During the past 20 years, Brighter Way Institute has left an indelible imprint on hundreds of thousands of faces: Smiles. Since its founding in 2001 by Dr. Kris Volcheck, Brighter Way Institute has provided an estimated 1.3 million oral and dental healthcare services to more than 158,000 of our community’s most overlooked and underserved children, men, women and veterans at an estimated market value of more than $183 million.
Dr. Kris Volcheck, an openly gay man and a former dental professional. Volcheck is now the founder and CEO of Brighter Way Institute and is an excellent example of a person using their own previous experiences to help with a new trade.
“Brighter Way Institute treats the oral health and surgical needs of impoverished and often desperate individuals,” Volcheck says. Such groups include not only members of the LGBTQ+ community but also the homeless, the developmentally disabled, the impoverished, domestic violence victims, foster children, and veterans.
“However, just as importantly, we are providing a place for them to touch base and to use BWI’s 3 clinics and mobile dental center as a referral source to our partner agencies who provide care in medical, mental health, housing, etc.”
While Volcheck previously worked as a dentist he eventually realized the profession was not for him. When asked why this was, Volcheck said: “Dentistry is a critical part of everyone’s health and most of my colleagues truly enjoy their profession. I, on the other hand, was clearly not suited for the practice of dentistry. Many patients are experiencing pain, fear, and anxiety with simply being seated in a dental chair. I absorbed that pain and anxiety at a personal level. I did not come into a healing profession to induce fear and pain, I came to give comfort, solace, and healing. I did not have the fortitude to withstand that daily dynamic.”
Upon Volcheck’s epiphany, he began to pursue an MBA. “So, after practicing for over 9 years, I decided that I needed to change careers. While I was still practicing dentistry, I enrolled at ASU and earned my MBA. Surely, I thought I could combine my DDS and MBA to do work outside of a dental office. I resorted again to my comfort zone in academics to take me to my next step.having no idea what that next step was. Fortunately, at my MBA graduation, I met the founder of the CASS Homeless Shelter, Mary Orton."
It was a meeting that would transform Volcheck's career trajectory. He volunteered at the shelter. "I realized that I related most with this group that we refer to as ‘homeless’. I was them and I wanted to hang out with them. After two years, I left my practice to my business partner and became employed as a full-time case manager working in a trailer, a field, and on the street with the homeless for 7 years. I felt fortunate for finding my place and concurrently I felt as if I were a failure for not living up to the potential of having a DDS and MBA.”
Ultimately Volcheck was able to both assuage this fear and utilize his DDS and MBA for the great cause of helping the homeless, a group he identified strongly with and felt comfortable around.
“However, by this time," says Volcheck, "I had come to think of being gay as a true gift in another way...for becoming comfortable with mold-breaking. I was not going to have a wife, I was not going to fit into corporate America, I was not going to be many things that I knew were expected of me...so why not accept a career with the homeless? This acceptance was met with good fortune. A colleague mentioned to me that a two-chair mobile dental unit was available from the Arizona Office of Oral Health to use for underserved populations.
"The homeless had no dental care, there was a trailer available, I still had my dental license, but definitely had no interest in practicing dentistry. So, I persuaded 40 volunteers to treat the homeless in the trailer in the field and this is how Brighter Way Institute started. I did not have to practice dentistry, I got to be with the homeless, I got to use my DDS and MBA and most importantly the homeless no longer had to suffer with dental pain.”
Dr. Volcheck also attributes his being a gay man as influencing his career path. “I had always wanted to be a medical professional, either a Dentist, Physician or a large animal veterinarian. My thoughts were that all of these professions bring health, pain relief and hope to the patients. I chose dentistry simply because my dentist was the cool guy out of the three. Cool enough to smoke cigarettes and drink Scotch while he was injecting me. However, having a cool dentist is not a good reason to choose a career. There were other forces that were not apparent to me at the time that made me strive to become educated to a doctoral level.
"As a gay male, the feeling of being the ‘other’ was omnipresent. I translated that ‘otherness’ as me being ‘less than the people who were not in my category, which I assumed was everyone else on Earth. So, I had to prove myself to them and to me. I chose academics to shine, and to me the height of academics was having Dr. in front of my name. Obviously, much later on, we recognize acceptance is the key to vanquishing our feeling of being the ‘odd person out, not any type of achievements. I may never have strived for a DDS or MBA unless I felt inferior as a gay male and had to prove myself. I may have never given up that career unless being gay had helped my see that I did not fit the mold and with acceptance, I no longer felt compelled to fit the mold when it came to my career. It soon became obvious that these were qualities easily transferable to becoming a CEO in the nonprofit.”
