our champions 2013

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OUR CHAMPIONS WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2013 www.gvnews.com GREEN VALLEY NEWS & SUN C1 2013 Winners OUR CHAMPIONS 2013 GREEN VALLEY SAHUARITA AMADO ARIVACA TUBAC RIO RICO AWARDS PRESENTATION GOLF CART RAFFLE BICYCLE RAFFLE GIVEAWAYS 5PM COCKTAILS 6PM DINNER 7:30PM VISITATION WITH WINNERS 8PM CLOSE “Together, one mind, one life at a time, let’s see how many people we can impact, encourage, empower, uplift and perhaps even inspire to reach their fullest potentials.” — Unknown GREEN VALLEY AND SUN PROUDLY SPONSORED BY: Presenting Our Awards Banquet May 18, 2013, at the Desert Diamond Casino

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Honoring volunteers and individuals who make a difference in our community.

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Page 1: Our Champions 2013

OUR CHAMPIONSWEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2013 www.gvnews.com GREEN VALLEY NEWS & SUN C1

2013 Winners

OUR CHAMPIONS 2013GREEN VALLEY ★ SAHUARITA ★ AMADO ★ ARIVACA ★ TUBAC ★ RIO RICO

AWARDS PRESENTATION ★ GOLF CART RAFFLE ★ BICYCLE RAFFLE ★ GIVEAWAYS

5PM COCKTAILS ★ 6PM DINNER ★ 7:30PM VISITATION WITH WINNERS ★ 8PM CLOSE

“ Together, one mind, one life at a time, let’s see how many people we can impact, encourage, empower, uplift and perhaps even inspire to reach their fullest potentials.”

— Unknown

G R E E N V A L L E Y

A N D S U N

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY:

Presenting Our

Awards Banquet May 18, 2013, at the Desert Diamond Casino

Page 2: Our Champions 2013

C2 GREEN VALLEY NEWS & SUN OUR CHAMPIONS 2013 WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2013

www.gvnews.com

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AISSA BONOn and off campus, Sa-

huarita High School junior Aissa Bon is making a dif-ference in her community.

On campus, she is in-volved in clubs, student government and sports. While that’s preparing her for “the real world,” Aissa isn’t waiting for graduation to get involved in her com-munity beyond the campus. Just a smattering of what she’s involved in: lifeguard for Rancho Sahuarita, Green Valley Community Church Vacation Bible School, Salvation Army Thanksgiving volunteer, Heroes for Hunger volun-teer, and numerous other activities. Beyond that, she has shown leadership skills, is dependable and ex-cels in the classroom. Aissa Bon has a bright future, but today she has made our community a more beauti-ful place to live.

ARLEEN BOYULSArleen Boyuls’ work as

community outreach de-velopment coordinator for United Community Health

Center is all-consuming, but since arriving in Green Valley in 1995, she has reached out as a volunteer in many other capacities. Besides helping expand health care in rural areas, she has served as Rotary president and led the an-nual health fair for four years. She has served on the board of the Green Valley Council and was president of the Green Valley-Sa-huarita Chamber of Com-merce; she is a member of the Vail Chamber of Com-merce and is on the board of the Salvation Army. She has been a commissioner for the Pima County Small Business Commission and has served with the Sahua-rita Elks.

Arleen Boyuls knows her community, loves her com-munity and serves her com-munity.

JANE & TOM BURNSJane and Tom Burns’ gift

to the community will keep giving for generations to come. Several years ago they saw a need for adult educa-tion and stepped in. First, they helped with English as a Second Language learn-ers, then they branched out to help with GEDs and citi-zenship tests as they saw the need. They know educa-tion means a better quality of life. Through the Amado-Sahuarita Adult Learning Program, they’ve delivered just that to hundreds of people. Today, they contin-ue their efforts by securing grants to keep the program going and growing.

CHUCK CATINOChuck Catino likes to tell

people he left Chicago and

moved to heaven. That’s what he calls Green Valley, where he has lived since 1996. Despite having his hands in lots of projects, today he is best known as the man behind the park. He’s been championing Green Valley’s first public park for years. Earlier this year, Phase I hap-pened with the opening of two ballfields on the 53-acre Canoa Preserve Community Park. It wasn’t easy. Chuck involved several companies, lots of donors and used some good, old-fashioned Chicago pushiness to get it done. Now he’s looking to put Phase 2 in the ground. But Chuck Catino is a lot more than softball and dugouts. He has been or is currently involved with the Green Valley Rec-reation board, GVC, BAJA, the I-19 Corridor Anza Trail and the hazardous material collection program, among other projects. He’s great to work with, has a vision, and doesn’t want the glory. For Chuck Catino, it’s all about getting the job done.

