< PreviousA Gift at Keeps On Giving AZFOOTHILLS.COM When Robert Altmanshofer ended up hospitalized at 23 years old, his life completely changed course. BY CHRISTINA SILVESTRI“I REFLECTED A LOT ON THE IDEA THAT I HAD NO CONTROL OVER MY CIRCUM STANCES, AND I KEPT THINKING TO MYSELF, ‘I AM SO INCREDIBLY LUCKY TO BE ALIVE . . . WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITH THIS SECOND CHANCE I’VE BEEN GIVEN?’” Robert Altmanshofer AZFOOTHILLS AZFOOTHILLS IT WAS SPRING , and Robert Altmanshofer was a young, healthy and fit 23-year-old. He rigorously trained up to six days per week, fueled by a whole-foods diet, in preparation for his first physique competition. One day, Altmanshofer’s world turned upside down when he suddenly felt excruciating pain in his upper abdomen unlike he had ever experienced. “It may sound like an exaggeration, and I’ve never been stabbed, but I felt like there was a knife in my stomach,” says Altmanshofer. “I got home, went straight into bed and laid in the fetal position, writhing in pain until about 3 a.m. Then, as quickly as it came on, it was gone.” This debilitating and unpredictable pain soon increased in frequency to almost every other day, with symptoms lasting for up to 36 hours at its worst in fall 2011. Doctors were dumbfounded, with some even doubting Altmanshofer’s condition, until an acute abdominal X-ray series uncovered a massive bowel obstruction that required emergency surgery. Before he knew it, a portion of his intestine, which was also found to contain benign congenital tumors, was removed. If another 24–48 hours had passed, the doctor said, Altmanshofer would’ve most likely died from sepsis. Meanwhile, another abdominal CT scan revealed two large abscesses in his abdomen. “During my time in the hospital, I had a lot of time to think,” says Altmanshofer, who was in the midst of a painful divorce and had also lost his home at the time. “I reflected a lot on the idea that I had no control over my circumstances, and I kept thinking to myself, ‘I am so incredibly lucky to be alive . . . What am I going to do with this second chance I’ve been given?’” Realizing how an X-ray and two incredible doctors had saved his life, Altmanshofer was inspired to enroll at Yavapai College, where he received a series of scholarships, including a full-ride to pursue a career in radiology as a first-generation college graduate. A bright and ambitious student, Altmanshofer approached the Yavapai College Foundation with the idea to establish a scholarship to pay his good fortune forward. “I wanted to give back by helping a hard-working student, and not just one time,” says Altmanshofer. “I wanted to continue to give back year after year. As I became more successful, I wanted to share that success by following the example of the generous donors who made my scholarships possible.” Altmanshofer first contributed his own money bit by bit until launching a crowd-funding campaign in 2020. In just six days, the $3,000 goal was met; and, within 30 days, $6,200 was raised, ultimately benefiting two Yavapai College radiology students that same year. Overwhelmed by the community’s outpouring of generosity, Altmanshofer raised the bar higher by creating The Robert Altmanshofer and David Moore Radiologic Technology Endowment Scholarship. The initial fundraising goal of $30,000 was shattered by 93 donors who contributed $48,000 over 12 weeks. “When I first started the scholarship, it was my goal to be able to pay for one student’s entire tuition for the program, which is around $15,000,” says Altmanshofer. “Now that I’ve started an endowment, my goal is to be able to do this every year. This will require around $350,000 to be in the endowment, meaning I have another $300,000 to raise in order to accomplish this.” Now 35 years old, Altmanshofer has been a lead surgical radiologic technologist, and, most recently, a sales associate at the medical devices company NuVasive. “One of the best parts about my job is that I get to frequently work with my hero, Dr. Walters, the man who saved my life,” says Altmanshofer. “It is possible to make a difference in this world and change people’s lives through kindness and generosity . . . It becomes a domino effect, and you never know how far your kindness will go.” Donations to The Robert Altmanshofer and David Moore Radiologic Technology Endowment Scholarship can be made by scanning the QR code or visiting www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ycrad techendowment2022 Yavapai College radiologic technology students that maintain a 3.5 GPA are welcome to apply for the scholarship at www.yc.edu. • Robert Altmanshofer, right, with past scholarship recipients 1. 