Recently the Brighter Way Institute celebrated its 20th anniversary. “There have been many stepping stones from when I first started the dental program in a trailer in a field surrounded by homeless individuals – soon to become our patients.” said Volcheck reminiscing.
In lieu of the anniversary a number of events were highlighted by Volcheck. “We have just re-opened the operations of our BWI/United Healthcare Mobile Dental Center and we will be re-opening the Boys and Girls Club Dental Center on Jan. 1. Also noteworthy, the BWI Board, together with community philanthropists, have made a remarkable accomplishment in establishing Brighter Way’s first Endowment this year. This fund demonstrates our commitment to building strong, enduring assets for the future sustainability of BWI and our commitment to the homeless community.”
Volcheck closed the interview by urging people to remember to think of the homeless, be sympathetic to their plight, and think critically about why they are in their current state. “When anyone thinks of the homeless or WHY they are homeless please always ask the question: What trauma have they suffered to put them in such a desperate state?”
Founded in 2001 by Dr. Kris Volcheck as Arizona’s only dental clinic for individuals experiencing homelessness, today the Brighter Way Institute provides comprehensive oral health care for vulnerable and uninsured children, adults, veterans, individuals experiencing homelessness and individuals with special needs. Brighter Way Institute is one of the largest volunteer-driven dental clinics in the nation, providing services at Brighter Way Dental Center at the Human Services Campus, Brighter Way Parsons Center for Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, Boys & Girls Club of Metro Phoenix and through the Brighter Way UnitedHealthcare Mobile Unit. Every year, Brighter Way Institute treats more than 8,000 individuals experiencing homelessness, more than 18,000 children and more than 1,000 veterans. We transform more than smiles.
For more information, visit www.brighterwaydental.org
Michael Feinstein has become an iconic singer of the modern era. He has entertained audiences and world leaders alike with his jazz standards. Recently he began working with Liza Minnelli to produce a unique stage show that celebrates her mother, Judy Garland's, 100th birthday.
Mr. Feinstein took time out of his busy schedule to answer some questions and give us some insight into his creative process, the future of jazz, and the production of this one-of-a-kind show.
One of the things I love about the music that I primarily sing is that the songs transcend the time in which they were created. They truly are timeless in the sense that they still have incredible power and energy in what they convey to audiences. I always compare them to the timelessness of William Shakespeare or Beethoven or Michelangelo in that people don't experience any of those things and say they're old.
They still resonate with the heart and they have a contemporary sensibility because certain fundamental emotions are forever. The songs that I sing are so amazingly crafted that they're malleable and they can be performed and sung and may any different ways. And that's one of the reasons they survive because they're just adaptable.
And that's one of the fun things about it. Every time I sing one of these songs, it feels fresh to me. And I also know that there are maybe people in the audience who've never heard these songs before. So I'm mindful of trying to present them in their best suit. If you will.
Judy Garland, what an amazing person; incredible performer. As a child, like most of my generation, anyway, I first became aware of Judy Garland in connection with the 'Wizard of Oz.' That movie was shown every year as an annual event on television. And we would always go to my aunt and uncle's house and watch it there because they had a color television. But the true art of Judy Garland was introduced to me later in my life, when I became aware of her many recordings and other films that she made at MGM, and she had two distinct careers. One was the 28 feature films she made at MGM from 1937 until she was unceremoniously fired by them in 1950.
Then there was her adult concert career from 1951 to 1969. In that period, she performed over 1100 concerts and made classic record albums. And that's such a rich period of American culture and also music. And so the show that I'm doing is a true celebration of the extraordinary joy she brought to her and the pathos and the sadness that's conveyed through the way she sang ballots. It's a multimedia celebration with home movies supplied by the family, a rare recording of hers singing acapella. And I accompany her on the piano that I actually discovered of a song no one had ever heard her sing before. So it's a, a rich program."