JUDY CHISHOLMJudy runs Kamp K-9,

which offers cage-free board-ing for dogs in a beautiful rural setting near Arivaca. Her customers – those who can speak – rave about her. But it’s what she does away from the job that draws just as much praise. If anybody needs an assist with a sick dog, Judy’s there no matter what time of day or night. She’s been involved in hun-dreds of Yorkie rescues and takes dogs to nursing homes

and schools to help out peo-ple. She’s also quite a seam-stress, donating her work to the needy. That’s what Judy Chisholm is about – helping people while helping ani-mals.

JAZMYN CREASONJazmyn is one of the cool-

est teenagers you’ll ever meet. One of the toughest, too. In 2009, she was diag-nosed with Caroli’s Dis-ease, a rare disorder that required a liver transplant in 2011. The disease also has jumped to her kidneys, bringing other complica-tions. Jazmyn has turned a struggle into a blessing for thousands of people. She is a spokeswoman for Do-nate Life and for Jazmyn’s Lunch Break, which gives parents with hospitalized kids a respite at UMC’s Dia-mond Children’s Medical Center. She’s also starting a non-profit, TRES, to help nurses, parents and kids. Jazmyn is 19 now, but years wiser because of what she has gone through. She takes that experience and uses it to bless and honor children,

parents and the people who help them.

JEAN FUER DAVISJean Fuer Davis is presi-

dent of The Animal League of Green Valley, an organi-zation that has brightened the lives of thousands of people. She is involved in nearly every aspect of TALGV, from fundraising to intake coordinator and chief cheerleader. Current-ly, she’s playing construc-tion supervisor as TALGV expands to serve more ani-mals. TALGV’s motto is her lifeblood: “A Home for Ev-ery Pet,” and since 2003 the “no-kill” shelter has found homes for more than 4,000 animals. TALGV today has a young-interns program, a schools program and an outreach that provides low-cost spaying and neutering. And before all this? Jean touched thousands more lives during a 40-year teach-ing career.

JOYCE FINKELSTEINGreen Valley looks dif-

ferent because Joyce Fin-kelstein lives here. She is involved in a variety of

groups, from Green Val-ley Recreation to Rotary to the White Elephant and the Greater Green Valley Community Foundation. She brings organization, professionalism, team spirit and enthusiasm to everything she’s involved in. When Joyce is there, it gets done, and it gets done right. Among her other vol-unteer efforts: mediator for the Arizona Attorney Gen-eral’s Office, Casa Commu-nity Services, Inspired Liv-ing Institute at La Posada, Community Partnership Panel of Freeport-McMo-ran Foundation and several advisory committees. Joyce Finkelstein has made it her business to understand nearly every aspect of how our community operates, and to help out where she can.

MARY FISHERMary Fisher has helped

build one of Green Valley’s premier meeting spots. She’s the manager of La Posada Shoppes, which includes the popular Posada Java coffee shop. What started out as a place to grab a quick cup of coffee has turned into a hub that includes concerts, exhibits, parties, music and a farmers market. Amid or-dering supplies, managing employees, marketing and arranging events, Mary has never forgotten that La Posada and Posada Java are always about people. Beyond that, she is a past president of Rotary, and helped lead international

SEE CHAMPIONS, PAGE C6

Our Champions love our community

JUDY CHISHOLMCHUCK CATINO

Page 3: Our Champions 2013

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2013 OUR CHAMPIONS 2013 GREEN VALLEY NEWS & SUN C3

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C4 GREEN VALLEY NEWS & SUN OUR CHAMPIONS 2013 WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2013

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May 18, 2013 at the Desert Diamond Casino

in the Diamond Center

OUR CHAMPIONS came into being because our communities are built on volunteerism and individuals who have truly made a difference. Honoring them is the fi rst step in mentoring others to follow their example.

This will be THE PREMIER EVENT to honor our 25 winning local CHAMPIONS.

