In today’s economic climate, many people are forced to take another look at the legacies they intend to leave to their children and grandchildren.  With diminished or depleted 401k investments, stock holdings and other financial resources, leaving money to heirs may no longer be an option.

Dear Editor: Last January, Donise Dillard found herself holding one small toy. Turning the toy over and over in her hands, she found herself in deep thought, asking herself, "How can I make this one toy make a difference?" Though the answer didn't come immediately, within days Dillard's vision to make a difference started to take shape. With strategically placed phone calls to organizations around the country, including the United States Marine Corp, her desire to help children turned into a room overflowing with literally thousands and thousands of new toys. On Dec. 22 she had a roomful of Santa's helpers who were able to deliver the toys to the organization One Thousand Children in the Phoenix area. With a desire to serve others in a selfless manner, Dillard got several of her friends together and, between them, they devised a community outreach program that welcomed the parents of One Thousand Children to Living By The Word Family Church in Chandler. Starting at 9:30 a.m., and within a two-hour period of time, enough brand new toys were handed out to make Christmas morning special for One Thousand Children. These children received a minimum of three brand new toys (designed specifically for their gender and age group). It was a privilege, and an unexpected opportunity to witness, firsthand, how one woman can make a difference. Local heroes such as Donise Dillard are to be celebrated at every opportunity. Thank you, Donise. Your dream to make a difference has come true. There is a Santa Claus and she lives in Arizona. Cindy Samuelson

The Girl Scouts of Ahwatukee Foothills recently hosted a Recruitment Rally at the Pecos Park Community Room. Girls from kindergarten through 12th grade were invited to the event to speak with school organizers, leaders and girls in troops. Many of the troops that were on hand shared hands-on activities showcasing what they like best about Girl Scouts. Leaders also shared what they like most about volunteering and how fun and rewarding it is to work with girls.

For some reason I’m finding myself reading the Psalms more and more this past year. They both energize and refresh my soul. A shepherd boy named David wrote 150 of them (or at least that’s how many he got published).

Several years ago, a book, titled “Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus,” was quite popular. As the title suggests, the book argues that men and women are vastly different from each other, particularly in their emotional needs and in the way they communicate. While not everyone agrees with the notion that men and women might as well be from different planets, most of us would probably concur that the two genders frequently behave differently — and this divergence in behavior may also show up in the way that we invest.

Last weekend my friends and I were on our way up to Show Low for a wedding. My friend wanted a coffee from Starbucks so we stopped there for her to get something along the way. She ordered and when the lady gave us her coffee at the drive-thru window she went to pay and the lady said, “There is no charge for the coffee today. The lady in front of you that just left paid for the next four customers.” My friend was of course ecstatic, but it got me really thinking about the true affect “paying it forward” can really have on other people that goes way beyond just coffee.

Last weekend my friends and I were on our way up to Show Low for a wedding. My friend wanted a coffee from Starbucks so we stopped there for her to get something along the way. She ordered and when the lady gave us her coffee at the drive-thru window she went to pay and the lady said, “There is no charge for the coffee today. The lady in front of you that just left paid for the next four customers.” My friend was of course ecstatic, but it got me really thinking about the true affect “paying it forward” can really have on other people that goes way beyond just coffee.

As an investor, you may find that bonds can be a valuable part of your holdings. But there’s more than one way to own bonds, so you’ll want to be familiar with the various investment vehicles available — because the more you know, the better the choices you’ll be able to make.

The path to the state wrestling tournament has been scrutinized with power pockets of teams at certain sectional tournaments.

As an investor, how can you avoid making mistakes? It’s not always easy, because investing can be full of potential pitfalls. But if you know what the most common mistakes are at different stages of an investor’s life, you may have a better chance of avoiding these costly errors.

Academic Year in America (AYA) is looking for Phoenix area families to play host to the world by welcoming an exchange student into their home for four to 6 weeks.

Envy.

You’ve probably seen Native American pottery, textiles, dolls or jewelry. But you may have never seen this: photographs from contemporary Navajo photographers capturing unvarnished moments of American Indian life.

The students at Summit School of Ahwatukee have had some unique opportunities recently to explore the different core subjects through the use of technology.

One year ago, 28-year-old Mesa human resources manager Erica Weatherford sent emails to every woman she knew in Arizona, asking if they were ready to make a difference in their community.

George Temores, owner of Prodigy Fitness, has a simple philosophy: train your mind, and work your body.

The rivalry still exists between the teenage street gangs in the new revival of the musical “West Side Story,” but with a more realistic approach. In previous productions and the film, the Puerto Rican Sharks always have spoken and sang their songs in English. But in the new version, Bernardo and his gang will speak and belt out some of the signature tunes in Spanish.

The rivalry still exists between the teenage street gangs in the new revival of the musical “West Side Story,” but with a more realistic approach. In previous productions and the film, the Puerto Rican Sharks always have spoken and sang their songs in English. But in the new version, Bernardo and his gang will speak and belt out some of the signature tunes in Spanish.

It is sad when articles ("AF company strives to make carpet truly safe," AFN, Aug. 31) that are nothing more than commercials or advertisements for new companies trying to survive in the Ahwatukee Foothills, or elsewhere for that matter, gets put up on the web as expert information. Unfortunately, a lot of nonsensical information that the "chemicals" used by the average carpet cleaners are bad for you is out there, in much the same way that the term steam cleaning is used, when in fact, no one uses steam to clean carpets (true steam would melt nylon and olefin carpets). The actual industry terminology is hot water extraction, the term steam cleaning is an advertising gimmick.

It is sad when articles ("AF company strives to make carpet truly safe," AFN, Aug. 31) that are nothing more than commercials or advertisements for new companies trying to survive in the Ahwatukee Foothills, or elsewhere for that matter, gets put up on the web as expert information. Unfortunately, a lot of nonsensical information that the "chemicals" used by the average carpet cleaners are bad for you is out there, in much the same way that the term steam cleaning is used, when in fact, no one uses steam to clean carpets (true steam would melt nylon and olefin carpets). The actual industry terminology is hot water extraction, the term steam cleaning is an advertising gimmick.

What if every business in America — large and small — were to add just one job?

Here's proof that you can craft an elegant appetizer using nothing but a panini press.

Here's proof that you can craft an elegant appetizer using nothing but a panini press.

One was the steadying influence on a senior-laden team making its last push and the other is the star on a team with designs on even bigger things next season.