NOW SELLING THE ARCADIAN a r c a d i a n P H X . c o m STARTING IN THE $600s 602-975-5016 4220 N. 32nd St. Phoenix 85018 30 AUGUST 2024 By Catherine Alaimo Founded eight years ago by a local teacher as a family effort, the Good Soles Drive collected a milestone number of over 1,200 shoes this summer to ensure hundreds of schoolchildren in need will return to the classroom with new sneakers. Amanda Goossen teaches fourth grade at St. Thomas the Apostle School. She was inspired to start Good Soles after a friend of hers held a backpack drive for Child Crisis Arizona (CCA), a nonprofit that seeks to shield at-risk children and families from neglect and poverty. Goossen reached out to the nonprofit to ask how she could contribute and was told that new shoes were an overlooked – but essential – item for the children in their care. This resonated with the educator, who recalled her own boosted confidence when she wore new shoes to school. “When you go out into the world, you always want to feel your best, and I believe that kids will be more successful and feel better about themselves if they have good shoes on their feet,” she said. At the start, Goossen enlisted her children to organize the pairs of shoes in their kitchen. She said she hoped participating in the drive would impress upon her son and daughter the mindset of selflessly serving those less fortunate than them. In 2023, she expanded the project to involve students and families at St. Thomas as volunteers, hoping to instill a long-term dedication to community service in each of them. “Our goal now is to help students in the area learn how to volunteer and give back while also helping other kids,” she said. Nolan Butkiewicz, a rising eighth grader at St. Thomas, promoted Good Soles by passing out flyers in his neighborhood. He said the most rewarding part of volunteering was delivering the shoes to Child Crisis at the end of the drive. “It was so wonderful to see how grateful they were to receive all of the shoes,” Nolan said. “I will continue to support Good Soles’ mission long after I leave St. Thomas.” Volunteer and CCA Resource Specialist Emilia Alcantar said that these annual contributions amplify the nonprofit’s ability to distribute shoes to children in need across its programs, including those living in group homes and emergency shelters. “It’s just incredible. Getting that new pair of shoes provides that sense of normality for each kid, which makes it easier for them with everything they’re going through,” Alcantar said. The program’s execution and scale has evolved over the past eight years. Goossen has partnered with Phoenix-based businesses such as U-Haul, which donated a storage unit to the drive. An Arcadia eatery – Collins Small Batch Kitchen – set up boxes for customers to donate shoes in exchange for a free scoop of ice cream. Last year, Good Soles also qualified as a 501(c) organization, allowing donors to subtract their financial contributions from their taxes – an achievement that Goossen said has often “doubled” people’s willingness to give to the drive. In the future, the educator plans to broaden the number of organizations Good Soles supports. goodsolesaz.com childcrisisaz.org Good Soles shoe drive receives record donation The Good Soles crew dropped off over 1,200 pairs of shoes to Child Crisis Arizona. PHOTO COURTESY OF AMANDA GOOSSEN

31 AUGUST 2024 By Kylie de Best Last summer, Arcadia High graduates Aani Nagaiah and Gage Samaddar came together to share their life-long passion for music and the arts with the senior community through their nonprofit, Our Ode to You. Their mission was to get those in memory care facilities interested in art and music through free workshops. The idea was an immediate success, with many AHS student musicians and artists joining the cause. A typical session at a facility begins with painting accompanied by a musician or singer in the background. The seniors can play music or instruments or sing with the volunteers. “Through combining performances and interacting with the seniors, we have been able to rekindle the creative spirits of over a thousand seniors in Arizona so far,” Aani said. The duo’s efforts have been acknowledged throughout the community and beyond. They have received the Hershey Heartwarming Grant, the Taco Bell Ambition Accelerator Seed Grant, and, most recently, the Riley’s Way Call to Kindness Fellowship. This award comes from a national program that provides funding and leadership development training to youth- led projects, focusing on the pillars of professional development, connection- making and project support. Riley’s Way Foundation supports young leaders who practice kindness, empathy, community and youth leadership. “The fellowship gives us a grant of up to $5,000 and priceless mentoring sessions with people who want to help us,” she said. In addition to the funding, Aani and Gage will attend a retreat in New York in September