TABLE OF CONTENTS { december 2019, volume 17, issue 12 } 14 44 22 NONPROFIT AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS FEATURED IN THIS ISSUE + Anthony Bates Foundation + Arizona Town Hall + Ballet Arizona + Cards for Kids + Pearce Family Foundation + The Salvation Army + Treasure House EDITOR’S NOTE ..................... 07 Christmas with the Warners 10 QUESTIONS WITH ......... 08 Major David Yardley on The Salvation Army Metro Phoenix Christmas Angel program BOOKMARKED ...................... 13 Holiday 2019 edition OFFICE DOORS ..................... 14 Ib Andersen, artistic director of Ballet Arizona CAREY’S CORNER ............... 18 Giving Is in the Cards COVER STORY ...................... 22 Treasures of the Heart NEXT DOORS ......................... 29 Connecting Complicated Issues STYLE UNLOCKED .............. 32 Holiday Gifts That Give Back A 2 ND ACT ................................. 37 Ensuring the Beat Goes On CHARITY SPOTLIGHT ....... 40 Pearce Family Foundation KITCHEN DOORS ................. 44 Festive Feasts OPEN DOORS ........................ 50 2019, the Year of Yes! THE FRONTDOORS 2019-2020 TAX CREDIT GIVING GUIDE IS HERE! Make sure to check out frontdoorsmedia.com/taxcredit

EDITOR’S NOTE {on the job} CHRISTMAS WITH THE WARNERS Brenda Warner and I have a couple of things in common. We both love our families and are less than enthusiastic about football. That might be surprising — on her part, at least — but that’s the first thing she wanted me to know. She doesn’t like the sport and doesn’t want her life to be defined by it. That was fine by me, because there’s so much more to her story. So instead of talking touchdowns, I spent most of my time with her and Kurt chatting about the things that drive them today, namely their kids, her artwork, their charity and their guiding passion to do right by their son and other young adults with cognitive disabilities by creating Treasure House. You can read about all of those things in the story I wrote on page 22. During our discussion, we got to talking about holiday traditions. Brenda mentioned that when her family moved to the Valley, it was the first place they had lived that didn’t have snow. At the time, she was on bed rest, pregnant with twins, and used her laptop to search “snow in Arizona.” To her surprise — and her children’s delight — she ordered an unexpected delivery of snowflakes to blanket their yard on Christmas morning. It’s a tradition they’ve carried on ever since. Today, their kids, who now range in age from 14 to 30, look forward to rising on Christmas morning in their matching pajamas (which Brenda says they hate, but she orders anyway). They eat waffles and then go out to play in the snow. “We all make a snowman and have a snowball fight. Their friends come over. It’s a tradition that just kind of grew, and we get to share it,” Brenda said. Before the fun, usually on Christmas Eve, the family goes to a local orphanage. “The kids really look forward to that,” Brenda said. “We put together a stocking full of gift cards and a bunch of stuff and our kids get to give it to the kids there and walk away with something in their hearts that shifts.” It sounds like a lovely tradition. And though soon after, Kurt inevitably gets called away to provide analysis for televised games (probably part of why Brenda isn’t a fan of the sport), they know that no matter what happens after Christmas, the previous 24 hours mattered. “I hope it makes a difference in my kids’ lives and hearts,” she said. Wherever you are and whatever you believe, here’s wishing you the same this season — love, laughter and something in your heart that shifts in a meaningful way. Karen Werner EDITOR @kwerner409