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February 20, 2004/Shevat 28 5764, Vol. 56, No. 22
Making a difference
Valley Jewish women among those honored by YWCA
JOBETH JAMISON
Special to Jewish News
What do an artist, a businesswoman and a doctor all have in common? A great deal, according to the Maricopa County YWCA, especially if they're Kathy Hotchner, Carrie Martz and Dr. Robin Krause Blitz, who were among the 10 Valley women recognized and honored this month at the organization's 11th annual Tribute to Women.
It seems simple enough. They're all impressive Jewish career women who live and work in the Phoenix area. But that alone doesn't draw munificent kudos from one of the largest women's organizations in the country. To even be nominated, one must exhibit great depth and drive in the areas of leadership, empowerment and breaking racial barriers in their community. They all have. But perhaps the greatest tie that binds these remarkable women is their ability to make a difference out of being different.
The Artist:
Kathy Hotchner, vice president and director of the Scottsdale Center for the Arts.
Though many things falter as a result of being "all over the map," Hotchner's career and community are well served by it. The mother of two and grandmother of one is, herself, an artist who has managed to strike an effective balance between being creative and administrative in a field where being different is a winning trait. Hotchner is Jewish and also avidly global. It is her job as a conductor and employer of the arts to embrace the heritage of all people, and to introduce them to one another as well. Her passion, she says, is "using the arts to build bridges between people." And it shows. As a YWCA honoree, Hotchner is credited for bringing cross-cultural programs such as Children of Uganda, Ballet Hispanico, National Theater of the Deaf, and the Wadaiko Drummers of Japan to Arizona, and for presenting programs that empower women. She is also being recognized for her 14 years of work with school-children, establishing cross-cultural arts programs in Scottsdale and the neighboring Native American communities. The choices she makes aren't always politically correct ones or even popular - at least not at first.
"We brought in the "Vagina Monologues" before they were a household name," she recalls.
She also mentions an exhibit that consists of body outlines drawn in chalk with the names of domestic violence victims written inside. Outrageous? Perhaps. But, powerful enough to attract and affect audiences every year. In light of the controversy that almost always accompanies notable art forms, her risks are the public's rewards.
Says Hotchner, "I don't believe that the artist is just someone you put on a stage. I believe there is much, much more that art can do for a community."
The Businesswoman:
Carrie Martz, president and CEO of The Martz Agency in Scottsdale.
Still fresh from Arizona State University, Martz began her business with a humble staff of two back in 1980. Twenty-four years later the Martz Agency operates with a staff of 35 and is one of the top public relations firms in the state. But it's not just her business savvy and longevity that sets this distinguish- ed maven of image management apart from the rest. She, too, has a knack for channeling creative and leadership skills through her profession to empower and encourage others. Through her agency, Martz has established mentoring and internship programs for young women as well as life workshops for teens. She has founded and chaired numerous fund-raisers to benefit children's charities and victims of domestic violence. She serves on the executive board of Charter 100, a nonprofit women's or-ganization aimed at fostering communication and ideas between pro-fessional and civic leaders. Martz, also a mother of two, credits much of her success with the challenge of growing up in Omaha, Neb., where being Jewish made her different.
"At the time," Martz says, "being different wasn't good." The social incongruity fueled her to be, not just good, but better.
"I had to always work a little harder and had to be a little more flexible to be accepted or recognized," she says adding, "and that has to be true for anyone who has a minority background." Martz also adds that being a Capricorn doesn't hurt.
It is now her passion and her mission to help others use their differences as tools to empower themselves, especially young women. Martz's latest creation, the "Women Who Don't Play Golf Organization" (WWDPGO), will benefit the Florence Crittenton Services of Arizona, an organization that assists teenage girls in crisis.
The Doctor:
Robin Krause Blitz, associate director of the Arizona Child Study Center at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center.
For Blitz, a leading developmental and behavioral pediatrician who diagnoses and manages treatment for children with special needs, both at St. Joe's and at the Phoenix Indian Medical Center, "different" is perfectly normal. Blitz grew up in Cleveland, with three sisters, the oldest of whom was born with developmental disabilities. Their parents worked hard to establish a community of other families with special needs children wherein Blitz spent much of her time.
"I went to kindergarten and first grade thinking everybody had a sister or brother with special needs because those were the families that we were involved with," she recalls. Blitz was also deeply involved with her Jewish community, something that only enhanced her benevolent path. "Being Jewish, you're taught your whole life about tzedakah ... and how being righteous means giving to others and caring for others. That was a huge thing for me."
For Blitz, those tenets are a bigger part of her life now than ever before. While she is known throughout the state for the unmitigated care and nurturing that she extends to all of her patients and their families (most of whom she will spend over an hour at a time with), perhaps she is best known for it and even more challenged by it at home. Twelve years ago, Blitz's husband was diagnosed with a brain tumor that subsequently disabled him. Their two children suffer from chronic health problems, one of them from Crohn's disease. These events have made life in the Blitz household anything but average - even on the weekends, there is no such thing as a day off.
They have also inspired Blitz to advise families, especially women, on being prepared for the "what ifs." When asked how she manages she replies that the best she can do is to "make sure that I take care of everything, one day at a time." To the woman whose greatest hope is to "get a full night's sleep every night," the YWCA tribute comes as a surprising honor, one she humbly ponders being worthy of.
Says Blitz, "The whole philosophy of the YWCA and their mission of empowering women and mentoring young women ... I hope that I do that every day."
JoBeth Jamison is a free-lance writer based in Phoenix.
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