OUR CHAMPIONS 2013GREEN VALLEY ★ SAHUARITA ★ AMADO ★ ARIVACA ★ TUBAC ★ RIO RICO

G R E E N V A L L E Y

A N D S U N

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY:

EVENT TICKETS:

$35Raffl es & Event Tickets available at the offi ces of the Green Valley News & Sun and the Green Valley Sahuarita Chamber of Commerce. Call 625-5511 for more information.

AWARDS PRESENTATION ★ GOLF CART RAFFLE ★ BICYCLE RAFFLE ★ GIVEAWAYS

5PM COCKTAILS ★ 6PM DINNER ★ 7:30PM VISITATION WITH WINNERS ★ 8PM CLOSE

OFFICIAL GAMES RULES NO PURCHASE OR FEE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN THE “GIFTS TO YOU”. GAME SUBJECT TO ALL APPLICABLE FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL LAWS AND REGULATIONS AND OTHER RESTRICTIONS ESTABLISHED IN THESE OFFICIAL RAFFLE RULES OR BY RAFFLE ORGANIZER. Participation constitutes entrant’s full and unconditional agreement to and acceptance of these Offi cial Rules. Eligibility: No purchase or fee necessary to enter or win. Raffl es void where prohibited or restricted by law. Raffl es subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations and other restrictions established

in these Offi cial Raffl es Rules or by Raffl es Organizer. Game Drawings: Raffl e and “Gifts to You” will take place at the “Our Champions’ event presented by the Green Valley News to be held at the Desert Diamond Casino, 1100 W. Pima Mine Rd, Sahuarita AZ 85629, on Saturday, April 6, 2013. Doors open at 5:00 PM and drawings will be held approximately 7:00 PM. How to receive free entry: To receive one free entry ticket into each of the games, send a written request for a ticket entry to Green Valley News, P.O. Box 567, Green Valley, AZ 85622. All entry requests must be received by the Green Valley News no later than March 22, 2013. Entry requests not received by Organizer by entry deadline shall be ineligible. Request gets one free entry into the “Gifts to You” prizes being offered.

Limit one entry per person. Odds of Winning: The odds of winning a prize depend on the number of entries received. Winner Selection: Winners will be selected at the random drawings on April 6, 2013 at the “Our Champions” event, presented by the Green Valley News. If a selected winner fails to claim prize within seven (7) business days after notifi cation, or is determined ineligible, the winner will forfeit his/her prize and prize will be awarded to an alternate winner. All potential winners are subject to verifi cation by Organizer before prizes are awarded. In order for a winner to claim a prize, Organizer may require additional information or documentation to prove Raffl es eligibility, including without limitation, proof of

identity, age and U.S. residency. General Terms & Conditions: By entering “Gifts to You,” each entrant agrees: (i) to be bound by these Offi cial “Gifts to you” Rules and the decisions of the Organizer, which shall be fi nal and binding; and (ii) to release, indemnify and hold harmless the Organizer, its respective directors, offi cers, employees, and other representatives (collectively, “Released Parties”) from any and all claims, losses, or liabilities of any kind (including attorneys fees and costs) arising from or relating to the administration or operation of the Games or any errors in materials related thereto; use or distribution of entrant’s entry submission; use and exploitation of entrant’s name, likeness and city and state of residence information; entrant’s acceptance

or use of a prize; or any claims based on rights of privacy, rights of publicity, and/or other personal or proprietary right. The Organizer reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to modify, suspend or terminate all or part of the “Gifts to you” or the Raffl es at any time, and, in the event of suspension or termination, to award prizes based on eligible submissions received prior to any such action. The Released Parties shall not be responsible or liable for: (i) late, lost, delayed, damaged, misdirected, stolen, incomplete, illegible, unintelligible or postage-due submissions or other correspondence; (ii) telephone, electronic, hardware or software program, network, Internet, or computer malfunctions, failures, interruptions, or diffi culties of any kind; (iii) failed, incomplete, garbled, or delayed

computer transmissions; or (iv) any condition causedby events beyond the control of the Released Partiesthat may cause the prizes to be disrupted or corrupted,including any injury or damage to any person’scomputer relating to or resulting from participationin the Raffl es or downloading any materials relatedthereto. The Organizer reserves the right in its solediscretion to disqualify any individual found tamperingwith or disrupting the operation or administration ofthe Gifting and its drawing. Change to Offi cial Rules: Organizer reserves theright to make changes to these Offi cial Rules at anytime and for any reason without notice. Raffl es Organizer: Green Valley News, P.O. Box 567,Green Valley, AZ 85622.

