Neighbors (Updated March 21)

Residents harvest fruit for United Food Bank

A number of area teens and parents started their spring break by harvesting surplus citrus fruit from several homes in Ahwatukee Foothills for donation to the United Food Bank. Containers, buckets and fruit pickers were supplied by the food bank, which accepts fruit until March 15 and delivers them to various shelters in the Valley. St. Mary's Food Bank is also accepting donated fruit until April 1.

AF students making their debut

Ahwatukee Foothills residents Taylor Dennis and Brittany Marra are among 40 honor senior girls from 17 Valley high schools that will make their debut at the Phoenix Honors Cotillion 42nd Anniversary Scholarship Debutante Ball March 22 in the Grand Ballroom of the Phoenix Civic Plaza.

The "deb" presentation recognizes young ladies for their personal achievements and not their social standing. They attend weekly seminars for six months studying in the areas of time management, personal and professional goal-setting and formal and informal entertaining. They work on personal improvement in areas of selecting their fashion personality, skin care, personal fitness and increase their cultural awareness by visits to the symphony, ballet and theater. The girls must maintain a 3.0 GPA, but cumulatively they have a 4.75 average on a weighted scale. They contribute as a group more than 3,000 hours in civic service with projects of their own choosing.

Tickets for the event are available from any participating "deb," at the door or by calling Donna Riggs Kenney at (480) 834-6924.

The 43rd Anniversary Membership Tea will begin at 2 p.m. May 4 in Nelson Hall, Church of the Beatitudes, at the southeast corner of 7th Avenue and Glendale Road. The tea is open to all junior girls in the Valley who will be seniors in 2008-09. They need to be honor students who also participate in their school, church and community activities. No invitation is necessary.

For more information or tickets to the Ball, contact Kenney at the number listed above or e-mail donnakenney1@aol.com.

Rydman to sing national anthem at

D-backs game

Jordan Rydman, an 11-year-old fifth-grader at Kyrene de la Estrella Elementary School and part of the Ahwatukee Children's Theatre, was chosen from approximately 400 that auditioned to sing the national anthem at the May 4 Arizona Diamondbacks and New York Mets game.

12-year-old wins Best Children's Book

Tempe resident Michael Moorehead, the 12-year-old author of The Student From Zombie Island: Conquering the Rumor Monster, is the recipient of the 2008 Reader Views Annual Literary Award for Best Children's Book for Ages 7 and Older published in 2007.

Moorehead wrote the book as a gift for his second-grade teacher who he says "inspired him to read and write." The hardcover book retails for $15.95 and is available at Barnes & Noble, Borders, Amazon.com, Target.com, www.ZombieIslandBooks.com, www.KidsCanPublish.com and www.FiveStarPublications.com.

Send submissions to jwalker@ahwatukee.com.