Solutions require a lot of different minds addressing the problem for a lot of different reasons. Recognize when you’re facing a “golden moment”–a time and place where everyone wants to see the same outcome, even if they weren’t working for the exact same reasons or in the exact same way. If the problem is addressed, recognize that as a win. You don’t all have to attend the same victory party, but you may end up inviting more new friends than you ever imagined.
Read More »Longtime mining museum volunteers usher in new era 
The Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum welcomed more than 40,000 children across the state each year before it closed in 2011, but it will soon be rockin’ again under new ownership.
Read More »Medicaid referendum faces uncertain future 
Organizers of a grassroots conservative effort to refer Gov. Jan Brewer’s Medicaid expansion plan to the ballot are keeping quiet about their progress as they prepare for the final month of their signature-gathering efforts.
Read More »Tempe rowing club volunteers support those with disabilities 
Successful rowing teams send their racing crafts gliding efficiently through the water by trying to maintain perfect synchronicity with each other throughout each stroke. It is an all-around team effort.
Read More »Political groups try to keep HB2305 from becoming law 
When lawmakers rolled several controversial elections changes into one jam-packed omnibus bill and approved it in the final moments of the legislative session, a coalition of disparate political groups coalesced around a single goal: to stop the bill from becoming law.
Read More »Insurer says it won’t cover armed Pinal County posse
A statewide insurance pool that covers sheriff's volunteers in 11 counties is changing its policies to exclude the armed volunteer posse that Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu plans to deploy to scan the desert for smugglers.
Read More »Latino voter group volunteers brave sweltering heat, slammed doors 
Team Awesome began in February 2011 with a small group of college students who were tired of how they felt the Latino community was viewed and represented by politicians.
Read More »More older volunteers heed calling of Peace Corps
After a lifetime of work, 62-year-old Hazel Powell decided to leave her comfortable Scottsdale home and family behind for 27 months of deprivation and a hard job in Eastern Europe. The recently retired teacher left for Bulgaria, where donkey carts outnumber automobiles. She hopes to make a difference in the lives of the poor villagers she will live with.
Read More »Angel of altruism: Where supermarkets saw trash; one man saw an opportunity 
Just because it's unsellable doesn't mean it's inconsumable. Far from it, judging by the life work of John van Hengel. Van Hengel spent the last 38 years of his life proving this concept again and again. His efforts sprouted a global food-supply network that serves those most in need. And it has its roots right here in Phoenix.
Read More »Volunteers set tails Wagging: County animal control makes adoption top priority 
Here's a bit of dog-pound math. Maricopa County Animal Care and Control has two shelters - one in west Phoenix and one in Mesa. Both rely on a total of some 400 volunteers to help care for and find homes for the nearly 56,000 dogs and cats taken in every year.
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