SOUL FOOD: HELPING ONE WOMAN — BUCKEYE, AZ

This week I had the pleasure of attending my very first Buckeye Helping One Woman (“HOW”) dinner honoring Tammy Doerksen, which took place at the Verrado Golf Club. Tammy’s son, Zach, and their family are in the midst of navigating an intense medical situation that developed after a planned surgery involving Zach’s heart.

Because this family has a special place in my heart, I knew I wanted to attend this dinner and do everything I could to support them. I had asked Buzz readers to join me at the table and my friends showed up as I knew you would!

My comfort zone. The morning of the event a friend texted me confirming the plans and said “You’re going to love it, soul food big time!” This was just the boost I needed. Unbeknownst to her, I have a difficult time in crowded rooms and had just started mentally preparing myself.

My friend’s perspective gave me an entirely new way of approaching this. And, seeing as I was—and am—in need of soul nourishment, I started really looking forward to the evening out with friends and Mr. Buzz who also wanted to come because he too loves the Doerksen family.

I went to the dinner with the intention of being present. I told myself I was going to switch off my brain and had no plan of writing about the experience. Because of this, I took hardly any pictures and wasn’t planning to write this story. At all.

It just so happened that (1) my brain never shuts off; and (2) I had an entirely different story already planned for today’s Buzz.

Well, as is often the case in writing The Buzz, I am spiritually directed to the stories that need to be told and I realized that perhaps I’ve been having a difficult time writing lately because I was failing to ask.

I started to get the message, when the speeches started.

The night started with speeches, beginning with Jerika, who nominated Tammy as a HOW recipient. She spoke about how special Tammy and her family are and what led her to sponsor them.

Next up was Zach’s girlfriend, Addison (Jerika’s daughter) who spoke with such eloquence and strength, describing how Tammy had held the family together while never leaving Zach’s side at the hospital.

Then Tammy herself took the room through what the last 50-plus days have been like for them. While I had been following updates online as this was unfolding, hearing it from her just… well, she’s an incredible person and if you know her, you already know that. She’s so calm and strong and humble and faithful and somehow still standing after all of it.

All the speeches were so moving. The audience hung on every word. I’d venture to guess there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

This will tell you all you need to know about Tammy: After dinner, I went to introduce myself and told her that I was Griffin's mom. You know what she said? Here before me stood a woman who has probably had 10 cumulative hours of sleep in the last month and a half — and she says, "Didn't he just have a birthday?" I tear up thinking about her and her kindness and after everything she’s going through, how in the world did she remember that?! I felt I was standing in the presence of an actual angel.

Later, I also had the chance to meet Zach’s father, Steve. He, too, is just an incredibly gentle yet strong-in-spirit person.

Now, I have to back up for a second, because this is why I found myself in that room in the first place. This family is special. I knew that long before meeting them in person. Their son Ben is one of my son Griffin’s good friends, and a better friend he could not have been given.

You know how they say you are the sum total of the five people you surround yourself with? You want Ben to be one of your son’s five.

I don’t want to give away too much about what happens because I want you to go and experience it yourself. Even though the subject matter of any dinner is intense, the energy in the room was so uplifting—and became borderline hysterical that night when the lady at the next table over won two raffles in a row and then went on to win again and again.

That evening around 130 people gathered in support. What makes that number even more remarkable is this: by a show of hands only about 7% of the room actually knew Tammy.

I was in awe.

Yes, dinner is served—but the food isn’t really the point. The evening gives the recipient an opportunity to share her story while the people in the room surround her with compassion, encouragement and tangible support. There are speeches, plenty of laughter, fun prize drawings and, inevitably, more than a few tears. You don’t need to know the recipient—or anyone else in the room—to attend. Guests are seated together, making it easy to arrive alone and leave having met new friends.

Helping One Woman—or HOW—is a nonprofit built around one simple but powerful idea: when one woman in the community is facing a life-changing hardship, the rest of us can help carry some of the weight. They currently have 27 active chapters across California, Arizona, and Nevada. Each local chapter gathers once a month to surround one chosen recipient with encouragement, connection and financial support—restoring hope one woman at a time.

Each month, members of the community nominate local women who have experienced a significant hardship or life-altering event. One recipient is selected, and the Buckeye chapter organizes a dinner in her honor. Tickets are purchased in advance, guests are assigned seats and everyone brings a minimum $10 monetary gift for the recipient. The evening also includes prize drawings, special raffles and a silent auction.

The Buckeye chapter is led by volunteers Breatana Hammontree, Kristina Perez, and Jenna Freedman.

They organize the dinners, coordinate donations and prizes, share each recipient’s story and bring the community together month after month. HOW chapter leaders are volunteers who give their time and hearts to support women in their own communities.

Having met a few of them in person at the dinner, I can say that our community is so lucky to have leaders like you. I’m again in awe of how beautifully these events are executed—and of the people behind them who make it all happen, month after month.

To nominate a woman for the Helping One Woman (HOW) – Buckeye Chapter, you must:

The recipient receives the $10 gifts collected at check-in, along with the proceeds from the prize drawings, special raffle-ticket items and silent auction.

All money raised through those activities goes directly to the recipient, helping with the real-life expenses that accompany an already difficult season. But the financial gift is only part of it. She also leaves knowing that an entire room of people—many of them strangers before that evening—heard her story, stood beside her and reminded her that she does not have to walk through it alone.

First, go ahead and reserve your ticket now; they often sell out.

You can also easily support the mission by following Buckeye HOW and sharing their monthly flyers on social media.

Beyond that, each dinner relies on support from a variety of local businesses, and the chapter is always seeking volunteers in all areas, including photography, DJ services and more. Information on all of that can be found on their Facebook page, linked above.

At the very tail end of the night, Ben and Zach arrived. The above picture says it all.

Mr. Buzz and I left speechless. Moved to silence on the drive home. As Mr. Buzz said:

“That really puts things into perspective. In a moment, everything can change.”

I was—and am—still thinking about the night. By yesterday morning, I just knew this was the story that should be told this week.

You will be changed by attending a dinner; I sure hope you will attend one!

Next month’s recipient is Amelia Nash-Cisneros, a young Verrado wife, mother of three-year-old twin boys, and physical therapist whose life changed in an instant when she was struck by a hit-and-run driver while riding her bike in front of Verrado High School in March.

Amelia suffered devastating injuries, spent several days in intensive care, underwent multiple surgeries, and later continued her recovery at a specialized neurological rehabilitation hospital in Colorado. She is now back home in Arizona, surrounded by her family and working tirelessly to regain strength and function on her left side through ongoing physical therapy.

📅 Date: August 11, 2026, 5:45-8:30 PM
📍 Place: The Verrado Golf Club
🍽 Dinner: Included in ticket price (gluten-free and vegetarian options available)
🎟 Reserve your tickets here

And don’t be afraid to attend a HOW Dinner alone. You’ll be seated at a table with other guests, which makes it easy to strike up conversations, meet new people, and possibly leave with a few new friends. Or better yet, grab some friends and attend together!

As always, if you go, please let them know The Buckeye Buzz sent ya!

✌️❤ 🐝 ~ V.

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