“For me, it’s always been family first,” said Racquel Miller. Since she met her husband, Jamir, at a barbecue in Florida in 1994, the couple has created a solid foundation built on family, football and philanthropy.

The post Racquel & Jamir Miller appeared first on .

Swapna, a clinical associate professor of health sciences at Arizona State University, and Subhakar, a radiation oncologist at Arizona Center for Cancer Care, balance the responsibilities of big jobs and an active young family. “Prior to the pandemic, we were super busy all the time, going to this and that. Then everything came to a halt, and we filtered down to the most important things in our lives,” Swapna said.

They piled with their kids on the couch to watch family movies and spent time with their three dogs. Family activities also came to include service opportunities at United Way, The Salvation Army and St. Mary’s Food Bank. “As a family, we’ve done a lot around food insecurity,” said Swapna, whose work specializes in health policy and disparities.

In keeping with Subhakar’s work, the family also supports several cancer-focused organizations, including the American Cancer Society and Susan G. Komen Foundation. “We’ve tried to look at philanthropy from a couple of different lenses and try to bestow that on the kids, too. There is the financial-support aspect of philanthropy, and that is important, but we’ve tried to engage the kids in their communities,” Swapna said. “If there are populations or issues that we feel passionate about, we’re trying to extend it to say, ‘Let’s go into that community and try to get involved with service.’”

Both parents point to their 15-year-old daughter Jiya as an example. Jiya organized a pop-up vaccination event for an underserved community through St. Vincent de Paul. “That made me very proud,” Subhakar said. “It showed what kind of impact you can make personally, outside of just financial donations.”

Meanwhile, 12-year-old Kavin made his mark by discovering Scouting during the pandemic. “It’s been such an amazing experience for my son. He has grown so much,” Subhakar said.

In addition to spending time outdoors with other boys, Kavin, now a First Class Scout, has been doing a lot of community service — much of it with his father. “I think that is teaching really important values,” Subhakar said.

These are the unexpected treasures that have emerged over the past couple of years. “Philanthropy is and has become an increasingly big part of the fabric of our family,” Swapna said. “We have made it a family pursuit.”

The post Swapna Reddy, JD, DrPH, & Subhakar Mutyala, MD appeared first on .

“Even something that seems as insignificant as passing out a cold drink on a hot day makes a difference; it restores a person’s dignity and lets them know they matter,” said Jeff.

Distributing cold beverages on scorching summer days is a family activity for the Geysers. It’s also an extension of the couple’s long-standing involvement with organizations that serve homeless people, including Central Arizona Shelter Services (CASS), the state’s largest and longest-running emergency homeless shelter.

Jeff began volunteering at CASS during college. He and Lisa are credited with elevating the shelter’s philanthropic presence. They hosted the first-ever Dinner for Dignity event in 2017, raising nearly $165,000 and earning distinction, at that time, as the organization’s most successful fundraising endeavor.

“We’re proud to have been part of that inaugural event, increasing the financial impact and introducing CASS to a new profile of individuals,” Lisa said.

Jeff and Lisa are involved with many notable fundraisers, primarily those serving people without housing and advancing health care. Lisa, whose father suffered from heart disease and passed away in 2018, has dedicated her time to supporting the American Heart Association by serving on the Phoenix Heart Ball committee since 2013.

The Geysers are grateful to have exceptional health care close to home.

“It’s easy to take for granted, but the pandemic made it evident that our hospitals and medical institutions are invaluable,” Jeff said.

While they recognize the role of fundraising events, the Geysers prefer hands- on ways to give.

“We’d rather roll up our sleeves and make a face-to-face connection with the people we’re helping,” Jeff said. “We know our children watch us. They’re normally right next to us doing the work. Things like stocking food pantries, decorating Christmas cookies and hiding eggs for Easter hunts at CASS show our boys that the kids there are no different.”

Lisa co-founded Families Giving Back in 2013 to create hands-on volunteer opportunities for children. It dissolved in 2018 when the demands of daily life became too great, but the legacy continues with several organizations still using its service model.

“The point was to fill a void,” Lisa said. “We changed a lot of rules and proved that children have value in the volunteer space.”

The post Lisa & Jeff Geyser appeared first on .

“We heard about the coronavirus crisis on the Navajo Nation and we saw that a friend, who is Navajo, and her husband were making masks to send up there,” Erika says. “We partnered to start sending shipments of PPE, sending three shipments per week. This project really honors Russ’s mom, who passed away in August 2019, because his mom mentored the Navajo woman, Ginger Sykes, to join the Heard Museum Board of Trustees.”

Rushing to help is typical for the Dickeys, though they do so quietly. “Although we serve on many committees and boards, we typically work ‘under the radar’ to encourage and embolden those doing great work in our community,” Russ says.

The couple are also founders of Game Changer Legacy, Arizona State University Athletics; one of the first founding families of Barrow Beyond at Barrow Neurological Institute; members of the ASU Foundation’s President’s Club; part of the 500 Club, Be a Leader Foundation; and VIP members at ASU Gammage.

Russ, who works with the family businesses Verco Manufacturing and Western Golf Properties, is also on the development board of Elevate Phoenix, a board member at Arizona Urban Youth Ministries, and the former Arizona director of Lift Up America.

“Urban youth programs are important to me because I student-taught in urban areas at University of Southern California and that gave me a passion to provide opportunities to those from challenging economic backgrounds,” he says.

Erika, a real estate professional with Sotheby’s International Realty, is passionate about the arts, theater and economic business development issues. She spends her time on the Phoenix Heart Ball Committee, as a University of Arizona Eller College Ambassador and as a Golden PANDA for People Acting Now Discover Answers (PANDA). She also is a founding board member of the Women’s Art Council (WOMAC) for Phoenix Art Museum.

“We are blessed with the time, talents and resources to create a better community,” Erika says. “We want those in our community who are less fortunate to have a chance to succeed.”

The post Erika & Russ Dickey appeared first on .