carbajal hopes to see change as girl’s wrestling is one of the fastest-growing high school sports. Despite the small group, he’s proud of how the wrestlers challenged competitors from veteran schools. “We’re young. I knew walking into it we had to stick to the fundamentals of wrestling and focus on conditioning,” Carbajal said. “I knew we wouldn’t be able to out-technique our opponents. We had to out-wrestle them by being in better shape.” The team competed in three tournaments and some additional dual meets to use their 12 weigh-ins before sectionals. “People across the board and most coaches say the section we are in is one of the toughest in the state,” Carbajal said about Division 2 Section 3, naming Casteel High, Campo Verde, and Higley as some of the fiercest competitors. “I already knew how tough this section was. I wasn’t even sure how we were going to get any kids to state. It’s not their fault they got stuck in a tough section this go around,” he said. Even with the challenging competition they succeeded, thanks to the strong core group of kids who came to practice every day and showed their commitment to the program. “I think it’s a challenge that a lot of these kids come into high school wrestling believing it’s a sport like football or basketball where you can lean on your team, but this is an individual sport. You stand out if you don’t show up, especially when there are only six or seven kids.” What the new team lacks in accolades and awards, they make up for in determination, as four wrestlers qualified for state – the most in the team’s short history, and especially impressive given the full teams they were competing against. At the qualifiers, Nolan Field (28-14) finished third in the 126-pound weight class and Mateo Rodriguez (18-7) came in fourth in his weight class at 150 pounds, an exciting accomplishment for his first year of wrestling. Even though he broke his hand a week into the season, he came back just before sectionals to place. Arcadia’s other two qualifiers were quarterback Rocco Mortensen (25-21), who weighed in at 190 and placed fourth, and Emilio DuComb (30-14), who took third in the 215-pound class. Carbajal said all of the athletes made him proud. For the first time in decades, the Titans had state placers in wrestling after success at the Division 2 State Championship, which was held from February 17-19 at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Mateo finished fifth in the 150-pound weight class and Emilio placed sixth in the 215-pound class. Nolan went 1-2 in the 126-pound weight class and Rocco went 0-2 in the 190-pound weight class. “Our goal was to get as many kids as we could through to the state tournament and they all peaked at the right time,” Carbajal said. With a memorable season in the books, Carbajal is looking to the future and hopes to see more support and resources for wrestling, not just at Arcadia but throughout the Scottsdale district, which in total qualified 12 boys for state and no females this year. He believes if the district can invest more in junior high wrestling and feeder programs, they will be able to build the program, drawing in athletes when they are younger to get more experience and stay engaged with the sport. “We can be just as competitive with the big schools in the east and west valley. It’s just going to take more support from the district for junior high wrestling to take it from a wrestling team to a wrestling program,” Carbajal said. Arcadia wrestling resets with a new coach, fresh talent Emilio DuComb, Nolan Field, Rocco Mortensen, Mateo Rodriguez and Mark Radonich. PHOTO COURTESY OF SHAWN CARBAJAL