2. 10. 9. 8. 7. 11. 3. 4. 5. 6. HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE azf BY ALYSSA GRABINSKI IT’S ALMOST THAT TIME OF YEAR. Yes, the holiday season is almost upon us. While these next few months are often spent making memories with loved ones and friends, they’re also spent racking your brain for gift ideas. Instead of spending hours online scouting out the perfect gift for your fashion-loving, beauty-obsessed best friend or for your impossible-to-shop-for-father, read on for an all-encompassing list of swoon-worthy gifts. Be warned: You’re about to be everyone’s new favorite person. 1. APPLE Pencil 2nd Generation, $129, apple.com; 2. BAREFOOT DREAMS CozyChic® Angular Rib Blanket,$168, barefootdreams.com; 3. VOLUSPA Sparkling Cuvée 5 Wick Hearth Candle, $215 for 250 hours of burn time, voluspa.com; 4. APPLE AirPods Max, $549, apple.com; 5. UBER Gift Card, Customizable, uber.com; 6. SERENA DUGAN Studio Holiday Pillow, $225, serenadugan.com; 7. BIÑHO Biñho Classic Board, $100, binhoboard.com; 8. ALPHABET LEGENDS Basketball Legends Alphabet Book, $19.95, alphabetlegends.com; 9. BACCARAT Poker Card Game & Louxor Vide-Poche, $120 for poker card game; $390 for louxor vide-poche (Can be purchased together or separately), baccarat.com; 10. ILIA Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40, $48, iliabeauty.com; 11. CHANEL La Crème Main, $50, chanel.com AZFOOTHILLS.COM1.2. 3.5. 4. 6.7.8. 9. 1. RECESS PICKLEBALL Two Paddle Pickleball Set, $188, recesspickleball.com; 2. L’ATELIER PARIS Heirloom Copper Cookware, $136.25– $1,252.75, leatelierparis.com; 3. THE CLOTHERIE Shop a carefully curated collection of some of the world’s finest luxury fashions and clothing for both men and women, including brands such as Canali, Faherty, Officine Générale, Paul Smith and more. The Clotherie at Biltmore Fashion Park, 2502 E. Camelback Road, Suite #169, Phoenix, Ariz. 85016; 4. BEAST HEALTH Blender + Hydration System, $185, thebeast.com; 5. PINK® JEEP® TOURS Sedona Broken Arrow Tour, $132 / adult; $119 / child 2–12 years; $1,056 private tour for 1–8 people Grand Canyon Desert View Sunset Tour, $143 / adult; $130 / child, 2–15 years; $1,144 private tour for 1–8 people, pinkadventuretours.com; 6. TRULY BLESSED JEWELS Linked for Life Permanent, Claspless Jewelry Experience, starts at $60, Truly Blessed Jewels, 7058 E. 5th Ave., Scottsdale, AZ 85251; 7. KINDSIDE Hope Cards Original Edition, $35, shopkindside.com; 8. ZADRO Ultra Large Luxury Towel Warmer, $179.99, zadroinc.com; 9. SEE SALT Fleur de Sel + Garlic, $18.95, seesalttaste.com and AJ’s Fine Foods AZFOOTHILLS AZFOOTHILLS AZFOOTHILLS.COM IN SEPTEMBER OF , she founded One Love Pit Bull Foundation with the mission to support, rescue and rehabilitate at-risk dogs, increase shelter adoptions, and provide assis- tance to families with companion animals in under-resourced communities. In the last eight years, One Love has flourished and now offers a variety of programs and services to at-risk pets and under-resourced families. One of its primary programs is the Shelter Dog program. Through this initiative, the One Love team identifies dogs at the Maricopa County Shelter with the most extended length of stay or who need additional training and medical care. “We do weekly enrichment at the Maricopa County Shelter & Control. We walk the dogs and look for specific needs,” says Dana Close, vice president and chief operating officer. “We’ll sponsor those dogs, promote them on social media and help get them adopted. Since the beginning of the year, we’ve taken in 45 dogs that have been adopted out or are currently still with us,” she says. Although the shelter population is still predominantly pit bulls, they are now seeing more mixed breeds, shepherds and huskies, says Close. One Love works with all of them. In addition to the Shelter Dog program, One Love offers a variety of programs to help families keep their pets rather than surrender them to the shelter. Mutt Manners classes connect trainers with families virtually to help address behavior issues. Pools for Pups provides kiddie pools to families with outdoor pets who need access to water. And the Tag Me Home program offers free ID tags for pets. “Microchips are awesome, but if a dog has a collar [with a tag], people are more apt to pick up a dog, and if animal control sees a tag, they