Jack Gallagher: A new
generation of leadership
As one of the Phoenix Children’s Foundation’s giving groups, the Teen Board advocates for others, creates community awareness and fundraises—and for some members, it’s a cause that hits close to home. “When I was in seventh grade, my sister was hospitalized with life-threatening blood clots at Phoenix Children’s,” says Teen Board President Jack Gallagher. “The incredible work done by Phoenix Children’s saved my sister’s life.”
Under Gallagher’s leadership, the Teen Board has raised over $40,000 to support the hospital’s Therapeutic Arts Program, which gives hospitalized patients a chance to heal through art and music therapy. “When my sister was at Phoenix Children’s, the Therapeutic Arts Program didn’t exist,” he says. “The program would have let her stop being a patient and just be a kid for a while.”
Antonia Borggreen: Bringing joy amid adversity
Antonia Borggreen started volunteering with Rainbow Kids activities for patients of the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders and their families. “I got to see firsthand what families go through and it literally broke my heart,” she says.
Borggreen says she loves children but is unable to have her own, making her interaction with Phoenix Children’s patients even more special.
“If I can be a kid at times with them, I would love to provide that special moment to make them laugh or smile, with the patient, their sibling or even just comforting the parents,” she says. “I just want to give anything I can.”
Steve Salatino: A call that
changed everything
For Steve Salatino, it was chance that led him through the doors. Manning the phones at a KTAR News and Arizona Sports Give-A-Thon, Salatino says he “was so touched by the experiences the families shared and the generosity of people calling in that I decided then that Phoenix Children’s was going to be my charity of choice as well as a place to volunteer my time.”
And Salatino keeps coming back. Since retiring in 2016, he’s been volunteering at the hospital and the Foundation office—from working the front desk to decorating for the holidays to stuffing envelopes.
- “It means a lot to be able to work alongside a foundation that directly impacts the lives of children.”Brian TerpayCOO, Over Easy
