40 JULY 2022 By Rachael Bouley Kara Forney is celebrating the release of her new book, Boy Moms: Collective Tales of Mothers and Sons , an assemblage of 46 essays written by moms highlighting the happy times, sad times and significance of raising sons in today’s world. Forney was inspired to write the book after her experiences raising two boys – now 22 and 19 – in Arcadia. “We moved a year before my oldest was born and have been here ever since,” Forney said. “I feel so fortunate to have raised them in such a wonderful, community- focused neighborhood. They grew up with best friends down the street and had multiple neighborhood ‘mothers’ watching over them.” Forney is proud of her parenting journey. She’s been speaking on motherhood for decades as the founder and former CEO of thebump.com, a pregnancy and parenting website. Her latest project came about after she observed a lack of public discussion about raising sons in the modern world. She wanted to open up the conversation about stereotypes and how to support the next generation of young men. “Raising boys today looks so different from a generation ago, and we need to talk about what it means to raise the type of men the world needs,” Forney explained. “It is a huge responsibility. We need to know how fellow moms are doing it and their stories.” On a mission to shine a light on the most challenging and rewarding parts of parenthood, Forney started collecting essays last fall, with the final version published just before Mother’s Day 2022. Boy Moms features essays from moms across the U.S. and several from England and Australia. “I intentionally wanted stories from regular, everyday women – no celebrities, no well-known names,” Forney said. “I wanted every mom to be able to find herself in the pages of this book and for it to be extremely relatable.” With more submissions than could be included, Forney had the challenge of narrowing down which essays made the cut. “We put a great deal of thought into curating a collection that showed the incredibly diverse experiences mothers can have, but that also have some common themes that we can all relate to,” Forney said. Now that she’s a published author, Forney keeps the door open to writing another book. “It has been such a privilege sharing these stories with the world, and there has been an amazing response to the book and topic,” Forney said. “I’m already being asked about Volume 2. Since the book was published, I have received many additional stories from moms.” The book is available on boymoms.org or amazon.com. Leading with experience: Arcadia mom speaks on parenthood Kara Forney By Rachael Bouley Another school year will be here before we know it, and neighborhood nonprofits are helping students get ready with back-to- school supply drives: UNITED NATIONS CHURCH uncphx.org When: Through July 14 Drop-off: 5437 S. Central Ave., Phoenix. Needs: Pencils, pens, paper, notebooks, folders, binders, backpacks, highlighters, crayons, markers, glue, erasers, rulers, scissors, etc. CITY OF SCOTTSDALE scottsdaleaz.gov When: Through July 15 Drop Off: Donations can be dropped off at Vista Del Camino Center, 7700 E. Roosevelt St., Fridays from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Donate online: scottsdalecommunitypartners.org/donate. Needs: Large backpacks, 3-ring binders, markers, pens, pencils, erasers, rulers, index cards, glue sticks, notebooks, paper, etc. HARVEST COMPASSION CENTER harvestcompassioncenter.org When: Through July 15 Drop Off: At any HCC location (North Phoenix, West Phoenix or Maryvale) or have them delivered directly through Amazon Wishlist. Needs: Backpacks, lunch boxes, pencil boxes, spiral notebooks, glue, scissors, crayons and folders. BOYS HOPE GIRLS HOPE bhghaz.org When: Through July 31 Drop Off: Donations are accepted through Amazon Wishlist or in-person at the Boys Hope Girls Hope office, 3443 N. Central Ave., Phoenix. Needs: Spiral notebooks, graphic calculators and batteries, Post-it notes, display boards and posters, index cards, folders, backpacks, etc. NOURISH PHX nourishphx.org When: Through July 31 Drop Off: At the NourishPHX office, 501 S. 9 th Ave., Phoenix or Amazon Wishlist. Needs: Backpacks, scissors, pencils, pens, markers, highlighters, notebooks and paper. ARIZONA HELPING HANDS azhelpinghands.org When: Through August 31 Drop Off: At the Arizona Helping Hands office - 3110 E. Thunderbird Road, Phoenix or through the website. Needs: Pencil pouches/boxes, sharpeners, No. 2 pencils, erasers, black/red ballpoint pens, highlighters, glue sticks, scissors, washable markers, Post-it notes, filler paper, spiral and composition notebooks, 3-ring binders and lunch totes. SALVATION ARMY  BACKPACK SOS salvationarmyphoenix.org When: July 11-31 Drop off: Any Fry’s Food Store or BOK Financial (closest is 3001 E. Camelback Road) location. Needs: Backpacks, colored pencils, crayons, erasers, folders, glue sticks, loose-leaf paper, markers, pencils, pens, sharpeners, rulers, spiral notebooks, scissors. SOUTHWEST HUMAN DEVELOPMENT swhd.org When: Throughout July Drop off: At the office, 2850 N. 24th St., Phoenix, or with the online donation cart on the website (folks can purchase pre-filled backpacks here). Needs: Backpacks, spiral notebooks, pencil boxes, scissors, glue sticks, binders, pocket folders, rulers, dictionaries, lunch bags, etc. PHOENIX RESCUE MISSION  BACK TO SCHOOL EVENT phoenixrescuemission.org When: July 23 from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Drop off: Donations can be dropped off at the warehouse, 2515 N. 34th Dr., Phoenix. They also have an Amazon Wishlist. What: This year’s Back to School event will help students receive and fill backpacks with supplies donated to Phoenix Rescue Mission. Volunteers will guide students in grades kindergarten-eighth grade in picking out supplies. The nonprofit is still in need of boxes of pencils, pens, pink erasers, crayons, lined paper, spiral notebooks, dry erase markers, pencil boxes, glue sticks, binders, Kleenex boxes, etc. Those interested in volunteering for the event can reach out to volunteer@phxmission.org to sign up. Valley organizations hold back-to-school supply drives