will take them right home,” says Close. Another important initiative is the Spay and Neuter Community Outreach Program. One Love hosts the events every other month at one of the Poverty Pets locations. The group does not advertise on social media but rather through neighbor- hood flyers so that they can focus on assisting the immediate surrounding area. Since its founding, One Love Pit Bull Foun- dation has helped 550 shelter dogs find homes and is on track to continue expanding its services and programs to the community. If you are passionate about animals and want to partner with One Love as a foster/adoptive home, volunteer or be a donor, go to www.oneloveaz.org to learn more. Upcoming Events: Party for the Paws Annual Fundraiser, Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022; at FABRIC (Fashion and Business Resource Innovation Center), Tempe. • www.oneloveaz.org, @onelovearizona BY STEPHANIE PERRAULT RES CUED byAs a volunteer with local animal rescue groups, Lindsey Blazevich saw rsthand the number of animals in shelters. She soon discovered that 90 percent of the rescue population were pit bulls. Sadly, only 50 percent of those dogs made it out alive. Blazevich decided she had to help! AZFOOTHILLS AZFOOTHILLS ONE LOVE PIT BULL FOUNDATION IS THE 2022 azf NONPROFIT OF THE YEAR.SALT & SPICE. AZFOOTHILLS.COM LOCAL MOTHER DAUGHTER DUO BRINGS A NEW KIND OF SEA SALT TO THE VALLEY. Oh So Nice!AZFOOTHILLS AZFOOTHILLS OR SOME, COOKING IS A CHORE. A HARD TASK that requires patience, instructions and a very critical attention to detail. But for Jessica Helgeson’s mother, cooking was the opposite. Take Christmas dinner, for example. Guests were mingling. People were hungry. And the tenderloin was baking in the oven. Instead of meticulously checking the meat and its temperature, Helgeson’s mother could tell that it was ready another way. Despite having macular degeneration, which results in vision loss, Helgeson’s mother could sense this culmination just by the sound of the sizzling steak and the strong smell wafting through the air. “She goes, ‘Oh the tenderloin’s done,’ and we pull it out,” says Helgeson. “And it’s the most beautiful, medium rare, you know, light, little crust on it.” This innate ability to flawlessly cook any meal was not a rare occurrence either. Throughout the course of her life, Jessica and her single mother, who some- times worked as many as three jobs, used the act of cooking to both bond and find beauty in everyday moments. To Jessica, opening the fridge to find random foods and ingredients presented a challenge. But to her mother, everything came naturally. “It’s what her passion has always been and her love language and how she serves others,” says Helgeson. “And she just has a way about her for making you so grateful for what you have and seeing the beauty in it.” This ultimately led mother and daughter to share their love for cooking and food through multiple means. Before they launched their own brand of finishing salts, or fleur de sel—which translates to “flower of salt” from French—which are very different from run-of-the-mill-table salts, they actually began sharing their recipes with the world on YouTube. As they continued to post recipe videos, they began to receive more and more questions from people inquiring about finishing salts. “Well, what is that? And what do you mean by finishing salts? And which ones do you recommend? And that really got our wheels turning even more,” says Helgeson. All that was left to do was grab their French- speaking friend, get in contact with someone from Île de Ré, an island off the west coast of France, and figure out a way to get the salt to the U.S. So, they did just that. The mother-daughter duo officially launched See Salt in 2015. With Jessica as the force behind the entrepreneurial responsibilities and her mother getting her hands dirty to create the various flavors, they began to sell the same exact finishing salt they had been using for years prior in their own kitchen. • www.seesalttaste.com, @seesalttaste F BY A LY S S A G R A B IN K S K I AZFOOTHILLS.COM FIN THA T’S ALL, F OLK S IN AZ YOUR GUIDE TO THIS SPRING’S HOTTEST EVENTS Coming up next, your in-the-know guide to the hottest events in the Valley to kick off the new year, including Barrett-Jackson, Waste Management Phoenix Open, the Super Bowl and MLB Spring Training. Stay tuned on where to go, stay, dine and everything in between IN AZ this January. Get the inside scoop at azfoothills.com and @azfoothillsNext >