★ Cocktails★ Award Presentations★ Buffet Dinner★ Winners of Golf Cart &

Bike Raffl es Announced!★ Meet the Recipients!★ Fantastic “Gifts to

You” Prize Giveaways including $500 cash, Fire Pit, Kindle Fire & More!

“Together, one mind, one life at a time, let’s see how many people we can impact, encourage,empower, uplift and perhaps even inspire to reach their fullest potentials.”

— Unknown

WinningCHAMPIONS

receive 2 FREEEvent Tickets.

Please stop by the offi ces of the GREEN

VALLEY NEWS & SAHUARITA SUN

to pick them up!

Page 5: Our Champions 2013

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2013 OUR CHAMPIONS 2013 GREEN VALLEY NEWS & SUN C5

OUR CHAMPIONS 2013GREEN VALLEY ★ SAHUARITA ★ AMADO ★ ARIVACA ★ TUBAC ★ RIO RICO

Bike Raffl e Tickets

$5 each or 3 for $10

Raffl e & Event tickets are available at the offi ces of the Green Valley News & Sun and the Green Valley Sahuarita Chamber of Commerce.

GET YOUR RAFFLE TICKETS TODAY!

WIN ME!

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Page 6: Our Champions 2013

C6 GREEN VALLEY NEWS & SUN OUR CHAMPIONS 2013 WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2013

www.gvnews.com

outreaches that helped an orphanage in Mexico and rehab center for develop-mentally challenged chil-dren in Uruguay. She also is on the advisory board of the Green Valley Sahuarita Community Food Bank. But what’s Mary Fisher’s biggest asset? She is kind and she is genuine.

RANDY GRAFIn nearly 30 years in

Green Valley, Randy Graf has done everything from serve in the state Legis-lature to take tickets at fundraisers. He has jumped in and stayed active. He currently is a community relations consultant for Rosemont Copper. Among his many pursuits over the years: Optimist Club, Little League, Continental School Board, Salvation Army, Knights of Colum-bus fundraiser, and Green Valley Sahuarita Chamber of Commerce. From youth to business to non-profits, Randy Graf has used his skills, influence and perse-verance to make Green Val-ley and Sahuarita a better community.

ROBERT HAMILTONEvery week, Robert Ham-

ilton hits the road – and he spends a lot of time there. He has made it pos-sible for three residents to remain in their homes by offering them support. He takes them to doctors’ vis-its, sends out reminders about appointments, and takes them grocery shop-ping. His work has saved the community thousands of dollars in palliative care. In 2012, he logged 203 hours and 2,206 miles with Valley Assistance Services. In ad-dition, he has delivered Mo-bile Meals for over a year and a half. Robert Hamilton prefers to work behind the scenes and out of the lime-light. But it’s people like him who we are pleased to put forth as a Champion in our community.

NANCIE KONDRATNancie Kondrat launched

and advises a student club at Sahuarita High that sums up her goals for kids: the “Do Something Club.” They don’t sit still. They’ve sent encouragement to in-ternational victims of di-

sasters and collected jeans for homeless teens. They support cancer causes and “Be Kind” week with Ben’s Bells. Nancie, who’s also the school librarian, is con-sistent, enthusiastic and always wants to create won-derful experiences to help teenagers learn and grow.

MIKE LURKINSMike Lurkins’ biggest

commitment ended recent-ly, but that doesn’t mean he has slowed down. Lur-kins served 12 years on the Sahuarita Unified School District board, he also is on the board of the Sahuarita Elks trustees, chair of the Elks district Hoop Shoot, a volunteer with the Helmet Peak Fire District and is ac-tive at Valley Presbyterian Church. He also has served as coach for youth sports and is a local businessman. Before coming to the area, he was a member of the Li-ons Club, a mason and a vol-unteer EMT for three years in Illinois. Mike Lurkins’ contributions to Green Val-ley and Sahuarita will be felt for years.

