Life Coach in Avondale, AZ

This is the second of a four-part series examining chronic absenteeism in Arizona schools. Read part one here.

PHOENIX — The number of Arizona students missing school has skyrocketed over the last few years. The COVID pandemic isn’t the only reason.

A report by the Helios Education Foundation in partnership with WestEd found 22% – or one in five –elementary and junior high students were chronically absent in 2021. That’s a jump from up to 14% prior to the pandemic.

“I think we have to both think about what are the barriers that keep kids from getting to school and what is it that pulls kids to be in school?” Hedy Chang, executive director of Attendance Works, a nonprofit trying to improve school attendance, said.

She said some of the barriers are chronic illness, lack of transportation and unstable housing. What goes on in school can also play a role, including bullying and feeling embarrassed about being behind academically.

In addition, if students don’t feel connected or have a sense of belonging at school, chances are they’ll feel disengaged and won’t attend.

“One of the things we know about chronic absence data is that it affects low-income kids more because they don’t have the same resources,” Chang said.

She pointed out more affluent families usually “go into gear” to find a tutor or an after-school program when their kids start to fall behind.

“Low-income families often don’t have those resources to do that,” Chang said.

She added misconceptions about missing school can also lead to students to become chronically absent. This includes the belief that absences are only a problem if they are unexcused or that missing only a couple of days per month doesn’t affect learning.

Chronically absent students are at higher risk of dropping out of high school, not going to college and having limited career options, according to the Helios report.

Michael Yracheta of Buckeye is well aware of this, saying students won’t learn if they don’t go to school.

He and his wife, Emilia, have made it a point to stress to their three kids the importance of getting an education.

“In order to do that, you have to show up every day to school – every day,” Emilia said.

Their efforts have worked.

Their 14-year-old son won’t miss school even after a medical procedure prevented his parents from being able to take him to school. Emilia donated a kidney to her husband, and it took them two weeks to recover.

Michael said they explained to their son that he’d have to miss several days of school. He quickly came up with a plan to ride his bike to Michael Anderson School in Avondale.

“You have to understand we live 15 miles away from the school,” he said. “We told him, ‘Rene, you can’t ride your bike to school it’s too far.’”

The teen ended up getting a ride to his grandmother’s house and took the bus from there.

“He kept coming up with ideas, because he didn’t want to miss any days,” Michael said. “That’s how important school is to him.”

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Families and nature lovers are encouraged to enjoy the great outdoors on the banks of Avondale’s rivers. The annual Tres Rios Nature Festival takes place on Saturday and Sunday, February 25 – 26, 2023. Presented by Wildlife for Tomorrow, Tres Rios Nature Festival goers can look forward to another outstanding, weekend-long outdoor free event filled with activities for all ages.

For nearly two decades, thousands of people have descended upon the confluence of the Gila, Salt, and Agua Fria rivers at Tres Rios Base & Meridian Wildlife Area for the annual festival, a celebration of the plants, animals, sustainability, ecological relationships, as well as many recreational opportunities of the area. Event planners anticipate over 10,000 people coming to enjoy nature center presentations, educational exhibitors, folk, bluegrass, and county entertainment presented by Desert Diamond Casino West Valley. Attendees will be able to see local birds, go canoeing or fishing with Arizona Game & Fish, view wildlife up close, enjoy a thrilling zip line, rock climb, and create a craft. Each day, the activities run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Getting There: The event is held at the Tres Rios Base & Meridian Wildlife Area, located adjacent to Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, approximately five miles south of I-10 on Avondale Boulevard (7602 Jimmie Johnson Dr. Avondale, AZ, 85323). Accessibility may be limited due to the location of the nature area. The location includes a half-mile walk from parking on an unpaved path surfacing and pedestrian transportation of the area is unavailable. Also, a free courtesy shuttle from the Old Town area, at the Avondale Resource Center (995 E. Riley Drive, Avondale) will take attendees to and from the event. Shuttle is provided by First Transit.

7:30 a.m. Bird Watching: Take a try at one of the most popular hobbies in the world, bird watching! Audubon experts will provide a guided tour of the local bird-watching opportunities. Some of the bird sightings may include osprey, red-tailed hawk, peregrine falcon, and orange-crowned warblers – and perhaps even a bald eagle. For those wanting to catch early bird views, join the Sonoran Audubon Society for an early bird hike of the area 7:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Sign-up is required; please email mcbobaz@aol.com or text 602-373-2952 to register.

