EDITOR’S NOTE ........................ 05 Happy Birthday, Arizona 10 QUESTIONS WITH ............ 06 Stuart Graff BOOKMARKED ......................... 10 Books with a bit of history OFFICE DOORS ........................ 12 Mary Jane Rynd of the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust C AREY’S CORNER .................. 16 For the Love of Children COVER STORY ......................... 20 100 Years Grand! NEXT DOORS ............................ 30 We See Our Future When We Look at Our Past GIVING IN STYLE .................... 34 How Charming CHEERS TO THE CHAIR ....... 36 Monique Porras CHARITY SPOTLIGHT .......... 38 Center Dance Ensemble KITCHEN DOORS .................... 42 Food that Stands the Test of Time A 2 ND ACT .................................... 44 The Castle OPEN DOORS ........................... 48 My Own Bygone Days in the Grand Canyon State 30 06 20 NONPROFIT AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS FEATURED IN THIS MONTH’S ISSUE: + American Cancer Society + Arizona Humane Society + Barry & Peggy Goldwater Foundation + Celebrity Fight Night + Center Dance Ensemble + Chicanos Por La Causa + Childhelp + Devour Culinary Classic + Easterseals + Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation + Grand Canyon Conservancy + PANDA + Phoenix Children’s Chorus + Phoenix Heart Ball + Sedona Film Festival + Teach For America + Tovrea Carraro Society + Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust + Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West TABLE OF CONTENTS { february 2019, volume 17, issue 2 }

On Valentine’s Day, 1912, Arizona was granted statehood, the last of the 48 contiguous U.S. states to be admitted. To recognize its birthday, we’re highlighting nonprofit and community organizations celebrating their own milestone years. Working on it, I realized that I am celebrating a landmark date of my own — two decades in the Grand Canyon State. In the summer of 1999, my husband John and I packed a U-Haul and headed to Phoenix. It was an impulsive, out-of-character move for us both, and one that changed everything. New York in the 90s had been a wild ride, filled with grad school, new friends, great jobs, low salaries, TV appearances, and writing an off-Broadway play. It was also shaped by the untimely loss of John’s mom to a grueling battle with cancer and a booming stock market that made everything cost much too much. We had been lucky to take over the lease of the tiny rent-controlled apartment where John grew up, but unable to afford anything more. Looking ahead, it seemed we’d be trapped in this 250- square-foot space so small you had to sit side- saddle on the toilet to close the bathroom door. And then John’s Arizona cousins asked if we’d consider moving there. “Ha,” we scoffed with East Coast derision — until the videotape arrived. Footage of open houses with open floorplans, light-filled spaces and bathrooms large enough to close the door. Kitchens with counter space and dishwashers — an unheard of luxury in our Manhattan price point. There were garages where we could park a car and backyards where we could start a garden and extra bedrooms to start a family. “How big?” and “How much?” were our only questions before we put a bid on a 1,500-square-foot house — modest by Arizona standards but deluxe in the 212 area code — and began packing up. Fast-forward 20 years and I can’t believe we made that move. But I’m very glad we did. John and I have run a business together for 17 years and, more importantly, became parents nearly 15 years ago. We have made a life here, full of friends and new experiences in our adopted state. Happily, over the years, all of my family followed us here, so it feels more like home than ever before. Arizona has a way like that — of being welcoming to newcomers and a great place to start again. I’d argue that much of that is due to organizations like the ones we’re highlighting this month. The ones that preserve the state’s special places, invest in our communities, help the underserved, and celebrate the state we all call home. Happy birthday, Arizona. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ARIZONA Karen Werner EDITOR @kwerner409 EDITOR’S NOTE {on the job}