I think jazz falls into the same category as American popular song, the classic American popular song in that it will always survive, it will always have an audience and perhaps it's more specialized today, but it's the kind of music that people discover when they're a little bit older and then it becomes a permanent part of what they listen to.
Well, uh, I believe that Bob Dylan is incredibly prolific. There are many other songwriters who have a work ethic that produces a lot of material. Diane Warren, I'm told, writes every single day, The songwriter Michel Legrand composed, well over 200 film scores as he composed every day. So there are probably songwriters who wrote more than Gerwin, but will their songs be heard in a hundred years as widely as George Gershwins? That I don't know the answer to.
Music always reflects the time in which it is created. Uh, if you look at the songs of world war II, the were lots of songs of patriotism that were very, um, what's the word --- jingoistic. Things like, 'Johnny get your gun, get your gun, get your gun.' All these songs about fighting for what's right. And those songs have not lived as long as the love songs that were written in that time.
For example, 'White Christmas' was written at a time when the world was just entering the second world war and that song has lived, and the patriotic songs, uh, have not worn well, even though the sentiment is there. They were very much of their time. I think that there is a certain kind of inspiration that comes out of turmoil. A lot of songs written during the American depression have become lasting standards.
Things like "As Time Goes By.' That was later featured in the movie 'Casablanca' and that sort of thing. So I think that good songs can be written in any time, but perhaps there's more, uh, passion conveyed when there are problems in the world,
Absolutely. Yes. Music is always playing in my brain and that doesn't bother me because sometimes it's music. I know, and sometimes it's new music. That's how I, I come up with the idea for a tune. My friend, George Firth, who died a number of years ago was a brilliant librettist. He wrote the book for the Sondheim shows 'Merrily, We Roll Along,' and company. And he once said that anything that you're whistling or humming in your brain is a subconscious window to what one is really thinking about or what they're really feeling.
So if he ever heard anybody humming or whistling, he would say, what are you singing? What are you humming? He wanted to know the title of the song, because that was his armchair psychoanalysis of what that person was, was going through.
Well, it's a centennial tribute to Judy Garland. And as I mentioned previously, it's multimedia with photographs that have never been seen before, this incredible home recording of Judy Garland, which I found in a house that she once lived in behind a fake wall.
It's just a weird story. Uh, so I'll be accompanying her in this song. So it's a world premiere of Judy Garland singing something that nobody's ever heard before. And I also sing a couple of things that were written for her that never saw the light of day.
And then a lot of familiar things. It's a celebration of the best of her MGM years, and then the concert years, the iconic Carnegie Hall show, and it's a very immersive experience, both, visually and emotionally. The audience reaction has been, spectacular, and I'm very grateful. The enormity of trying to pay tribute to someone with a career, as large as Judy Garland's certainly was not easy, but I feel like we've nailed it.
I had a team of people who helped to put it together, notably, Judy Garland's daughter, Liza Minnelli, who executive produced the show and was very much influential in helping to shape what it's about. It celebrates the incredible art that she gave all of us. It doesn't delve into the tragedy because that's the tabloid stuff. But the reason people remember her at all is because of the talent. And so that's what I celebrate.
Valley audience members can join Feinstein for this celebration of Judy Garland at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, 7380 E. 2nd St., Scottsdale, Arizona. There will be two concerts at 3 pm and 7 pm on Sunday, March 20, 2022. Tickets start at $79. For information click here or visit or call 480-499-TKTS (8587).
All guests age 12 and older must provide a negative COVID-19 PCR test, taken within 72 hours of the performance date, along with photo ID, to attend performances. As an alternative, guests may provide proof of full vaccination. Masks are highly encouraged to protect artists, staff and patrons. For full health and safety protocols click here.
Michael Feinstein will commemorate Judy Garland’s life on March 20 at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts.
Musical icon Michael Feinstein is coming to Scottsdale, Arizona on Sunday, March 20, 2022. His smooth voice and playlist of American standards will soothe audiences of all ages in this special live performance. Feinstein is known for having worked with George and Ira Gershwin, two of the most prolific songwriters in history.
His appearance in Scottsdale will pay tribute to another of entertainment's most iconic voices: Judy Garland. The actress and singer would have celebrated her 100th birthday this year. Her music still lives on in the hearts of millions.
