4 MARCH 2025 EDITOR’S NOTE Each one of the people featured in our March edition has a hobby. Evelyn Errante? She loves to sing. Paige Darrow loves to make salsa. And many others? They love to read – so much so that they’ve built little free libraries in their front yards to share the activity with friends and families near and far. The idea of little free libraries started with a man in Wisconsin named Todd Bol. Todd’s mom was a schoolteacher who loved to read in her spare time, so he built her a little library and placed it in the front yard, encouraging those who passed by to take a book or leave a book. Todd passed away in 2018, but his little free libraries live on outside the homes of more than 150,000 people across the country – and over 1,000 are in Arizona alone. Find one near you at littlefreelibrary.org. Arcadia News is also pleased to present the 2025 Spring Arcadia Home & Design edition, where readers will find stories about the F.Q. Story neighborhood of downtown Phoenix (a collection of over 600 of the most architecturally diverse homes one will ever find), a flower festival and some tips from our resident garden aficionado. We hope you enjoy reading this special spring edition as much as we enjoyed creating it, and thank you, as always, for reading the Arcadia News, – Mallory Gleich UPCOMING THEMES: No one has better coverage in the areas of Arcadia, Biltmore and the Camelback Corridor. Promote your business to 45,000 loyal Arcadia News readers. For more: call/text 602-840-6379 or email ads@arcadianews.com .                 1. Daisy is our 10 month old CavaPoo. She loves chasing birds and rabbits and her favorite trick is “ballerina,” where she stands on her hind legs and twirls around and around. We are blessed to have her after our dog Elvis passed over the rainbow bridge two years ago. Dogs have a special way of making our hearts feel whole again! – Rebecca B. 2. Aloha. My name is Kauai . At two months old I was rescued from the jungle in Hawaii, and after my adoption I moved to Arcadia. Wow, what a change! I’m two years old now and love it here with my makua [father]. Mahalo! – Kendall S. 3. Suzie (left) and Sully were both rescued from Arizona pet rescues and made themselves at home right away. They love to lounge around the house and play with their Gumby toy, and if you give them treats, they’ll take them to another room to enjoy without interruption. Sully can jump up on the couch pretty easily, but Suzie requires help because of her little legs and rotund belly. – John G. 1 2 3 ARCADIA 'S PETS Would you like to share your pet? Send a photo and a description (50 words max) of your pet to editor@arcadianews.com or text it to 602.840.6379 . Include your pet’s name and age, along with any fun facts about them you’d like to share. All animals are welcome! Attention all readers! Want a first look at the newest edition of Arcadia News? Pick up a copy and say hello at our next Monthly Meetup. Follow us on Instagram @arcadianews for details. For more information email editor@arcadianews.com. We’d love to meet you! • RELACING & REPAIRS • CLEANING & CONDITIONING • GLOVE & MITT BREAK-IN • NEW & USED GLOVES FOR SALE FAMILY OWNED AND OPERATED Complete care for your baseball & softball gloves @azglovelab | TheGloveLab.com | chris@theglovelab.com Arcadia News Meet & Greet

5 MARCH 2025 By Rachael Bouley If you’ve seen a lot of bake sales in the neighborhood lately, it’s not because of an overabundance of ingredients left over from the holidays. No, these bake sales are lending a helpful hand by raising money for Phoenix Children’s Hospital. Friends Dana Sabatino and Christi Brink are members of the Beach Ball Committee, which helps raise funds for the hospital’s initiatives and resources. The bake sales started in 2024 as a way for “Beach Ballers” to grow awareness and contribute to the Hope Fund, which supports various PCH programs and helps patients and families with their greatest needs. “This could be life-saving research, helping families who do not have insurance or resources, master-level teachers to keep patients on track, or therapy animals for the kids,” Brink said. So far this year, Dana and Christi have held three bake sales for the 2025 Beach Ball event happening in March. Thanks to enthusiastic support from friends and families, they raised over $6,000 in just a few hours. More bake sales are planned to reach the $30,000 goal. “The neighborhood has tremendously supported our events,” Christi said. “Each bake sale is unique. Dana’s daughter, Amelia, baked homemade key lime pie and raised $1,500! The pies sold out every time. Others made cookies, candy, or other sweet treats.” Noble Bread was a sponsor this year, so fresh-baked bread and cookies were included in many sales. The PCH Kitchen Sink Cookie, made specifically to support the Hope Fund, is a best-seller and can now be found at Noble Bread, farmer’s markets, The Vig, Campo Italian Bistro, and The Genuine. After attending the Beach Ball several years ago, Christi was inspired to give back to Phoenix Children’s Hospital. “I got involved because I am a mother, and I wanted to be a part of helping kiddos and their families navigate a really hard journey,” she said. “I am so proud of what this organization is doing to impact the lives of those in our own community.” Dana was previously involved in several charities in New Jersey, She said she was excited to put her philanthropic hat back on and found the Phoenix Children’s Beach Ball Committee to be the perfect fit. “I am so impressed with the work PCH does for our community and the children in it, and I am incredibly grateful for their initiatives around pediatric mental health,” Dana said. “With two in college, the mental health of our adolescents as they navigate the journey to adulthood is so incredibly challenging, and the work PCH is doing to bring not only awareness but solutions to our community is invaluable.” As bake sales boom, the committee remains hard at work, putting the finishing touches on the upcoming event, which aims to raise over one million dollars for Phoenix Children’s in a single night. “Our main goal is to thank donors and sponsors for their ongoing support. The best part about supporting PCH is knowing that we are all working together to help make part of a child’s difficult journey a little bit easier,” Christi said. “It may be something as simple as a pet that brings a smile to a patient’s face or funding for a life-saving treatment. Every contribution makes a difference.” phoenixchildrensfoundation.org PCH fundraising committee puts its sweet tooth to good use Dana and Amelia Sabatino sold out of their key lime pies and raised $1,500 in one day. (right) Co-Chairs Christi Brink and Jess Adler. PHOTOS COURTESY OF DANA SABATINO