Feb. 11, 2015

Bateman at the Helm

Deborah Bateman has a

phrase she uses: “You

need to discover your ‘why.’ ”

You can be successful in

many ways, she says, but

still not realize your true

potential. Reaching your true

potential requires a process

of self-discovery.

Bateman didn’t reach her own place of self-actualization until she was 50. She moved from Arizona to New York City to accept her dream job with JPMorgan Chase, a job she had very much wanted and was thrilled to accept. Success was hers, but almost from the beginning, she knew her personal values weren’t being fed. The realities of life in Manhattan didn’t compare with the life she had had in Arizona.

She took the bold step of leaving that dream job and spending a year in self-discovery. She returned to Arizona, but she had no job, and nothing to do, really. Her daughter was grown and pursuing her own career. She had amicably left and then divorced her husband to move to New York and didn’t feel it was fair to intrude on him.

So she learned to cook. She learned to enjoy wine. She bought a home and planted an herb garden. During this time alone, she learned that she really wanted to help others in the self-discovery process. She also knew she wanted to impact her community. When she accepted employment again, she knew it had to be with an organization that reflected her own core values. She found that at National Bank of Arizona, where today she is vice chairman of the board of directors and now president of the newly created nblaz Charities.

And in Arizona, in 2006 – three years after the amicable divorce – she and her husband remarried.

Bateman’s passion is for all people, but especially for women. “Much of women’s potential goes unused,” she says. “I want to help women of all ages discover their why, their potential to be what they want to be, to impact the world.”

FLORENCE CRITTENTON

She tackles that goal in many ways, none of which are more important or impactful than sharing her talents with Florence Crittenton, a Phoenix organization whose mission is to help young people discover strength and self-worth by providing support and resources they need to become independent and successful adults. The components of Florence Crittenton’s support include mentoring, life-skills training, therapeutic group homes, on-site medical services, transitional living opportunities and the only single-gender charter school in Arizona.

Bateman is chair of this year’s Teaming Up For Girls, Florence Crittenton’s annual fundraising luncheon. She considers the role an “absolute honor.”

“It’s an emotional commitment for me,” Bateman says. “When you are a believer and you can advocate for a cause, it’s easy to ask others to do the same thing. The investment in this organization and luncheon will have an incredible impact on the community.”

The young women at Florence Crittenton, she notes, are on the same journey of self-discovery she undertook. “They have the opportunity to discover who they are and what they have to offer to the world.”

TEAMING UP FOR GIRLS LUNCHEON

Teaming Up For Girls will be held March 6, 2015, at the Arizona Biltmore. The keynote speaker is six-time Olympic Gold Medalist and Arizona resident Amy Van Dyken-Rouen. In June 2014, an ATV accident left the Olympic swimmer paralyzed, unable to walk – or swim – again. While her ultimate goal is to walk again on her own, in the meantime, she is in the process of launching a nonprofit foundation called Amy’s Army to help others with spinal-cord injuries and also with spinal-cord research.

(right) Olympic Gold Medalist Amy Van Dyken-Rouen

HOPE AND VISION

At the luncheon, Florence Crittenton will present two awards, the HOPE Award and the Visionary Award.

Shanna Parker, an advocate for – and mentor to – victims of human trafficking, will be honored with the 2015 HOPE Award. Parker founded AngelsGoToWork, an organization to help educate others about the risks of trafficking and perform outreach in the community. She has joined as a volunteer with the City of Phoenix Human Trafficking Task Force, sits on the advisory board of an organization called She’s 13, and volunteers in the community with other agencies. Her book, And He Called Me Angel, tells the story of her life as a victim of trafficking from age 13 to age 17. Her goal is to be a contributing part of the world that helps eradicate human trafficking.

Florence Crittenton will honor Debbie Gaby as its 2015 Visionary Award recipient. This award is not given every year and is only bestowed to a dynamic, inspirational leader who is a trailblazer in community involvement. Gaby has been recognized as such an individual, one whose dedication, passion and support for Florence Crittenton have not gone unnoticed.