22 APRIL 2025 Students at the Dream Center use LEGOs and other crafts to boost their creativity and knowledge. PHOTOS COURTESY OF LAURIE DAVIS By Cliff Summerhill Fifteen-year-old Wilder Davis, an Arcadia Troop 6 Boy Scout and a freshman at Arcadia High, is on a mission to make a difference in the lives of children at St. Vincent de Paul’s Dream Center, a program that offers reading, arts and crafts, activities, and more to Phoenix youth. As part of his final Eagle Scout project, Wilder is collecting LEGO sets to donate to the center. He explained that Legos were an integral part of his life growing up, which inspired him to do this for his project. “I came up with the idea after volunteering at St. Vincent for a service project with the Camelback Boys Team Charity,” he said. “I loved working with the kids, and I wanted to support the organization by giving them the resources to bring a little more joy into their lives. Using what I love to benefit this organization is a dream come true.” His goal is to collect at least 100 Lego sets. Thanks to a combination of community outreach, an Amazon Wishlist, and a dedicated fundraising page with St. Vincent de Paul, he has reached almost 75 percent of his goal – 72 sets – so he only needs 28 more. Once all the sets are gathered, he and fellow scouts from Troop 6 will wrap, sort, and create handmade cards for each box before delivering them to the Dream Center. Wilder will also ensure each child receives Legos labeled by age and theme to match their interests. “LEGOs are a favorite among our Dream Center students,” Program Supervisor Leslie Ramirez said. “We have a few boxes that the kids love playing with every day after school, but their enjoyment has always been limited to the time they spend here. Wilder’s project is changing that.” By raising funds for individual boxes, Wilder is enabling students from low- income families to take the Legos home, allowing them to continue building a nd i mag i n i ng beyond the walls of the Dream Center. “More than just a gift, his project is a reminder to our students that their happiness and creativity matter,” Ramirez said. “Often, it’s not about the item itself, but the feeling of being supported and uplifted by others.” Ramirez anticipates the students’ reactions will be priceless. Many of them have wished for LEGO sets of their own – often asking for them on birthdays – but the cost puts them out of reach for their families. “When we get closer to the fundraiser’s end, we will share the news and introduce Wilder to them. We know our students will be ecstatic,” she said. Ramirez said that from the beginning, Wilder approached the project with exceptional leadership and organization. According to Wilder, being a Scout means helping the community and learning essential skills like perseverance, leadership, and service. “Earning Eagle Scout means a lot,” he said. “I hope this can teach me lessons I will use in the future and inspire younger scouts to do the same.” Troop 6 Boy Scout channels childhood for Eagle project Wilder Davis THE ARCADIAN arcadianphx.com FREE COMMUNITY EVENT SCAN ME

23 APRIL 2025 By Mallory Gleich I n our little corner of Phoenix, there are over 10 different yoga studios. Hot yoga, room-temperature yoga, yoga with Pilates mixed in…the options are endless and a little overwhelming for a novice such as myself. I put off trying out a class for a while until I was researching a completely different topic and stumbled upon a revelation: PUPPY. YOGA. Held at Almost There: A Mom + Pups Rescue (ATR) twice a month – Wednesday and Sunday – puppy yoga includes a 30-minute flow with free-roaming pups and 30 minutes of playtime. Well, this is right up my alley, so I eagerly signed up for the Wednesday evening class, paid the $30 donation fee, packed up a towel, and headed to the venue. “Our Development Manager, Molly, came up with the idea, and we launched our Paws + Reflect series in 2022. It gained so much popularity that we offer two classes a month, one taught by April Dennings and one taught by Meg McCleery,” Outreach Director Tiffany Roschmann said. Now, prime dinner time in Arizona is 6 p.m., and since ATR shares a parking lot with Pizza to the Rescue, your best bet is to park your car in the neighborhoods near 26th Street. Once inside, attendees are asked to remove their shoes and leave belongings outside the yoga area so the puppies don’t chew on anything. Grab your mat or towel, sanitize your hands, set up your spot, and let the anticipation build… …and it does build! Around 60 participants – from youngsters to seniors – were in the room, and it was apparent we were all waiting for the cuteness overload to commence. April started off the yoga sesh with some light stretching, and then, the smallest of whines. Every single head turned toward the door leading to the puppies, and that was the end of yoga practice. “These events are a lot of puppy playtime with a little yoga sprinkled in,” Roschmann said. “It’s fantastic for the dogs because it exposes them to a new situation and lets them interact with all types of people, greatly improving their socialization before adoption.” In my class, there were seven puppies – two of which had the zoomies the whole time, which was so fun to watch – but Roschmann said there are usually 6-12 at each event, depending on the size of the litter. All the puppy participants come from or are rescue dogs from the shelter who were once homeless and are now on their way to finding forever homes. Roschmann explained that in addition to providing socialization, the classes increase awareness of ATR’s mission, introduce new people to the nonprofit, and help dogs gain exposure to humans in a bigger setting. And for the humans? Well, we get to spend an hour staring at and playing with adorable puppies – what more do we need? Along with raising money and awareness of the homeless dog population in Arizona, ATR’s mission is to help pregnant dogs, nursing dogs, and puppies by taking them out of bad situations and providing them with safe, comfortable spaces to give birth, raise their pups, or get the care they need. The dogs stay at ATR for about 10 weeks. “We follow the Puppy Culture curriculum, ‘Puppy Preschool,’ to help them develop confidence and social skills, while our mamas get personalized, force-free training to set them up for success,” Roschmann said. “Every dog leaves ATR spayed, neutered, microchipped, and fully vaccinated.” The nonprofit offers two other fundraising events throughout the year. Puppies, Pilates + Prosecco is coming up on April 6 at Wrigley Mansion. Vanity Fur, held in November, is a gala that includes dinner, drinks, and an auction. There are also monthly free adoption events at ATR’s headquarters (2611 E. Indian School Road) that include vendors, coffee, crafts, a bake sale and adoptable dogs. “Our mission goes beyond the pups. We’re dedicated to reducing the homeless dog population through education, advocacy, and community-driven programs like Mutternity Leave and our Courtesy Spay & Neuter initiative. We also offer private birthdays, bachelorette parties and team bonding events,” Roschmann said. Those needing puppy cuddles can find them at upcoming Paws + Reflect classes on April 2 and April 27. almostthererescue.org Paws + Reflect Mixing exercise, puppies and fun for a good cause BY MALLORY GLEICH 35 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE CHARLES SIDI REAL ESTATE PROFESSIONAL 480.330.6506 www.CharlesSidi.com Charles@TheBrokery.com l o v e a r c a d i a l i v i n g ™ JUST LISTED 3727 E Highland Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85018 4 Bed | 4 Bath | 3,926 Sq Ft UNDER CONTRACT 3237 E Meadowbrook Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85018