12 MARCH 2026 By Sherry Sklar Supporting pediatric research and changing children’s lives has been at the heart of PANDA’s (People Acting Now Discover Answers) mission for more than 25 years. The organization raises funds for critical medical research while supporting children and families during some of their most vulnerable moments. PANDA operates through a working board of more than 200 women, each of whom commits to five years of service. Its fundraising events benefit the University of Arizona’s Steele Children’s Research Center, led by Director Dr. Fayez K. Ghishan. “The organization is completely volunteer – it’s a significant commitment,” Board Member Nicole Hopkinson said. “Most everybody is a mother – or what we call a ‘medical mama,’ which is someone who has had a child facing a serious health issue.” PANDAS for Patients, a long-standing fundraiser for the organization, provides stuffed panda bears to children receiving treatment in the hospital. A physical object matters in long-term treatment settings, providing comfort to children and reassurance to families, who appreciate the gifted panda as support. This campaign raised around $63,000, with approximately 1,800 panda donations delivered directly to pediatric patients. Staff members distributed the stuffed toys – each accompanied by a handwritten note – to children receiving treatment. The pandas were sold online and at Fox Restaurants across town. It was a community-wide effort, involving children and their families. “I would send text messages to my kids’ school and their moms asking them to consider buying a panda,” Nicole said. “A lot of it comes from women on the board and their networks. Family members buy them and it spreads throughout the community.” This year, board member Marie Seaman’s 18-month-old niece, Gemma, was diagnosed with B-cell ALL leukemia and received a hospital panda while undergoing treatment at the center. Marie was grateful for the support her family received from her PANDA sisters and the community. “My brother and sister-in-law purchased stuffed pandas for patients in Tucson, never imagining that just weeks later they would receive one for their own daughter. Knowing that Gemma was being cared for by the same extraordinary doctors we were raising money to support was deeply comforting,” she said. That momentum carries over to PANDA’s next community-wide fundraiser, celebrating the state’s official drink. On March 29, PANDA puts its philosophy of children helping children into action by setting up lemonade stands to sell drinks to passersby. There are more than 50 stands throughout Phoenix, Paradise Valley and Scottsdale. The day-long event is a kid-led, neighborhood initiative that raised more than $30,000 last year. Designed to be participatory for parents and kids, it fosters grassroots neighborliness for a good cause. “I like doing the lemonade stand because I like raising money for other kids, and it makes me feel good. I also like selling lemonade because I get to be with my friends, and it’s really fun,” Ten-year-old lemonade stand veteran Anne Silhasek said. “I feel good knowing that other kids feel better.” The campaign reflects PANDA’s guiding principle: neighbors supporting neighbors. This month, keep an eye out for a cheerful sidewalk stand, buy a glass of lemonade, and take part in a small act that helps fund lifesaving research for Arizona’s children. azpanda.org Spring in Arcadia means Lemonade Stand Day is on its way! Evan Freeman, Poppy Bockting, Parker Smith, Bo Freeman, Bruce Buhrow, George Buhrow and Ben Smith participated in the 2025 Lemonade Stand Day. PHOTO COURTESY OF NICOLE HOPKINSON

13 MARCH 2026 By Sherry Sklar Tristan’s Trees, a newly launched organization, gifts trees to parents who have experienced the loss of a child through stillbirth. Founded three years ago by Sheridan James, a mother and concierge internal medicine physician, the organization connects with families who wish to create a meaningful, living memorial. The tree, a permanent presence and symbol of strength and renewal, grows with the memories. Sheridan and her husband, Tyler, like many parents growing a family, were excited to welcome their secondborn, a son who would be the younger sibling to their daughter, Haven. There was no indication that anything was awry. His stillbirth on May 31, 2023, at 35 and a half weeks, was an unexpected shock and devastated their world. They grappled to find an explanation for the unexplainable. Sheridan discovered that this little-understood medical event was more common than she thought, and that their lives would be forever changed. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), in the United States, there are approximately 20,000 to 21,000 stillbirths annually. Many might be surprised to learn that in about 25 to 50 percent of cases, no definitive cause is found. While their loss was incomprehensible, their love for their son grew in their hearts and minds. A physician, Sheridan’s desire to seek healing was second nature. Surprisingly, this path led to a tree. “My friends approached me and said they wanted to purchase a tree in Tristan’s memory. That’s how this began,” she explained. The flourishing backyard sapling became a focus of renewal and healing, leading her to establish an organization to bring comfort to families who’ve undergone a similar experience. In her own garden refuge, centered around the tree, she created a “sacred space” to honor Tristan. She knew that she had to pay that kind of peace forward. While the idea came naturally, she saw a need to formalize it into an organization, which became Tristan’s Trees, named after her son. It took time and considerable effort to turn a living act of healing into an official charity that would be sustainable for other families. “When I first began thinking about how to share this idea beyond my own experience, I reached out to a few local nurseries, but it didn’t quite click,” Sheridan said. She then connected with Whitfill, a family-owned nursery in the Valley, and received an immediate response. “They understood what the trees represented and were incredibly kind and supportive in helping bring this part of the life mission,” she said. Across many cultures, planting a tree has long been a way to honor someone’s memory. Tristan’s Trees draws on that shared tradition. Unlike other memorials, trees endure and grow alongside the memory of a child who went too soon. Memorial trees are provided at no cost to families and are planted in meaningful spaces. The recipient visits the nursery to select the desired species of their 24-gallon tree, which the nursery delivers and plants. Sheridan explains that Tristan’s Trees facilitates the transfer of the tree but is hands-off during plantings, allowing families privacy. “Instead, we’ve asked family members to document the experience and later share with us,” she said. Initially, donations from friends and family helped finance the nonprofit’s launch, which gifted its first tree this past November. Sheridan collaborates with community partners and hospitals to connect with appropriate families and distribute resources. Often, she notes that there is limited follow-up support after parents leave the hospital and hopes to help bridge that gap through her remembrance trees and resource partners listed on her website. Festival of Hope, the organization’s inaugural fundraising event, will be held on March 1 at Hopi Elementary School. Bringing together live music, a petting zoo, crafts, games, kids’ activities, and food trucks, the event will be a joyful celebration of life, connecting families and growing outreach and impact. General admission is $25, and family admission is $75. As Tristan’s Trees continues to grow, the organization offers the community a meaningful way to support families navigating profound loss, planting living memorials that honor children gone too soon and foster healing and connection. tristanstrees.org A new nonprofit takes root in Arcadia Sheridan with her daughters Haven and Teddi Mae. PHOTO COURTESY OF SHERIDAN JAMES 3611 N 53rd St | Phoenix, 85018 Tucked in Quarter-Acre Lot in Lower Arcadia $1,195,000 5038 E Earll Dr | Phoenix, 85018 Arcadia Osborn Gem in Prime Location $1,100,000 5225 N. CENTRAL AVE | PHOENIX, AZ 85012 | 602.903.7220 | THECANIGLIAGROUP.COM 7ZR'LVWLQFW([SUHVVLRQVRI$UFDGLD/LYLQJ Two Distinct Expressions of Arcadia Living.