Instead of asking for gifts, St. John Bosco sixth-graders Lauren A. and Shea S. combined their recent 12th birthday parties into a fundraiser for a family in need. The Perres are local residents facing heart wrenching medical issues and staggering medical costs. Within two months of one another, Mrs. Perre was diagnosed with a form of Lou Gehrig’s disease and her 16-year-old son was diagnosed with cancer. Lauren and Shea invited the entire sixth-grade population of St. John Bosco, as well as many other friends, to party at Desert Foothills Park on April 26. In lieu of birthday gifts, Shea, Lauren and their friends dug into their piggy banks and donated money to help the Perres. In the end, Lauren, She and their friends collected approximately $1,700. The Perres were overwhelmed at the compassion and generosity of both the girls and the community.

The Ahwatukee Community Network (ACN) is bringing passionate people together again, this time on the topic of children in foster care.

A family fundraising event will be from 1 to 7 p.m. on May 19 at the parking lot at Foothills Park Plaza, Desert Foothills Parkway and Chandler Boulevard. This is a chance for the community to come out and support all levels of Blue and Gold football.

An anonymous donation is keeping the Phoenix gun buyback program going for one final Saturday, May 18.

Team Phoenix, a youth basketball program in Ahwatukee Foothills, will have a Family Fun Movie Night and Raffle Fundraiser on Friday at the AMC Ahwatukee 24, 4915 E. Ray Road.

Students and staff at Kyrene Altadeña Middle School are hosting a fundraiser dinner for their beloved choir teacher this week.

Using their talents for hilarious, family-friendly improvisational comedy, Jef and Shurlin Rawls of Mesa hope to lift spirits while lightening the load for a family in their neighborhood with an event they are calling a “FUN-draiser.”

Sun Devil and Wildcat fans will get to show their school pride at Florencia Pizza Bistro in Ahwatukee tomorrow during the “Duel in the Desert” fundraiser.

When I was a kid…heck, when all of us were kids, our mothers had a stack of aphorisms for any occasion. When I was 10 years old, I was convinced that all new moms were given a handbook of Snappy Sayings for All Occasions as they were packing their bag in the maternity ward, because all the moms said all the same things.

A variety show of singing, dancing, acting and comedy will be hosted at Mountain View Lutheran Church in Ahwatukee today, May 10.

Thanks to everyone who came out and supported the Desert Vista High School band car wash at Sonic on April 20, they raised more than $750 to donate to the music program at Bay Head school in New Jersey that was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy. Anyone who would like to make additional contributions can contact the band boosters at dvmb.fundraising@gmail.com.

Interest in the annual Festival of Lights Golf Tournament has dwindled in recent years and when the co-chairs of the event moved to Gilbert it was unclear who would take over, but Ahwatukee Kiwanis stepped up and is hoping to make the tournament more successful than ever.

The Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce’s Red, White and Beautiful event on Thursday, May 9 will feature a fashion show, vendors and a chance to be pampered, all from local Ahwatukee businesses.

Preparing for a debut of his short film on Tuesday for friends, family and a panel of local cinematographers, Mountain Pointe High School senior Vincent Cota was putting the finishing touches on the piece after school this week.

Local entrepreneurs are in the final stages of getting their portable medical clinic repurposed from a steel shipping container sent to Kenya.

It’s all about community.

The Heady Hoop Tribe, an eclectic group of four women who aim to inspire others through the creative power of modern hoop dance, bring a sense of community to Phoenix.

They may be so commonplace they’re unappreciated, so simple they fail to activate the saliva glands at first sight, but in our book it’s hard to go wrong with chips and salsa.

Former Arizona State University President Dr. Lattie Coor is among the five distinguished award recipients scheduled to be honored at the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s 55th Annual Black & White Ball and Business Awards on April 27 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel, 330 N. Third Street.

Domestic violence is a problem that hits all neighborhoods.

The Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce’s Women in Business is the proud host of Red, White and Beautiful and this year it is booming! Red, White and Beautiful is a unique girls’ night out of pampering and shopping just in time for Mother’s Day. Red, White and Beautiful began in June of 2010 as a fundraiser to support the community Red, White and Boom fireworks.

At a recent fundraiser in San Francisco, President Obama demonstrated his command of the great issues facing our country.

Three high school students submitted three big ideas to the Ahwatukee Chamber Charity Foundation with hopes of being selected for a brand new college scholarship. On Wednesday the foundation presented a $4,000 scholarship to Spencer Elliott of Mountain Pointe High School, and a $500 scholarship to Josh Greene and Emily Pawlik, both Desert Vista students.