ELLEN MARCHIn her role as director

of the Casa Community Center, every aspect of El-len March’s job touches people. The center last year provided 6,498 meals to 185 seniors, there were 23,462 visits to the Casa Com-munity Center for classes, entertainment, day trips and health screenings; and more than 300 volunteers provided 2,921 hours of as-sistance. Ellen is collabo-rating with Sahuarita High School in creating a “Story-keeping at Casa” program that captures memories of older adults for future gen-erations; and hosts Casa Coffee House, where local musicians can showcase their talents and the audi-ence can enjoy a free night of live music. She was a founder of the Tucson Ron-ald McDonald House and has served on numerous boards, including Universi-ty Medical Center Auxiliary Board of Directors, UA Col-lege of Nursing Advisory Board, Tucson Community Foundation Board and is past president of the Tubac Rotary Club. Ellen’s enthu-siasm makes others want to go that extra mile for our community and for you.

PEGGY McGEEThe Women of Quail

Creek is a force, and Peg-gy McGee is a big part of why you have to take them seriously. The group, 300 strong, has doubled in size during her three-plus years as leader. Among other projects, they put together a cookbook that benefited the food bank, sponsor an annual baby shower to benefit National Guard and Reserve families, help domestic violence victims at Genesis House, and clip

coupons for troops abroad. And that barely scratches the surface. Personally, Peggy helps prepare taxes through Tax Aide, is a fi-nancial educator for Valley Assistance Services, is a member of CERT and holds several positions at San Martin de Porres Catholic Church.

COURTNEY McNICHOLSIf she’s doing this much

in high school, we can’t wait to see what Courtney McNichols accomplishes as an adult. She’s a senior involved in several varsity sports, National Honor So-ciety and her church. She traveled to Nicaragua last summer to help build a com-munity center, a foot bridge over a river, and helped de-sign a financial system for farmers. She’s planning the school’s Hero’s Night for teachers, has volunteered with Copper Hills Little League and has passed out teddy bears in pediatric wards. Courtney McNich-ols is a volunteer, a terrific student in the classroom, and goal-oriented: Court-ney plans to become an oc-cupational therapist.

TOM MILKETom Milke may be in a

wheelchair, but he’s not sit-ting still. Tom has multiple sclerosis and drives his mo-torized wheelchair with his chin. He has lived at Santa Rita Nursing and Rehabili-tation Center for 10 years. He’s part of the community, and he believes in giving back. Tom, a member of Green Valley Community Church, helps the church collect soda can tabs to bene-fit Ronald McDonald House along with other Santa Rita residents. He also collects pennies for Gospel Rescue Mission in Tucson. On top of a warm heart and big smile, the guy’s also got a sense of humor. We could all learn a lesson or two from Tom Milke.

PATTI O’BERRYThere are women out

there who owe their lives to Patti O’Berry.

Patti retired in 1995, and after several years of travel, landed in Green Valley in 2002 with plans to spend lots of time on the golf course. It never happened.

Instead, she founded and is executive director of Hands of a Friend (Manos Amigas), providing advo-

cacy, assistance and shel-ter for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking. The organization includes two high-end resale shops to help fund the 30-bed Gen-esis House shelter. Since opening in 2008, more than 40,000 bed nights have been provided; the youngest cli-ent was 5 days old, the old-est, 87 years. Hands of a Friend, under the tireless direction of Patti O’Berry, provides food, shelter, clothing, medical care and legal and court needs. Patti believes in helping and she believes in making things happen. Our community is all the richer for her hard work and tenacity.

SHIRLEY PAVLOVICHShirley’s history of vol-

unteerism is formidable; the number of lives it has improved is inumerable. Shirley is a co-founder of the Sahuarita Elks, an or-ganization that has touched the community in many areas, from helping babies to keeping kids drug-free; she’s also the chair of the Elks National Foundation Committee and treasurer and vice president of Ari-zona Elks Major Projects. Her role on the Green Val-ley-Sahuarita Community Food Bank Advisory Board resulted in a more focused, goal-driven group. She also created the food bank’s first hunger fundraiser, the smash “Rock & Roll for Hun-ger.” She’s still serving this year in several roles. She has volunteered in the past for Our Lady of the Valley, Pima Community College in Green Valley, American Business Women’s Associa-tion and Valley Assistance Services.

Shirley brings passion and presence to whatever she’s involved in, and she passes along her enthusi-asm to everybody she works with.

