Teen Lifeline’s Connections of Hope Gala
Dear Friends, Patrons and Colleagues; It is my distinct honor to announce that the 2016 recipient of the Alfredo J. Molina Community Lifeline Award is Mr. Tom Hatten. The award which bears my name will be presented to Tom Hatten at the Connections of Hope: An Evening to Celebrate Arizona’s Youth gala. This event benefits Teen Lifeline and takes place on Friday, October 14, 2016 at the beautiful Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Montelucia in Scottsdale, Arizona. This award is presented annually to an individual that has made extraordinary contributions to the service of others in his or her lifetime. I could not think of a more deserving recipient than Tom! With only $2,000 to his name, Tom Hatten founded Mountainside Fitness in 1991 at the age of 22. Through hard work and dedication, he grew it into the industry leader it is today, with 1,100 employees and more than 60,000 members. With all his success, he values giving back to the community by supporting a variety of local causes and charities. Currently, he is the Immediate Past President of the Board for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Arizona and is on the Executive Council for the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation. From promoting general health and wellness through Mountainside Fitness, to speaking and motivating students about the importance of being earnest, to serving on nonprofit boards, Tom is a true role model that inspires others to reach for their dreams, not give up, and work hard to make our community stronger. Below is an invitation, information, and registration for the October 14th Connections of Hope event. You can also click here to be connected to Teen Lifeline's Connections of Hope online registration and sponsorship opportunities. I encourage you to participate and bring hope to a youth's life. Not able to attend the event? You can show your support by making a donation to the SAVEaLIFE Campaign. For as little as $250, you can help save a life. Every year, more than 16,000 troubled teens reach out for help and hope by calling the Teen Lifeline Crisis Hotline. One in three of those teens are considering suicide at the time of the call. Your donation will allow Teen Lifeline to be a connection of hope to a youth in crisis. Click here to SAVEaLIFE. About Teen Lifeline An astonishing 1 in 3 students in Arizona admitted to feeling sad or hopeless. One in 5 admitted to having seriously contemplated suicide. To turn this around, a connection of hope for teens has been established in Teen Lifeline; the only peer counseling hotline in Arizona. Their mission, as a 501(c)3 nonprofit, is to provide a safe, confidential, and crucial crisis service where teens help teens make healthy decisions together. Now celebrating their 30th year in Arizona, they have been a continued lifesaving resource for our youth. Teen Lifeline provides peer-to-peer counseling by utilizing volunteer trained teen Peer Counselors. They help teens deal with the issues they face in an effort to empower youth and prevent suicide. More than 175,000 calls have been made to the hotline, with more than 1,500 peer counselors taking those calls under the supervision of Master’s-level mental health clinicians. I am proud to share that my son Austin participated in Teen Lifeline’s Life Skills Development Training and was one of the many special lifesaving Peer Counselors. “Nobody can better understand what a teen is going through than another teen and that concept is what has made Teen Lifeline so unique and incredibly successful.” – Michelle Moorhead, Executive Director I invite you all to join me on October 14th at Teen Lifeline’s Connections of Hope to honor Tom Hatten for his efforts which positively impact our youth, and to support Teen Lifeline for empowering teens and saving lives every day. Respectfully yours,
Alfredo J. Molina Chairman
Event Details
Connections of Hope: An Evening to Celebrate Arizona’s Youth Friday, October 14, 2016 6 p.m. Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Montelucia Event Chair: Susie Alofs To purchase tickets, sponsorship packages, or to make a life-saving donation through the SAVEaLIFE Campaign, click the following link to visit Teen Lifeline's event page: Connections of Hope
More About Mr. Tom Hatten
Having founded the largest locally owned health club chain in Arizona, Hatten has been featured in such publications as Entrepreneur, US News & World Report, Forbes and was named Business Journal/USA Today’s “Entrepreneur of the Year” in 1996. Tom and Mountainside Fitness members have also contributed to a number of other charities including the Muscular Dystrophy Association, Boys & Girls Clubs of Arizona, JDRF, and the American Heart Association. “And now Teen Lifeline!” Tom says, “We’re excited for the opportunity to help spread the message of hope to ALL teens.”
