February 2008
Habitat for Humanity® Home Dedication
Football and Education Go Hand in Hand
University of Phoenix Salute Those Who Serve Our Country
Super Bowl XLII Comes to University of Phoenix Stadium
Nashville Campus Cheers on the Special Olympics
The Boys and Girls Club Hits a Homerun for Charity!
Arizona Leaders Team Up for a Better Tomorrow
Spike’s Coloring Contest Goes to the Glendale Library
The 2008 YWCA Tribute to Women Luncheon
Habitat for Humanity® Home Dedication
University of Phoenix tips their hard hats to the Jimenez family’s new home. After 12 weeks, 300 employees and over 2,100 hours of manual labor, the University of Phoenix sponsored Habitat for Humanity® home was complete and ready for occupancy. On February 23, 2008, University of Phoenix and Habitat for Humanity® Valley of the Sun handed over the keys to the Jimenez family and welcomed them to their new home in Guadalupe, Arizona.
As the desert sun lit the sky on the warm Saturday morning, the home dedication began with an introduction of the Jimenez family and their inspiring story. Throughout the morning, Missy D’Aunoy from Habitat introduced those who made the home build possible, including the Habitat team leaders, the University of Phoenix team captains and the Jimenez family. With emotions high and happiness in the air, the dedication also included a special Native American blessing to the new home and the guests welcomed the Jimenez family to a new chapter of their life.
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Football and Education Go Hand in Hand
It wasn’t just about football during this year’s Super Bowl Sunday
broadcast. Along with super star interviews, football predictions, and
sports news, fans tuning in to hear a popular pre-game Super Bowl show heard
Brian Mueller discuss about scholarships offered at the University of Phoenix.
Westwood One which is part of the CBS Radio Sports Network recorded the show
right from the offices of University of Phoenix. The program included big
name sportscasters: Boomer Esiason, John Dockery, Jim Gray, Jim Fassel, and
Tommy Tighe. During the show, football star turned broadcaster, Boomer Esiason
spoke of his involvement with the University of Phoenix and
scholarship opportunities set up for his foundation by University of
Phoenix. Throughout the 2007 NFL season, the University contributed 26
full-tuition scholarships to the Boomer Esiason Foundation. The foundation
helps fight cystic fibrosis. The pre-recorded show was the lead-in to the
live radio broadcast of Super Bowl XLII.
University of Phoenix Salute Those Who Serve Our Country
Super Bowl XLII was a year of firsts. It was the first Super Bowl to be
played in University of Phoenix Stadium, the first Super Bowl to have its
very own mascot and the first year an un-defeated team with 18 wins played
in a Super Bowl. With all the excitement in the air, University of Phoenix
proudly hosted a group of severely injured veterans to experience firsthand, the most watched Super Bowl game ever.
In addition to hosting the veterans at Super Bowl XLII, University of Phoenix has created a scholarship program to honor Arizona’s brave men and women who return home from service in Iraq and Afghanistan with severe injuries. Through full-tuition scholarships, injured veterans are empowered to reach their academic goals or pursue second careers. University of Phoenix programs are tailored to meet the needs of students’ busy schedules.
Nashville Campus Plays Cupid
“The Greatest Classroom is at the foot of a Senior Citizen.” This saying,
along with others written on homemade Valentine’s Day cards brought joy and
tears to the eyes of residents at a local Nursing home in Nashville,
Tennessee. On February 14, 2008, employees at the Nashville Campus, with
arms full of Valentine’s Day cards, serenaded the elderly with “Let Me Call
You Sweetheart” and read the cards out loud. The 70 residents shared stories
of their past, including one woman’s story and her memory box filled with
love letters from her husband of 52 years who passed in 1994. While
Valentine’s Day was celebrated throughout the Nation, the Nashville Campus
touched the hearts of the special elderly residents as well.
Super Bowl XLII Comes to University of Phoenix Stadium
For
the first time since 1996, the Super Bowl made its way back to Arizona on
February 3, 2008. From sold out hotels to buildings decorated with Patriots
and Giants gear, one but couldn’t notice that football fever was in the air.