Audiences are invited to join a nostalgic and spectacular musical exploration of Garland’s illustrious career. Executive produced by Liza Minnelli, this performance will be packed with special surprise moments as Feinstein honors Garland’s unparalleled talent and charisma.
This brand-new multimedia show features big screen film clips, never-before-seen photos, rare audio recordings, great music and good humor. Feinstein will lead you on a historical journey through Garland’s amazing life, telling stories he learned from Minnelli — Garland’s daughter — and from the legend’s close friends.
Audiences will be treated to recently discovered and previously unheard musical arrangements while gaining rare insight into the enduring Garland mystique.
“We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to celebrate the iconic Judy Garland on her 100th birthday, especially knowing the authenticity and love that went into this project with her daughter Liza Minnelli as the executive producer,” said Abbey Messmer, programming director at the center. “With the Ambassador of the American Songbook leading this journey, it’s certain that we’ll feel Judy’s spirit when we hear songs like ‘Get Happy’ and ‘Come Rain or Come Shine.’”
Photo courtesy of Michael Feinstein.
Feinstein has built a dazzling career over the last three decades, bringing the music of the Great American Songbook to the world. From his multi-platinum-selling recordings that have earned him five Grammy nominations to his Emmy-nominated PBS television specials, his acclaimed NPR series and concerts spanning the globe.
His live performances, film and television appearances, and 35 albums — including the upcoming release of “Gershwin Country,” featuring duets with country superstars like Dolly Parton, Brad Paisley, Vince Gill, Lyle Lovett, Alison Krauss and more — have made Feinstein an all-star force in American music.
Valley audience members can join Feinstein for this celebration of Judy Garland at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, 7380 E. 2nd St., Scottsdale, Arizona. There will be two concerts at 3 pm and 7 pm on Sunday, March 20, 2022. Tickets start at $79. For information click here or visit or call 480-499-TKTS (8587).
All guests age 12 and older must provide a negative COVID-19 PCR test, taken within 72 hours of the performance date, along with photo ID, to attend performances. As an alternative, guests may provide proof of full vaccination. Masks are highly encouraged to protect artists, staff and patrons. For full health and safety protocols click here.
On Wednesday, March 9, Sheraton Phoenix Downtown unveiled the highly-anticipated Carcara restaurant as one of the final phases of a property-wide renovation under Sheraton brand’s new vision.
Led by Executive Chef Chaz Frankenfield and influenced by the rich traditions of the Southwest, Carcara is the newest addition to downtown Phoenix’s bustling culinary scene.
Located in the newly reimagined Sheraton Phoenix Downtown, Carcara welcomes guests to immerse themselves in the destination with a modern design incorporating lush greenery and warm, earth tones along with an expansive 14-foot tree in the center of the dining room. Outside, the perimeter of the patio is lined with Cara Cara orange trees, the inspiration and namesake for the restaurant. A Sonoran-inspired menu uses locally sourced ingredients to commemorate the heritage and history of the local Phoenix community.
“Carcara is an impressive addition to the ever expanding downtown Phoenix culinary scene, honoring the Sheraton brand’s community-forward ethos and celebrating the local community through design and thoughtfully-sourced, seasonally inspired cuisine,” said Chef Frankenfield. “We’re thrilled to be a part of the city’s resurgence, and we look forward to delighting visitors and locals with an unforgettable dining experience.”
When curating the menu, Chef Frankenfield and Carcara’s Chef de Cuisine Angy Dykstra were inspired by the five C's of Arizona: cattle, citrus, copper, cotton and climate. The five C's served as an important role in Arizona’s economy early on and continue to play a strong cultural role in the community today. Carcara’s menu changes seasonally and utilizes locally-sourced ingredients, influenced by the rich traditions of the Southwest, including Native American and Sonoran-inspired dishes. Menu highlights include light bites and dips, flavorful salads and soups, colorful sides, and decadent main dishes. To start, guests can enjoy candied prickly pear ribs served with jalapeño slaw; Baja shrimp ceviche dressed with cucumber, orange, serrano peppers, tomato, and cilantro sourced from Stern Produce; and crispy eggplant taco with Crow’s Dairy goat cheese, citrus ratatouille, and shaved jicama. Standout entrees include prosciutto wrapped seared sea scallops served alongside Ramona Farms red corn polenta, wilted spinach, and nectarine butter or beef ribeye with roasted fingerling potatoes, jalapeño cilantro chimichurri, fried garlic, and lemon broccoli.