ALYSSA PETERSStand Up and Be Heard:

Alyssa Peters not only pro-motes it, she does it. Alys-sa is the president of the Sahuarita Teen Advisory Council, the National Hon-or Society, Drama Club at Sahuarita High, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and works at La Posada. Stand Up and Be Heard makes sure that there is a purpose tied to teen events in the community. For example,

Battle of the Bands address-es texting while driving and the Valentine’s Dance talks about healthy relationships. At such a young age, Alyssa has made a difference in her town and she’s already planning her next step: She has been accepted into the UofA’s competitive nursing program.

DOTTI REESThe rural community of

Arivaca relies on its vol-unteers to meet needs, or-ganize events and create a sense of community. And nobody volunteers like Dot-ti Rees – and she’s been do-ing it since 1999. She’s called “the queen of Arivaca,” but in reality, she’s a servant.

Dotti Rees coordinates the successful Arivaca Home Tour and Arivaca Artists’ Studios Tour, is involved in 4-H, teaches kids how to let loose with a bow and ar-row at a range she and her husband built on their land, serves on boards, marches in parades, cooks, cleans and serves. It all comes as naturally to her as breath-ing, and she loves it. Ari-vaca does too.

LOU SAMPSONLou Sampson identified

one of Green Valley’s big-gest enemies, then she went after it. Lou spearheaded the Scam Squad, which tar-gets fraud and rip-offs that come via mail, email or phone calls. As a member of the Pima County Sheriff ’s Auxiliary Volunteers, she and her team reach out to victims or targets of fraud and educates them about the latest scams. Lou has given dozens of presentations on the Scam Squad, gone on radio and arranged for a regular column on scams in the Green Valley News. Her team regularly meets with people at their homes, and soon will have a specially marked SAV vehicle to use. The group has established ways to communicate with the community, trained volunteers in Ajo to do the same, and continues to identify scams and alert the public. The payoff ? Scam-mers are sidelined with regularity because of the Scam Squad, and the com-munity is better equipped to protect itself.

LOWELL E. TOMPKINSLowell Tompkins’ life

is marked by service. He served in the military dur-ing World War II, gradu-

ated from the University of Michigan with an MBA, and launched a finance career that today ben-efits Green Valley. Over the years he has used his expertise to help numer-ous groups, with a focus on Casa Community Ser-vices (he helped secure the land and the money for the building) and Valley Pres-byterian Church. Over the years, he also has served as president for the Country Fair White Elephant, presi-dent of Casa de Esperanza, Kiwanis Club and on the Pima County P&Z Commis-sion. He also has been on the county’s bond advisory commission and on the board for Wright Flight. This is just a smattering of how Lowell has given back to our community.

WES WHITMANBetter choices means

better lives. That’s what Wes Whitman teaches in the Monetary Assistance Program at Valley Assis-tance Services. Wes uses his expertise in behavioral psychology to motivate cli-ents to make better choic-es with their money and their lives — and he has helped more than 500 so far. Wes helps them make a plan, then delivers the hope to make it happen. His care and know-how have prompted people to get jobs, avoid foreclosure, open savings accounts and spend responsibly.

He also is a docent at the Pima Air Museum, an in-structor in the OLLI pro-gram, and is a former Boy Scout leader. He also has devoted countless hours to teaching GED classes.

ROBERTA WOODRoberta Wood tallied

the most volunteer hours last year at the Green Val-ley-Sahuarita Community Food Bank and is on track to do the same this year. She arrived in January 2010 with loads of volun-teer experience and joined the board a few months lat-er. Today, she’s president. Roberta donates about 20 hours a week, including as Food Safety Clerk in-specting donated food for quality control; training other Food Safety Clerks; stocking shelves; and do-ing community outreach. In addition, she volunteers at St. Andrew’s Children’s Clinic in Nogales and helps with events in her parish. Back in Oregon, she was “Woman of the Year” for her community service, volunteer secretary of Columbia County Oregon United Way, program di-rector and program devel-oper for Columbia County Oregon Community Ac-tion Team, and was a pio-neer in the development of the “Latchkey” programs providing before and after-school child care in schools for working parents.

CHAMPIONSCONTINUED FROM C2

PEGGY MCGEE PATTY O’BERRY

OUR CHAMPIONS 2013GREEN VALLEY ★ SAHUARITA ★ AMADO ★ ARIVACA ★ TUBAC ★ RIO RICO

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MAY 18, 2013AWARDS PRESENTATION ★ BUFFET DINNER ★ MUSIC & CELEBRATIONS ★ PRIZES

DESERT DIAMOND CASINODIAMOND CENTER

5 pm Cocktails ★ 6pm Dinner ★ Celebration until 7:30 ★ Visitation with winners until 8pm $35ADMISSION

Page 7: Our Champions 2013

When we sent out the call in January for Our Champions

nominees, we knew we would be hearing wonderful stories of volunteering, giv-ing and compassion. That’s just the way our community works and always has.