University of Phoenix partnered with the Super Bowl XLII Host Committee to
prepare for the big game at the University of Phoenix stadium in Glendale,
Arizona. As the owner of Team Captain Spike, the first ever mascot of a
Super Bowl, University of Phoenix hosted several events. A Team Captain
Spike coloring contest was developed for children 12 and under for a chance
to win NFL Experience tickets or a visit from Spike to their school, the
University of Phoenix sponsored Habitat for Humanity Build got a visit from
Spike and University of Phoenix campuses throughout the Nation participated
in a You Got Spiked sticker program to raise money for charities
including the Special Olympics. Along with the Team Captain Spike related
activities, University of Phoenix used their innovative technology to create
an electronic tutorial for the Super Bowl volunteer training program in
which 1,255 volunteers used. With 8,000 volunteers needed to make the Super
Bowl a success, over 300 University of Phoenix employees offered their
services for the events making University of Phoenix one of the companies
with the most volunteers participating in the Super Bowl. As the final
seconds ran out on the scoreboard, University of Phoenix cheered on the
winning team and began preparing for the next Super Bowl visit!
Nashville Campus Cheers on the Special Olympics
On
February 7, 2008, University of Phoenix staff members and faculty gathered
to cheer on 12 teams at the Special Olympics basketball tournament at
the Hunter’s Lane High School, in Nashville, Tennessee. University of
Phoenix encouraged teams onto victory with high-fives, applause and good
spirits, and later sponsored a nutritious lunch to celebrate the Olympians’
success.
The Boys and Girls Club Hits a Homerun for Charity!
On a warm evening in
February 2008, guests of the Boys and Girls Club annual Today’s Kids,
Tomorrow’s Stars joined the organization for a night of fundraising,
inspirational stories from 10 All-Star Youths from Boys and Girls Clubs
throughout Metropolitan Phoenix and special appearances by prominent
baseball figures such as Commissioner of Major League Baseball Bud Selig, Bob Ueker and
Frank Robinson.
University of Phoenix hit one out of the park as a sponsor of the night centered around highlighting stories of the 10 extraordinary youth of the year nominees. With excitement and anticipation in the air, guests couldn’t wait to hear who won the ballgame and became the 2008 Youth of the Year. Throughout the night, the Boys and Girls Club raised money to excel their youth programs and at the end of the night, the crowd cheered on the 2008 Youth of the Year.
Arizona Leaders Team Up for a Better Tomorrow
Current
and future Arizona leaders gathered at the Tempe Center for the Arts in
February 2008 for the second annual The Collaboration for a New Century’s
City of the Future 2020 Summit to discuss the prosperity and quality of life
for Arizona citizens.
As a presenting partner of the Summit, University of Phoenix President Bill Pepicello and Vice President of Instructional Design & Development Mark Alexander addressed the leaders. The Summit included panel discussions with prominent business leaders such as Phoenix Sun’s Chairman Jerry Colangelo, Helios Education Foundation Chairman Vince Roig, Bank of America President Benito Almanza and Arbonne International President Rita Davenport.
Participants of the collaboration also received the opportunity to participate in AZ LeaderForce, a yearlong program in which corporate executives help charities enhance their business skills and address issues specific to their organizations. University of Phoenix is developing the training curriculum for the business teams and charities to follow.
“The intent is to help some of our community’s best human service agency executives enhance their leadership skills, while also confronting challenges facing their organization,” said Bill Pepicello, President of University of Phoenix. The University is developing the curriculum for a series of leadership training sessions, and the organizations will be served by teams of five business and community leaders.
Spike’s Coloring Contest Goes to the Glendale Library
In February 2008, over 200 children from throughout Arizona showed off their artistic talents during a Team Captain Spike coloring contest celebrating Super Bowl XLII. In partnership with the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee, University of Phoenix launched the Team Captain Spike Coloring Contest where children 12 and under could enter to win NFL Experience tickets and the opportunity to have their coloring page appear in a public forum.
For two weeks in February, the Glendale Public Library displayed over 200 coloring pages ranging in all different shades, designs and creativity. The first, second and third place winning pictures were among those entries displayed.
The 2008 YWCA Tribute to Women Luncheon
On February 21, 2008, University of Phoenix joined the YWCA in their
annual Tribute to Women Luncheon celebrating 10 outstanding women in the
Valley of the Sun who go above and beyond to excel both professionally and
within the community. University of Phoenix proudly presented the Education
Leader award to the individual who excelled in becoming the first
superintendent in the Deer Valley Unified School District since it’s
creation in 1935.