Cocktails and bites at Carcara
Carcara’s beverage program, developed by Director of Restaurants Lenny Skorcz, highlights cocktails with a heavy citrus influence, hand-crafted syrups, and fresh, seasonal flavors. Inspired by well-known hiking trails throughout the state of Arizona, signature cocktails include the Devil’s Bridge featuring pink dragon fruit infused rum, stone fruit syrup, pineapple juice, lime, lemon, and orange bitters, along with Cathedral Rock made with Cruzan rum Del Maguey Mezcal, Blue Curacao, chipotle pineapple syrup, lime, and pineapple. Carcara also offers its own signature canned cocktail, produced in-house, with Grey Goose Vodka, Martini Rossi Fiero Aperitivo, martini bitter, Valencia Cara Cara, Tarocco blood orange, saline and tiki bitters. The beer menu showcases local Phoenix breweries - many of which are within walking distance of Sheraton Phoenix Downtown - including Huss Brewing Co, Phoenix Beer Company, American Wilderness Brewing Company and Greenwood Brewing.
Designed by New York-based Celano Design Studio, Carcara is inspired by the region’s cotton fields and citrus groves, honoring the rich agricultural history of the Phoenix area with simple comforts and refined details. The space expands 7,000 square feet and can seat up to 276 guests, featuring a central bar, indoor lounge, main dining area, three individually-designed private dining rooms for groups and intimate events, and The Grove, an outdoor lounge and dining area with a traditional fireplace and two fire pits.
The space features lush greenery both in a mix of clay pots and from a large hanging wood planter suspended from the ceiling, marble pavers in a variety of colors and shapes, and ochre and sunbaked gold tones throughout. Drawing on nature, a central focal point of the space is a 14-foot-tall Chestnut Oak tree growing through the wood trellis in the center of the dining room. This custom tree has a 21-foot diameter canopy and collection of glass and metal lanterns hanging within the branches to add a soft glow.
Carcara is located on the Southeast corner of Sheraton Phoenix Downtown, accessible through the ground floor lobby of the hotel as well as the 3rd Street entrance. The restaurant is open Tuesday through Thursday from 3:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. on weeknights and 10:00 p.m. on weekends for dinner and cocktails. For reservations, please visit OpenTable, carcararestaurant.com, or call (602) 817-5400.
Sheraton Phoenix Downtown, a contemporary destination located in the heart of downtown Phoenix, is the largest hotel in Arizona. Featuring the new vision of the reinvented Sheraton brand experience, Sheraton’s design approach embraces community-fluid spaces that feel warm and inviting for both locals and visitors. The Sheraton Phoenix Downtown renovation includes completely revamped guest rooms, new food and beverage and programming, and a social lobby, home to the property's Club lounge. One of Phoenix, Ariz.'s premier convention hotels, Sheraton Phoenix Downtown houses more than 110,000 square feet of versatile space with the latest audiovisual technology, as well as on-site planning and catering. Modern lodging and a superb location in Downtown Phoenix, the hotel is near the Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix Suns Arena, Arizona State University, the Encanto Historic District, and Chase Field, and just 5 miles (ten minutes) from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) and Scottsdale Airport (SCF).
Sheraton Hotels & Resorts, part of Marriott International, Inc., makes it easy for guests to feel part of something special at over 440 hotels in 70+ countries and territories around the world. As the most global brand within Marriott International’s portfolio sitting at the center of hundreds of communities around the world, Sheraton has a rich heritage in creating a sense of belonging for guests, wherever they are in the world. Sheraton Hotels & Resorts is currently undergoing a major brand transformation at properties around the world to bring its signature community experience up-to-date for the next generation of travelers. The new vision for Sheraton features intuitive design, tech-forward experiences and upgrades to everything from guest rooms to F&B. To learn more, visit www.sheraton.com. Stay connected to Sheraton on Facebook, and @sheratonhotels on Twitter and Instagram. Sheraton is proud to participate in Marriott Bonvoy™, the global travel program from Marriott International. The program offers members an extraordinary portfolio of global brands, exclusive experiences on Marriott Bonvoy Moments and unparalleled benefits including free nights and Elite status recognition. To enroll for free or for more information about the program, visit MarriottBonvoy.marriott.com.