41 JULY 2022 By Sydney Carruth After a nine-year hiatus, Brophy Prep’s former soccer coach, Marc Kelly, will return to lead the program in the upcoming season. Kelly returns after having coached the Brophy Broncos from 2001 to 2013, during which time he led the soccer team to state titles in 2008, 2011 and 2013. “I’m excited to be back on the sidelines after being away for nine years and watching the program develop differently,” said Kelly. Kelly graduated from Brophy in 1987 and now teaches ceramics and sculpture in Brophy’s art department. He also works as the technical director for the school’s theater department. “Marc is not only an accomplished coach, but he is also a veteran teacher and Ignatian educator, having taught at Brophy since 2000,” Principal Bob Ryan said. Kelly began his athletic career as a student, playing two years of soccer under the late Paul Micheletti, a revered coach cherished by many in the community. Micheletti led the Broncos to their first state championship in 1990. “He’s this legendary coach. He was one of the first who rounded out Brophy soccer,” Kelly said. After graduation, Kelly went on to play division one soccer for Gonzaga University as a defensive midfielder before graduating in 1991 and moving back to the Valley to pursue a career in education and athletics. “It was a natural progression for me to move into a coaching role,” Kelly said. In his early career, Kelly began training various teams and clubs to learn more about the game of soccer from a coaching perspective. He dedicated time to learning how to coach the game from different angles. He spent time pursuing additional licenses and coaching for Paradise Valley Community College before being asked to return to Brophy for a teaching position in the art department. Kelly, who is now in his 23rd year at Brophy, said he felt lucky when the school first asked him to join its staff. He was in his second year of teaching when he began his coaching career. Under Kelly’s leadership, the team won three state championships and took the runner-up position in championship tournaments twice. Kelly also oversaw the nomination of three Gatorade Players of the Year and pioneered the program’s travel schedule, giving the team a seat in tournaments with other highly accomplished out-of-state teams. “The school really allowed me to see the way forward for developing young leaders and men of integrity,” Kelly said. He’s been with the same group of gifted players for many years, meeting some of them as young as middle school because they had older brothers on the varsity team. In 2013, after the Broncos secured another state championship title, the coach felt it was an appropriate time to focus on his teaching career. “It was an epic team, we went straight to the final, and we won it. It felt like that was the right moment to step away,” said Kelly. With many of his long-time players graduating and a capable coach ready to take his place, Kelly said it was the first time he felt he could feasibly let the whole thing go. Still, Kelly remained highly involved in the Brophy community and focused his efforts on developing the school’s art program. “In reality, what I do in the studio, teaching sculpture, is more profound,” Kelly said. “I have the opportunity to interact with young people who can lead in the future in many ways.” Despite no longer being head coach, Kelly was still part of the soccer community as he watched his son, Christian, progress through the program and cheered the team on from the stands. “I never really stepped away,” said Kelly. Now, nine years after retiring, Kelly is ready to seize the opportunity to coach again by bringing his refreshed vision and initiatives to the program. “I look forward with enthusiasm to bringing in my different perspective as I have looked at it over the years, seeing what needs to be tweaked and improved upon and the things I can just allow to flourish,” Kelly said. He plans to drum up a new sense of student morale and support, something he believes boosts team motivation and acts as a home-field advantage. The coach also wants to reinstate the team’s travel schedule and hopes to add new tournaments and out- of-state challenges to the program. “It’s a first-class operation all around, with all of the support I could ever want, and there’s no reason for us not to see great success over the coming years,” he said. This summer, the coach will begin his program with open kickaround nights at the Brophy soccer complex, followed by pre-season speed and strength conditioning for athletes in the fall as they gear up for the 2023 season. Brophy’s accomplished soccer coach returns to the field Coach Marc Kelly has been part of the Brophy community since 1987. PHOTO COURTESY OF KATHY MABRY Arcadia News is looking for: NEWSPAPER CARRIER This independent contractor position in our distribution department delivers about 5,000 papers to 60+ stops while keeping accurate records. A detail-oriented person will excel here. Must be at least 18 years old, with a reliable vehicle (SUV ideal), valid driver’s license with a clean record and valid insurance. Some stops require walking up to 100 feet and all stops require carrying one or two 15-lb newspaper bundles. Work is 3-4 days per month, 5-7 hours per day. E-mail intro letter, resume or relevant work experience, and two work-related references to jobs@arcadianews.com . 3850 E Indian School Rd • Phoenix 85018 JOIN OUR TEAM!