ARIZONA’S JOHN M c CAIN A Frontdoors Tribute OPEN DOORS { publisher’s page } 48 FRONTDOORS MEDIA | SEPTEMBER 2018

My journey with Arizona’s nonprofit community led me to an incredible opportunity to work for U.S. Sen. John McCain from 2007-2009. During this time, I was often in awe of this man, his depth of knowledge and how much he loved his adopted home state. Here’s my story and a little-known fact about his method when it came time to give back to our community. I am the proud granddaughter of Navy Lt. Cmdr. Dion “Ted” deBit. His last post before retiring was San Diego, California, and therefore that’s where I was born. From a young age, I recall my grandfather describing himself as a fan of U.S. Sen. Barry Goldwater. Who knew that I would someday leave my California roots for Arizona to not only learn more about the Goldwater history but also meet and learn from those who followed in his footsteps. Fast-forward to 2005 when I was assisting several friends with their vision of a Latino Town Hall — a place where they could invite a diverse representation of our community to be part of their discussions to find ways to improve educational and leadership opportunities for their generation and the next generation. McCain’s former state director, Bettina Nava, was a member of the group and meeting her would change my life. At the conclusion of the Latino Town Hall, I asked her if I could volunteer my event-planning skills if McCain did make a second run for president of the United States in 2008. In my mind, I was fulfilling the legacy my grandfather left when he passed away so many years before. It took until January 2007 for Bettina to take me up on my offer to help, but the twist was that I was offered a position to work for her as part of the McCain ’08 team. While the campaign ended with an election result that was disappointing for everyone who believed in McCain, what I learned along the way are the memories I am most thankful for today. Everyone knows that McCain wrote several books during his career. What you may not know is that he donated all of the money he made from those books to nonprofits. There weren’t any grant applications or press releases issued regarding those funds. In most cases, a check was simply mailed to an organization as a result of a conversation the senator had during an official appointment at his office or while out and about in the community. Since his passing, I received confirmation from staff and The lessons Andrea Evans, shown here with her son Thomas, learned from Sen. John McCain will forever be with her — including how he gave back. SEPTEMBER 2018 | FRONTDOORS MEDIA 49