‘All Stars’ on the Girls’ Team
On March 14 when Florence Crittenton, a residential home in Phoenix for girls and young women in need, hosts its 11th annual Teaming Up For Girls Luncheon, Debbie and Len Gaby will be recognized as honorary chairs.
Since moving to the Valley from Texas in August 1996, the couple has built a successful retail mattress business, Sleep America, into 45 stores, and Debbie’s voice has become instantly recognizable from her radio spots advertising the company. Starting and growing their business in the Valley was no accident, but the result of market research that revealed the vitality of the Valley’s market and growth in employment and housing.
Both chuckle as they recall Debbie’s arrival from the lush landscape of Texas. They landed at Sky Harbor around 10 p.m. It was August. It was 104 degrees. “I said, ‘That can’t be. It’s nighttime!’ ” Debbie says.
A week or so later, she had learned to love the Valley. Seventeen years later, they are both thoroughly entrenched in the life of the community. Debbie has been involved in countless organizations, on the boards of some and helping others in any way she can.
Before the Gabys opened their first store, they made contact with St. Vincent De Paul and developed a mattress-recycling program. When consumers accept delivery of a new mattress, they may choose to donate the old mattress and get a tax-deductible receipt. The old mattresses are sanitized by Sleep America and given to St. Vincent De Paul to donate to those who need them.
“We encourage people to do this and wish more people would,” Len says. “Old mattresses take up a lot of space in landfills. By recycling them, we’re being both environmentally and socially responsible. It’s a win-win.”
Sixteen years ago, shortly after the Gabys arrived in the Valley, they donated a new mattress for each young woman at Florence Crittenton. Last year, the Gabys replaced those mattresses with fresh new ones.
While Len is retired from Sleep America, which was sold to Sleep Country Canada in 2009, Debbie has stayed with the company as president and spokesperson. She spends about 75 percent of her time working for Sleep America Charities, reading requests and making grants, often of new mattresses. “I love to work,” she says. “I enjoy every day, so I would do this anyway.”
Banks and Ziggy, photographed on a family beach vacation, earned certification (with Len) for pet therapy programs.
The Gabys love their pets – Ziggy, a black Labrador, and Banks, a French bulldog. In their home, even the dogs volunteer. Len has spent about a year training them to be certified for pet therapy programs. They achieved their certification toward the end of last year, and Ziggy has already visited a homeless shelter where the children put him through the paces, brushing his coat and romping with (and on!) him.
Through “Put Your Best Foot Forward,” a 13-year-old program, the Gabys have donated a new pair of athletic shoes each year to the young women at Florence Crittenton.
It’s gratifying to give to others and to make others happy, Debbie says.
“We’re very blessed and life is good. I believe in the law of reciprocity,” Debbie says. “Everything you give comes back tenfold.”
Teaming Up For Girls
The Teaming Up For Girls Luncheon is Thurs., March 14, at the Arizona Biltmore. The honorees are Jason Schechterle, the 2013 Hope Award recipient, and Linda Volhein, the 2013 Visionary Award recipient. The presenting sponsor is the Arizona Republic. Laura Ling, author and formerly imprisoned journalist, will deliver the keynote address.
Text by Cindy Miller