Food: Food and beverages will be available for Purchase! There will be plenty of great food options to tease your taste buds.

There is no cost to attend. For more information, including the event schedule, visit www.avondaleaz.gov/tresrios or call 623-333-2400. Like us on Facebook or Instagram @CityofAvondale and @AvondaleParksandRec

The Tres Rios Nature Festival, hosted by City of Avondale, is sponsored by: Wildlife for Tomorrow; Discover Avondale; Desert Diamond Casino West Valley; Alamar; Sonoran Audubon Society. Partners; Arizona Game and Fish, Arizona Wildlife Federation; Arizona State University; City of Goodyear; Corazon Latino, Estrella Mountain Community College; Fallen Feathers; First Transit; Gila River Indian Community; Lower Gila River Collaboration; Rio Reimagined; Maricopa County Flood Control District; Soil and Water Conservation Society; The Arizona Trail; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, and West Valley View.

Just over a week after Super Bowl LVII, official numbers from events, visitors, and transportation are being reported. The Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee, along with the National Football League (NFL), the state of Arizona, and the cities of Avondale, Glendale, Goodyear, Mesa, Peoria, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe, and the town of Paradise Valley, saw record-setting numbers from the week-long celebration throughout the Valley. The Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee shard key metrics from Super Bowl LVII.

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The marquee events in downtown Phoenix, including Super Bowl Experience presented by Lowe’s at Phoenix Convention Center and Hance Park, saw nearly 300,000 fans between February 4 – 5 and February 9 – 13, including nearly 25,000 fans who enjoyed the first-ever Super Bowl Watch Party presented by Verizon.

“We worked diligently with our business partners, indigenous communities, cities around the region, and the NFL to prepare for an unforgettable experience for both locals and visitors, which included hundreds of events around the Valley,” said Jay Parry, president and chief executive officer of the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee. “The official numbers coupled with anecdotal reviews we are receiving indicate Super Bowl LVII was a phenomenal success across all fronts and a win for Arizona.”

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport set the record for the single busiest day on Monday, February 13, with more than 200,000 visitors traveling through the airport. The previous record set was the day after Super Bowl XLIX in 2015 with 150,000 visitors traveling in a single day. Plus, Valley Metro Rail served more than 250,000 riders throughout the week.

Additionally, the impact in communities across Arizona set records and created a long-lasting legacy. The Super Bowl Legacy Grant program distributed $2.1 million to 50 Arizona nonprofits. A robust environment and sustainability effort included dozens of greening events with more than 500 low-water usage trees and shrubs planted around the state. Plus, several beautification projects, like the largest NFL Green clean-up project removing trash and invasive snails in the lower Salt River took place around the Valley.

Also, the Business Connect program, a supplier diversity initiative with the NFL that engaged more than 200 local women, minority, veteran, and LGBTQ+-owned businesses, exceeded all pre-covid records to date. While reporting is still in process, the program is expected to close out with more than 160 contracts at a record-breaking total.

Overall, more than 6,000 credentialed media were in Arizona for the week representing more than 24 countries, and 45,000 credentialed teammates played a role in Super Bowl LVII.

Data will continue to be reported in the coming weeks, including a full economic impact report from Arizona State University later this year.

On Saturday — a day before the Kansas City Chiefs faced the Philadelphia Eagles at State Farm Stadium in Glendale — a small crowd gathered in the shadow of a Starbucks on Indian School Road in Avondale.

It was an unlikely gathering: NFL players stood beside Starbucks baristas chanting into bullhorns and holding signs that read, "Hey, union-busting CEOs. Let's play ball."

Last May, workers at the Starbucks in Avondale voted to form a union, joining the growing wave of Starbucks unionization around Phoenix and across the country. The movement, led by Starbucks Workers United, has not slowed in the Valley. In November, workers at multiple Starbucks stores around Phoenix went on strike for a day, shuttering at least one location.

"We are here to stand in solidarity with workers at Starbucks," said Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO, one of the largest labor unions in the country. "We know that players on the field are workers, too. So what better than to bring together that solidarity as we head into this Sunday."

After all, Shuler said, the Starbucks workers attempting to unionize are "facing some of the most dirty union-busting tactics I have seen in a long time."

In December 2021, a Buffalo Starbucks became the first U.S. location to vote to form a union, and similar successful votes followed across the country — including at the Westwind Plaza store in Avondale. But since the votes, workers have struggled to get to the bargaining table, as the coffee giant stalls negotiations and, according to union leaders, retaliates against workers.

