by Cathryn Creno - Dec. 12, 2009 07:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

Ahwatukee Life is a weekly feature about people who live and work in the Ahwatukee Foothills.

Name: Sheila Coonen

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Age: 59

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Family: Husband Michael Coonen, son Timothy Coonen, daughter Kimberly Coonen.

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Occupations: Director of Connecting To Serve, mission developer for Mountain View Lutheran Church, nurse.

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How long have you lived in Ahwatukee? Since 1979.

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Question: How did you land in Ahwatukee and what keeps you here?

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Answer: Mike and I moved to Ahwatukee because we like the rural feel of the community. We stay here because we love the people in the community, the small town feel, the mountain and the proximity to the freeway and airport.

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Q: Tell is about Connecting to Serve. What is it and how many people in Ahwatukee are involved?

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A: The most untapped resource in any community is the desire of individuals to do good, to make a difference in the lives of others. Connecting To Serve's -- www.connectingtoserve.org -- mission is to empower, engage and connect these individuals to deliver practical solutions to unmet needs in our communities. Some of the programs developed by volunteers include a Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University and the Mountain View Lutheran Church Access Point job search program. In the past two months over 100 people have benefited from these programs.

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Q: If someone is just starting to think about holiday volunteer activities, is it too late? Some groups book their activities months ahead of time.

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A: It's never too late to volunteer! The Ahwatukee Board of Management and Ahwatukee Recreation Center both have on-going lists of retired individuals in need of minor household assistance. To volunteer contact, Ann Marie Hancock at the Board of Management 480-893-3501 Ext. 4 and Amy Nichols at the ARC Amyn@arcphx.phxcoxmail.com. For other opportunities they can go to www.connectingtoserve.org.

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Q: What is one volunteer activity that an Ahwatukee family could do on a holiday season weekend?

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A: Think of someone that you know that might be alone for the holidays and invite them to join you for the day. Play secret Santa to a single parent family. Go caroling in your neighborhood. Bring cookies to your fire or police department. Leave a gift in your mailbox for the mailman. Take a teacher to lunch.

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Q: Where can we find you on a typical Saturday morning in Ahwatukee?

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A: Hanging out with my family, working out, shopping or cooking.

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Q: Any favorite restaurants or hangouts?

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A: Nello's.

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Q: What's your favorite part about the holidays in Ahwatukee?

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A: The opportunity to get together with friends and family to celebrate the reason for the season.

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Q: If you could change just one thing about Ahwatukee before the end of 2009, what would that be?

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A: Ahwatukee is a wonderful place to live and has a lot of community resources that people are not aware of. I would like to make sure that knowledge of the resources and help in accessing them was available and accessible to everyone.

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Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/community/ahwatukee/articles/2009/12/10/20091210ar-life1212.html#ixzz1ZpjyfvBU