Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust Congratulations 2024 Piper Fellows! Celebrating excellence in Maricopa County nonprofi t leaders. Jennifer OʼConnell Down Syndrome Network (DSNetwork) Tracy Lindbergh Sonoran University of Health Sciences Kayla Kolar House of Refuge, Inc. pipertrust.org/2024fellows © 2024 Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust Kim Graham Arizona Educational Foundation (AEF) Ellen Conn Childsplay, Inc. Tami Bohannon Foundation for Senior Living (FSL) Christopher Hamby TheaterWorks P I P E R F E L L O W S

BY TOM EVANS M any Arizona schools are thin on resources. They’re focused on making sure each dollar is spent in the pursuit of providing the best possible education. That means that sometimes critical ancillary needs can go unmet. And recently, the team at the Fiesta Sports Foundation found an important one. The Fiesta Sports Foundation, formerly known as the Fiesta Bowl organization, is undergoing a rebrand to better reflect its community-oriented mission. It’s primarily known for the Fiesta Bowl football game, but it also focuses on community outreach and charitable giving across the state. The unmet need they identified could be a lifesaving one: They found that most Arizona schools do not have automated external defibrillators, or AEDs, which can help people experiencing sudden cardiac arrest analyze the heart and, if necessary, deliver an electrical shock, or defibrillation, to reestablish an effective heart rhythm. In Arizona, AEDs are only required in state buildings and dental offices, and there are no legislative requirements for CPR/AED training. So, Fiesta Sports Foundation teamed up with BHHS Legacy Foundation, its partner on a number of community initiatives, to create the AED Assistance Program, launched to address this gap and raise awareness about the need for AEDs. “This program originated from a suggestion by one of our Yellow Jacket committee members, Dr. William Jaffe, a local cardiologist,” said Kristina Chumpol, Fiesta Sports Foundation chief of staff and VP of community investment. A Program With Heart Fiesta Sports Foundation and BHHS Legacy Foundation team up to bring defibrillators to Arizona schools FRONTDOORS MAGAZINE | 39 NEXT DOORS