with fellows from all over the country. During this event, participants will attend leadership workshops and form connections, learning from each other and finding ways to improve their initiatives. “I’m looking forward to getting to know other organizations who share experiences similar to ours,” Gage said. “So many high school nonprofits are often thrown into the world of business without knowing that there are other people in the same shoes, so I think having that connection will improve networking while sharing common ground.” In addition, fellows can sign up for various webinars and mentoring sessions to learn about areas they can improve in, such as digital marketing or building a website. There are also PR opportunities that can help fellows get recognized locally and nationally. The first webinar Aani and Gage signed up for will focus on speaking with mentors about their goals for Our Ode to You this year and how they can use the resources this fellowship offers to develop a focus. “We plan to use our money to expand and fund current chapters,” Aani said. “We are always looking for more volunteers and student leaders. Working with us is a great extracurricular for college apps and experience in general.” ourode2you.carrd.co Keeping art and music alive for all generations By Mark Hays They say if you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life. That’s true for Arcadia local Whitney Thatcher, who worked as a financial analyst before beginning her career as a professional photographer. Thatcher moved to Phoenix from Colorado 10 years ago. A self-proclaimed naturally creative person, she enjoyed tile and mosaic projects and photography to decompress from work tasks. Photography then went from being a hobby to a full-blown business. Studio W Portraits is located in Old Town Scottsdale. Thatcher specializes in photographing individuals, teams, businesses, and school portraits. “Photography quickly became a hobby I loved. I began taking courses and learning as much as possible about portraits’ creative and technical aspects,” Thatcher said. Studio W opened in 2012. Thatcher combined her background in finance with her love for photography, and the skills she gained in the financial industry help her make sure every decision for the company will positively affect both the business and customers. “I think so many creative businesses don’t last long because while they may be incredible at the creative part, they lack the skills and the background necessary to run the business side of things,” she said. “I am so grateful I found the perfect way to combine my financial knowledge with my strong creative side to open the business I have today.” Over the years, she’s photographed many genres and learned that her true passion lies in individual portraits for corporations and schools. She explained that portrait photographers help define their clients in the best way possible, furthering professional opportunities and building self-confidence. Thatcher’s favorite is school pictures; a service the company has offered since 2017. “I am on a mission to change the face of school pictures and feel that I have reinvented the school photo. When kids are away from their parents, they are in a different environment and often respond differently to a camera,” Thatcher said. “As professional portrait photographers, we are often able to get better photos of kids when they are at school.” In addition to helping kids get comfortable, this type of photography helps bring out each student’s individuality. “For many students – including me when I was in school – annual school photos fail to connect with the essence and energy of each student, and instead are generic clones of a photograph designed to fit a certain mold,” Thatcher said. She aims to create a picture to give parents something to cherish. “Instead of a ‘sit, smile, next’ method for each student on school picture day, our photographers interact with each child, bringing out their natural personality,” Thatcher said. “School photos should be fun, build confidence and empower kids.” After picture day, parents receive a gallery of 5-10 photos to choose from – and they only buy photos they love. When she’s not working, Thatcher spends time with her family outdoors, camping, hiking, and mountain biking. She also loves to garden and play with the family’s new five-month-old black lab. “My goal now and for the future is to build a sustainable business that clients love doing business with and that employees love to work for,” she said. studiowportraits.com Smile for the camera! (top left) Don, a Carnegie Hall alumni, played a violin for the first time in 10 years thanks to Our Ode to You. (bottom left) Founder Gage Samaddar helps out with the painting portion of a visit. (right) Arcadia freshmen Jette, Daphne and Lily joined Our Ode to You and help out with the painting and snack time. PHOTOS: AANI NAGAIAH Whitney Thatcher