Andrew Trull, a spokesperson for Starbucks, told Phoenix New Times that the company doesn't engage in anti-union activity. "Our focus has, and continues to be, on working side-by-side with our partners to listen, learn, and reinvent the Starbucks experience. Our hope is the union would respect our right to listen to, collaborate with, and share information and our perspective with our partners — just as we respect their right to do so," Trull wrote.

‘We Are All Workers’

On Saturday, baristas at the Avondale store, along with organizers with Starbucks Workers United and AFL-CIO leadership, were joined at the rally by a powerful ally: the NFL Players Association, the union that represents NFL players.

"We are all workers fighting for the same exact thing," said JC Tretter, president of the NFL Players Association and a former player with the Cleveland Browns and Green Bay Packers. "We will stand behind you as players until you get what you deserve, and that is better wages, better benefits, and better working conditions."

The timing of the rally on Super Bowl weekend — not far from the stadium in Glendale — was no accident. Shuler told New Times that the labor struggles behind the game are often forgotten. "There's a lot of attention on the glitz and the glam of it, but underneath it — all those corporate sponsorships and the immense amount of capital that goes into an event like that — there are people," she said. People such as hotel workers, concessionaires, and janitorial staff, Shuler added.

"I'd rather be here than at the game," DeMaurice Smith, executive director of the NFL Players Association, told New Times. "Have a great time on Super Bowl Sunday — but that doesn't mean you get to ignore the people who are doing a lot of the work."

Smith, Shuler, and others joined Starbucks workers in demanding that the corporation come to the table to bargain and end retaliatory practices that Workers United alleges have continued in Starbucks stores that try to unionize. Union organizers at Starbucks stores have said they have faced frequent retaliation and even termination, as in the case of Laila Dalton, who was firedfrom a Phoenix Starbucks after she led a union drive.

Cassidy Elliott, a worker at the Avondale Starbucks store, said she was glad to see the support, as workers at the store continue to fight through negotiations.

"It's been really inspirational," she said. "People are going to see that unions are everywhere. They protect the people we watch on the news every day or watch play their games every day — or get our coffee from every day."

Today, Wood Partners, national leaders in the development of multifamily residential community builders, broke ground in Avondale, AZ. Avondale officials were there to welcome them during a formal groundbreaking ceremony on Sept. 29^th, 2022. Once complete, the new community – Alta Avondale – will include 360 luxury apartment homes comprised of studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom floor plans. This community is slated to open in early 2024.

Located south of Interstate 10, off of Avondale Blvd., this new multi-family community will be centrally located in one of Avondale’s premier live-work-play destinations, The BLVD.

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Kenneth Chapa, Avondale’s Economic Development & Tourism Director, said: “In the last couple of years, development at The BLVD has taken off. The vision of city leaders, to create an exciting destination for visitors and residents alike, has come to fruition. We are thrilled that Wood Partners, a national leader in multi-family real estate development, selected The BLVD for its latest development project here in the West Valley.”

Wood Partners’ Alta Avondale development will bring an additional 360 multifamily units to the 1,493 units either built, planned, or currently under construction at The BLVD.

“We immediately were intrigued by Avondale’s BLVD vision and wanted to be a part of its future. Avondale’s vigorous and hardworking economic development team immediately won us over, coupled with the strong demographics, infrastructure, and pro-business friendly environment,” said Clay Richardson managing director of Wood Partners.

About Wood Partners: Wood Partners is a national leader in the development, construction, and management of multifamily communities across the United States. The company has been involved in the acquisition and development of nearly 90,000 conventional multifamily homes with a combined capitalization of $17.3 billion. The company currently owns more than 70 properties across the United States representing over 20,000 homes. Headquartered in Atlanta, Wood Partners has offices in 22 major markets across 15 states nationwide.

About The BLVD: Anchored by American Sports Centers Avondale at the Randall McDaniel Sports Complex, The BLVD also comprises Aveda West Valley Institute, Tap2, Soda Bomb, Dutch Bros., Phoenix Children’s Hospital Physical Therapy, and New Penny Cafe; a three-story parking garage and an open space amenity with a lake water feature and a splash pad.

For more information about Wood Partners, visit woodpartners.com. To learn more about The BLVD contact the Avondale Local EDGE; an initiative of the Avondale Office of Economic Development. Follow Avondale EDGE at @AvondaleEDGE, visit the website, AvondaleLocalEDGE.com or call 623-333-1400.