But as nominations rolled in, we were overwhelmed.

Dozens of nominations beautifully illustrated the depth and spirit of the peo-ple who live here. Entry af-ter entry about people who put others first, give of their time and talents, and who step in the gap. People who make this a wonderful place to live.

We have been honored to share more than 50 of those stories in print over the past few weeks. We’re only sorry we didn’t have the room or time to tell them all. Every person, in his or her own way, has left a lasting im-pression on Green Valley, Sahuarita, Arivaca, Amado and the surrounding areas. We are better because of them.

Today, we honor the 25 our panel has selected as

“Our Champions 2013,” whose hard work and dedi-cation stand out. You can read about them in this special section and you’ll be seeing more later as we prepare to honor them at a dinner and ceremony May 18. That night, we will select one whose dedication and

efforts embody the word Champion. That person will receive $1,000 and special recognition.

In addition, we’ll be giv-ing checks to 12 local groups that are Our Champions in their own right — groups that give back to the commu-nity every day in a variety of ways. Attending the May

18 event is your opportunity to stand and applaud them. It’s also a night of excite-ment as we draw the previ-ously purchased raffle tick-ets for a new bike and a golf cart sponsored by the Green Valley News and the Green Valley Sahuarita Chamber of Commerce. The money

from these raffles goes di-rectly back into our commu-nity. Tickets for the golf cart are $10, or 3 for $20, and the bike raffle tickets are $5 or 3 for $10. Both are on display at the Green Valley News office. Tickets are on sale at the Green Valley News or the Green Valley Sahuarita Chamber of Commerce.

I’d also like to mention some of our sponsors, La Posada, FICO and Green Valley Heating & Cooling. Like us, they believe a com-munity is only as good as the people who live there, and they believe it’s impor-tant to recognize and honor them. We will tell you more about their giving in future publications.

We hope you’ll join us May 18 to say thank you to these special people and or-ganizations who make a difference. We’ll be honoring several young people who are just beginning t o g ive b a c k , a n d p e o p l e wh o ’ ve been giv-ing for a lifetime.

The $35

tickets for the event are available at the Green Valley News or Green Valley Sahua-rita Chamber of Commerce of-fices. All Cham-pions will receive two complimen-tary tickets.

It’s going to be a magical night.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2013 OUR CHAMPIONS 2013 GREEN VALLEY NEWS & SUN C7www.gvnews.com

From the Publisher

Pam Mox, Publisher, Green Valley News & Sahuarita Sun

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OUR CHAMPIONS 2013

GREEN VALLEY ★ SAHUARITA ★ AMADO ★ ARIVACA ★ TUBAC ★ RIO RICO

“Together, one

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at a time, let’s

see how many

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— Unknown

The Green Valley News & Sahuarita Sun proudly present the

2013 OUR CHAMPIONSLimited-edition, memorial keepsake bookThis beautiful, wide-format, full-color book will contain profi les of all of the winning Champions, as well as details about some of our many local non-profi ts.

All Champions winners will be presented with a copy of the book along with their medal at the awards banquet, but this will be an extremely small run. Reserve your copy today!

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2013 OUR CHAMPIONSLimited-edition, memorial keepsake book

Name: ___________________________________________________________________________________

Address: _________________________________________________________________________________

Phone: ___________________________________________________________________________________

Email: ___________________________________________________________________________________

ORDER FORMQuantity (no limit): ___________

Books can be picked up at the offi ces of the Green Valley News beginning Thursday, May 17.

OUR CHAMPIONS 2013GREEN VALLEY ★ SAHUARITA ★ AMADO ★ ARIVACA ★ TUBAC ★ RIO RICO

$5ONLY

Our Champions lead the way for our community

Dozens of nominations beautifully illustrated the depth and spirit of the

people who live here. Entry after entry about people who put others first, give of their time and talents, and who step

in the gap. People who make this a wonderful place to live.

Page 8: Our Champions 2013

C8 GREEN VALLEY NEWS & SUN OUR CHAMPIONS 2013 WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2013