Arizona

Arizona Events

The Site Leader Coordinators have transitioned from Renee Levin and Beth Redfield to Nancy Baldenegro and Ninette Vaz. We want to thank Renee and Beth for their leadership (and continued support) over the last several years. Special thanks to Nancy, who picked up the baton a while ago from Renee. All four of us are more than happy to bring this amazing group of retired Intel Arizona folks together– we love feeling the positive buzz as new and old stories are shared generating laughter and connections!

We are ramping up the activity level of IRO-AZ, experimenting with some new ideas, with these goals and approach:

1. Hold a social gathering a minimum of 1x/qtr – either a lunch or a happy hour
2. Initiate smaller, interest-group driven interactions led by volunteer for the specific special-interest groups (similar to our Intel ERGs)
3. Openness to member suggestions, volunteers and experimenting with new ideas, locations for events, etc.

Q1’25 Events planned by our special-interest group leaders (THANK YOU)! See details for each activity provided by each leader and their contact information. Feel free to contact them directly if you have ANY questions at all. We hope to have a great turn out to each event, please join– it does not matter if you have never attended an IRO event in the past; feel free to bring a fellow retiree friend or even friend-group! We enjoy hanging out with you and the good energy created by a gathering of Intel folks as we continue to “DO WONDERFUL”.

• Luncheon: Wednesday, March 19 at 11:30 at Abuelo’s, Chandler (RSVP by March 12) to Nancy Baldenegro  cnbaldenegro1@cox.net   Feel free to bring your partner/spouse but please RSVP by 3/12/25.
• Hiking Event: Friday, March 14 at 8am just show up at Burcerra Trailhead, Chandler Blvd & 19th Avenue in Ahwatukee (leader Linda Guariglio)
• Pickleball Lesson #1of 4: Saturday, March 22 at 9pm at Pecos Park Ahwatukee (Cost $80 for 4 lessons RSVP by March 14 to leader Paula MacKenzie  paulamackenzie@cox.net  )
• Volunteer Events: Monday, April 21at Noon-2pm at Feed My Starving Children (FMSC), Tempe – RSVP to leader Renee Levin  IntelAZRetirees@gmail.com
• independent/not an IRO-AZ group event, March 27 & 28 for Arizona Science & Engineering Fair (see details below)

Note: Attendees of December 4 lunch signed up for above events and the leaders have your name/contact info you provided. At this time, we don’t have enough members interested in the biking group, so we will hold off on initiating that activity. There were other ideas and volunteer leaders for activities such as Book Club and Woodworking.  We will save those for warmer months!  Stay tuned for new special-interest groups; we are open to suggestions and volunteer leaders! 

Wishing you the best, 

Nancy and Ninette

Nancy Baldenegro, email cnbaldenegro1@cox.net

Ninette Vaz, email nvaz2life@gmail.com; cell 602-284-5954

————————–Details for each Activity Below—————–

HIKING: 
Want to enjoy fresh air and sunshine while hiking with your Intel cohorts?  Join the IRO AZ Hiking Group for our maiden hike on Friday, March 14, starting at 8 AM.  The trail starts on Chandler Blvd near 19^th Avenue. There is a parking lot as well as street parking.  Even though this is a Friday, the parking lot will likely fill up, so arrive early in case you need to park on the street and walk to the trailhead. There is a great spot at the McDonald’s at Chandler Blvd and Desert Foothills if anyone wants to meet there and carpool the last 3 miles to the parking lot.  

We will hike the Bursera Loop Trail which is a 3.3 mile hike with about 750 foot elevation gain. The trail takes about 1.5+ hours to complete.  There is a bit of a steep climb, so be sure to wear good hiking shoes. Bring lots of water as well.  There is no requirement to complete the hike; you can always turn around if you get tired.

Please let me know if you are interested or if you have any questions.  You can contact me via email or cell:  icelandiclinda@gmail.com or 480-370-2362.  I hope to see you all there.

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PICKLEBALL:
Let’s Play Pickleball! Ten years ago, pickleball was the fastest growing sport for folks over 55. Since then, it’s grown in popularity and now you see youngsters and families joining those of us over 55 on pickleball courts everywhere. It’s a great sport for everyone, and the social aspects contribute to healthy aging (something I’m spending more time thinking about these days!). 

We’re kicking off a Pickleball group for IRO (great idea Ninette!!). I highly recommend that if you haven’t played pickleball before (and even if you have), you should sign up for some introductory classes to get the basics. I have found that a lot of my friends play tennis on a pickleball court, and if you do that, you’re missing the point of the game! There’s a strategy to pickleball (it’s a net game folks!!) and it isn’t the same as tennis.  I found a great Pickleball coach who is willing to set up classes for us, it’s four one-hour classes for $80.  We plan to start our first lesson on Saturday March 22nd, at 9pm at Pecos Park (in Ahwatukee). Once we’re all baselined on the basics, we’ll set up some regular playing times, and possible location rotation. I know Ahwatukee and Pecos Park is free, but I’m open to suggestions.  If you’re interested in lessons and / or playing, please send me an email to paulamackenzie@cox.net, by Friday March 14th, please include your name and cell phone number, we use text messages to let everyone know what court we’re playing on and I’ll be using that for timely messages about lessons and court location. Partners and friends are welcome to join us! And feel free to email me with any questions.

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VOLUNTEERING: We plan to schedule a volunteer activity for Intel retirees several times per year. If you would like to submit an idea or coordinate an activity, contact Renee Levin at IntelAZRetirees@gmail.com.

Event 1 – Judges Needed for Arizona Science & Engineering Fair
Dates: March 27 & 28, 2025 (volunteer 1 day or 2)
Location:Desert Financial Arena, Arizona State University Tempe Campus
600 E Veterans Way, Tempe, AZ 85281

To Register or learn more: visit https://www.azscience.org/visit/events/arizona-science-engineering-fair-azsef/judges-volunteers/

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Event 2 – Join Intel Retirees at Feed My Starving Children, April 21

All Intel AZ retirees, friends & family are invited to spend several hours packing food packs at Feed My Starving Children on April 21 from 12-2pm.  This is a fun, well-organized way to make a difference for people throughout the world.  

Date: Monday, April 21
Time: 12 noon- 2pm
Location: 1100 West Grove Parkway, Suite 101, Tempe, AZ 85283
An optional social activity may follow*

Here’s a video so you can see what we’ll be doing! There will be standing and seated activities.  Review the volunteer policies here.
Note: volunteers are asked to make a charitable donation and to join in a prayer before the activity begins. Both are OPTIONAL.  

To register: Renee Levin will be tracking volunteer sign ups. Please send an email to IntelAZRetirees@gmail.com with your name and guest’s name(s). We currently have 60 spots reserved. They can take up to 200 people, so register ASAP so we can secure as many spots as necessary!  Also, let her know if you’re interested in attending a social gathering after the event.

We will NOT be submitting these volunteer hours to Benevity due to the new matching process. If you’d  like to submit individual time after the activity, feel free.

Read the articles that highlight our past annual dinners and see pictures from other IRO site events.